The Singapore  Immigration and Registration (SIR) has issued a statement saying that visitors who hold passports from Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan will need visas to enter Singapore. They can apply for one from any of the Singapore missions abroad. The requirement takes effect from 12 Oct 2001. With the five additions, the number of countries whose citizens need a visa to enter Singapore is 33. (H7)

  Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement: India & Pakistan agencies

  Last year, 384 unskilled foreign workers were caught for passing themselves off as professionals and executives. This was a 55-per-cent increase over 247 in 2000. They were found during an audit of 152 firms, said the Manpower Ministry yesterday. (Straits Times 29 May 2002) (H2)

  More than 73,000 visitors who came here in 2000 engaged in arts and entertainment, almost double the 41,000 who did so in 1999. (Straits Times 28 May 2002) (4)

  Nearly half of over 1,000 China workers allegedly fleeced by their remittance agent, the now-defunct Wen Long Moneychanger, have won court orders to get S$4.7 million out of its partners, LAM Chen Fong, 29, and Madam HO Sook Tin, 75. The amount represents more than half the S$8.8 million which LAM Chen Fong allegedly pocketed from the workers in December 2001 and January 2002. (Straits Times 3 May 2002) (3)

  More than 20 Chinese students have fallen prey to a Singaporean woman who offered them choice accommodation at cheap rates. They had paid up to 18 months' rent in advance, but later found out that she had not paid the landlords, who were then forced to evict them. A Chinese Embassy official said he had received 12 similar complaints since September last year about the same woman. The students, who were aged about 17 to 18, lost about S$35,000. (Straits Times 19 Mar 2002) (6)

  In the first ten weeks of this year, 11 of the 16 bogus monks and nuns arrested for asking for alms were foreigners, said the Community Development and Sports Ministry. That is equal to the total picked up for begging last year. Some have lots of money on them. One woman had more than S$3,000 on her, while another was carrying more than S$1,000. All were referred to the Singapore Immigration and Registration (SIR) authorities. A Singapore Buddhist Federation spokesman said, "These fakes claim to be from Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and China, and offer to perform religious rites to ward off bad luck, and tell fortunes as well." "As Buddhists, we do not perform these rites at all, and people get taken in because they do not know," he added. People who meet such imposters should contact the federation at (65) 6744 4635. (Straits Times 17 Mar 2002) (27)

  New curbs on unskilled foreign workers from countries other than Malaysia will be in place from June 1, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) said yesterday. MOM's target is for Singapore's reliance on foreign labour to reach 70 per cent of the 1999 foreign-worker levels by 2005; and 50 per cent by 2010. (Straits Times 14 Mar 2002) (H4)

  Home Affairs Minister WONG Kan Seng yesterday said that the Chinese workers who staged a small demonstration on Saturday should abide by the law and not stir up more trouble by holding a street protest. Said Mr WONG, "I sympathise with the workers. But it is not easy to completely, fully investigate the 1,000 cases in the short time they expect." (Straits Times 4 Mar 2002) (H2)

  In a scene rarely seen in Singapore, riot police were deployed outside Parliament House yesterday to break up a protest staged by a group of Chinese nationals. The workers were there to express their unhappiness over the speed of investigations into 29-year-old remittance agent LAM Chen Fong, who allegedly pocketed S$7 million belonging to more than 1,000 Chinese nationals here while working as a partner in Wen Long Money Changer. (Straits Times 3 Mar 2002) (3)

  Police have arrested two Thai women clad in Buddhist nuns' clothes for begging. They were caught soliciting for alms at about 5.45pm on Tuesday near the Clementi MRT station. The women, aged 30 and 34, had arrived here last Saturday on 14-day social visit passes. (Straits Times 28 feb 2002) (H6)

  A Sri Lankan con-artist who pretended to be a Singapore police officer and immigration officer tricked four tourists of US$17,000 (S$31,195) by saying he could help them clear immigration. Mohamed Nuwair Mohamed Shakir Hussain, 25, preyed on three of his countrymen and a Pakistani at Changi Airport last month, almost immediately after they had arrived in the country. Yesterday, he was jailed for 45 months after he pleaded guilty to four charges of cheating. (Straits Times 15 Feb 2002) (H2)

    "Foreigners with acceptable degrees, professional qualifications or specialist skills generally work in Singapore on an employment pass. The Government will raise the minimum salary to qualify for an employment pass from $2,000 to $2,500 with effect from 1 December 2001. $2,500 will be comparable with current starting salaries of local graduates. This higher salary cutoff will apply to new employment pass applications, and employment pass holders who change employers on or after 1 December 2001. Those who continue to work with the same employer will be allowed to renew their employment passes," said DPM LEE Hsien Loong in Parliament on 12 Oct 2001.

Employers will have to make do with fewer foreign construction workers from June 2001. All building, upgrading and civil-engineering projects will be affected by the ruling unless the number of foreign workers needed for these projects have already been approved. The number of foreign workers permitted for the construction industry has been tightened by 5%, compared to last year. (Straits Times 5 Apr 2001)