Source: lifeisreallybeautiful.com

When the verdict on his daughter’s death was read out yesterday at a Coroner’s Inquiry at the Subordinate Courts, Mr Li Kui You, 58, could only lay his head on the table.

The soya-bean farmer, who arrived in Singapore with two relatives on Christmas night, was too despondent to raise his head when State Coroner Victor Yeo ruled that there was no foul play and that Ms Li Hong Yan’s death was an accident. Evidence from police investigations showed that Ms Li, 24, whose naked body was found face-down in a Sentosa Cove bungalow pool in March, did not take her own life.

Wearing a dark blue Mao jacket, Mr Li looked tired and sombre. He broke down when answering journalists’ questions about his daughter.

Li Hong Yan's parents, Madam Sun Jing Fang (left), 49, and Mr Li Kui You, 58.

Prior to Ms Li’s death, her family and relatives had been under the impression that she had come to Singapore to be a hairdresser, for which she received training in China.

“She was such a sweet girl who never lost her temper. She got along with everyone,” said Madam Fang Shu Hui, 57, who accompanied Mr Li to court yesterday. Madam Fang is the mother-in-law of Ms Li’s elder sister.

Mr Yeo concluded that the freelance KTV hostess drowned accidentally as she swam in the pre-dawn hours of March 24 this year.

The body of Li Hong Yan, 24, a Chinese national, was found in the pool of a bungalow at Sentosa Cove.

Ms Li had spent the night at the house with its owner, Mr Adrian Chua Boon Chye. Mr Chua’s maid Aye Aye Tun, 26, a Myanmar national, was tidying up the study, which was overlooking the pool, when she saw the naked body floating face-down.

Ms Li arrived from Heilongjiang province in China last year and was employed as an assistant supervisor at an Indian eatery in Jalan Besar. Meanwhile, she moonlighted as a KTV hostess at a nightclub in Outram Road. She quit her supervisor job in early March to become a full-time hostess.

Chinese national Li Hong Yan (left), 24, whose naked body was found in the lap pool of a bungalow, has been said to resemble Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi (right).

It was at the nightclub that she hooked up with Mr Adrian Chua, 39, chief executive realty-investment firm Roundhill Capital. He affectionately called her “Wawa”, or “doll” in Mandarin and had taken her to his multi-million-dollar home in Sentosa Cove at least twice previously, each time paying her $800 for an evening’s companionship.

Adrian Chua Boon Chye

On March 24, they had sex and at about 7am, Mr Chua’s 26-year-old maid, Myanmar national Aye Aye Tun, found Ms Li floating face down in his pool.

Mr Chua said he had sex with Ms Li, after which he fell asleep at around 4am.

Li Hong Yan

A toxicology test showed Li’s blood contained 125mg/100ml of ethanol. The legal limit for drink-driving is 70mg.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed images of Ms Li unlocking the sliding doors leading to the pool at 3.48am. She was alone and fully clothed.

Mr Yeo said: “I am of the view that, at the pool-deck area, she removed her clothes so as not to get them wet.” There was no CCTV camera installed in the outdoor area.

Mr Yeo surmised that Ms Li, who could not swim, had difficulty keeping her head above water after stepping into the pool. The coroner said that it was also possible she could have slipped while walking down the steps of the pool and sustained the 2cm by 1cm bruise on her left knee. But he ruled out foul play as there were no evidence or injuries that indicated she was attacked. Her colleagues and flat-mates also said that she was cheerful and did not appear to have any problems.

Ms Li is 1.54m tall and the pool’s maximum depth is 1.5m. The lights inside and around the pool were not switched on. As Mr Chua had previously taken her to the pool deck to chat and smoke, Mr Yeo said Ms Li probably went there again to smoke, adding that Ms Aye Aye Tun found Mr Chua’s cigarettes and lighter with Ms Li’s clothes.

Mr Chua said he was woken up by two Sentosa Cove security personnel at 8am. “I was shocked to hear that a naked woman was found drowned in my pool,” he said.

Mr Chua, 39, is the founder and chief executive officer of Roundhill Capital, a real estate investment advisory firm, registered in Singapore under his residential address. He is unmarried and is said to have lived at the three-storey house along Ocean Drive for over a year.

The bungalow at Sentosa Cove

He has since sold the Sentosa property. He appeared calm yesterday as he took the stand, looking steadily at Mr Li and his relatives when Mr Yeo asked them if they had any questions for him. Mr Li could only shake his head and bury his face in his folded arms, saying in Mandarin that he was confused.

He was similarly dazed when two members of the public handed him about $500 in cash.

His eyes moist with tears, Mr Li could only utter: “Thank you.”

Nine men were charged in court yesterday in connection with a case involving underage sex workers.

Of the nine, six men were charged with having sex with underage prostitutes. The men, aged 24 to 59, were accused of obtaining the sexual services of three Vietnamese girls, aged between 16 and 17 in July last year. They allegedly paid the girls between S$100 and S$200 per session.

The accused are Loh Kian Ann, 55; Yee Yew Seng, 45; Chan See Sean, 40; Wee Lian Kee, 54; Seah Seng Kok, 59 and Justin Guo Zhijia, 24.

It is illegal to pay for sex with anyone under the age of 18. If convicted, they could be jailed up to seven years, fined or both.

The other three men were charged with abetting the offences of the six men in March, June and July last year and will face the same penalties as the six men.

The trio are Loy Hee Cheng, 69; Tan Wah Eng, 60 and Chong Heng Kow, 52.

The case is unrelated to a probe into an online prostitution ring, which surfaced last month.

Nine Face Charges of Underage Sex

Souce: The Straits Times  March 31, 2012

Nine men aged between 24 and 68 were hauled to court yesterday to face charges of commercial sex with underage girls.

They each face between one and three charges of paying $100 to $200 for the sexual services of Vietnamese prostitutes, who were below 18 years of age, between March and July last year.

Anyone convicted of having commercial sex with a person under 18 can be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both. The law took effect in February 2008.

Two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old were involved. They cannot be named due to a gag order.

Chan See Sean, 40, unemployed, was charged with three counts — twice for paying $120 to a 16-year-old girl and once to a 17-year-old for their services in July last year.

Chong Heng Kow, 53, allegedly conspired with Seng Swee Meng, 42, and his Vietnamese wife, Ngo Tien, 31, to pay $100 for the younger girl’s services at Fragrance Ruby Hotel in Geylang on July 3.

He is also accused of having paid sex with the girl at Four Chain View Hotel in Geylang Road 12 days later.

Justin Guo Zhijia, 24, a student, was charged with having paid $100 twice to have sex with the girl at a house in Yio Chu Kang last July.

Wee Lian Kee, 54, is alleged to have paid $180 to have sex with the girl at Hup Hoe Hotel in Geylang Road on July 7.

Loh Kian Ann, 55, allegedly paid $120 on each of two occasions for sex with the second 17-year-old girl at Four Chain View Hotel last July.

In the same month, Yee Yew Seng, 45, allegedly paid $200 and $170 for sex with the same girl at Hotel 12 in Geylang.

Tan Wah Eng, 60, allegedly conspired with Seng and his wife to have paid sex with the girl at Four Chain View Hotel on June 19.

Loy Hee Cheng, 68, faces a single charge of scheming with the couple in March last year to have commercial sex with the 17-year-old whom Chan had sex with.

Seah Seng Kok, 59, was charged with paying the same girl $120 for her services at Four Chain View Hotel on July 21.

Seng, a pimp, has since pleaded guilty to 15 of 51 charges but has yet to be sentenced. The case will be mentioned again on April 11.

He received the Vietnamese prostitutes at the airport, harbored them, lived on their immoral earnings, managed a contact point for prostitutes and abetted in commercial sex by instigating Chong and Tan to have sex with two of the girls. His wife, who is at large, is said to have been involved with him in the offences.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided a flat in Lorong 22, Geylang, and arrested 30 Vietnamese women for offenses under the Women’s Charter last Aug 2. They also seized $44,310 and $300, among other things.

The couple recruited the women through agents or their friends in Vietnam to work for them as hostesses and prostitutes in Singapore.

The nine men’s cases were adjourned. All except Seah, Tan and Chong were represented, and their police bails were extended.

Askmelah's Note: Read more on the social implication of this unfortunate episode: 44 Itchy Monkeys & One Lascivious Imp

Singapore police are investigating a suspected online prostitution operation.

A number of public servants, including a former school principal, are believed to be assisting in the probe.

The police said this is part of on-going enforcement efforts to clamp down on vice syndicates.

A man infected with HIV was jailed for 18 months on Wednesday for having sex with another man without first revealing his HIV status. The former engineer, aged 27, had pleaded guilty to the January 2009 offence last month.

The accused could have been fined up to $50,000 and/or jailed for up to 10 years.

A founder of popular gay networking site Fridae.com has filed a lawsuit against the portal's holding company, subsidiaries and board of directors.

Dr Stuart Koe, who started the website in 2000, claims they owe him $260,000 and conspired against him to forfeit his shares in the portal.

They advertise their services online and enter Singapore as tourists

Dane (not his real name), 30, has been an escort serving male clients for five years. He used to face competition only from other Singaporeans in the industry.

But for about a year now, he has been coming up against foreigners in this discreet trade.

Their job is to provide a massage, and then "extra services" or a "happy ending", if required.

The foreigners come here for two weeks to a month, promote themselves on Internet websites and via mobile applications, and then leave for a nearby country.

Many of them advertise their services by establishing profiles on websites designed for gay men to meet one another. These sites are international, but have thriving Singapore sections.

Some peddle their services more directly on general classified sites such as Craigslist.

A glance through these profiles and ads shows the majority of these foreign escorts and masseurs are from countries like China, Indonesia and the Philippines. There are also Caucasian escorts, while those from China are so popular there is even a website dedicated to them.

Mr Tan Kok Kee, a gender and sexuality scholar from the University of Illinois, who has done research on gay men and gay culture in Singapore for eight years, said the influx of foreign escorts could be due to a general importation of foreigners and the attraction of easy money.

Foreigners contacted said they entered the country on the normal tourist "social visit" pass, and claimed to be unaware that it is illegal for them to work while here.

Nearly all of the escorts advertise themselves as trained masseurs.

One Indonesian masseur, who advertised himself on an iPhone app called Grindr, said his massage company is based in Jakarta, and that he is in Singapore for only two weeks.

He declined to say how much he has earned, but said it is his second time here, and that he is open to accompanying men for dinner or shopping.

According to individuals contacted and the advertisements, rates range from $80 to $200 per hour, inclusive of extra services.

In comparison, escort agency rates average about $400 per hour, with the escort taking home half the amount.

Services are provided at hotels most of the time, and at the customers' homes.

Nine out of 10 escorts The Sunday Times contacted, both Singaporeans and foreigners, say the massages come with "extra services".

Most of them serve both male and female clients, and said they can "go all the way" with both genders.

The customers are usually married men - who need the most private transactions - and other professionals in their 30s and 40s. They include expats and Singaporeans.

Local escort agencies say they are feeling the heat from foreign imports.

A spokesman for JM Escort and Models, which has been in the male escort industry for eight years, said business has been declining and it has been forced to find customers in other ways, so as not to compete on the same platform.

"It's been happening for about a year, but it's getting a bit out of control," he said.

Asked why there has been a recent proliferation of foreign competitors, he said: "The prices in Singapore are high, they earn more over here than in their own country."

Also, since these escorts are not operating in their own country, and they do not have friends or family here, they can promote themselves quite openly online.

Another local escort, who wanted to be known only as Ryan, said: "My business is still steady, but I can tell that previously there weren't many foreigners giving competition. Now there are more."

The 25-year-old is more optimistic, however, adding that society has started to open up, so there will accordingly be greater demand for these services. Since the pie is growing, naturally the supply of escorts will increase, he reckoned.

Escort agencies and social escorts The Sunday Times spoke to said the influx of foreigners is being partly driven by the Internet, which has traditionally been the main avenue to reach the gay community.

Direct contact with clients means escorts can bypass agents; using the Internet also means the trade - a taboo topic in Singapore - is not brought into the open.

Escorts like Dane say they go for HIV testing every three months, and that they insist on safety when oral sex or intercourse is involved.

A spokesman for Action for Aids said there are measures in place to address health risks.

She said: "Volunteers reach out to those who are in the male escort services as part of their overall education and outreach programmes."

But the legal status of such service providers is at best murky.

Lawyers said these escorts - and their clients - are unlikely to be charged under Singapore's prostitution laws, which are female- oriented, but they could technically run afoul of Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises homosexual sex. The penalty is a jail term of up to two years.

Many of the foreigners advertise their services by establishing profiles on websites designed for gay men to meet one another. These sites are international, but have Singapore sections.

Adapted from The Sunday Times  9 Oct 2011

It's now a thriving scene, with at least 10 clubs where men play host to women

Midnight strikes and the stage lights suddenly come on. It is showtime for some 30 sharply dressed young men who strut out in suits, perfectly styled hair in the vein of K-pop stars, and enough foundation on their faces to support Marina Bay Sands' triple towers.

They sashay, strike poses - beauty-pageant-style - and dutifully line up along the stage with their number tags. Then, one by one, the men - mostly Thais in their 20s and 30s - come forward for their three minutes in the spotlight, belting out popular Chinese and Thai love ballads.

As they warble, most slightly off-key, women in the crowd titter, pointing to the men who catch their eye. Whispers are exchanged between the women and the person who takes charge of the guys - the papa-san, as he is called - who then goes on stage and bestows the lucky chosen ones with plastic flower garlands and satin sashes.

Each garland goes for $50 or $100, while sashes can top $5,000 each. The papa-san blows a whistle as he is doing this, and the rest of the boys clap in envy. This is typically what happens in a host bar where, as a nightclub in Cuppage Plaza proudly proclaims on a banner hanging on the stage: The men are hot, and the women are God.

An Australian man was fined S$1,500 yesterday for committing an obscene act in a Prinsep Street nightspot at around 11pm on Tuesday.

Aaron Benjamin Butcher, 36, was caught with a woman performing an indecent act on him inside a KTV room at the Embazy club.

The woman, Avila Rosela Mae Mallon, 22, failed to turn up in court yesterday. Neither did two of her colleagues, Lumbre Carla Jane Alaras and Cacho Jaquelyn Rosario, both 23 years old, who were allegedly found inside the same KTV room with their breasts exposed. 

TODAY understands that the trio are believed to be employed by the company that owns Embazy. However, it is alleged they were not supposed to be working in that particular nightspot.

Warrants of arrest have been issued against the three Filipino women. 

Appearing in a state of undress in a public place is an offence. If convicted, Alaras and Rosario can each be jailed up to three months, fined a maximum of S$2,000 or both.

In a media statement, the police said that the group was arrested during a licensing check operation at entertainment outlets that evening. 

As soon as darkness descends, dozens of scantily clad women emerge under neon signs and hover around the entrances of their establishments.

'Darling,' they call out coyly to passers-by, 'come in for a drink, you'll have a good time, I promise.'

This is the new reality for many patrons who frequent Circular Road, a stretch of shophouses behind Boat Quay now packed with pubs with names like Kriselle and Mambo 5.

****************

• As many as 15 such bars have sprung up along along both sides of the Circular Road.
• The girls, mostly Filipinas wearing tube tops, short skirts and fishnet stockings park themselves outside the bars in groups of four or five. They call out to perspective male patrons who walk by and at times, even try to pull them into the bars.
• The police said that while they have not seen an increase in crime in the area, they will continue to carry out frequent patrols.