Singapore said yesterday it will allow construction of two casinos, gambling that the decision can boost its economy and juice up its staid image. Critics fear residents of one of Asia's safest cities will succumb to vice with casinos on their shores for the first time.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) revealed the government's decision in parliament after months of mulling the economic pros and social cons. Singapore has received nearly 20 proposals from international gaming giants angling to build a casino in Southeast Asia's most prosperous country.
Lee cited efforts by some of the world's great cities to reinvent themselves with transportation, cultural and other development projects, and warned that Singapore could become an Asian "backwater" unless it competes with its neighbors.
"In Asia, Shanghai is full of drive and energy. Hong Kong is opening its Disneyland, Hong Kong is also talking about opening a casino to compete with Macau," Lee said.
"Will Singapore be part of this new world, or will we will bypassed and left behind?" said Lee, whose father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀), was instrumental in shaping Singapore's development since independence in 1965. "We want Singapore to have the X-factor, that buzz that you get in London, Paris or New York."
Singapore's Cabinet had encouraged citizens to speak up on the casino plan, triggering lively exchanges in the media, on Internet chat sites, in offices and homes. For a while Singaporeans appeared to be split evenly in the debate -- unusual in that Singaporeans so rarely challenge their government's plans.
"The ministers themselves were evenly split," Lee said. "They also shared the qualms of the public about the social impact."
Lee said one casino will be built as part of a resort with other attractions on the island of Sentosa, and the other will be at Marina Bay on Singapore's main island. Both projects, worth a total of S$5 billion (US$3 billion), will be five minutes by car from the central business district.
Many Singaporeans lay down bets on race horses and fork out cash at parlors with slot machines and sports wagers. But the prospect of a large, Las Vegas-style casino alarmed many who think Singapore's strict social controls are its main asset.
One group, Families Against the Casino Threat, organized an online petition that more than 30,000 Singaporeans opposed to more gambling signed.
Singapore hopes that billions spent on casinos with theme parks and hotels will boost its S$184 billion (US$112 billion) domestic economy, attract high-spending tourists and create thousands of jobs.
"Tourism in Asia is growing phenomenally, especially with the traffic from India and China. Our market share is declining, they are spending a shorter time in Singapore," said Lee, who predicted that the project will create 35,000 jobs.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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