Singapore poly girl “Christine” sells her body online to pay for mother’s medical bills
September 2nd, 2009 | 
Author: From our Correspondent
A 19 year old polytechnic student with the name of “Christine” has posted messages on ST707 and sgaids to “sell” herself in order to raise money for her mother’s medical treatment.
[Christine's photo posted on ST707 portal]
She claimed that her mother was terminally ill and in need of “a lot of money”.
[The ST 707 portal on which the advertisement is posted]
[The advertisement is posted on 22 August 2009 on ST 701]
Describing herself as a “cute local Singapore poly girl” offering “freelance service”, Christine wrote that she is also looking for a “sugardaddy” below the age of 40 to support her family while providing “freelance service” in the meantime.
The news was reported widely in the Straits Times, local Chinese tabloids as well as the Malaysian papers The Star and Sin Chew Daily.
“Freelance service” is an euphemism for self-prostitution which is technically not illegal in Singapore. However, open advertising for sexual services and touting for customers in the public are against the law.
Christine had uploaded three scantily-clad pictures of herself on her blog. In the pictures, Christine was half-naked, wearing only a lacy black G-string.
There was a separate link to more “racy pictures” on the blog where one had to pay to view the site. Her handphone number is also provided. However, it is not known if the advertisement is a hoax or a spam linked to a pornographic site.
Due to the current economic crisis, there is a rising number of young Singapore girls including undergraduates who have to resort to “freelance services” to earn a living to support their studies or families. (read report on NUS social escorts here)
While some local undergraduates have financial difficulties and have to take up part-time jobs to continue their studies, foreign students studying in Singapore universities on government scholarships offered by MOE have their tuition fees pay for entirely on top of a monthly allowance. They are often enrolled in courses like engineering, computing and science.
These scholars are guaranteed good-paying jobs upon graduation - they are required to work in approved companies by the Singapore government for between three to eight years. In contrast, Singapore graduates have to seek out jobs on their own and are burdened with a hefty study loan.
Scholarships offered by local universities and MOE to foreign students:
1. National Technological University
2. National University of Singapore
3. ASEAN scholarships (full tuition fees covered with an annual living allowance of $4,200, no bond required)
4. Goh Keng Swee scholarship for Asian students (full tuition fees covered with annual maintenance allowance and one return economy air passage to home country, required to work for three years in approved company in Singapore – essentially a bond)
5. Singapore Undergraduate Scholarship (tuition fees covered with annual maintenance allowance of $6,000 and one return economy air passage to home country, required to work for six years in sponsoring/approved company in Singapore)
6. Singapore scholarship for foreign students (tuition fees covered with annual maintenance allowance of $4,300 and one return economy air passage to home country, no bond required.)
7. C N Yang International undegraduate scholarships (tuition fees covered with annual maintenance allowance of $8,200, guaranteed place in hall of residence for 4 years, 3 years bond with Singapore government.)
[P.S: For those of you who are familiar with the Chinese cyberspace, please email any sites you have come across about specific Singapore undergraduate scholarships to PRC students to us at temasekreview@gmail.com]
Related articles:
>> PRC prostitutes solicit for customers on Singapore’s cyberspace
Debunking the official myths about HDB flats series:
>> Part 1: Singaporeans do not own their HDB flats
>> Part 2: HDB flats are unaffordable to most Singaporeans
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I thought this kind of things only happens in drama.
Where is the Lim Swee Say who suggested retraining and increase productivity? Is this the best we can get from the retraining?
What is the Khaw Boon Wan doing? Take so much pay every month and this is how people pay the medical bill for the elderly.
Big deal… go to sammyboyforum website under FL dome and you see at least 15-20 other local Singapore girls selling themselves. There’s even a yahoo group dedicated to it.
If my memory serves me well, there were two mothers in their 30’s selling services to help with household expenses because their husband were out of job… and another poly girl offering sexual services in car parks.
poor ST. it has to resort to making money off a prostitution ad to cure its slumping advertisement revenue.
If this is not a sign of singapore in trouble, i don’t know what is?
And the government claims to put its citizens first….. After serving the nation through NS, many locals emerge to find themselves placed secondary to foreigners. With less privileges or help whatsoever. No doubt many of these are “foreign talent” but… damn!!!
Hello,
I would just like to respond to a statement made in the above article about foreign students who apparently are guaranteed good paying jobs upon graduation. May i enquire as to where the writer found out such information? In my own experience that is not the case. I was a foreign student at NUS along with hundreds of other foreign students. We took student loans to pay our tuition fees, which we are now paying back. We had to look for jobs ourselves; there was no “guarantee” of a job as the writer puts it. I think the writer should think carefully before making such wide sweeping statements as the above as it implies that foreigners are somehow treated better than the locals, which again is definitely not the case.
How much for a time, christine?
Cheaper than the pretty china girls or not?
Still to get china girls are better and more choices..
because christine bf may be under the bed to blackmail you !!
Why so stupid??
without foreigners, i personally don’t think Singapore can live through the following twenty years. So do not always show your aggregation to those foreigners because they contribute to a large portion of your labors and raise the awareness of existence while varying the competitive society. Be more considerate and trust the decision made by yr government…….
aysha on Wed, 2nd Sep 2009 1:56 pm
According to MOE’s statistics, 2/3 of undergraduate scholarship holders are foreigners although they only make up 20% of student population.
3/4 of postgraduate scholarship holders are foreigners.
And the above figures omit PRs as they are classified as “locals”.
Apparently you didn’t make the grade.
i agree fully with aysha. writer, please mind carefully before you write.
“there was no “guarantee” of a job as the writer puts it. I think the writer should think carefully before making such wide sweeping statements as the above as it implies that foreigners are somehow treated better than the locals, which again is definitely not the case.”
Hi yogi:
“without foreigners, i personally don’t think Singapore can live through the following twenty years.”
I do not understand why there is always a false dichotomy created of “having foreigners” vs. “having no foreigners”.
The argument of this article is not to drive ALL foreigners away. The article is questioning are we having TOO MANY foreigners here, and should we limit their numbers to protect our existing citizens?
Water may be good for our body, but try drinking 40 glasses a day and you may be surprised that too much of a good thing can turn out bad.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
Those foreigners you guys referring to definitely are not Malaysians. In Malaysia, we call them EXPATRIATES and in hokkien; ang mo kiah. These are the foreigners that are paid multiple times compared to the locals. Same here in Malaysia.
I feel compelled to make the following points:
1. Government scholarships are also open to Singaporeans on the principle of meritocracy. Singaporeans who attain such scholarships are also often entitled to a monthly allowance as well as a good-paying job. (Of course, the larger issue at stake is the extent to which foreigners should be welcomed, for which there are few easy answers.)
2. It is tenuous to suggest a link between a single advertisement by this Polytechnic student and unsubstantiated conclusion that more and more Singaporeans students are facing financial difficulties because of the economic crisis, especially since unemployment rates in Singapore have remained relatively constant.
3. I believe that it is a basic principle of journalism not to put your personal opinion inside articles filed as news stories. This detracts from the objectivity of your newspaper. In this regard, I think your last paragraph is in the realm of an opinion piece and this should be stated so.
Hi WM,
Are you a local graduate?
There are many types of scholarship. Foreigners on a Singapore government scholarship are the supposedly creme la crop. Every year, MOE will send its officials to China and India to recruit their best college students to study in Singapore.
These students are provided free lodging, tution fees and given a monthly allowance. They major mostly in engineering, computing and science-related subjects. Upon graduation, they are given a few choices of jobs at state-linked companies. The Singapore government has invested so much in them, how can they allowed to be jobless?
We know this because one of the admin is an engineering graduate and he has PRC friends on such scholarships. Engineering students from NUS and NTU will be able to attest to the facts. These are hardcore facts, not something we pluck out of thin air.
Hi Daniel,
It appears that you are seriously out of touch with reality.
1. The only scholarships which give Singaporeans free tertiary education + monthly allowance are the SAF local study award (you sign on with SAF), MOE teaching scholarshiip (you sign on as a teacher). The other scholarships like President, PSC, EDB usually caters to overseas education.
2. It is true that tertiary students are facing more financial difficulties which is reported by a NUS student paper last year:
http://www.upiu.com/articles/rising-costs-strain-nus-students
There are many articles around, go and check it out yourself. In fact there is yahoogroup for NUS social escorts.
3. We did not express any personal opinions. These are facts which were reported elsewhere.
For goodness sake, please do some research on your own first before shooting your question. We receieve nearly one comment/per minute and we don’t have all the time in the world to spoon-feed you.
Fake adv – the link lead to a US porn site.
Hi Johnnie,
Where did you get the link from? We did not post any here.
You can try to find the correct link from CNA forum.
This news is reported widely Straits Times, the Chinese tabloids and Malaysia’s the Star and Sin Chew Daily.
This article reminds me on TR recently reporting on Loanshark problems that was widely reported in MSM, fact of the matter is that many people are AFFECTED directly or indirectly by the downturn and made worse by the structural unemployment,high cost of living and influx of FW/FTs.
This is the result of compound effects and these are here to stay, why? because the government KEEPS brainwashing that everything is fine, Singaporeans are HAPPY(Shitty Times report on Happiness index)
talk about irony…
Senior Senior [not sure how many more seniors will be add in time to come] Minister Mentor mention earlier this year if singapore don’t do anything our women will become maids in other countries…
well…looks like a number of singapore gals don’t have to become maids…they are already starting to sell themselves in singapore…
Basing on the information from ST is real.
why was gov’t agency not approached for help? Or she can’t foot the medical bill for her mom because nobody from the gov’t or statutory gov’t entities able to actually help her and her mom?
Something awry here in singapore and ignorant just or can’t see it or worse, they know but they could not care less.
Sad and disappointed.
I’m not sure what yardstick the author of this article professes to use to support the implicit claim that the government is doing more to help foreign students than it is local ones.
1. Provision of scholarships to foreign versus local students. Looking only at MOE-(ie government) provided scholarships, foreigners are not eligible for scholarships given to local students and vice versa. So they don’t compete directly with each other for these scholarships. Furthermore, all of the scholarships require excellent academic and CCA results. This implies that students, whether foreign or local, rich or poor, who do not make the cut are not going to get the scholarship anyway.
2. Generosity of scholarships. The NUS ASEAN scholarship pays for all tuition fees and an annual living allowance of S$5,800 and requires students to work for 3 years in Singapore but with no restrictions on what profession they enter. So, that “guaranteed job for foreigners” does not exist. You get your job based on merit, once again.
In contrast, the NUS Global Merit Scholarship for local students covers tuition fees, provides an annual living allowance of S$6,000 and an annual accommodation allowance of S$2,000 and does not have a bond. There are of course, other scholarships of lesser prestige and therefore, lesser generosity. However, assuming that a local student does not have to pay for his/her own accommodation, this relieves about S$2,500/yr of the financial burden that the foreign student must bear, which makes up about half of the allowance, as it is. From this website: http://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/scholarships-financialaid/financialaid/financial-tution-fees-coaup.html, an NUS student paying the absolute minimum for 12 months needs S$7200 per year, exceeding the living allowance for a foreign student.
3. And now for the case of the Polytechnic student, for whom University Merit scholarships would not apply, a look at the bursaries provided at Ngee Ann Poly http://www.np.edu.sg/ss/financial/fulltime/bursaries/np/Pages/default.aspx, shows most bursaries for needy students are limited to Singaporeans and PRs, and none of the government-provided bursaries apply to foreign students.
In conclusion, the article is wrong about:
1. Government support for foreigners is greater than for locals. Whether it is greater than it should be, since foreigners do not pay taxes, is a different matter.
2. That foreign and local students are in direct competition for financial aid while they are in school.
3. That foreign students get a free ride and a cushy job afterward without deserving it. They certainly work as hard as local students for the same privileges.
Hi admin,
Re scholarhips, I admitedly did not make a distinction between overseas and local scholarships for Singaporeans. In principle, they are similar, since they are awarded based on merit. Your article highlights students who require needs-based financial assistance. This is an altogether different paradigm from the logic of awarding scholarships (whether to locals or foreigners).
Like Aysha said, by linking the two issues together, your article implies that the government is spending too much money on scholarships for foreigners while neglecting the needs of local students. (Viz, opinion)
Second, indeed I have read the article and it makes no reference whatsoever, whether explicit or implied, to any link between the financial difficulties that tertiary students are facing and the financial crisis. Instead, it is about how rising costs and tuition fees have increased the expenses for tertiary students, which is a separate phenomenon that began even before the financial sector collapsed. I thus stand by my comments.
About one-third of the undergraduate scholars were local students. One quarter of the postgraduate scholars were local students.
http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/parliamentary-replies/2006/pq20060213.htm
The “local” students probably include PRs as well.
Hi Michelle,
You need to read the article over again. Nowhere in the article did we imply that government support is GREATER than locals. All we did is to reveal the facts that there are such government scholarships for foreigners and there are some locals who need to work in order to finance their studies. Please don’t put words into our mouth.
Do you know the number of local students being awarded the NUS Global Merit scholarship each year? And how does it compare to the annual intake of Singaporeans?
The scholarships are meant for the creme la crop. How about the average Singapore student.
Your understanding of the scholarship scheme/financial aid is flawed.
Every year, NUS reserves a certain proportion of places for foreigners who are given scholarships to study in Singapore for free. There are Singapore students who are not accepted into their faculties or choice or not even admitted. If you have been following the ST forum, you will find parents writing in to complain about the admission criteria now and then. There are limited number of places in NUS. Each place allocated for a foreigner will be one deprived for a Singaporean.
We are not against foreign students nor are we advocating that foreign students should be barred from local varsities. In fact, we strongly support the government’s move to get the brightest foreign students to study here in order to tap on their talents. However, more must be done to ensure that local students do not lose out and worthy Singaporeans are not deprived of places in local varsities.
Do you understand the difference between scholarships, bursaries and financial aid? If you do, you shouldn’t be lumping them together to obsfuscate the crux of the issue. Bursaries and financial aids are temporalizing and relief measures to support the students and even then, there is a limit to the number of grants each year which explains why there are still some students who are left out.
Again, we did not say anywhere in the article that foreigners get a free ride and cushy job afterward without deserving it. Why are you so sensitive and imaginative? Isn’t it true that foreign students on government scholarships study for free in Singapore and they are guaranteed a well-paying job upon graduation as part of their bond? What it means is simply these foreign students do not have to compete with others in the job market.
Let us give you a real life example:
Q is top student at a high school in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province in China. She heard about the Singapore government scholarship from a forum which MOE held in her school. She signed up for it and was awarded a place in NUS’s Electrical Engineering (from 2nd year) Her 4 years of education is completely free on top of a monthly allowance and an annual to and fro air ticket back home. Some of her Singapore classmates have to teach tuition part-time to pay for their study loans as they don’t qualify for the NUS grants (go and read its criteria, you have to be a near-pauper to qualify for it).
Q graduated with first class honors and was on the Dean’s List. Six months before she graduated, she received offers from a few Singapore companies some of which are state-linked companies like Chartered Semiconductors. She chose one of them and started working a month after finishing her studies when some of their classmates are still looking for a job. The company applied PR for her within 3 months of work. A year later, the Singapore government asked her to apply for citizenship. She is still thinking about it.
A Chinese company back in her hometown has invited her back to work. Though the pay is slightly lower than Singapore, the cost of living is much lower in China and she felt her future prospects will be better in China as its government is pouring in resources to develop the northeast and it needs many trained engineers especially those who are fluent in English. She is now simply passing her days to wait for her remaining bond of two years to run out. She does not have to work particularly hard because she is bonded – she will never be sacked unless she absconded. As she is still single and live in a rented flat with her friends, she manage to save up quite a big sum of money – enough for her to buy a bungalow for her parents when converted into RMB. On the other hand, her local classmates are still struggling to pay off the 80% bank loan they take from the bank to pay for their tuition fees. One of them is still unemployed one year after his company collapsed.
Of course we can’t give you any names, but those who graduated from NUS Electrical Eng a few years back will know who we are talking about.
If you read this story objectively without any coated lenses, then it is just a story. You do not have to jump up and down to defend anybody.
To some foreign students, they will think they deserve the scholarship as they are contributing to Singapore.
To some locals, they may feel aggrieved by the apparent preferential treatment that the government dished out to foreign students.
To us, we feel there is a need to tweak the scholarship policy so that we can continue to attract the best foreign students and keep the locals as well. Not only should we just bond them, the foreigners should be strongly encouraged to take up Singapore citizenship after all the taxpayers’ monies we have spent on them. We want highly qualified new citizens, not semi-skilled foreigners who are competing directly with Singaporeans in the job market.
There is no right or wrong. And neither is this article advocating a pro- or anti-foreign student stance. It depends how you look at it. Hope that clarifies.
@admin, can u guide my thinking…after reading your blog, i am sad and confused at the same time.
1. Should our government be encouraging foreign students to take up local programmes (scholarships etc…), if yes, what is the main advantage for Singapore?
2. The example that you gave (surely a true story) is it an exception rather than the norm?
3. Looks like our government is bent on increasing foreigners (to the extent to scout overseas for talented students in China and India) – assuming that bringing students is the correct move, what else can the government do to encourage these foreign students to stay ?
4. NUS/NTU has a quota set for foreign students per year…truely does it mean that with every 1 foreign student coming in, that 1 local student will be deprived? does it really mean that?
Please do not assume I am against what you are advocating…but please guide my thinking along….
I can imagine the amount of time Admin has to spend answering and rebutting all those comments by several people who seem to be trying to discredit this website.
What can I say. Excellent job, Admin. Keep it up!
When there are big injustices and big boo boos made by the papaya elites, where are all these people? Never hear a single comment from people critising the authorities, except websites like this one.
But when websites like this one report something that is remotely critical of authority or govt policies, these people all will appear.
I cant help but suspect that there are many pro papaya elements around ready to quell any disquiet and dissent. Take care, Admin!
Today citizenship is no longer permanent for anybody in this mobile. either where you were born, nor where you wants to live. Look at USA most of their citizen were actually foreigners. Good atheletes mostly from Jamaicaand so many good example. I definitely respect their local born citizen, they didn’t blame their government or anybody else. Indeed, they are welcomed those foreigner. When you stay in USA you actually don’t feels like foreigners, pls wake up.
1. Work harder, and do not rely on others
2. Have a paradigm to succeed not only changes of attitude/behaviours
3. Try something differently, don’t always choose an easy works
That’s for today, c u again
“You know, the cure for all this talk is really a GOOD DOSE OF INCOMPETENT GOVERNMENT. You get that alternative and you’ll never put Singapore together again: Humpty Dumpty cannot be put together again… and your asset values will disappear, your apartment will be worth a fraction of what it is, YOUR JOBS WILL BE IN PERIL, your security will be at risk and OUR WOMEN WILL BECOME MAIDS IN OTHER PEOPLE’S COUNTRIES, foreign workers.” – lee kuan yew
Looks like we’ve really had an OVERDOSE OF INCOMPETENT GOVERNMENT. OUR WOMEN ARE PROSTITUTES IN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES. now That’s worse than being maids in other people’s countries.
There is also the “SINGA scholarship” invented to trap “young impressionable minds” from overseas.
No free lunch on Wed, 2nd Sep 2009 10:34 pm:
No free lunch should be for the foreigners, not the citizen. USA provides excellent safety net (unemployment benefit etc) to its citizens, which is why foreigners want to go there.
Singapore provides you with FREE national service and reservist training, yes?
Hi 坡仔哥哥,
Thanks for your questions. We are well aware that you are our loyal reader.
1. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the Singapore government offering scholarships to smart foreign students. It is a way to spot talent and nurture them from young much like Arsene Wenger buying young players like Fabregas and moulding them into future stars if you follow EPL. However, it should not be at the expense of locals. Right now, there are too many foreign students in Singapore universities. If you go to NTU Eng or NUS Comp Eng, you will find that at least one third of them are foreign students.
2.Sorry we can’t give you an answer unless we conduct a research study on 5 batches of foreign students to find out. All we can say is there are a few such cases around. The famous CCTV host Shen Bing is a classic example. She studied mass comm in NTU on govt scholarship, but returned to China to further her career after she completed her bond in Singapore. Please google and find out more about her.
3. The reasons why these foreign students don’t want to stay in Singapore are precisely the reasons why we want to emigrate to other countries! The Singapore government wants only docile, hardworking and subservient citizens who are politically ignorant and apathetic. Then you will only get second-rate foreigners because the best talents are non-conformists who will have some sort of rebel streak in them! Foreign students are usually more street-smart than locals. They can see for themselves what kind of system we are living in though they may not voice out openly. To many of them, SG is simply a place to earn money and not to settle down. They may eventually become PR, but to persuade them to take up citizenship is a tall order. How many of these foreign students on govt scholarship become citizens in the end? What is the take up rate? Surely the govt will have the figures. But why didn’t they reveal it? If the figures are impressive, you bet the state media will publicize it. The fact that they have never done so may indicate that the numbers are quite low and therefore not “suitable” for public knowledge.
4. Look at it this way. NTU/NUS has limited places. They set aside a portion of them for foreigners. Now, if they decrease this portion and allocate more seats to locals, wouldn’t more Singaporeans have the opportunity to study in local varsities?
Hope that clarifies.
Hi amy,
Thanks for your comment. Actually we welcome the challenge. The problem is we don’t have all the time in the world to rebut them one by one. They are so desperate that they simply throw whatever they can at you without doing any research on their own as you can see for yourself in the some of the comments posted here. You know immediately which posters are just trolls and trouble-makers from their comments. They are not interested in what is written. Some don’t even bother to read the contents and start castigating us based on the title alone!
We are more than happy to engage in a civil debate with our readers. After all, this is a forum for discussion. However, if the purpose is to discredit us, to nit-pick at nitty-gritty details and to demolish what is written, then it is pretty meaningless to engage them.
So to our critics, please check out your facts first before you shoot your mouth off here again. If there is anything you are not sure, just GOOGLE and search for it. Read through the article carefully and don’t jump quickly into conclusions without understanding the gist of it. And please stay strictly to the topic instead of dragging in obscure and irrelevant stuff to obfuscate the issue. We cannot afford to spoon-feed you all the time. Even the msm don’t bother to quote sources to support whatever claims they make.
Maybe the admin should just refrain from posting like the Straits Times discussion board. It’s really quite draining.
Dear Admin, can you then please find out exactly IF this girls plight IS GENUINE. And IF SO, what her FINANCIAL BURDENS FOR HER DEAR MOTHER ARE???
LETS WALK “OUR”!!! AND NOT TO “TALK the walk” As WE EEN SAYinG about the PAP!!!
IF HER PLIGHT IS GENUINE … PLEASE COUNT ME FOR A $100 AID to HER and HER MUM. I Won’t call THIS charity or donation or sympathy gift gift either … AND …
I most sincerely hope that this particular won’t sudden;y grind to an abrupt end … because of money. Please know that I am structurally UnEmployed and HAS been for thesome 10 years now PLUS it is NOt my choice okay!!! My Error was becoming a professional in a technical field 1st Pm’s gahment was promoting then …
SO LET”S SHOW THEM Working GUYS & GALS … BY TSARTING THIS BALL ROLLING … >>> ………………………………….
I read with dismay the comments that seem to be directed at me. Kindly let me clarify. I am not a troll seeking to cause trouble; neither am I a pro papaya (lol). If I offended anybody, I’m sorry, it was not intentional.
I am just a normal, regular reader who enjoyed other articles on this website but took umbrage at this one particular article because of the way certain facts in it were presented. I thus spoke my mind, albeit critically.
If this is not civil debate, then I don’t know what is.
selling her self to pay med bill???? and you blame foreigner???? what an off topic !!!! jesus christ, there are so many job and she chose to sell herslf? tahts what we called wrong education, or lack education….what an excuse……i bet she know very well it’s worn to do, and yet she go to do…..either she think those uncles will raise her or want to try glamour life….i believe if she try legal work, then appraoch various entities such as town council to explain to them the situation, i belive there is help…..but sell herself?????? what was she thinkging? fast buck????? i bet her mother will get even sick if she know….she prefer died than see her daughter do that….who want to bet?? so warning to all girl…dont give such excuse when you sell yourself….it make me angry…..try legal way first, if can’t try again….never never even think to do that way….your money will not worth anything to the poeple you love…..
//Michelle
This is another joker.
with a scholarship, and only an obligation to work in singapore, the FT can pick whatever profession she/he wants instead of being stuck in a government job.
then they can emigrate.
Own people has to pay and then if they want to change profession, they have to pay again not to add the extra effort they have to put in.
No advantage for FT? My Ass.
//No free lunch
No there is a free lunch. Just be a pap mp.
//When you stay in USA you actually don’t feels like foreigners, pls wake up.
Yeah, that is because their immigrants pay to be in the States with the education fees etc.
Of course, they are welcome. All the more so, people wants to be in the States.
We pay for these FTs to be in while we pay for own education to succeed.
These FTs didn’t really want to be here in the first place and they prefer to go elsewhere. To make them stay we have to pay some more.
The question is why didn’t we treat our own people better?
as if once, you get an immigration “tag” in the Us, you will automatically be welcomed?
You wake up!
//Michelle
//the NUS Global Merit Scholarship
How many are these awarded to the locals?
//However, assuming that a local student does not have to pay for his/her own accommodation, this relieves about S$2,500/yr of the financial burden that the foreign student must bear, which makes up about half of the allowance, as it is. From this website: http://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/scholarships-financialaid/financialaid/financial-tution-fees-coaup.html, an NUS student paying the absolute minimum for 12 months needs S$7200 per year, exceeding the living allowance for a foreign student.
As if it is a burden to have a rented place by yourself at the age of 20++.
I would say it is a privilege.
Haven’t you heard the amount of fun people have in their dorms?
//Generosity of scholarships. The NUS ASEAN scholarship pays for all tuition fees and an annual living allowance of S$5,800 and requires students to work for 3 years in Singapore but with no restrictions on what profession they enter. So, that “guaranteed job for foreigners” does not exist. You get your job based on merit, once again.
This is utter bull shit.
A sing guy and an FT (assuming the FT got the service obligation in Singapore) studying in singapore. The FT got an advantage because his education is free whereas the sing guy has to pay.
If the FT picks the wrong profession, he can change quickly.
Sing guy has to a loan to service therefore more hesistant.
the fact:
Just count the number of partners in the big 4 who are singaporeans. in singapore
Then count the number of partners who are fts. in singapore.
you will see the a big descrepancies.
This does not happen in HK.
And accountants partners are extremely high income earners.
you, Michelle go wake up!
Even pilots in SIA and the other airlines, it is the same problems.
Singaporeans face disadvantages everywhere.
The average age of a singaporean pilot is higer than an FT because the employments were stack against singapore.
It is a deliberate policy.
Pretentious idiot, try to sound logical when you are obscuring facts.
//michelle.
The FT who got a scholarship in Poly has an obligation to serve 3 years. if he work one year then if he get to study in university, he only still have to serve 2 years after university.
Singaporeans scholars who got a scholarship. Serve 4/6 years. If he studies some more after his bond, usually he won’t be allow to disrupt, he got another 3 years of bond.
how could this be fair?
and the ft can work in an MNC, Singaporean scholar if he gets an MNC job, he gets to be labelled ungrateful etc.
MNC job offers you the freedom of choice.
Govt job unless you want to be a lame duck like GY, offers you just monies. No freedom.
How could this be fair?
All these policies are targetted at singaporeans to keep the PAP in power.
It is almost as if the right to be able to vote against the PAP becomes a curse or a posion for Singaporeans.
FT don’t vote, so they get better stuff.
//yogi
We listen to the govt for everything and they led us to a point where our existence depends on foreigners?
I thought the whole idea of leaving (kicked out) of Malayisa is to prove to them that we can live by ourselve?
The FT are there to support the property prices.
It is the govt’s lazy and cheap way to have our locals receive some money for retirement or they not having to think of better ways to boast the economy and they are not willing or unable to pay cash to the locals.
They are stuck in the poor performing long term investments.
When Goh KS made monies with the gold investment, the event was told to everyone.
So, when they make money, they will boast.
When they don’t boast, it has to be because they are stuck. stuck big time.
Show some bone pls.
The Number of Christine…
Username: pinkychristine
Full Name: christine
Mobile: +65-82731622
Country Singapore
AND TO … “totol” … you moron or yound ass or lass of a lad … SHE IS IN Polytechnic College ISN”T SHE. And DO YOU KNOW AT ALL AND ANY IDEA “HOW MUCH THOSE CANCER TREATMENTS COST IN SinkgAPOOR”??? CANCERS ARE 1st – 4th or LAST Stage …meaning 10% change FOR SURVIVAL!!! And SO … FOR LAST STAGE CANCERS … EACH Chemotherapy Treament CAN COST UPWARDS Of $6000/- OR MORE AS Just a Ball-Park figure!!!
“totol” … FROM YOUR Comments … YOUR UTTER IGNORANCE SHOWS. AND YOUR “APATHY” SHOWS EVEN MORE …AS IT DIDN’T EVEN OCCUR TO YOUR TO CHECK OUT “COSTS” AND “HER OPTIONS IN “TIME”, “MONEY NEEDS” AND “DIRE NEEDS” …So SHUT UP IF YOU ARE NOT Prepared TO DO THESE THINGS???!!! Contribute “CASH” When It IS KNOWN later IF HER CASE IS GENUINE HARDSHIP!!
ADMIN … PLEASE initiate … And I AM AWARE TR.WP IS NOT an NGO For Charity … SO … Please NOMINATE ONE TO CHECK OUT “Christine’s” REAL Situation and Dilemma BEFORE WE PROCEED TO HELP HER. VERY MUCH DOUBT that anyone even in MCYS AND high UP enough WILL take the initiative to find out the truth and do something!!! WE ARE MOSTLY “SAFE-HAVEN” SinKgAPOOReans types AREN”T WE.
My contributions WILL be S$100.00 for a start. TAKERS ANYONE … TO WALK YOUR TALK … AND “totol you commit something FOR A START haw … since you wrote the following … AND DI NOTHING ELSE BUT “JUDGE” BEFORE FACT ARE KNOWN … WE DON”T NEED “fellowmen” like YOU!!! Time for YOU to CHANGE!!!
QUOTE
totol on Thu, 3rd Sep 2009 2:22 am
selling her self to pay med bill???? and you blame foreigner???? what an off topic !!!! jesus christ, there are so many job and she chose to sell herslf? tahts what we called wrong education, or lack education….what an excuse……i bet she know very well it’s worn to do, and yet she go to do…..either she think those uncles will raise her or want to try glamour life….i believe if she try legal work, then appraoch various entities such as town council to explain to them the situation, i belive there is help…..but sell herself?????? what was she thinkging? fast buck????? i bet her mother will get even sick if she know….she prefer died than see her daughter do that….who want to bet?? so warning to all girl…dont give such excuse when you sell yourself….it make me angry…..try legal way first, if can’t try again….never never even think to do that way….your money will not worth anything to the poeple you love…..
UNQUOTE
the whole issue of foreign and local students have to be looked at from a political and localised context. Political because govt wants to attracts chinese and indians as citizens. so we got to treat them better. this is what MM has said, so no denying. Local context is that these talented and older foreign students are robbing this small nation’s younger citizens of a place in the uni. at the same pap thinks that the locals are not talented but yet do not want to reserve some places for these poor boys and girls a chance to further their education in singapore. do you think singapreans are so rich and can aford a foreign education? Anyway these foreign chinese or other nations students are matured students, meaning they already have their first degree. so can i say that they should be satisfied with what they already have? maybe pap should only reserve places in the uni for those new citizens that have gone through their primary and secondary education in singapore to qualify for the uni places or scholarships. I hope readers can understand the dilemma.
Hi Admin, thanks for the clarifications and I do know u have your hand full at the moment…
regarding pt 3 – My alternative view is that the majority of locals and foreigners (after scholarship)leave due to better prospects overseas (or back home) and not because they cant stand our PAP, I think they cant be bothered about this point (i’m leaving already and so not my problem)
regarding pt 4 – maybe you are right..but what is the correct ratio? if there is already a ratio and still alot of deserving locals cannot get in to NUS / NTU…then what to do? Will deliberately reducing foreigners quota be the answer?
I dont disagree with you on this point, but I dont see the qualifying criteria to do so….
anyway, thanks…it does clarifies and great job !!!
This is what happened to Singaporeans after voting for PAP! If you are an NSmen serving the nation to defend Singapore, imagine what will happened to your wife and daughters if you die in battle for duty, honour and country.
In peacetime, SAF regulars has to be given a pay above market rate to serve the country, while NSF and NSmen’s wife, sister or daughter had to sell their body to pay for medical bills. In wartime, SAF regulars stay in aircon room to “direct” the battles, while NSmen go and die for the country. After wartime, foreign talents come in and rebuild the economy, and married the wives of NSmen who died for the country. For those wives and daughters whose husband or father died in the battle to defend Singapore, they had to earn a living to provide for themselves. If cannot find a job becos of influx of foreign talent or new citizens, the wife and daughters of those NSmen who died for the country had to sell their body to these foreign talent and new citizens. Hence, if a NSmen or NSF die to defend Singapore, their wife, sisters and daughters will become comfort women to the new citizens. This is the price to pay for of NS is more than just 2 yrs and 10 ICT cycle.
This is shocking because it’s happening in Singapore. Over in the US, large numbers of college girls are working as nude models, escorts & even strippers to pay for college, no thanks to George Bush Jr.
//jolly
What do these new indians and Chinese students do to show that they want to integrate here?
Have you seen what stores they patronise day in day out in nus?
Capitalism has its price! Given that Singapore is run like a company and like with every company, emphasis is always on bottom line.
If the girl’s plight is for real, then the focus should be on a way to help her out rather than debating the merits of government decisions regarding foreign students etc etc.(we can always do this later).
admin…
please add me in…
i will also contribute $100 and if need be more within my means to help her and her mom.
I agree with some of the readers that if admin can space the manpower and time, to verify her claims so that if she is really genuinely in need, good sinkaporeans can help in whatever ways they are comfortable with.
TR should not be seen as just being sceptical of the gahment but should also open itself out to small issues that sometimes affect lesser mortals on the ground.
2 … just TWO … YES … TWO OFFERS OF $100 FOR HER When HER CASE IS FOUND TO BE Genuine AND DETAILS ARE KNOWN?????????????
Singaporeans ARE A SHAME!!!??? AGREE OR NOT??? …
AS DON”T MANY OF “WE” COMPLAIN ENDLESSlee OF PAP’s GREED … LACK OF TRUE CARING AND … SINCERITY TOO …
AND NOW LOOK AT What IS HAPPENING “WHEN IT COMES TO PARTING WITH SOME MONEY TO HELP A POOR SOUL HERE”!!! …
AND IT IS EVEN JUST A TENTATIVE THING UNTIL DETAILS OF HER “PLIGHT” IS KNOWN???
SHAME SHAME singARpooReans!!! …
CRITICES OTHERS NO MORE!!! A BUNCH OF “PASTIME” SOOTHSAYERS!!!???
Admin’s comment:
“To many of them, SG is simply a place to earn money and not to settle down. They may eventually become PR, but to persuade them to take up citizenship is a tall order”
That’s very true. If you talk to many Malaysians, we like the place (clean), the education (better than malaysia) and the SGD wages but definitely not living in SG. I have been to SG once and it’s too PERFECT (genuine complement) for me. However, over the years, i read and heard many things about the political situation in SG and how the govt control the citizens as if a MATRIX world indeed does exist.
Back to education policy, financial aid and free education is indeed a failure in Malaysia. I am not too aware how is the situation in SG but as far as I am concern, education should be free to all citizens regardless whether NUS and NTU. I have once asked an ex-minister in a conference “why couldn’t the msia govt build and finance enough uni? Wouldn’t that solve the problem of quota and scholarship?” and the ex-minister didn’t even replied to my questions.
If a govt can provide free education from primary to high school, why can’t they provide education either free or at minimal cost? They should be charging the foreign students higher fees and not killing the local talent.
I guess both our countries’ education policy has failed. But somewhat our country’s ed policy is not only a failure but a total screwed up. SG talks about meritocracy for a place in uni but malaysia talks about the skin color to secure a place in uni. Students are not good in math and english.
So to compare SG with Malaysia, SG appears to be not that bad, rite.
Change the govt, give a chance to the opposition.
Minor correction, ASEAN scholarship should be $4,200 allowance a year not month.
坡仔哥哥 on Thu, 3rd Sep 2009 1:44 pm
regarding pt 3 – My alternative view is that the majority of locals and foreigners (after scholarship)leave due to better prospects overseas (or back home) and not because they cant stand our PAP, I think they cant be bothered about this point (i’m leaving already and so not my problem)
This is why we wasted so much money and university places on foreign trash, a bunch of ingrates of dubious loyalty who abandons singapore once they decided singapore is of no use to them.
regarding pt 4 – maybe you are right..but what is the correct ratio? if there is already a ratio and still alot of deserving locals cannot get in to NUS / NTU…then what to do? Will deliberately reducing foreigners quota be the answer?
坡仔哥哥 on Thu, 3rd Sep 2009 1:44 pm
regarding pt 3 – My alternative view is that the majority of locals and foreigners (after scholarship)leave due to better prospects overseas (or back home) and not because they cant stand our PAP, I think they cant be bothered about this point (i’m leaving already and so not my problem)
This is why we wasted so much money and university places on foreign trash, a bunch of ingrates of dubious loyalty who abandon singapore once they decided singapore is of no use to them.
regarding pt 4 – maybe you are right..but what is the correct ratio? if there is already a ratio and still alot of deserving locals cannot get in to NUS / NTU…then what to do? Will deliberately reducing foreigners quota be the answer?
Yes. [places for locals + places for foreigners = total places for all students] in the Big 3 univerisities. If the quota for foreigners is reduced, there will be more places for locals. Worst of all, we are using our taxes and CPF to pay for these ungrateful foreign trash, many of whom are single children aka spoilt brats who complained about singapore all the time.
//#foreign trash
Well said!
I love the expression.
Thank you very much.
Actually reducing foreign quoto is not the answer.
Treating our own people nice is the answer.
Make the foreign students pay. That’s the answer.
Australia does that.
I don’t know why others don’t do that.
Wow and Foreign Trash,
Reducing foreign student ratio is not the answer…still we cannot arrive at the question of “what is the correct ratio”
Let’s assume 2 things for the sake of argument, 1. That we NEED FT and also those students which we scout overseas are TRUE TALENTS….
Then the issue here is HOW to retain them….we sacrifice places (which could be given to locals) and we pay their tution and monthly allowances…
1. We should really screen them b4 they come over…their actual talent quotient (IQ,EQ..whatever)
2. Their risk ratio – we should have criteria to ascertian their willingness to stay back, live and contribute to singapore on an ongoing if not permanent basis.
3. They should really sign a progamme which they will suffer seriously if they break their scholarship or work bond.
//坡仔哥哥
Screening is not going to work. and it costs too much. (maybe).
Just be nice to your own people. Make them envy to want to be one of us.
We get to treated nicely while attract them here.
every country do that.
other than Singapore, where our govt set the stage for ft to “Fornicate Under the Consent of the King” us.
who would want to stay in S’pore and become s’porean? What to be fornicated again by our govt?
Remember we are supposed to attract the smart ones. they can see.
If the FTs are paying the full cost to us, then why do we need to care about the ratio?
The problem is why are they not paying the full cost?
Simple, our universities are not inspiring.
why are our universities not inspiring?
The govt control them. simple.
Every country where the control is remotely near our govt level never reach that level of respect.
Check it out in Japan, France, Germany.
“1. We should really screen them b4 they come over…their actual talent quotient (IQ,EQ..whatever)”
2″. Their risk ratio – we should have criteria to ascertian their willingness to stay back, live and contribute to singapore on an ongoing if not permanent basis.”
“3. They should really sign a progamme which they will suffer seriously if they break their scholarship or work bond.”
Point 1 is impossible: the truly best are retained by their home countries or already in harvard, yale, princeton or MIT. What SG gets is third rated scholars.
Point 2 is possible.
Point 3 is very good.
Like “wow” said, we should make foreign students pay more. Like 10k a year, part of which they have to pay back if they take a loan or scholarship from gahmen.
//No free lunch
as if govt rules didn’t play a part to you reaping the most from what your sow.
If they keep increasing the competition and taxing you, I don’t know how you much you can keep doing?
yeah, that is their strategy. (PAP)
When they need you, they pay and pay.
Then they suck you dry when you settle in s’pore.
When they don;t need you anymore, they just trash you.
oh, no, the advertisement has been delete by st701, cry!!!! Cannot see the cute girl any more.
funny ! hahaha !
I really don’t believe that’s real, because anyone try to sell the body without license will go to jail base on law.
By the way, your scholarship information still quite useful.
College in Singapore said: I really don’t believe that’s real, because anyone try to sell the body without license will go to jail base on law.
It is not against the law to prostitute herself, it is however, against the law to solicit.