A visitor pays respects
to those who died during
the Japanese Occupation at the
Civilian War Memorial on Tuesday.
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Horror stories from
Japanese occupation
REPORT ON PAGE 7
“Japanese soldiers made a
Tamil estate worker climb a
tall tree and chopped it at the
bottom. I saw them laugh as
the worker fell to his death.”
– Mr Kannappan Ramachandran (below)
80th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore
SINGAPORE, WEEKEND OF FRIDAY,
FEBRUARY 18, 2022
MCI (P) 034/10/2021
PEANUT
SELLER’S SONG
A WORLDWIDE
HIT
PAGE 8
COVID VACCINES
PREVENTED 8,000
DEATHS IN SINGAPORE
PAGE 6
TEJAS IMPRESSES
AT SINGAPORE
AIRSHOW
PAGE 3
FILM ON OPPRESSED
JOURNALISTS GETS
OSCAR NOD
PAGE 5
India bans 54 Chinese apps
The Indian government has blocked
access to 54 mobile apps, mainly
Chinese but also Singapore-based
Sea’s Free Fire game, over security
concerns, Reuters reported on
Tuesday, a day after Sea’s shares sank
18 per cent on a report about the ban.
India has banned 321 apps since
political tension flared with China in
2020 following a border clash, leading
it to initially ban 59 Chinese apps,
including TikTok.
Tax authorities search Huawei’s
premises
India’s income tax authorities have
conducted searches at multiple
premises of Chinese telecoms
equipment maker Huawei
Technologies as part of a tax
investigation, Reuters reported on
Wednesday.
The searches were conducted at
Huawei’s offices in New Delhi,
neighbouring Gurugram and tech hub
Bengaluru on Tuesday.
India, Singapore and Australia to
jointly address marine pollution
India, in partnership with Australia
and Singapore, conducted an
international workshop on combating
marine pollution focusing on marine
plastic debris on Monday and Tuesday,
India’s Ministry of Earth Science said.
The virtual workshop involved
experts, scientists, government officials
and representatives from the industry,
innovation and informal sectors.
It discussed research interventions
towards monitoring and assessing
marine litter and plausible sustainable
solutions to address the global marine
plastic pollution issue.
Actor-activist accused in Red Fort
violence dies in car crash
Punjabi actor and activist Deep Sidhu,
who made headlines for his
involvement in the Red Fort violence
during the farmers’ rally on Republic
Day (Jan 26) last year, died in a road
accident on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal
highway near Sonepat in Haryana on
Tuesday.
The police confirmed that Mr Sidhu
died when his vehicle rammed into the
rear of a truck.
India’s youngest mayor to marry
Kerala MLA
In December 2020, when 21-year-old
Ms Arya Rajendran took charge of the
Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in
Kerala, she grabbed headlines by
becoming the youngest mayor in India.
Five months later, Mr K.M. Sachin
Dev, 27, became the youngest MLA in
the current Kerala Assembly.
Now, the pair, both belonging to
the Communist Party of India
(Marxist) are set to get married.
“We both belong to a similar
political ideology and we have worked
alongside each other in the SFI (the
students’ wing of the CPI–M). We
have been good friends. We arrived at
the decision and then informed our
families. Since both of us are elected
public representatives, we informed
the party as well to ensure there are
no rumours or misinformation,”
Ms Arya said on Wednesday.
India wants Tesla to buy US$500
million of local auto parts
Tesla would need to commit to
sourcing at least US$500 million of
auto components from India for the
electric carmaker’s request for an
import tax cut on its vehicles to be
considered, Bloomberg reported on
Wednesday.
While it could start at a lower base,
Tesla would need to agree to ramp up
Indian parts purchases by around 10
per cent to 15 per cent a year until a
satisfactory level was achieved. Tesla in
August claimed it sourced around
US$100 million in parts from India.
Lalu Prasad Yadav convicted in
embezzlement case
A special Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) court on Tuesday
convicted Rashtriya Janata Dal chief
and former Bihar chief minister Lalu
Prasad in the Rs139.5 crore Doranda
treasury embezzlement case.
The punishment will be pronounced
today, a CBI counsel said.
Prasad had earlier been sentenced
to 14 years in jail in four other fodder
scam cases.
Kerala models’ death: Relatives
seek central agency’s probe
The family of former Miss Kerala Ancy
Kabeer, who died in a road mishap in
November last year, on Monday
sought a central agency probe into the
circumstances leading to the death.
The development comes a day after
the Kerala police booked luxury hotel
owner Roy Vayalat, an accused in the
case, and two others under the
Protection of Children from Sexual
Offences (POCSO) Act after a
complaint of assault was registered
against them.
Ms Kabeer, 25, and Miss Kerala
runner-up Anajana Shajan, 26, and
their friend M. Ashiq died in a road
mishap on Nov 1 in Kochi after their
car was chased by Saiju Thankachan,
an alleged drug pedlar.
Man marries 14 women in seven
states, held in Odisha
A sexagenarian who allegedly married
14 women in seven states over 48
years was arrested in Bhubaneswar,
Odisha, on Monday, police said.
The man who hails from a village in
Odisha’s Kendrapara district also
allegedly took money from these
women before fleeing.
He denied the charges.
Industrialist Rahul Bajaj dies at 83
Veteran industrialist Rahul Bajaj,
whose name was synonymous with
road transport in India, died on
Saturday aged 83. He “had not been
keeping well”, the Bajaj Group said in
a statement, adding that he was
cremated on Sunday in Pune.
Mr Bajaj was born into the Indian
elite – his grandfather was one of
Mahatma Gandhi’s closest aides.
He led the eponymous
family-owned conglomerate for more
than 40 years, and was best known for
overseeing the stratospheric success of
the Bajaj Chetak scooter in the 1970s
and 80s.
Air India names former Turkish
Airlines head as new CEO
Air India has named Mr Ilker Ayci,
former chairman of Turkish Airlines,
its new chief executive officer as the
debt-laden carrier embarks on a
journey to revamp itself after it was
sold to the Tata Group.
Ayci faces the daunting task of
reviving the money-losing airline
whose local market share fell to about
10 per cent last year.
Pietersen seeks help after losing
PAN card
Former England batter and cricket
pundit Kevin Piersen on Tuesday asked
for help after losing his Permanent
Account Number (PAN) ahead of his
scheduled visit to India.
The 41-year-old, who enjoys a huge
fan following in India, put his concern
on Twitter and explained that he needs
the PAN card before travelling to India
for work and tagged Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
The official social media handle of
th Income Tax department
immediately responded by sharing two
links and asked Pietersen to apply for
the reprint of the PAN card by entering
its number.
High in the barren Himalayas,
artists are chainsawing blocks of
ice from a frozen river to create
what they hope will be the
beginnings of India’s answer to
China’s Harbin International Ice
Festival.
So far the Kangsing collective
have created what they call a
“mini-colosseum”, a cafeteria
and a sauna near the
appropriately named village of
Chilling in Ladakh.
The installation at 3,350
metres serves as the take-off
point for the popular seven-day
Chadar Trek along the surface
of the frozen Zanskar river
through breathtaking “frozen
desert” scenery that has been
shut for two years due to the
pandemic.
“We’re thinking we might
have a festival big enough, grand
enough like Harbin International
Festival, something where we
can ask artists from all over the
world to come and participate,”
group member Tashi, who uses
only one name, told AFP.
For now the mini-colosseum
stands just a little higher than
the average person.
But one day its creators hope
to emulate the famous ice hotel
in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden.
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Warren Fernandez
Editor
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Contributing Editor
V.K. Santosh Kumar
Channel Excellence Lead
Alicia Luke
Ice festival takes shape in frozen north
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February18,2022
tabla
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INDIA
India’s Disco King dies
Indian singer-composer and “Disco
King” Bappi Lahiri, who collaborated
with the likes of Snoop Dogg and
Samantha Fox, died aged 69 on
Wednesday, prompting tributes from
the world of politics and Bollywood.
“He was admitted to the hospital
for a month and was discharged on
Monday. But his health deteriorated
on Tuesday and his family called for a
doctor to visit their home,” said Dr
Deepak Namjoshi, director of Criti-
Care Hospital in Mumbai.
“He was brought to the hospital.
He had multiple health issues. He died
due to OSA (obstructive sleep apnea).”
Born in West Bengal to a musical
family, the larger-than-life Lahiri was
renowned for his trademark gold chain
and sunglasses and was credited with
popularising disco music in India.
He had several collaborations with
international stars, including English
model and singer Fox in the 1995
Hindi film Rock Dancer and with
Snoop Dogg on the Punjabi song
Patiala Peg in 2015.
Lahiri’s family said in a statement
that his death was a “deeply sad
moment” for them.
“We are seeking love and blessings
for his soul,” his wife and two children
said.
Lahiri had fans dancing to hit songs
in the 1970s and 80s Bollywood films
such as Chalte Chalte, Disco Dancer
and Sharaabi.
He also voiced several characters
for Hindi-language versions of Holly-
wood films. His last Bollywood song
titled Bhankas was for the 2020 film
Baaghi 3.
The singer’s last appearance on the
screen was with Salman Khan on the
reality show Bigg Boss 15 where he
promoted his grandson Swastik
Bansal’s new song Baccha Party.
In the early 2000s, he won a
copyright case against US rapper-pro-
ducer Dr Dre for using parts of one of
his songs.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi tweeted that Lahiri’s music was
“all-encompassing, beautifully express-
ing diverse emotions” and that “peo-
ple across generations could relate to
his works”.
“His lively nature will be missed by
everyone. Saddened by his demise.
Condolences to his family and admir-
ers. Om Shanti,” the Indian leader
added.
Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rah-
man tweeted his condolences and
called Lahiri the “Disco King of Hindi
cinema”.
Bollywood star Akshay Kumar
added that Lahiri’s voice “was the
reason for millions to dance, including
me”.
“Thank you for all the happiness
you brought through your music,” he
tweeted.
Lahiri is survived by his wife Chi-
trani, two children – daughter Reema,
who is also a singer, and music com-
poser Bappa Lahiri.
AFP, Indo-Asian News Service
The Tejas fighter jet showcasing its flying skills at the Singapore Airshow. (Below) Indian Air Force pilots and ground crew with the aircraft
at the Changi Exhibition Centre.
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee (left) paying a floral tribute to a portrait of
Bappi Lahiri in Kolkata on Wednesday.
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V.K. SANTOSH KUMAR
India’s indigenously developed Light
Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has been
showcasing its superior flying skills at
the four-day Singapore Airshow, which
concludes at the Changi Exhibition
Centre today.
This year’s Covid-hit Singapore Air-
show had eight flying displays and
flypasts from four air forces and two
commercial companies. Those in-
cluded a debut appearance by the
Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Tejas.
On the opening day, the jet per-
formed impressive stunts and manoeu-
vres, displaying low-level aerobatics
and showcasing its superior handling
characteristics, before an audience of
about 600 aviation experts and com-
pany delegates from around the world.
A 44 member IAF contingent is in
Singapore to present the aircraft.
Three Tejas MkI aircraft are on display.
The Singapore Airshow is a biennial
event which provides a platform for
the global aviation industry to show-
case and sell its products.
Manufactured by Indian aerospace
giant Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL),
Tejas is a single engine and highly
agile multi-role supersonic fighter air-
craft capable of operating in high-
threat air environments.
It is a fly-by-wire fighter with the
ability to refuel in the air.
Almost similar to a stealth fighter,
it has an advanced digital cockpit,
multi-mode radar, integrated digital
avionics system, advanced composite
material structures and a satellite-as-
sisted inertial navigation system, mak-
ing it a fourth-generation fighter.
It has the capability to transport
air-to-ground bombs and attack sys-
tems that can be used to strike targets
on land or at sea.
The supersonic combat jet is a
potent platform for air combat and
offensive air support missions while
reconnaissance and anti-ship opera-
tions are its secondary roles.
“It’s a multi-role aircraft which is
capable of air to air as well as air to
ground weapon delivery, with state of
the art weapons,” Group Captain Man-
ish Tolani, commanding officer of the
Tejas squadron, told tabla!
“It has a four channel digital fly by
wire system and an exceptional hu-
man machine interface with a fully
glass cockpit. The aircraft also has a
very high thrust to weight ratio with
excellent aerodynamic performance.”
According to media reports, India’s
military aviation regulator gave the
initial operational clearance to Tejas in
2013 and the aircraft was inducted
into the IAF’s 45 Squadron in July
2016 to prepare for combat readiness.
In May last year, the IAF opera-
tionalised its second squadron of Tejas
jets, assigning them to its No. 18
Squadron based at Sulur in Tamil
Nadu. The naval variant of the Tejas,
in development stage, has successfully
performed “arrested landings” on the
aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
HAL is developing an advanced
version of the Tejas, Mk1A, which will
be inducted in the near future.
“Tejas has been performing exceed-
ingly well and it’s a dream machine to
fly for the pilots,” said Gp Capt Tolani.
“With its excellent radar, weapons
package and avionics suite, it signifi-
cantly enhances the overall combat
capability of the IAF.
“It can effectively perform in any
terrain and weather conditions. It in-
deed is the best in its class.”
“We have got very positive re-
sponses from defence experts in Singa-
pore and other air forces who are
performing at the Singapore Airshow.
All were very appreciative of the
display and performance of Tejas.”
The Singapore airshow is significant
for Tejas as Malaysia is keen to buy
the aircraft, according to Indian media
reports. The Royal Malaysian Air
Force is looking for a perfect replace-
ment for its BAE Systems Hawk 108
and Hawk 208.
HAL is also looking to bolster the
aircraft’s export potential in South-east
Asia.
➥
Tejas impresses at Singapore Airshow
NEWS
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February18,2022
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