Owe Money Pay Money

By Clara Huang

He has a house he does not dare return to. For the past few weeks, the door of his flat in Tampines has been splashed with paint and locked with a steel chain. Samuel, who asked to be identified only by his first name, had chalked up huge debts after taking out a loan for his new business venture.

“My business is doing badly and I can’t repay. Then the boys wrecked havoc right away,” he said, referring to the loansharks who caused his family to seek refuge at a relative’s house.

Despite the relatively low crime rate in Singapore, the city-state has been plagued by a surge in loanshark-related violence in public housing estates. According to Ng Boon Gay, director with the Criminal Investigation Department, said that there was a 58 per cent increase from the previous year. There about 18,600 cases of illegal loans made by loansharks in 2009 alone.

According to the Singapore Police Force, one in five of those arrested for loan sharking and intimidation last year was aged 19 or under, compared with just one in 10 in the first half of 2008.

Loansharks lend money at exorbitant interest rates to those whose credit ratings are too poor to borrow from banks, drawing them with the promise of quick cash and fast approval rates.

These unlicensed money lenders then recruit runners to assist them in harassing the debtors who default on repayment. While some of the runners are lured to these nefarious activities to earn easy money for deceptively simple work, others do so to pay off their debts.

Tan Wei Boon, a former debtor of the illicit loansharks who almost caused his family to break up, said, “They gave me an option to repay back.”

He also said they asked him “to join them to be their runner. But I refused because it’s illegal.”

In fact, some loansharks have even made innocent neighboring households the target of threats, hoping that the pressure would force the debtors to repay their debts.

34-year-old Lim Yi Qi is among the residents who are upset that the peace of her neighborhood is disrupted.

“They broke my flower pots outside my house. My family and I are innocent and I’m really worried for my family’s safety, especially my daughter,” Lim said.

“Police should also hold borrowers accountable as their reckless borrowing and gambling habits endanger our community,” Lim added, expressing her displeasure towards irresponsible gambling addicts who have sought out loansharks to clear their debts.

While some of the borrowers are gambling addicts, government officials empathize with those who are faced with unplanned or short-term financial squeeze. At the Ministry of Home Affairs, officials announced in January that it is a criminal offence for errant debtors to borrow from unlicensed moneylenders.

Nevertheless, it is not possible to fully anticipate what new tactics the loansharks will adopt. In fact, loansharking and related harassment look set to become a greater threat to the citizens’ safety, as the Internet will allow them to perpetrate their crimes under the shroud of anonymity.

“I was told to transfer money electronically to them. Nowadays they’re more efficient than I thought,” said Samuel, recalling the first time the loan was made.

Law enforcement officers are doing their best to detect and punish all those who are involved in loansharking. The Ministry of Home Affairs is confident that the loanshark scourge can be tackled efficiently with the implementation of the new Moneylenders (Amendment) Bill in January this year.

The ministry will toughen the penalties for those carrying out loan sharking as well as those who assist the gangs. Still, unlicensed moneylending and loanshark harassment cases are not easy to solve, as there is still demand for them.

Frustrated by the thorny episode, Samuel urged people to understand the ramifications of borrowing from loansharks in spite of the easy way out.

“They should keep in mind that owing loanshark money not only causes mental and emotional strain to them, but also affect their family and loved ones as well,” he said.

Sharing the same sentiments, Tan regretted his decision to borrow from loansharks as he recounted on the turning point in his life although he has repaid his debts two months ago.

“The state should do more to help those in need of temporary financial assistance, such as slacken the bank loan policies for people like us to tight over this temporary financial burden,” Tan said.

Big Losses Make a Winner

By Nadya Huang

Asia’s first Biggest Loser is David Gurnani, who produced staggering numbers in the finale to trump three other finalists.

The 25-year-old Indonesian shed 83 kilograms off his original frame in six months.  His sum of weight and fat loss at 53 per cent and 45 per cent respectively gave Gurnani his victorious 98-point score during the finale on Mar. 9, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The finale video showed how each of the four finalists prepared for the final weigh-in after graduating from the show’s 13-week long boot camp.

In contrast to the other contestants who had resumed their regular lives, Gurnani had chosen to continue a similarly – if not more – rigorous routine as that during boot camp.

Foo Peiwen, a second-year Japanese Studies major at the National University of Singapore, was impressed with Gurnani’s achievement.

She said, “I think it’s quite inspiring to people who have had similar problems; they can follow by example and shed the weight with exercise and a good diet.”

However, many others carry reservations. 54-year-old Wong Fook Nyen is among them.

“It’s ridiculous to lose so much weight in five or six months. At first when you look at him you think he’s skinny, but his face looks so haggard,” said Wong, who is a loyal fan of the show.

His opinion appears to be shared by many others on the internet. Shemah, a blogger, wrote, “I just can’t help but feel sorry for him because he looks so sickly. He looks really haggard. He’s only 25 years old and he looks scary ill.”

The forum on the official site has also been abuzz with such comments. One user, BoyStar, said, “He may have won but he sure made a mockery of the show contradicting the very purpose of the show.”

In the finale video, Gurnani said, “I exercise eight to ten hours a day,” adding that he kept to “the strict diet” and “had no trouble resisting temptation.”

However, in the post-show press conference, he said, “Eight to ten hours a day is extreme. I did that because it was part of a competition. I would suggest that eight to ten hours a week of exercise would be enough.”

Gurnani’s closest contender was 32 year-old Carlo Miguel from the Philippines, who lost 49 kg in six months to emerge as first runner-up.

Gurnani walked away with US$100,000 and a brand new Renault car.

Just for Laughs Now in Asia

By Ron Chua

Since the cessation of broadcast operations by TVMobile early this year, disappointed viewers have been petitioning for the return of popular hidden-camera comedy show Just for Laughs Gags.

This accounted for the large crowd at the mobile road show organised by MediaCorp that marked the launch of the newly-minted Asian edition of Just for Laughs Gags and highlighted the first time the show was produced in Asia.

Held at the open space between ION Orchard and Ngee Ann City on Saturday, the event allowed the eager audience a preview of the candid scenes caught on local camera. Scenes such as a victim walking along Clarke Quay being ambushed by a group of screaming girls wanting his autograph had the audiences in fits of laughter.

Singapore had been chosen as the inaugural filming location and there are plans in the pipeline to produce the series in other Asian countries as well.

Just for Laughs Gags Asia crew member Eugene Lim, 18, said, “The public is very enthusiastic and many came to take pictures with us. They did not need prompting.I

Kevin Chum, marketing promoter for MediaCorp Channel 5, believes that Just for Laughs Gags Asia will be well-received as “it is a first for Asia and Singapore.”

To simulate the responses of unsuspecting subjects à la the popular hidden-camera comedy show, a creative photo moment contest was held in conjunction with the road show.

Ai Tong Primary School student Gerald Lim, 12, was one of the winners. A loyal follower of the series since Primary One, he had specially attended the event with his mother and sister.

“I am very happy and excited that Just for Laughs is in Singapore and I prefer Singapore’s version,” he said.

Fans who missed the road show can catch the crew at Raffles City or Vivo City today at 2.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. respectively.