ENGINEERS: In demand

THE one profession that does not have to fret about job security and mobility is engineering.

There is a worldwide shortage of engineers today, including in Singapore although more than 3,000 engineering graduates enter the market every year.

The demand is being fuelled chiefly by speed-silly changes in technology. Companies need engineers' creativity to come up with ground-breaking yet cost-effective innovations to maximise market share.

The talent shortage may be due to how engineers are highly prized in the field of management for their methodical, innovative, analytical and implementation skills. It's all too common to hear engineers leaving their profession to manage corporations.

But here's the curious thing: Among the six professions profiled, engineers seem the most poorly paid.

That conundrum, says National University of Singapore engineering professor Chou Siaw Kiang, is because professional or consulting engineers - who usually work on construction projects - are remunerated according to a fixed fee structure regulated by laws. There's only so much they are allowed to charge for their services, be it designing a road or a bridge.

Estimated salary range of top earners: CEOs, chief financial officers and chief operating officers of engineering firms draw between $200,000 and $800,000.

Oft-cited top earners: Tan Pheng Hock, president and CEO of ST Engineering; and William Tan, chief executive officer of SIA Engineering. Top management of aviation firms such as Honeywell Aerospace could also be on the list.

Who they are: Engineers who steer technology-rich industries.

What you need to be in the top tier: Engineers must be creative such that they not only deal with concepts but also find cheap yet effective ways to meet customers' demands.

Where the money is: The aviation industry.

Point to consider: Many students today are studying engineering not to become professional engineers, but to work in MNCs, found their own start-ups or even go into teaching or financial services.

ENTREPRENEURS: Be nimble

HARD work, an appetite for risk and a knack for hitting upon new ways to grow one's business - these are what characterise the top earners in the local manufacturing sector.

Manufacturing makes up 25 per cent of the Singapore economy today, and accounts for more than half of its exports, through such clusters as electronics, chemicals, biomedical, precision engineering and transport engineering.

The task of steering a manufacturing company has become more complex because business has become so globalised.

Those with a sound understanding of macroeconomic trends (such as outsourcing and labour flows) will be valued.

Their chief challenge is having to suss out new areas and ways to grow their businesses, especially in light of competition from countries where costs are vastly lower.

They also have to deal with shrinking life cycles of their products, how best to market them and maintaining relationships with customers.

Estimated salary range of top earners: Between $250,000 and $3 million a year

Oft-cited top earners: Olivia Lum, chief executive of water treatment specialist Hyflux; Sim Wong Hoo, founder-chairman of computer conglomerate Creative Technology; Wong Ngit Liong, group president and chief executive of contract manufacturer Venture Corp; Jason Choo, chief executive of jewellery maker and retailer Gems TV; and Phua Yong Tat, group managing director of leather sofa maker HTL International.

Who they are: Super entrepreneurs, as they are known. Many founded the companies.

What you need to be in the top tier: Mr Tan Kay Guan, chief operating officer of precision component maker Miyoshi Precision, says foresight and appetite for risk are crucial. 'If you hesitate too long, others will beat you to the opportunity. If you take on too many risky ventures, you may fail.'

Where the money is: Says a CEO: 'Whatever you're doing has to be a lot better than others. If it is easily copied, people will come in soon and steal your business.'

Point to consider: Travelling is now a big part of the job.

MNC: World's their oyster

GLOBALISATION is so entrenched today that any multi-national company (MNC) worth its salt has planted its flag on just about every continent.

Singapore has about 7,000 MNCs today.

No wonder there is a surge in demand for able leaders to steer this bumper crop of MNCs through the choppy waters of market and shareholder demands.

Those who draw top-dollar salaries tend to clinch the biggest deals, and so generate the most revenue and value for the company.

This can make it quite a Herculean task, particularly in Asia where economic, language and cultural differences mean business practices differ from country to country.

Being some of the most admired companies in the world, MNCs are also constantly on the cutting-edge - pursuing new growth strategies or restructuring to become more efficient.

'There's a lot of change management in MNCs, so top executives are always dealing with people's emotions which, whether rational or not, are real,' says Mr Mark Sparrow, country manager for global professional recruiters Hudson.

Estimated salary range of top earners: Between $300,000 and $4 million a year.

Oft-cited top earners: Chief executives, chief financial officers and chief operating officers of petrochemical behemoths such as Shell, Exxonmobil and Dupont. They can come from various disciplines, including business, banking and law.

Who they are: The top 3 to 5 per cent in MNC management.

What you need to be in the top tier: Mr Sparrow says: 'It's okay to have a strategy, but making it happen and getting your staff to live and breathe it is an art. Success in achieving this is highly prized and highly remunerated.'

Where the money is: Traditionally, oil and gas, and flavour-of-the-era industries such as healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

Point to consider: Harvard Business School professor D. Quinn Mills says: 'Culture may colour the way things are done, but affects less what is done'. Something for the globally mobile to chew on.

BANKING: Mix of IQ and EQ

FORGET accounting. Banking is where the glamour is.

That, at least, was what a human resources officer from a foreign bank found when he spoke to a group of fresh accounting graduates recently.

Most were thinking of opting for the more glamorous profession of banking. With starting salaries of $3,500 and even higher in the super-hot areas of private banking and investment banking, who can blame them?

Singapore is one of the best places in the world to start a banking career, and complexity and specialisations are the name of the game.

Lending to companies is now so much more than charging interest on a loan and keeping the building as security. Nowadays, corporate lending is all about complicated structures like syndicated loans and mezzanine financing.

And providing customers with snazzy investment options now requires the financial wizardry needed for complicated structured products that hedge investors against losing bets, yet deliver great returns when the markets are up.

All this means that banks now have to take more risk and top bankers need to sell products and drive innovation while navigating the minefields to prevent the bank from going belly-up.

Estimated salary range of top earners: Anything from $800,000 to $6 million

Oft-cited top earners: Jackson Tai, chief executive of DBS Bank; Frank Wong, chief operating officer of DBS Bank; David Conner, chief executive of OCBC Bank; Wee Cho Yaw, chairman of United Overseas Bank; and Wee Ee Cheong, deputy chairman of UOB.

Who they are: These are the head honchos of Singapore's local banks, although it is not known if Mr Tai, Mr Wong and Mr Conner are included in the top eight banking earners used in the ministers and top civil servants' salary review as they are not Singaporeans.

In 2005, the older Mr Wee from UOB was paid between $8.25 million and $8.5 million. His son Wee Ee Cheong took home about $3 million.

At DBS, Mr Tai pulled down about $5.5 million, while Mr Wong was paid almost $7 million. OCBC's David Conner was paid between $5.25 million and $5.5 million.

Other potential hotshot bankers include traders who can see their pay hit millions of dollars when the market is hot. The heads of investment banking at the foreign banks - such as Patrick Lee of UBS and Edwin Low of Credit Suisse - are likely to be top earners too.

Over at private banking, UBS' Tee Fong Seng is another likely top earner.

What you need to be in the top tier: Westcomb Financial's chief executive Choo Chee Kong thinks it's the X-factor or 'mojo' that will propel you to the top.

You must cope with the globalisation of banking, the complexity of the different products out there and all the regulations that come with them. One veteran banker says it's akin to being a good businessman - good IQ and good EQ.

'A banker who is too conservative will never make money,' he says.

For investment banking, which is about deals, a successful banker should have a range of skills in law, finance and accounting. But even if you know about regulations, one should have a 'healthy dose of common sense' to know if a deal and its terms are feasible.

Where the most money is: Private bankers operating within India are particularly hot now as Singapore is trying to attract investors from India to park their money in Singapore, says Mr David Miller Osammor, managing director of executive search consultancy Miller Hunter.

He adds: 'Wealth management, asset management and priority banking are the big thing now, because Singapore is seen as the safest place in South-east Asia for investors to park their money today.'

Point to consider: While some lucky bankers got more than $500,000 in bonuses last year, they are on call all hours of the day. Traders who monitor the Europe and American markets keep odd hours.

Bankers, more than accountants, for example, will see a lot of volatility in their earnings.

Bonuses can account for more than 50 per cent, even as much as 80 per cent of the total package for the top salary earners.

Bonuses depend on whether the particular banking sector is doing well and the banker's individual performance.

ACCOUNTING: Big risks, big gains too

TOP accountants may draw big bucks, but with starting salaries of only $2,200 per month for the thousand or so fresh accounting graduates who start at accounting firms annually, only a rare handful - under 1 per cent - will finally hit the big time.

After slogging away on public holidays and weekends and being at the beck and call of clients, they only qualify for admission to the hallowed circle of a firm's partnership in their mid-30s, earning in the $300,000 range.

If they can bring in clients to increase the profit pool, these high-flyers are likely to hit senior partner level in their 40s. That's when the serious money starts to roll in. With a larger share of the profit pie, they will bring home nothing less than $1 million a year.

Their pay will continue rising annually until they retire, usually at 55, which is the traditional retirement age in the industry. The relatively early cut-off is partly to make way for fresh blood.

As accounting firms are set up as partnerships, the profits - after expenses and salaries are settled - are shared among the dozens of partners, based on a formula known only to those in the partnership. A firm like PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has some 80 partners out of more than 1,800 employees.

The last decade has been good to these partnerships. Back in 1998, there were only some 400 listed companies but now there are around 700 listed companies - all of which need audit checks.

Mr Gautam Banerjee, the managing partner of PwC, points out that compared to 1998, there has been some consolidation in the accounting profession, going from six firms to the Big Four now.

He adds: 'Accounting firms have also become multi-disciplinary firms, offering a range of professional services. They have benefited from Singapore being a global hub, serving a range of clients who are international giants.'

Recent corporate scandals in the United States may have indirectly brought down accounting firm Arthur Andersen, but the ensuing tightening of accounting rules and standards has helped the survivors in the industry. New laws passed as far away as the US have meant companies, even those based here, need more checks and reviews from the auditors.

In Singapore, the deals keep getting bigger and more varied. Large IPOs raising more than $100 million are no longer a rarity, with companies hailing from China and elsewhere around the world. And with new financial products like real estate investment trusts, the auditors' work is never done.

Estimated salary range of top earners: Between $1 million and $6 million.

Oft-cited top earners: Chaly Mah, Deloitte & Touche's chief executive; Ong Yew Huat, Ernst & Young's managing partner; Danny Teoh, KPMG's managing partner; Gautam Banerjee, PwC's managing partner; Fang Ai Lian, chairman of Ernst & Young; Nicky Tan, who set up his own boutique firm NTan Advisory. This list could include other senior partners of these firms.

Who they are: The first four are the heads of the Big Four accounting firms who go through the books of 85 per cent of all listed companies in Singapore. Mrs Fang stepped down from the post of managing partner but has stayed on as chairman.

Mr Tan set up shop on his own, making a reputation for himself after he and his small team got creditors to accept a repayment deal for Indonesian company Asia Pulp & Paper's US$12.2 billion worth of debt.

What you need to be in the top tier: One way is to join a global firm and shine there; another is to find a niche market to specialise in.

'Someone who joins the PwCs of this world will find a firm with global branding,' says a senior partner. This gives aspiring top earners an edge, but there's no running away from burning the midnight oil and poring over financial records and meeting deadlines. And, hopefully, a financial scandal doesn't happen on your watch.

Dr Ernest Kan, vice-president of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore (Icpas) and a senior partner at a Big Four firm, says of those aspiring to the big time: 'You have to be at the right place at the right time. Having to work hard, and having the technical skill, is a given.'

He adds: 'You must be able to handle the people who work for you and your clients. And you must manage your bosses well - because they are the ones who are going to eventually vote for you and decide if you make partner.'

All the top earners cut their teeth doing audit, but managed to prove that they could manage people, manage clients and expand the business.

Taking a niche route will be akin to Mr Tan, who left a Big Four firm to specialise in helping troubled companies.

Where the most money is: Many auditors start off at the Big Four firms and move on to head finance divisions at listed companies, and do very well too.

SingTel's incoming chief executive Chua Sock Koong, for example, earned $1.44 million in 2005 as chief financial officer, while Keppel Corp's finance director Teo Soon Hoe was paid between $2.5 million and $2.75 million in 2005.

For auditors who stay on at the Big Four, working on mergers and acquisitions and advising on IT systems may be a quick path to partnership.

Point to consider: Accountants say they face big risks because they are partnerships, not companies. Do a lousy job and watch the lawsuits roll in. All the partners stand to lose all their capital, plus even their homes, and end up bankrupts.

LAW: Long hours, pot of gold

A BOOM in projects and financial deals here after the 2003 Sars scare has led to a corresponding spurt in lawyers' salaries.

The five headhunters LifeStyle spoke to say this is primarily because lawyers are always needed to do up the pernickety paperwork necessary to seal top-dollar deals, and Singapore's currently fired-up financial services industry is their biggest pot of gold.

Mr Mark Sparrow, country manager for professional recruitment company Hudson, says: 'It's a big bucks game, so it's no surprise that such professionals are paid a very high premium.'

Industry watchers finger the increasing complexity of law work, compounded by the impact of frenetic changes in global markets, as the primary reason for skyrocketing salaries. For example, new financial products are being listed here such as real estate investment trusts.

Even newly qualified lawyers from the upper half of fresh graduates who work in bigger firms here can expect $4,000-a-month pay cheques these days.

It's about time, say their seniors, as greenhorn lawyers are almost always worked the hardest, around the clock, so at least they are being paid more commensurately now.

In 1994, junior lawyers in most top law firms could only hope for a starting salary of between $2,700 and $3,200, depending on their class of honours in Law School.

But seasoned lawyers say that, generally, their pay tends to hit a plateau after 10 years. This is for a variety of reasons, such as lawyers deciding to ease up on their frenetic schedules for a more balanced life, and so taking on fewer cases.

Still, such established lawyers are smiling a lot these days too, as headhunters say that quite a few firms paid their staff seven months' worth of bonuses last year.

To some, though, such salaries aren't enough. Even the best-paying firms here see their young lawyers jumping ship to Hong Kong, where salaries for junior lawyers start at HK$60,000 (S$11,650) a month.

Super salaries notwithstanding, the wealth gap between the top firms and the smallest ones has widened greatly over the past 10 years. Top firms are getting much bigger slices of the business pie here and small ones have to be content with the crumbs.

Big clients, after all, always want the best and the brightest to work on their deals - and have deep enough pockets to pay for it.

One result is that the big law firms here have grown significantly. For example, Allen & Gledhill has burgeoned from about 70 lawyers in 1991 to more than 200 lawyers today, while Wong Partnership went from about 11 lawyers in 1992 to 150 lawyers today.

Estimated salary range of top earners: Between $1 million and $6 million a year.

Oft-cited top earners: Lucien Wong and K. Shanmugam of Allen & Gledhill; Davinder Singh and Jimmy Yim of Drew & Napier; Steven Chong of Rajah & Tann; Wong Meng Meng and Dilhan Pillay of Wong Partnership; Helen Yeo of Rodyk & Davidson; and Lee Suet Fern of Stamford Law Corporation.

Industry watchers say in-house lawyers in offshore banks such as Credit Suisse as well as lawyers practising in well-paying offshore law firms might also make the list.

Who they are: The top equity members of Singapore's top law firms. These firms are known in the industry as Singapore's legal magic circle. Three among them - Rodyk & Davidson, Drew & Napier and Allen & Gledhill - are Singapore's oldest law firms, established by foreigners in 1861, 1889 and 1902 respectively.

The remaining three - Wong Partnership, Rajah & Tann and Stamford Law Corporation - were founded or co-founded in the 1990s and more recently by their respective oft-cited top earners.

What you need to be in the top tier: A rainmaker: that is, one who has the intellectual and social clout to bring in the big deals for the firm.

Top rainmakers have a sterling track record of winning cases and working on the biggest projects here and globally.

It certainly helps if they also have the gift of the gab and a wide social circle to tap on for contacts.

For those aspiring to this league, Mr Sparrow says one good career path is to gain international work exposure and then work within the magic circle of Singapore's top law firms.

'These are the most illustrious law firms for corporations to deal with as the firms have first-class support and global infrastructure, and hire the best-in-class lawyers to work with them.'

The hours for ace legal eagles are notoriously long. Being the very best in their field work-wise, they still strategise and scrutinise their cases personally, working late into the night.

After they retire from practice, some are invited back to their firms as senior consultants.

Where the most money is in the law: Corporate finance, project finance, taxation and mergers and acquisitions, simply because their monetary worth and complexity demand the very best legal expertise. Matters related to the gaming industry are also high on the list because of the upcoming integrated resort developments.

Bread-and-butter legal work, such as conveyancing, family law, criminal cases and general litigation such as car crash cases, are not likely to propel lawyers into the top tier ever.

Point to consider: IT litigator Adrian Tan of Drew & Napier says: 'The way to a glamorous life in the law is through unglam work. It's not about the lawyer banging the table in court. Most of the top earners fly under the radar and have worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, for decades.'

Big Bucks

Who are the people in Singapore earning top dollar? And what makes them worth the millions?


SO YOU are a professional and want to be a millionaire?

Then you would do well to eyeball the new 5 Cs that are the keys to hitting the paydirt motherlode in the Singapore job market today.

After speaking to global headhunters, professionals and industry watchers, LifeStyle came up with the 5 Cs of being job-savvy:

Complexity: With businesses everywhere going global, the number of deals cut has mushroomed, and the nature of these deals has become much more complicated. Those with the skills to help seal such deals - especially in private banking, the buying, selling and restructuring of companies and investment innovations - are paid top dollar.

Competitiveness: If you are smarter, work harder and break more ground than your peers, you will earn more than them. On a more global scale, fully awakened China and India are sucking investors and workers away from Singapore, while international talent is competing for jobs here. Whether it is defeating a local rival or beating others to that cross-border deal, you have to play to win.

Centrality: With its sleek infrastructure, solid legal system and vibrant business climate, Singapore is becoming the favoured entry point for investors to Asia, especially for financial services. So if you are based here and work in the hot industries of the moment, your pay prospects are likely to be brighter now.

Cachet: Your skills, expertise and know-how must be in great demand if you want to be a top earner, particularly in a world spoilt for choice and choked with constant change.

Craziness: You will have to withstand an inordinate amount of stress to earn a million-dollar pay cheque yearly, so check that you have the stomach and stamina for it.

Professionals who have the chops to ace these 5 Cs - and have the fat pay cheques to show for it - were propelled into the spotlight last month when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong explained that the salaries of ministers and civil service leaders have fallen to 55 per cent of their salary benchmark.

Since 2000, this benchmark has been two-thirds of the median income of the top eight earners in six professions here - bankers, lawyers, accountants, MNC executives, local manufacturing executives and engineers. The median income for the top 48 earners was $3.29 million.

Last year's income tax assessments showed that, in 2005, $4.29 million was the median pay for the eight top-earning lawyers, $3.72 million for accountants, $3.33 million for bankers, $2.7 million for MNC executives, $2.3 million for local manufacturing head honchos and $0.62 million for engineers.

Compare this to the outlook a decade ago, and there's been almost a doubling in salary prospects in some of these professions, taking into account performance bonuses, allowances and other perks on the job (see tables).

All this has got everyone excited about who among the Singaporeans, Singapore permanent residents and Singapore-based Malaysians here might be among the 48 top earners today.

Mr Brian Yim, who publishes high life magazine Millionaireasia, lets on that one Singapore permanent resident whose manufacturing company is listed here recently took delivery of his US$50 million private jet. And that's just for starters.

Thing is, is it more sheer brilliance or schmoozing that catapults one into this platinum league?

It's a bit of both - and then some - say the five global headhunters we spoke to.

Here are their keys to the treasure chest:

Have good degrees: British lawyer David Miller Osammor, managing director of Singapore-based executive search consultancy Miller Hunter, says law and accountancy degrees from the National University of Singapore hold a lot of water in Britain and the United States.

Get global exposure: International experience is particularly valued by employers today.

This is because business has become so globalised that those who are comfortable with international work would naturally have an advantage over those who aren't.

'Try to work in at least one MNC early in your career. Once you have this on your CV, the world is your oyster,' says Mr Osammor, who specialises in headhunting top-tier lawyers.

Be articulate: So many foreigners are coming in and looking for jobs these days that Singaporeans have to express themselves better if they want to be able to hold their own against such a surge in competition.

Be emotionally savvy: Says Mr Mark Lee, manager of leading global staffing consultancy Adecco Executive Search: 'Apart from being extremely good at what they do, successful top earners are humble and retain a personal touch when dealing with others, be they partners, board members, customers or employees.'

Have a life outside work: Beware, though, of what hobbies or volunteer work you list in your resume. Mr Osammor says: 'If I see on your CV that you like playing squash, that tells me that you are not a team player because squash is a very individual game.'

Tall order? You bet. But the paybacks can be jaw-dropping these days.

Looking ahead, just how sustainable is the current skyrocketing salary trajectory here?

Adecco's Mr Lee says: 'As the talent battle intensifies, we can expect a further upsurge in salary payments as companies compete to attract and retain the cream of the crop.'

But Mr Mark Sparrow of global professional recruitment company Hudson is not so sure.

'It is unlikely that salaries will continue to rise so steeply,' he says.

'Money is only part of what makes a job attractive. I mean, what are you making so much money for... because it funds the lifestyle you desire?'

He thinks employers will start getting creative with the remuneration packages for their top performers, maybe focusing less on salary uplift and more on non-monetary perks that address their lifestyle needs.

Indeed, market experience suggests that money is not the be-all and end-all for even top earners.

Mr Sparrow says: 'The greatest and most inspiring people in history tended to be creative innovators and charismatic leaders.

'So if you can break away from how things have been done before, achieve a level of trailblazing differentiation and can capture the imagination of the market then, inevitably, you will be highly sought after.'

Who says I'm a Nigella wannabe?

VIVIEN Tan may appear lusty on screen but she has no plans to be a 'gastro-porn' queen.

She will leave that label to British domestic goddess Nigella Lawson and her coquettish ways.

Yet Vivien's television series, Dish With Vivien, which ended its run on Arts Central recently, has got some comparing her to Nigella. But the 35-year-old Lush FM deejay and television host says she is anything but a coquette.

She's more a 'creative cook', she insists, who tries out new recipes 'all the time'.

'Most of my dishes are experiments,' she says.

When she is out, nothing seduces her quite like a good hawker meal served piping hot, adds the foodie, who will be married four years in June. Her favourite dishes include tandoori chicken pasta, roasted vegetable pasta and vodka penne. She also likes her grandmother's chicken rice, eggplant, humus, tsatziki dips along with marinated bell peppers.

Q Dish With Vivien featured you getting your hands dirty in the kitchen. In real life, how often do you do this?

A As often as my schedule permits. I have waves of crazy cooking when the kitchen calls.

Q If music be the food of love, what appetite does food feed?

A Music is much more ethereal and cerebral. Food is a lusty passion and sensual pleasure. You can have a quickie with food.

Q There were any number of aphrodisiacs on Dish With Vivien. What do you recommend as the most effective?

A Ice cream! The smooth texture that melts in your mouth, the seductive way you can devour the soft, cool, unctuous cream. Or you can seductively spread it on your body...

Q Nigella Lawson is noted for not only being a kitchen goddess, but also a pretty sexy one at that. What makes a woman engaged in sweaty toil in the kitchen so sexy?

A I think it is a primal instinct from the Stone Age, when men were the hunters and the women were gatherers who also prepared the meals. Seeing a woman at work in the kitchen triggers the pleasure endorphins. When you see a woman in the kitchen, you see a yummy meal. Something good to eat.

Q Nigella's presentation style has been labelled 'gastro-porn', whatever the quality of her recipes. What's more important in a foodie presenter, that she looks yummy or that the food tastes yummy?

A Nigella is great at looking seductive and serving up a sexy-looking show. The camera angles, the soft focus, the styling and a director who knows what he is doing have all created that image.

What's important for me is a show with purpose. I would like to present one that is more informative about the health benefits of various foods, well-researched and directed, keeping dishes so simple that they are easily reproduced in any type of kitchen and making tasty healthy dishes.

Q While Nigella graces the Tuscan countryside to show off her pasta servings, you get the Jurong fish market. What does that do to the 'glam' factor of your programme?

A Boosts it up big time, of course! Aiyoh - are you trying to tell me that market sellers and fishmongers are not sexy?

The white singlets and flip-flops are far more sensual than, say, a tuxedo.

The gum boots reveal sinewy calf muscles. The flick of the wrist when the cleaver chops the head off a fish and the casual toss in the basket. Pure grace.

Q Celebrity chefs are today's game-show hosts. If you had to merge both for an all-new concept, what would you suggest?

A Cook a three-course meal under 1,500 calories, make it nutritionally healthy and tasty and get a whole family to eat it.

Q What are your guilty kitchen pleasures?

A I cook in boxer shorts and have a chandelier in my kitchen.

Q If you could say just one thing to Nigella, what would it be?

A You are doing great gal, thank you for making voluptuous sexy! And could you please find new adjectives besides 'delicious'.

Q You and Nigella in an Iron Chef showdown - what would be your strategy for beating her?

A Easy - I would kidnap her lip gloss. She would fold without it.

Q Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential exposes the dark side of working in the kitchen. How would you suggest he deals with the angst?

A I am not sure, perhaps it is because someone like Bourdain may feel caged between his gas hobs and coolers. He needs a kitchen with a view of a garden and pretty wagtails dancing in the frangipani.

Q We've heard of model-turned- actress, model-turned-businesswoman, but model-turned-domestic goddess doesn't happen every day. What happens to a model when she turns to the kitchen?

A She either goes from waif to woman. Or anorexic to bulimic.

Q Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver went to schools to make sure children in England were eating better and thinking better. If you could raid school canteens, what would you ban?

A Sugared drinks and instant noodles. The last thing you want in class is hyperactive students bouncing off the walls.

Q Martha Stewart is known to take food presentation to the extreme - does that work for you?

A Only for super-special occasions. I find that no one remembers the presentation, only how good the food tastes. In Singapore, foodies are more concerned with the taste than the ambience. We will travel miles to get the best food.

Q What's the one food sighting you just cannot resist?

A A piping hot thosai with chutney floats my boat.

Q Any plans to work with KF Seetoh of Makansutra fame?

A Would love to. He's my Food Idol!

Q Your recent programmes have to do with food and travel, travel and food. If you have to pick one or the other, which would it be?

A Both are my passions. They are inextricably intertwined. I seem to always remember good and horrible meals on my travels. Double clotted cream in Devon, England (yum). Hainanese chicken rice in Hainan (not as good as mine). Fried ants in Bali (crispy). Pizza in Naples and Li Jiang ('same same' but different and delicious).

Q The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach - true or false?

A Not necessarily true. It still takes good first impressions, but if you want to keep them coming back for second helpings - then cook up a storm!

Q If you had to pick only one of these comfort foods, which would it be: a) chocolate, b) ice cream, c) char kway teow?

A Char kway teow! I'm a local gal 'at tummy''. Who says I'm a Nigella wannabe?

Private banker invests long-term in property

He believes in diversifying assets and knowing the risks involved when deciding where to park his money


WHEN it comes to long-term investing, private banker Nik Rossinsky prefers to put his money in property, describing real estate as 'a cash machine if you don't leverage too much'.

He has investment properties - two in Miami and one in Munich - all generating rental yields of 7 per cent to 8 per cent annually.

'Returns are nice in terms of capital appreciation and it is a nice annuity from rental income,' said Mr Rossinsky, the 53-year-old managing director (South-east Asia) of France's SG Private Banking.

He and wife Linda, 48, are also considering buying property in Singapore, where they have been permanent residents for five years. Top on their list of choices is the house they have been renting for that period - a seven-bedroom 6,500 sq ft bungalow in Woodlands.

As with his property investments, Mr Rossinsky believes 'diversification is the name of the game'. Through his accounts with two private banks - one in New York and one here - he invests in foreign currencies and related products as well as structured products.

As a private banker to the well-heeled - some of whom are on the Forbes rich list - Mr Rossinsky constantly tells his clients to 'know your risk and how much you can stomach'.

Born in New York and brought up in Germany, he is no stranger to Asia having spent six years in Jakarta with another bank before SG headhunted him in 2002.

Q Are you risk-averse or an aggressive investor?

A I'm in the middle. My wife describes me, as 'never black or white, always grey'. If I see an opportunity, I can be more aggressive. With markets coming down from high levels, I'm on the cautious side now so it is good to have cash. The markets are consolidating now for a bit before we can expect more upside.

Q What financial investments do you have?

A More than 50 per cent of my cash flow goes to savings and investments. I have 40 per cent invested in real estate which I hold for the long term.

For short- and medium-term investing, 30 per cent is allocated to foreign exchange-related products and another 30 per cent to derivative-based structured products. I like to go into equities as a structured product because it can cap the downside. It can also be structured to partially protect the capital.

Q What is your investment philosophy?

A Have a good handle on risks involved. Be realistic on what you expect in terms of returns given a certain quantum of risks. If you want 20 per cent returns, make sure that the risk is something you can stomach, otherwise you may lose your shirt.

Q How much are you insured?

A Not enough for my wife to serve poison in my drink. For financial and estate planning, I plan to get into some trusts at some point as it is more appealing from the tax point of view.

Q What is your best investment?

A I bought a five-bedroom bungalow in South Miami for just under US$1 million (S$1.52 million) three years ago. It has doubled in value. Now that property prices have dipped in Miami, I may buy at least one more bungalow by June/July. There is good demand there as the market is more attractive to baby boomers who move to Florida after they retire.

Q What are your retirement goals?

A To get a degree of financial independence which allows me to sit in Key Largo sipping pina colada while looking at the sunset. Seriously, I don't think I will ever stop working. I'm likely to look at business opportunities in Indonesia later.

Q What do you splurge on?

A I take my wife and two boys, Alex, 15 and Maxi, 13, for holidays. We're flying soon to Tanzania for a 12-day safari trip that will set me back by over US$20,000 (S$30,400).

SG has set up a wine trust for our clients so I've also developed an interest in wines. I have about 200 bottles of French Bordeaux wine in my home.

When I was in Indonesia, I picked up some paintings in auctions. Linda bought a painting by a prominent Indonesian painter for US$2,000. It was recently valued at about US$30,000.

Q Which cars are you using?

A I have two cars, a Mercedes and a BMW, and I'm looking at buying a Porsche.

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How he puts his cash to work

More than 50 per cent of my cash flow goes to savings and investments. I have 40 per cent invested in real estate which I hold for the long term. For short- and medium-term investing, 30 per cent is allocated to foreign exchange-related products and another 30 per cent to derivative-based structured products.
MR ROSSINSKY, on his investments

Will taking CFA exams help career switch to finance industry?

Q I AM in my mid-20s and working as an engineer in the electronics industry. I developed a keen interest in personal finance and investment analysis a few years ago, and would like to consider a career switch to the finance/investment industry.

As I come from a non-financial background, what steps must I take to enter this industry? Should I enrol in the chartered financial analyst (CFA) programme now and pass the three levels of exams first before applying?

I understand that even if I pass all three levels, I still have to gain the relevant experience before the charter can be awarded.

Would a charter-pending status boost my chances of landing a job? What else can I do to boost my chances further? Also, what traits are necessary to thrive in this career?

A CONGRATULATIONS, I am happy that you are proactively managing your career.

Enrolling in the CFA programme is a good way to go if you are serious about the finance/investment industry.

The qualification is well-recognised and confirms that the holder has undergone rigorous training to equip himself with the skills needed to tackle the industry's challenges.

I hasten to add that there are also many successful professionals who do not have a CFA title. For anyone looking to enter the industry, however, a CFA would make a difference, all other factors being equal.

If you have not already done so, do speak to professionals in the industry to find out more.

There are two routes you can take. One is to seek a job in the sector now and pursue the programme simultaneously. The other is to stay put in your current job and pursue a new post after completing the programme.

Analyse the merits and drawbacks of both approaches, and make a decision based on your personal situation, taking into account factors such as the time and financial resources available to you.

A charter-pending status will surely boost your chances. Other value- adds will include some practical experience in the industry and being well-read in it.

If you can, try to find a mentor, especially one who has some influence in hiring decisions or is well-connected with key industry players.

The traits needed for success in this industry are not much different than those for success in this world: working hard, self-confidence, continuous learning and upgrading, a strong emotional quotient, effective communication and leadership skills and so on.

Perhaps you can add a healthy appetite for risk-taking, relatively high energy levels and great health - it is generally well-known that this industry comes with a high burn-out rate, and usually takes a heavy toll on one's health. But this is to be expected as the financial rewards can be very attractive.

Though the investment costs for the CFA programme are lower than for a master's in business administration, the casualty rate has been high.

Getting started

What is an IPO?

In an initial public offering, or IPO, shares are sold ahead of a listing on the stock exchange. By listing or going public, the firm sells new shares to raise cash.

An investment bank is engaged to manage the IPO issue. Its job is to advise the listing aspirant on its valuation, the number of shares to be issued and the pricng of the new shares. It may take up an underwriting role. This means buying up all the IPO shares if the issue is not fully taken up by the investing public.

Subscribing to an IPO

IPO shares are sold during a subscription period, which typically lasts about a week. Some IPOs are so hot that they are heavily oversubscribed and balloting is needed for an equitable allocation of shares to all applicants.

Subsequent offerings

Once the firm is listed, it may sometimes need to raise fresh capital by selling additional new shares. This may be done through stockbrokers or via banks' ATMs on a first come, first served basis.

The latter arrangement has annoyed some investors who were unable to obtain any shares as they were snapped up in mere minutes.

This has resulted in a spate of letters to The Straits Times' Forum page, written by unhappy investors who were unable to get a slice of the secondary placements.

IPO investing: What you should look out for

It is easy to get caught up in the IPO fever, but do your financial homework to avoid getting burnt


IF THE performance of nine initial public offerings so far this year is any gauge, retail investors continue to be attracted to the potential quick gains from IPOs.

All nine were oversubscribed and despite the recent market correction, eight of the stocks are still trading above their issue prices.

For instance, China-based Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group launched its IPO on March 23 with an offer price of 43 cents. It was 198 times oversubscribed. Last Friday, the counter closed at 64 cents.

It is easy to understand why IPOs are popular. They enable investors to profit from booming businesses both in Singapore and abroad, and to diversify their investments.

Investors can also gain access to a larger variety of industries.

Out of the 60 IPOs last year, 25 came from China, and there were offerings from South-east Asia, India, South Korea, Australia, Europe and the United States.

However, IPO investing is also fraught with risks.

'It is misleading to believe that when one gets shares upon listing, one immediately makes money. Homework needs to be done,' said Mr Joseph Chong, the chief executive of financial advisory firm New Independent.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett once said: 'Generally, IPOs don't come at a time which is good for you - it's normally good for the sellers.'

The following is a list of what one should look out for in IPO investing:

Prospectus

THE prospectus may look dauntingly thick but it cannot be ignored. The important sections to read up in a prospectus include 'management experience' and 'risks and prospects'.

It is easy to get caught up in the IPO fever and invest blindly.

Investors should have a good grasp of the business as well as understand the valuations of the investments.

Financial ratios

NUMBERS are very important too. Look out for the share price to earnings ratio, the share price versus net asset value per share, the dividend policy, gross and net profit margins, returns on equity, and the debt to equity ratio as well as the average growth in sales and profits.

These figures will give a better idea of whether the company is enjoying net profit growth while generating a good return on equity with a stable capital structure - without being overly reliant on debt.

Usage of IPO proceeds

AVOID IPOs where a large portion of the proceeds is to be used to clear debt.

Financial planner Dennis Ng said he would be put on red alert if the bulk, say 80 per cent, of funds to be raised is meant for repaying bank borrowings, with the balance for working capital and expansion.

'For such IPOs, the firm usually has a very weak financial position and may be tapping into the public's funds primarily to improve its financial position,' he said.

Market sentiment

WHETHER the business environment, at the point of listing, is contracting or expanding has a significant impact on the IPO's initial price performance.

Past experience has shown that IPOs generally perform better in an expanding economy when investor sentiment is confident and bullish.

When times are tough, only quality firms tend to achieve a price premium over their IPO price on their market debut.

Earnings track record

BE WARY of firms that decide to get listed after posting a record performance in sales and profits.

There is always the danger that the pre-IPO accounts were presented in the best possible light to attract investors.

The question to ask is: Are such financials sustainable in the longer term?

Said full-time investor Ang Hao Yao: 'Check the profit track record for the past three years. If the recent year shows a sharp spike in profits, then the business may be of a volatile nature.

'One rule of thumb is to average out the three-year record to estimate the longer-term profitability. If the company is still attractive after the above assessment, then you can consider applying for the IPO.'

Pricing

MOST IPOs at their offer prices have a share price that is between seven and 10 times their earnings per share - a key indicator of share price performance.

The lower this ratio, the better value the share price offers in terms of profits generated.

'The offer price of some IPOs can be many times above the actual worth and does not represent value.

'For example, if the price earnings ratio is above 16, it's considered expensive,' said Frontier Wealth Management director William Cai.

Strategy: Buy and hold or stag?

MR NG said that he would buy and hold a stock only if he had confidence in the future of the company.

But 'stagging' - or selling the IPO shares on the first trading day - is another matter.

'I would 'stag' a company if I weren't confident about the company but...I was confident that the bullish market sentiment made it likely that the share price would be higher than the IPO offer price.'

A more cautious Mr Ang said he would not encourage 'stagging' because it is more speculative than investing. 'I would recommend that investors stick to applying for stocks they do not mind holding on to even if they fall below their IPO prices.''

Outlook for IPO market

A BULLISH UBS head of investment banking for Singapore and Malaysia, Mr Patrick Lee, believes that this year's volume of IPOs will eclipse that of last year.

Last year, 60 IPOs on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) raised a mind-boggling $7.6 billion, which was 25 per cent more than in 2005.

Among IPO managers, UBS raised the most money last year - US$902 million (S$1.37 billion) - followed by DBS Bank.

The five IPOs that UBS handled last year included several of the largest listings: Babcock & Brown Structured Finance Fund (US$246 million) and Banyan Tree (US$230 million).

UBS is now handling two IPOs and has a 'healthy IPO pipeline' for the rest of the year.

UBS and DBS Bank are the joint lead managers for one of China's biggest shipbuilders, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, whose IPO is on track to become Singapore's largest so far this year.

And more choices are in the offing, with IPO experts forecasting many more fixed income-style IPOs, such as real estate investment trusts (Reits), rather than equities.

'The reason is that the foreign merchant banks have finally realised that there is a really huge Singdollar deposit base in Singapore that is extremely hungry for 4 to 5 per cent interest-yielding papers.

'And they are structuring many innovative interest instruments to tap the cheap Singdollar to fund their clients. Of course, the risk is borrowers' default,' said Westcomb Financial Group deputy chairman Choo Chee Kong.

Despite the recent market correction, DBS Bank's managing director and head of equity capital markets, Mr Kan Shik Lum, believes that market sentiment is strong, thanks to strong liquidity.

He added that in a more volatile market environment, yield-driven structures such as Reits and business trusts will continue to do well.

'The SGX has carved a niche in Asia for such products, as evidenced by the strong after-market performance of such instruments,' he said.

China abuzz over fan's obsession with Andy Lau

Dark side of idol worship under harsh spotlight after suicide of fan's dad


BEIJING - A CONTROVERSIAL case of a Chinese woman whose 13-year obsession with a celebrity brought about her father's suicide has set a nation thinking about the dark side of idol worship.

Miss Yang Lijuan's dream of meeting Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau came true last Sunday at an event arranged by his fan club in Hong Kong.

But the 28-year-old from China's north-western Gansu province and her father, 68-year-old retired middle school teacher Yang Qinji, were dismayed that the star spent only a few minutes posing for photographs with her.

Early the following morning, Mr Yang drowned himself.

He left behind a 12-page letter saying he could no longer bear to watch his daughter suffer; blamed the star for his family's poverty; and wanted him to meet his daughter alone.

The case has elicited tremendous media attention across China and shocked netizens who have debated heatedly over who should be blamed for the 'tragedy'.

The incident, said one commentary in The Beijing News, also highlights the dangerous extremes of idol worship that young fans go to, which it called a frightening side-effect of a 'media-saturated society'.

A number of netizens accused celebrities such as Mr Lau of being uncaring and insensitive to fans.

But mostly, they pointed the finger at Miss Yang, calling her an 'unfilial daughter' and a 'crazy fan' who had lost touch with reality.

Others said her parents had over-indulged her and held the case up as an example of the negative effect of China's one-child policy.

Her father had borrowed money, sold their house and even attempted to sell a kidney to raise funds for trips to Hong Kong and Beijing to catch the star in concert, said local media reports.

Dr Xu Leiting, a Beijing-based psychologist, said it is normal for teens to develop such infatuations.

'It is part of the growing-up process where young people... see these famous personalities as role models,' said Dr Xu.

But in Ms Yang's case, 'there are definitely some psychological problems that have caused her and her parents to live in a fictional world', he told The Sunday Times.

The case has also turned the spotlight on the inadequacy of psychological services in China.

'If they had access to a doctor or a counsellor...this tragedy could have been prevented,' said another Beijing News commentary.

Others said it reflected the desperation of poor people who would rather sacrifice their lives than allow their children to be unhappy.

Her father's death does not appear to have rid Ms Yang of her obsession.

Back in her hometown, she told reporters she still harbours hopes of seeing her idol one more time.

Germany tells desperate mums: don't kill babies, 'bin' them

BERLIN - SHOCKED by a sudden surge in the number of infanticide cases, Germany has launched an advertising campaign to highlight the problem while urging desperate women to drop their unwanted babies into 'baby-klappe' (baby-drop) hatches in hospitals.

At least 23 babies have been killed so far this year, many beaten to death or strangled by their mothers before being dumped on wasteland or in rubbish bins, reported the Times of London.

German police investigating the murders are at a loss to explain the sudden surge in such cases - at least five dead babies were found in the last two weeks alone.

On Thursday, a 27-year-old woman known as Sabine H. surrendered to the police in an eastern German town after her newborn child was found in a rubbish bag trapped in the reeds of a lake.

In the same week, a woman aged 26 was arrested on suspicion of throwing her baby out of a 10-storey Hamburg apartment building after giving birth in the bath. The baby was wrapped in a plastic bag.

Another woman was arrested in Kiel, in Germany's north, a week ago after police found two dead babies in her freezer. One was stillborn a year ago; the other was a recent live birth.

For the past week, Susanne H. from Baiersdorf in Bavaria has been on trial for strangling her baby daughter and putting her in the freezer.

The 39-year-old mother of two boys, aged 10 and 4, feared her boyfriend's disapproval.

'He threatened to throw me out if I concealed another pregnancy from him,' she told the court.

Now, posters are being put up in cities and towns across Germany, urging women to make use of the baby-klappe.

The baby is put on a tray that slides through a hole in the wall and is gently lowered into a heated cot. An alarm bell alerts nursing staff - but only after the mother has been given sufficient time to make a getaway.

The baby can be reclaimed, usually up to three months later, should the mother change her mind.

Initial scepticism started to melt after a woman in eastern Germany was arrested for letting nine of her babies die. Some were buried in plant pots in her garden.

There are now some 90 baby drop-offs across the country. In Berlin alone, six babies have been pushed through slots since the scheme started in 2003.

But the baby-drop campaign has also drawn criticism: Some church representatives argue that it could actively encourage mothers to 'dump' their children, while others argue that the unwanted babies will lose their identity.

'Once they are handed off, these babies are almost immediately put up for adoption, and they'll never ever be able to trace their roots,' said Regula Bott, a member of an anti-baby-klappe group.

Professor Anke Rohde, a psychiatrist at the Medical University Clinic in Bonn, said the baby drops were no cure-all.

'This may be one way to deal with the problem, but certainly can't be the only way,' she told ABCNEWS.com.

Super clubs for the super rich

Perks include access to private jet, super cars; clubs drawn here by high proportion of millionaires


WITH 55,000 millionaires in Singapore, there is no shortage of private members' clubs and services offering them the kind of perks only they can afford.

There are already three businesses that are either operating here or have plans in the pipeline.

The latest is an invitation-only offering called the MillionaireAsia Private Jet Card.

For a promotional price of $3,990, those who sign up get the use of a private jet, although the price includes only two free hours of flying per year. Each additional hour costs between US$6,000 (S$9,100) and US$9,000, depending on the type of aircraft.

They also get the use of a fleet of super cars like the Aston Martin DB9 Coupe and Lamborghini Murcielago in selected cities, insurance included.

Other privileges include use of the new luxury terminal at Changi Airport, preferential rental rates to luxury accommodation with a members-only property network, The Registry Collection, and high-end holidays like wine tours in Tuscany, Italy, and Champagne in France, specially created for cardholders.

The card targets 'jetsetters, people who love to fly by private jets and are passionate about super cars', said Mr Brian Yim, 41, publisher and managing editor of MillionaireAsia magazine and the man behind the card.

To be launched here next month, and in other Asian cities in subsequent months, Mr Yim is looking to sign up 200 members in the first year, 50 to 60 of them from Singapore.

According to the first Asia-Pacific Wealth Report published by American investment bank Merrill Lynch and French consultancy Capgemini last year, Singapore has the highest percentage of millionaires among Asian countries.

They make up 1.48 per cent of the adult population here, far above the global average of 0.22 per cent and Asia's average of 0.1 per cent.

The report defines this group as people with net assets of at least $1.5 million, excluding their primary residence.

That is why American Express chose Singapore as the first Southeast Asian country to launch its highly coveted Centurion charge card in 2005.

'There is a concentration of affluent people here, not just locals but global citizens like expatriates,' said Mr Atul Mathur, 51, American Express' senior vice-president and general manager for Asean and South Asia.

Another exclusive members-only service eyeing Singapore's moneyed market is Quintessentially.

The concierge service, which counts celebrities like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow among its clients, plans to set up shop in Singapore in the coming months, said Ms Emma Sherrard, managing director of Quintessentially Hong Kong.

The company is headquartered in London.

Card-carrying members can use the service to book private jets and yachts and perform the near-impossible, like getting a table at a perpetually full restaurant or buying tickets to a sold-out concert.

Ms Sherrard, who is in her 30s, said Quintessentially's Hong Kong regional office already looks after a number of members based in Singapore.

'From their interests and activities, we realise that there is a strong demand for a luxury global concierge company,' she said.

Members can expect to pay more than $2,000 per year for a standard membership and as much as $50,000 for the top-tier one, which buys a team of personal account managers at their beck and call.

Such privileged services are not used solely by the rich. Mr Peter Tan, 42, group financial services director representing insurance company Prudential Assurance, is thinking of subscribing to the MillionaireAsia Private Jet Card to reward his agents.

'You can't give watches and cars every year. It's no longer about monetary reward... it's about a lifestyle and I want them to enjoy it,' he said.

250 calories...which is all some maids get to eat a day

THEY need about 2,100 calories a day, yet some employers feed them only 200.

Yesterday, The Straits Times reported that the problem of maids being starved by their employers is disturbingly common, highlighting the case of one Filipina whose daily 'ration' consisted of a slice of bread and a bowl of porridge.

Nutritionists and doctors told The Sunday Times that with their high levels of activity, a low-calorie intake like that would eventually cause a maid to waste away.

In fact, nutritionist Cyndy Au was shocked to hear about the diet the 30-year-old woman endured for six weeks.

'Any layman can tell that someone having these meals would be grossly undernourished,' she said.

The issue was raised in a letter to The Straits Times' Forum page on Friday, when research director Laura Thornton-Olivry said her neighbour's maid had been begging for food through the back window.

Also, in a case before the courts, an Indonesian maid whose employer has been accused of abusing her said she had also been starved.

These cases are nothing new.

In 2002, a maid fed on a diet of nothing but instant noodles, who stole food from her employer's children, was beaten to death.

Her employer, freelance tour guide Ng Hua Chye, was sentenced to 18 1/2 years in jail and given 12 strokes of the cane.

Looking at examples of the spartan meals given to some maids, Ms Au told The Sunday Times it is obvious that their 'energy intake is much lower than the energy required, especially considering the nature of the work'.

According to the Health Promotion Board's website, a woman aged between 18 and 30 who weighs about 54kg would need 2,100 calories a day if she engages in medium levels of activity.

However, a daily intake of water, bread and watery porridge would not go beyond 250 calories.

Also, Ms Au pointed out that there is no variety.

'Not all food groups are present, hence the nutrients are not obtained to meet the daily requirement,' she said.

The food groups include rice and alternatives, which are a rich source of carbohydrates; fruit and vegetables, which provide vitamins, minerals and fibre; and meat and alternatives, which are a source of protein, calcium, iron and zinc.

She said these maids would feel tired, have low immunity and might suffer from giddiness and a lack of concentration.

General practitioner Lim Boon Hee said the diet is also likely to lead to digestion problems like gastric pains and wind.

Often, employers are not abusive from the onset.

Psychiatrist Brian Yeo said that when things are not done satisfactorily, employers may exercise passive forms of abuse like reducing pay or food. This abuse may escalate over time.

Psychologist Danny Ng said: 'It is really an issue of control and power. They can control someone else's diet and it is done to establish boundaries of who is the boss.'

Dr Ng and Dr Yeo agreed that abuse often occurs when employers who are stressed at work or home take their frustrations out on the maid.

There is no way to pick out possible abusers, but more often, they are women who are usually seen as responsible for the household and therefore take control, said Dr Yeo.

He added that the spouse, usually the husband, often does not intervene as it may appear he is siding with the maid against his wife.

But the problem is not always nasty employers.

'Sometimes it might be an issue of cultural differences,' said Mr Angland Seah, owner of maid agency AJS Manpower.

In the case of Filipino maids, he said they are used to a bowl of rice for breakfast and find that bread is not enough, so the company often advises employers to cook extra rice for dinner so the maid can have it in the morning.

Another maid agent Yeo Boon Loong said it is often a two-way problem.

'Maids and employers have different expectations and when they are not met, problems arise. But if employers can understand what the maid needs and give a proper meal, things might be easily resolved,' he said.

But Dr Lim thinks the onus is on the employer to provide better meals.

'Even a dog gets better treatment than this. Maids are also human, so they should be treated better.'

Troubled maids and concerned members of the public can call the Ministry of Manpower's toll-free hotline on 1800-339-5505.

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SHOCKING

'Any layman can tell that someone having these meals would be grossly undernourished.'
MS CYNDY AU, a nutritionist

CONTROL AND POWER

'It is really an issue of control and power. They can control someone else's diet and it is done to establish boundaries of who is the boss and who can control the other.'
DR DANNY NG, a psychologist

Why maids had to beg for food

THE other day over lunch, my friend described how her Singaporean neighbours were not feeding their maid. The maid was literally begging for food, so my friend began feeding her through the back gate. Unfortunately, the neighbour found out and has forbidden the maid to go anywhere outside or talk to anyone.

We discussed what we could do to help the poor woman but found that our choices were limited if we did not want to risk getting her deported.

Two days later, I discovered that the same thing was happening in the apartment next to mine. The Singaporean neighbours had gone through three maids in six months, all of whom were denied food, not allowed a single day off, and had their passports kept from them. When the maids finally quit, the employers refused to 'release' them for employment elsewhere, so they were forced to return home.

The current maid is also begging for food through the back window. She has lost weight and looks pale. She does not have a single day off and is forced to work from 5am until after midnight. She lives in fear that her employer will find out that we are giving her food, as the employer had threatened to beat her if she communicates with anyone.

I called the Ministry of Manpower, which offered me no solution that would protect her from deportation.

It is astonishing that this could occur in such a wealthy and educated country. Singaporeans should be outraged at this behaviour and also concerned about the stereotypes that have emerged.

In my heart I know that Singaporeans do not all behave like this. But why are they not standing up against this immoral treatment and demanding that their Government take action - such as setting up a special division to deal with these complaints and protect the maids involved? Clearly not enough is being done.

MOM will prosecute errant maid employers

I REFER to the letter, 'Why maids had to beg for food' (ST, March 30), by Ms Laura Thornton-Olivry.

Under the Employment of Foreign Workers Act, all employers must provide their foreign maids adequate rest and meals. The penalty for employers who breach such work-permit conditions is a fine of up to $5,000 and jail for up to six months. Last year, 42 maid employers were prosecuted by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for abusing their maids.

Ms Thornton-Olivry suggested that MOM sets up a department to protect maids. We have already done so. The Foreign Manpower Management Division was set up to ensure that foreign workers are treated well. It operates a dedicated toll-free hotline for foreign workers (1800-6339-5505). This number is made known to maids through the employment booklet when they first arrive in Singapore and when they attend the mandatory safety orientation course.

Maids in need of help or concerned members of the public who know of maid mistreatment, such as lack of food, sleep or rest, can contact us.

We would like to assure Ms Thornton-Olivry that if a maid complains of ill-treatment, such as being overworked or not being given sufficient food, MOM will investigate the complaint and assist the maid.

Errant employers will be prosecuted and maids need not fear reprisal.

We invite Ms Thornton-Olivry to contact our officer on 6419-2679 to provide us with details of her allegations for investigation.

Jean Tan (Ms)
Director
Corporate Communicationsfor Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Manpower

Why leave? It's the only way

Four in five Indonesians working overseas are women, and many go away again and again. This is the story of Sugiyani, who keeps leaving her little girl behind, whose husband blew her hard-earned savings, who dreams that her next job will be her last.



CENTRAL JAVA - MS SUGIYANI'S decision to be a migrant maid yet again had been four months in the making.

The sum the family had borrowed from relatives for household expenses had crept beyond three million rupiah ($497). She decided they could no longer count on Mr Warsun's occasional earnings of 30,000 rupiah a day as an ad hoc construction worker or farmer's help.

The couple took stock and sold the motorbike bought with her earnings from the two years she had worked as a maid in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

With the five million rupiah from the bike, they paid off their debt. The remainder will be used to renovate the well-worn kitchen in the single-storey brick house they share with Mr Warsun's mother and her second husband. The house was built with the older woman's earnings as a maid in Saudi Arabia for six years.

Ms Sugiyani had been home from Jeddah for barely seven months when she found herself toying with the idea of heading for Singapore.

She went to her regular recruiter and took the first steps to a new life as one of 60,000 Indonesian maids in Singapore.

'The only way is for me to work in Singapore,' she said.

'My husband does not have a stable job. And with the price of rice being very high now, he doesn't earn enough money to feed us.'

Migrant workers the world over struggle with that mix of hard-headed calculation and complex emotion.

In Indonesia - as elsewhere - poverty is the key push behind the army of over four million migrant workers spread out over the Middle East and Asia.

More than 80 per cent of them are women in low-skilled jobs, yet they sent home US$3.4 billion (S$5.2 billion) last year, earning the second-largest amount of foreign exchange for Indonesia after oil and gas revenue.

Ms Sri Palupi, head of the non-governmental Institute of Ecosoc Rights in Jakarta, has done research on Indonesian migrant workers. She said: 'Most who work overseas come from families who do not own land or have only very small plots.

'Also, there is a lack of jobs outside the agriculture sector. And when there are jobs in agriculture, they pay very little. All this while the living cost keeps rising.'

While some academic studies have noted that women migrants leave home for a mix of motivations - family pressure, a desire to escape soured marriages and the humdrum village life, or even a wish to see the world - poverty gives the fundamental push.

An Asian Development Bank survey last year, in five major Indonesian provinces from which migrant workers pour out, found that most leave 'to be free from poverty' (37 per cent) and because of 'the lack of employment opportunities in the country' (37 per cent).

In contrast, pastures further afield look lush with promise.

Jakarta-based Mr Albert Bonasahat, national coordinator of the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) project on migrant workers in South-east Asia, said: 'Would-be migrant workers see that their relatives or neighbours who are working abroad are able to change their lives - new houses, motorbikes. So, they too think that working overseas is the only way to have a better life.'

In Indonesia, where unemployment stands at about 10 per cent, the export of workers has been a state-backed policy since the 1980s.

Jakarta, which has recently stated it wants to up labour export numbers, openly acknowledges the twin benefits of sending workers out: It reduces non-employment and brings in remittance money.

Walking through a village in Temanggung, Central Java, the benefits of working overseas are plain to see.

Pointing at some of the smarter-looking houses, a recruiter rattles off: 'That one, wife in Hong Kong, husband in Malaysia. This one, wife in Saudi Arabia, husband at home. Five years already. And that house there, she's working in Taiwan.'

It is the same at many more villages in this agricultural heart of Indonesia. Somehow, the vast rice terraces of Temanggung, the chilli and tapioca plots in Banyumas, and the ocean catch of coastal Cilicap are not enough to keep people at home.

In some villages, there are few women in their 20s. They are often the ones who have left and are most in demand as maids and caregivers in the Middle East and Asia.

In 2004, 83 per cent of Indonesian migrant workers were women. They left behind their husbands, children and elderly parents.

The men who do not go off to work in South Korea's factories and on Malaysia's construction sites stay home to earn a meagre wage tilling other people's land or selling food off a cart.

Goodbye, goodbye...again and again

ON A Thursday morning at the government's Manpower and Transmigration Department in Purwokerto city - a 10-hour drive east of Jakarta - would-be migrant workers milled around waiting for the documents that will let them leave for a job overseas.

Department coordinator Handoyo Pramudhito said that 95 per cent of the 945 migrant workers from the area who went through his office last year for jobs overseas were women.

'They just want to improve their families' lives,' he said.

Stashed in recruiter Machsun Imron's office desk drawer is a log of his daily efforts driving around Temanggung looking for women to be maids overseas.

He repeats his sales pitch again and again: 'Singapore is very good. Don't worry, Singapore Government will take care of you if there is bad employer. Newspaper will report.'

He recruits 20 to 30 women a month and drives them to a maid agency and training centre in Jakarta.

Mr Machsun will not let on how much he is paid for each woman he produces, but his house is the grandest in his village - complete with pond, landscaped garden, verandah, oil paintings and artefacts.

Other village recruiters said they get 1.5 million rupiah per hire, and this is part of what the women themselves pay back through salary deductions once they start working overseas.

Mr Machsun's hardcover notebook has page after page filled with passport photographs of young women. Inked next to their pictures are their names, ages, education level, date of departure and destinations - Malaysia, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Singapore.

The recruiters grumble that with so many young women already gone, there is not much fresh blood left.

Maid agency owner James Loing said: 'Sometimes, six or 10 recruiters try to get the same woman.'

It is not difficult to convince the women who have previously worked abroad to go overseas yet again. As Ms Sugiyani did, many often seek out the recruiters themselves. They are labelled 'Ex'.

'Ex-Malaysia, ex-Singapore and now going to Hong Kong,' a recruiter said, introducing the smiling Inah Suraji, 32, waiting for her papers to be processed at an agency.

She is saving for her two teenage daughters' education, she said in simple English learnt from four years in Singapore.

'The money I earned, no more already. Get money very difficult, but use very fast,' the bone-thin woman said with a laugh.

Like so many other repeat migrant workers, she appears caught in a cycle of departure and return.

The money earned abroad runs out quickly. After building the smart family house, buying a sparkling new motorbike and covering food and daily necessities, it is soon time to go out to earn again.

Walk by the most lavish village houses, complete with Roman pillars, floor-to-ceiling windows and a coat of fresh paint and, chances are, they belong to villagers who slogged for many years in Hong Kong or Taiwan, where the pay is higher than in Singapore or Malaysia.

In some villages, every family has several women working overseas.

Ms Lotte Kejser, chief technical adviser of the ILO's project on migrant workers in South-east Asia, said: 'If they are required to earn a livelihood to support their extended family, the family may put pressure on them to go overseas again to continue this support.

'The workers themselves might find it increasingly hard to reintegrate into their villages and there's no well-paid job for them there.'

---

FOUR MILLION MIGRANT WORKERS, 80 PER CENT WOMEN, $5 BILLION SENT HOME

In Indonesia - as elsewhere - poverty is the key push behind the army of over four million migrant workers spread out over the Middle East and Asia. More than 80 per cent of them are women in low-skilled jobs, yet they sent home US$3.4 billion (S$5.2 billion) last year, earning the second-largest amount of foreign exchange for Indonesia after oil and gas revenue.

---

THE PEER PULL

"Would-be migrant workers see that their relatives or neighbours who are working abroad are able to change their lives - new houses, motorbikes. So, they too think that working overseas is the only way to have a better life."
JAKARTA-BASED MR ALBERT BONASAHAT, national coordinator of the International Labour Organisation's project on migrant workers in South-East Asia.

Maid recalls boss' words: Yuki, bite

She also describes how housewife threw knife and stool at her


AN INDONESIAN maid had more to say about the alleged abuses she suffered - including being bitten twice by a pet dog - on the second day of a housewife's trial yesterday.

The 23-year-old maid recounted in a district court how Tay Siew Hoon, her employer, threw a stool, a dog's bowl, and a knife at her.

But the maid managed to deflect them with the stool. That was when the woman ordered her pet dog to bite her, she claimed.

She decided to pack up that morning and left for the Indonesian embassy.

Tay, 51, has claimed trial to nine charges - four allegedly committed on Sept 23, 2005 and five on March 21 last year at her Changi home.

She is accused, among other things, of ordering her dog to bite the maid, and of molesting her and gripping her neck.

The maid told the court it was about 1am one day in September 2005 when Tay suddenly opened her room's door.

Tay pulled her hair from behind, turned her around, pushed her and slapped her on both cheeks, she alleged.

Tay gave her a few more hard slaps and a few strands of her hair fell from the woman's grip on her head.

She cried out when she felt a pain in her buttocks. She turned around and saw that Tay had hit her with a stool which she then threw at her.

The pet bowl and knife followed but were deflected by the stool which she had picked up.

Tay then called in her shih tzu Yuki, a toy breed. Carrying the diminutive dog, Tay said: 'Yuki, bite'' .

It bit her on her right thigh several times, and her thigh bled.

She cried and yelled out in pain and tried to push the dog away.

Meanwhile, Tay had walked out to switch on the television to high volume before returning to cover the maid's mouth, saying 'diam diam'' (Malay for quiet).

This time, the dog bit the maid on her left arm.

She ran out of the room to Tay's son's room. He and his father, Mr Kim Hua Siang, helped put a plaster on her wound.

The maid then said she wanted to go to the agent. But Mr Kim told her to wait till her wound had healed. He gave her a Panadol to relieve her pain.

The maid said she did not sleep the rest of the morning.

Later that morning, she packed her bags and left for the Indonesian embassy.

A police report was made and she was examined by a doctor in hospital.

The hearing continues on Monday.

Citigroup tops Forbes list of global companies

It leads among top 2,000 firms; more China firms making their presence felt


NEW YORK - A GROWING number of Chinese firms are now among the top 2,000 global corporations, said a Forbes magazine report that placed American banking giant Citigroup in the top spot.

To find the world's biggest companies, Forbes said it used four measures - sales, market value, assets and profits - rather than a single yardstick, like sales, which would have produced a 'lopsided list', cluttered with retailers.

Forbes described its ranking of 'Global High Performers' as an 'elite list of fast-growing big companies that set the pace for their respective industries'.

The list now has 80 companies based in Hong Kong or China, including 16 additions from last year, while the United States has 34 fewer companies compared with last year's rankings.

US-based Bank of America was second in the global rankings, followed by British banking group HSBC, US-

based conglomerate General Electric, US banking firm JPMorgan Chase and insurance giant American International Group.

ExxonMobil, the US oil giant, was ranked seventh, followed by Royal Dutch Shell, Swiss-based UBS and Dutch-based bank ING.

American retailer Wal-

Mart Stores had the highest sales - US$348 billion (S$528.2 billion) - but was ranked 17th on the Forbes list. ExxonMobil had the biggest profit of US$39.5 billion and the highest stock market value of US$410 billion.

But the prize for the most improved company had to go to 45th-ranked China Life Insurance, whose market value of US$110 billion this year enjoyed the biggest jump - 261 per cent - from the previous year.

China's top-ranked firm was PetroChina, placed 41st on the list. Toyota, at number 12, was the highest-ranked Japanese firm.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), ranked 239, leading a pack of 34 Indian companies on the list. Others included Reliance Industries (258), State Bank of India (326), Indian Oil (399) and Tata Consultancy (1047).

Even with fewer US names on this year's list, the remaining US companies had a combined market capitalisation of US$13.89 trillion compared with US$3.38 trillion for Japan and US$1.36 trillion for China.

These numbers show how far emerging economies such as China have progressed - and how much they still have to accomplish.

The 2,000 companies saw sales rise 10 per cent last year, with profits increasing 32 per cent and market value gaining 17 per cent, according to the magazine.

The 116 oil companies had the biggest revenues of any sector but the biggest profits were in banking, it added.

Return to deflation for Japan in February

TOKYO - JAPAN slipped back into deflation in the same month the Bank of Japan raised interest rates, according to new figures that raise questions about the central bank's haste in tightening monetary policy.

Core consumer prices, which exclude fresh food prices, fell 0.1 per cent in the year to February, the government said yesterday.

Although the return to deflation for the first time in 10 months was widely expected, it still gives ammunition to the many economists who think the bank acted too pre-emptively in raising interest rates before deflation had been killed for good.

The bank raised its benchmark rate to 0.25 per cent in July, and 0.5 per cent last month.

Many economists think Japan's return to deflation will not be a mere blip.

The government also said yesterday that March core consumer price figures for Tokyo unexpectedly fell 0.1 per cent on the year.

Still, financial markets reacted little, partly because the dip had been widely expected.

Central bank governor Toshihiko Fukui told parliament earlier this week that growth in the core consumer price index (CPI) might turn negative because of falling crude oil prices, but that prices were on a long-run upward trend.

The effect of the price data was also mitigated by strong output numbers, which suggest demand in Japan is high and prices could come under upward pressure.

Although industrial production fell 0.2 per cent month on month in February, government forecasts, based on extensive survey work, suggested strong rises in manufacturing output in March and April.

China central bank expects 10% growth

BEIJING - CHINA is likely to see a fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth this year, the central bank said in remarks published yesterday, just weeks after the government called for a slowdown in the economy.

The world's fourth-largest economy will probably expand by 10 per cent this year, compared with 10.7 per cent last year, the central bank's research department said in a report carried by the China Securities Journal.

'The trade surplus is likely to maintain relatively fast growth in the first half but the rising trend should ease in the second half,' the report said.

In a speech to lawmakers earlier this month, Premier Wen Jiabao targeted 8 per cent growth this year.

Analysts almost immediately characterised the target as unrealistic, saying it was mainly meant as a signal to lower-level officials to refrain from going for growth at any cost.

US will impose tax on Chinese paper imports

WASHINGTON - THE Bush administration, facing heavy pressure to deal with soaring trade deficits, announced yesterday that it was imposing economic sanctions against China as a way of protecting American paper producers from unfair Chinese government subsidies.

The action reverses 23 years of United States trade policy by treating China, which is classified as a non-market economy, in the same way that other US trading partners are treated in disputes involving government subsidies.

The decision was announced by Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. 'China's economy has developed to the point that we can add another trade remedy tool,' he said. 'The China of today is not the China of years ago. Just as China has evolved, so has the range of our tools to make sure Americans are treated fairly.'

The action means that China's imports of glossy paper will be subjected to tariffs ranging from 10.9 per cent up to 20.4 per cent as a penalty for subsidies that it is providing for its own companies. Those extra duties will be imposed immediately on a preliminary basis, pending further review.

The case, which was brought by NewPage Corp, was being closely watched by a number of other US industries from steel to furniture.

China will face tipping point in 20 years: MM Lee

It will maintain its growth but calls for participatory govt will increase


MELBOURNE - MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew believes China can maintain its growth but predicts Beijing will face a tipping point 20 years from now, when the demands for participatory government grow more widespread.

By then, most of China's population - about 60 to 65 per cent - will have settled in cities and be more exposed to the world through the Internet and other means of communication, he said at a forum here yesterday.

These changes will stir in more Chinese citizens a desire for greater participation.

Mr Lee was responding to a question on China's prospects during a dialogue with about 60 public-sector leaders and professionals at the inaugural World Leaders' Forum of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

He said he did not buy into the school of thought that believed China was headed for a collapse owing to such matters as corruption, factionalism, a growing income divide and an increasing demand for participatory government.

The source of his confidence in China? He had seen for himself the high quality of leaders now in charge of running the country.

The top ranks of Chinese society had undergone a 'tremendous transformation', he said, in which the Cultural Revolution leaders were replaced by new and younger leaders whose selection was based on merit.

This change had taken place all the way through, starting from the top ranks in Beijing and 'with each tier below more meritocratic' than the one above.

As a result, those who visit China today 'will find a level of competence at every stage that goes back to the Mandarinate system', Mr Lee said.

He also observed that many in the current group of Chinese mayors were in their 40s and had doctorates and master's degrees in business administration from overseas and Chinese universities.

He gave this reply to Professor Allan Fels, the dean of the school, who had asked about China's future growth, as Australia and New Zealand's prospects would depend on it.

Mr Lee said the present generation of Chinese leaders expected the best to be in charge and set out to co-opt anyone who was talented.

Because of this, they viewed the idea of a free-for-all election as 'anathema'.

But if circumstances changed, he would expect them to find ways to allow greater participation by the people.

During the 70-minute dialogue, Mr Lee fielded 10 questions on issues ranging from the multilateral trading system to global warming and the evolving regional architecture.

He shared his view that, over the long term, the East Asia Summit (EAS) would prove a more productive regional grouping than the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or Apec, as the latter had lost its focus after the United States brought Russia into the 21-nation grouping.

The EAS has 16 members: the Asean 10, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

On climate change, he said nothing any country did to try to slow the process would make a difference until the US, China and India woke up to the fact that they too would be affected and came on board to help tackle the problem.

'When that penny drops, we've got a global response,' he said.

Turney's letter

Representative of the House of Commons.

I am writing to inform you of my situation...

I would like you to know of the treatment I have received whilst here. The Iranian people are kind, considerate, warm, compassionate and very hospitable. They have brought me no harm, but have looked after me well...

Unfortunately during the course of our mission we entered into Iranian waters. Even through our wrongdoing, they have still treated us well and humanely, which I am and always will be eternally grateful.

I ask the representatives of the House of Commons after the government had promised that this type of incident would not happen again, why have they let this occur and why has the government not been questioned over this? Isn't it time for us to start withdrawing our forces from Iraq and let them determine their own future?

World oil prices surge to six-month high

LONDON - THE stand-off between London and Teheran over 15 naval detainees has sent world oil prices surging to a six-month high, and analysts warn that they could rise further.

Crude prices hit a high of US$69 (S$105) a barrel this week, as traders fretted over escalating tensions between major crude supplier Iran and the West, a week after the stand-off started with the seizure of the British servicemen at gunpoint last Friday.

'It wouldn't surprise me if we saw US$70...or beyond,' said senior international economist Simon Hayley of Capital Economics.

In London trade on Thursday, the price of Brent North Sea crude for May settled near US$68.

New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, surged US$1.95 to close at US$66.03 a barrel.

Crude futures had on Tuesday soared to US$69 in London and US$68.09 in New York - levels last seen in early September - on rumours of a military conflict in Iran. They fell back after the talk was seen to be unfounded.

But in the last couple of days, prices have again risen strongly after Britain froze ties with Iran, the world's fourth-largest producer of crude. This was in response to the Islamic country's refusal to release the 15 British sailors.

Britain cracking down on sex slave trade

Women from Asia and elsewhere duped by offers of legitimate jobs


LONDON - BRITISH police are to crack down on a booming trade in sex slaves, increasing numbers of whom are being brought to Britain from Asia.

Thousands of women are being brought in from countries such as Malaysia and China, as well as eastern Europe and parts of Africa, to work as prostitutes, according to British media reports backed by police figures.

A large proportion of them are brought to Britain against their will, and some are being sold for sums as high as &pound8,000 (S$24,000).

They arrive mostly on commercial flights, and are often lured to Britain by gang members on the false promise of legitimate work as cleaners, nannies and dancers.

Their passports are taken from them on arrival at the airport and they are forced to work at brothels to 'pay off' the expenses of transporting them to Britain.

It is estimated that around 85per cent of the women working in secret brothels in Britain are foreigners.

This represents a dramatic increase from the mid-1990s, when an estimated 85per cent were British citizens.

This increase is, in part, a result of the entry of several eastern European countries into the European Union in 2004.

Relaxed labour regulations have made it easier for women to be moved to Britain from countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Latvia for ostensibly legitimate reasons.

But the increase is also a reflection of the increasing sophistication and global reach of the criminal gangs that control much of the trafficking. They are operating trans-nationally, in collaboration with gangs from other countries.

Although the secretive sex trade is difficult to measure with any accuracy, it is believed that Malaysia, China and Thailand are the principal sources of sex slaves in Britain after eastern Europe.

In a campaign known as Operation Pentameter last year, nearly 84 victims of human trafficking were rescued in a series of police raids across Britain.

The largest operation saw 19 women, mostly from Malaysia, rescued from addresses in London and Birmingham where they were being held against their will and forced to have sex with paying clients.

The ringleader and his female partner who were arrested were said to be of Vietnamese origin.

The crackdown was led by Detective Superintendent Mark Ponting of London's Metropolitan Police, who has now been put in charge of a new campaign focusing on organised criminal networks.

In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, he stressed the difficulty of securing convictions against traffickers when rescued women are often terrified of giving evidence against their former captors.

'You have to remember the trauma and difficulties associated with this crime. Many of these women are so traumatised that it is just inconceivable they would give evidence in a trial.

'These women have been held against their will, raped many times and their lives have been ruined. That is why the courts treat this offence so seriously.'

Traffickers caught in Britain can expect jail sentences of 13 or 14 years.

The new police initiative is consistent with the heightened priority attached to combating the sex trade by the British government.

Britain sought to encourage greater cooperation between European states in fighting human trafficking during its presidency of the EU in 2005.

In the next few weeks the government is expected to set out a new strategy to counter the problem, both within Britain and in cooperation with foreign governments and law enforcement agencies.

A Home Office spokesman told the BBC that 'human trafficking is a particularly horrible crime, based on deceit, exploitation and very often brutality'.

Beijing and Moscow ink Mars exploration deal

They will survey landscape and collect soil from its moon Phobos


BEIJING - CHINA'S space ambitions were bolstered during President Hu Jintao's recently concluded visit to Russia, which netted a deal to launch a Chinese satellite atop a Russian spacecraft bound for Mars.

The deal reflects growing political trust between both sides and gives Chinese scientists access to Russia's more advanced space programme, analysts told The Straits Times.

Mr Hu's three-day visit, which ended on Wednesday, saw Beijing and Moscow furthering a strategic partnership believed to be aimed at counter-balancing the United States' global domination.

During his visit, Chinese companies also inked some US$4 billion (S$6 billion) worth of trade contracts with their Russian counterparts.

Moscow is a major arms supplier of China's People's Liberation Army, and the outcome of the visit suggests bilateral military and technological cooperation is gaining ground.

The space exploration agreement, inked on Monday, is their biggest space project to date, analysts said.

Professor Wang Xiangsui of the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics told The Straits Times: 'Both countries have been looking for some time for an entry point to space cooperation, one that is not too sensitive or militaristic in nature.'

According to the new agreement, Chinese and Russian space agencies will launch a Chinese satellite in 2009, together with a Russian spacecraft bound for the Martian moon of Phobos to collect soil samples.

Reports say the Chinese satellite will conduct a scientific survey of the Martian landscape.

By participating in the Mars project, as well as a forthcoming global satellite navigation programme of the European Commission, China 'hopes to achieve some parity with the US' technological superiority in space', Prof Wang said.

China has always maintained that it is developing a space programme for peaceful, scientific purposes.

In January, however, it sparked an international outcry after it fired an anti-satellite missile into space to test its capability.

Relations between Beijing and Moscow have warmed considerably in recent years in contrast to their ideological rivalry during the Cold War.

During his Russian trip, Mr Hu met his counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow and also toured Russia's oil-rich Tatarstan region.

Russia is also being courted by the world's second-largest energy consumer for its energy resources.

However, gains in bilateral energy cooperation, if any, were less visible during Mr Hu's trip.

Moscow continues to avoid a firm commitment on building an offshoot to a projected oil pipeline from Siberia to Russia's east coast. Such a branch would feed oil directly into Chinese territory.

'Russia has already made the strategic decision to build the branch line,' said Sino-Russian expert Shi Ze of the China Institute of International Studies.

'Now it is only a matter of reaching an agreement on concrete details like how fast to get it built.'

Moscow has pledged to complete by next year the first phase of the 4,700km oil pipeline.

The first phase spans Siberia to end in Skovorodino, roughly 60km north of the Chinese border.