Poly route shut for average students

AVERAGE O-level students with an aggregate score between 18 and 20 points are finding it harder to get places in the polytechnics despite having passed all six subjects.

In the past, polytechnics had been an avenue for these students to build on their education.

As my daughter, who had an aggregate score of 20 points, was eligible for many courses listed on the results slip, we put down nine out of the 12 choices given because she was interested in those courses.

However, she got none of the nine choices. She was informed by the Ministry of Education that this was because the courses she selected had a low cutoff aggregate point. This fact was not made known on the registration booklet or form.

She was also told that students with points as low as 11 or 12 were now applying to the polytechnics instead of the junior colleges.

If this becomes a trend, then it is an issue to be looked into, and the enrolment at polytechnics should be increased.

Average students who fail to make it to courses of their choice have to settle for courses for which they have no interest, or go overseas if the parents can afford the expense.

Being a Singaporean, I believe that students should be given the opportunity to pursue further education here, rather than elsewhere.

Could the authorities please look into this matter?

K. Mathiyazhaki (Ms)

Other AWOL cases

Masrezwan Masturi (2000)

He was the first player to be sacked by then-national coach Jan Poulsen for indiscipline.

He skipped Tiger Cup training sessions, claiming an ankle injury, but did not attend physiotherapy sessions.

Ahmad Latiff Khamarudin (2004)

Winger was axed from national team after missing three of six training sessions for a World Cup qualifier against Oman.

In 1999, he was punished with a five-day stay at the SAF detention barracks, after skipping national pre-Olympic training and failing to show up for an SAFFC photo shoot.

Itimi Dickson (2006)

The Nigerian-born midfielder was slapped with a hefty six-month suspension from the national team, after missing two weeks of training for the Asian Cup qualifiers. He returned to the team after the ban.

Clariden Leu Singapore Masters

Dates: Thursday to Sunday

Venue: Laguna National Golf and Country Club

Thursday and Friday: Masters and Classic courses

Saturday and Sunday: Masters course only

Tee-off: 7.40am

Tickets (through Sistic):

Thursday and Friday: $15 per day; Saturday and Sunday: $40 per day

Season pass: $80

Under-16s: free

Under-21s and seniors (over 60): Thursday and Friday free

Ladies: Friday free

Transport: From Singapore Expo MRT and car park J to Laguna National, 7.30am to 6.30pm

Thursday and Friday: Every 15 minutes

Saturday and Sunday: Every 10 minutes

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Tackling the Taleban terror

ISLAMABAD - PAKISTANI security forces captured one of the Taleban's three most senior leaders just hours after US Vice-President Dick Cheney made an unannounced visit to the country earlier this week.

The capture of Mullah Obaidullah Akhund marked the first Pakistan arrest of a senior leader of the Islamist militia since it was driven from power in Afghanistan in 2001, and thousands of its fighters fled into Pakistan.

Sources said that Akhund, the third most senior member of the Taleban's 10-member leadership council, was arrested late on Monday in the south-west city of Quetta.

Besides being on the leadership council headed by Mullah Mohammad Omar, Akhund was also defence minister in the Taleban government before it fell.

The arrest comes at a time when the Bush administration is facing a welter of scepticism from Democrats, the American media and several think-tanks over Pakistan's role as an ally in the war on terrorism.

Mr Cheney had asked Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to do more to stop Al-Qaeda rebuilding safe havens in Pakistani tribal lands and step up efforts to thwart a new offensive by the Taleban against Afghan and Nato troops.

As defence minister, Akhund was believed to have liaised closely with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence during the years when the Taleban was in power in Kabul and could count on Pakistani support.

A Pakistani security official said Akhund's arrest was the culmination of a planned operation and not a result of Mr Cheney's visit.

Taleban sources said Akhund was caught at the home of one of his relatives at the Baluchistan provincial capital. They said two other Taleban leaders had been arrested in Quetta this week, but the Pakistani security official could not confirm this.

But even as details of the capture were released, a top Pakistani official said US pressure, including congressional threats to cut or put conditions on billions of dollars in aid, could destabilise the country and may even bring down President Musharraf.

In an interview with Reuters, Mr Mahmud Ali Durrani, Islamabad's envoy to Washington, expressed concern that anti-terrorism cooperation between the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan was eroding. He also rejected what he said were attempts to unfairly blame Islamabad for an upsurge in cross-border violence.

Tampering with US aid levels will fan anti-Americanism, strengthen the extreme right and Taleban supporters, be counterproductive and 'create problems for Musharraf to be able to continue the way he is', Mr Durrani said.

Asked if it might trigger President Musharraf's ouster, he replied: 'I do not know. Possibly it could bring him down. It could destabilise the whole country.'

His comments came after top American intelligence officials said the front-line US ally in the war on terrorism had allowed a resurgence of Al-Qaeda and Taleban forces and training camps in Pakistani tribal areas that could someday lead to another 9/11-type attack on the US.

A recent report by experts at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies questioned whether the US alliance with Mr Musharraf has 'run its course', while acknowledging there is no obvious successor to lead nuclear-armed Pakistan as a moderate Muslim state.

Mr Durrani argued that the US, 'distracted' by Iraq, failed to finish the job in Afghanistan and is now looking for someone to blame.

He acknowledged problems in Pakistani tribal areas, including 'a possibility of some presence of Al-Qaeda, definitely some presence of Taleban', but he insisted 90 per cent of the violence stems from Afghanistan.

REUTERS

Aussie jockey in HK gets jail for selling tips

HONG KONG - AUSTRALIAN champion jockey Chris Munce was sentenced to 21/2 years' imprisonment yesterday for taking bribes for racing tips in a landmark Hong Kong case.

The case cast a shadow over his illustrious career, highlighted by a 1998 Melbourne Cup victory.

His wife, Cathy, broke down in tears after District Judge Kevin Browne announced the sentence and her husband was taken into custody.

She yelled, 'you'll never get anyone here again,' as she left the courtroom, apparently warning that the conviction would scare off foreign jockeys from competing in Hong Kong.

The stocky Munce, who wore a black suit, blue shirt and pink tie, kept his composure.

After being convicted in the morning, he returned to court to hear his sentence without a tie.

The judge said Munce 'undermined the integrity of racing,' adding that 'iconic' jockeys such as the Australian had a huge following and are seen as role models by younger jockeys.

'For an offence of this kind, an immediate custodial sentence is inevitable,' he said.

Munce's lawyer, John McNamara, declined to say if his client planned to appeal.

Prosecutor John Dunn said he expected Munce to appeal and to apply for bail, although he said it was difficult to obtain because he needed to prove the likelihood of a successful challenge.

He said Munce's jail term could be reduced to 20 months, if he behaves well in prison.

Dunn said Munce's case is the first time a jockey has been convicted for accepting bribes in return for tips in Hong Kong.

Earlier, Munce's lawyer challenged the conviction in an animated argument with the judge.

He said Munce broke Hong Kong racing rules that ban jockeys from betting, but that he did not commit a criminal offence and that the matter should be handled by local racing officials, not a court of law.

The judge replied: 'He's selling secret information by virtue of giving tips. That's the criminality I find.'

McNamara also argued that no one suffered financially from Munce's scheme, calling it a 'victimless crime'.

Judge Browne said: 'What about the reputation of racing? It attracts huge public interest.'

Prosecutors said during the trial that Munce provided tips to Hong Kong businessman Andy Lau 17 times, covering races involving 29 horses from December 2005 to May 2006.

They said Lau betted for Munce and relayed the winnings to him through a middleman.

The tips allegedly covered races that Munce raced in.

He was found carrying a betting slip and HK$250,000 (S$50,000) in cash when he was arrested on July 3, 2006, after meeting Lau at a hotel, prosecutors said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Three reveal plans for Sports Hub

THE three consortia bidding for the Sports Hub project delivered their proposals to the Singapore Sports Council yesterday.

And the trio - Singapore Gold, Singapore Sports Hub and Alpine Mayreder - each revealed different facets of their bids that they felt would give them an edge.

Singapore Gold is banking on the reputation of its partner companies, and its design will boast 'stunning waterways'.

Singapore Sports Hub is relying on its companies' wealth of experience in the region and Singapore.

Alpine Mayreder is hoping to land the project with its environmentally-friendly design.

Expected to cost between $600million and $800 million, work on the 35-hectare site in Kallang will begin when the National Stadium is torn down later in the year.

When completed in mid-2011, the hub will include a new 55,000-capacity National Stadium with a retractable roof, a 6,000-capacity indoor aquatic centre and a 3,000-seater multi-purpose arena.

Yesterday, Singapore Gold's officials were the first to arrive at the National Stadium's West entrance at 1.15pm. In blazers, pressed shirts and ties, the group came in taxis.

Executive director Neil Arora, of Macquarie Securities (Asia), said their design would make use of stunning waterways and let people 'picture Singapore's city skyline every day'.

'It will be a design never seen before in the world,' he added.

Macquarie is the leader for the Singapore Gold consortium.

It consulted former Olympic swimmer Ang Peng Siong and paralympian Theresa Goh over the hub's design.

Arora also cited Macquarie's partnership with funding partner John Laing Infrastructure as a strong point.

The firm has developed over 50 public-private partnerships (PPPs) across Europe.

The PPP scheme is one where the private sector designs, builds, finances and operates facilities.

The Sports Hub is the world's first and largest sports facility infrastructure PPP. Under the scheme, the SSC will pay the developer monthly payments for the site's 25-year lease.

Gold's lead architect, HOK Sport, also boasts an impressive resume. This includes London's Wembley Stadium and Sydney's Telstra Stadium.

Premier event company IMG & Ogden IFC are the consortium's event management firm.

'They represent and have the ability to bring in world-class events to Singapore. These include pop concerts, classical concerts and sports events,' said Arora.

The second group, Singapore Sports Hub, made an impact just by their sheer number. About 50 people - all in red polo shirts to display 'Singapore's vibrancy and life' - arrived at 2.30pm.

They hailed from companies such as World Sport Group (WSG), United Premas, HSBC Singapore and lead architect Arup Sports.

Seamus O'Brien, president and chief executive officer of WSG, pointed out that its wealth of experience in the region and locally was his consortium's key advantage.

WSG is the consortium's event promoter, and has its head office here.

Said Anthony Seah, chief executive officer of United Premas: 'Our winning edge is we know what the SSC wants, and we'll deliver that,'

The firm, whose headquarters are in Singapore, is the consortium's facility management company.

Other local firms such as law company Rajah and Tann, are also behind Singapore Sports Hub's bid, together with DP Architects.

'We want to embody the Singaporean culture and nature in our architectural design,' said Teoh Hai Pin, a director of DP Architects.

'Greenery will play a huge role in our design because of Singapore's reputation as a garden city, and we are incorporating large spaces for youth activities.'

Arup Sports is currently working on the Beijing Olympic Stadium, which is due to be completed late this year.

Representatives from Alpine Consortium, whose lead architect Tim Hupe was behind Munich's Allianz Arena, were last to arrive at about 3.30pm.

Woh Hup director Eugene Yong and his team of about five came with huge, rectangular-shaped crates that were unloaded from five lorries. Woh Hup is the construction firm for Alpine.

Said Yong: 'Our design will have a 'green' focus. Some materials used will be recyclable, and certain requirements for reducing energy use in maintenance and running costs of the facility have been factored in.'

The three consortiums will give separate briefings to the SSC next week.

Their proposals will be evaluated, starting this month. The successful consortium is expected to be announced by the middle of the year.

Bids will be evaluated based on four criteria:

Appeal of sports, leisure and entertainment programming (40 per cent)

Functionality and quality design (25 per cent)

Financial and legal appeal (25 per cent)

Facilities management (10 per cent).

limze@sph.com.sg

hpeishan@sph.com.sg