Can anyone say if they knows anything about Singapore's acquiring of the so called kampung.

Housing & Urban Development Corporation is the one doing the acquisiton.

Singapore is like Hongkong therefore some of the lands are needed to be cleared on environmental basis so that it does not affect the ambience within the surrounding areas.

Land acquisition are based on per sq ft and based on what ever plantation there are and paid accordingly.

Land processed and cleareance need money and how come people are thinking with such elementary thinking by saying that the current land price is way above the acquisition price and the land owners are not paid in accordance.

I buy a raw material at 1 $ (in this case the land) I process the land and all land clearing at 2.5 $ apply for license to build and architectural blueprint for approval that cost 4$ Total cost is 7.5 $.

Of course the price when sold in the market should be anything between 15 to 25 $ so can anyone tell that is not justifiable.

Singapoire is one country that will not allow people to speculate the price of land for fear that it may reach a stage like what happened to Hong Kong.

so what does NY Times knows about that when the land were being acquired at at least 2 - 3 $ psf.

The same thing will happened to Indonesia and in the United States because the process is the same.

LAND ACQUISITION WILL NOT BE EQUAL TO THE PRICE OF LAND'S CURRENT MARKET VALUE.

Journalist, reporters like to exagerate the fact without knowing the actual process taken into consideration.

And sorry to you hary because I really think both Murphy and you had only visited place surrounding your work and home while in Singapore because you are referring to 40 million grumpy faces.

You said "Singaporeans I know are a generally grumpy and complaining lot. In short, they are spoilt ." How spoilt are they can you elaborate besides this

" I believe it is because their government has told them that they are the best and luckiest people in the world… and they believe it."

And if you were told abd believe to be the luckiest people in thw world would you whin and sigh?  So how could there be 40 million grump faces out there in Singapore to both of you!

You said " When things go wrong, they wince and complain that their government is not doing enough to solve the problem."

Can you bring up an instance and please forget that exceptional case of person delight.

While " Initiative was rare amongst my then staff, and god forbid that anyone suggest a better way of solving a problem that is not tried and tested"

So that was your then staffs and you take that to compare the majority, aren't you tired of that?

When you post a comment you just can't simply take one instance and deemed that to be that of the majority when others don't feel that way.

Is http://www.talkingcock.com a good site?  When the word itself is already talking cock.  Then can we consider those posting to be of humor, hilarious and talking cock?

You are not a Singaporean, aren't you?  Because you show outright a bias comment.

Of course there are a number of grumpy people but definitely not all! Worse of all 40 million and you agree!

I guess Hary and Murphy were right. You do look grumpy.

One more thing you said HDB and you want to talk to me about the government's acquisition of land!

How ignorant.  Now a days the local housing project are almost over quota.  And they are concentrating more one the more expensive housing projects.

If it is not a public housing project then it is the HDB who will procure those land fopr HUDC.  This way HDB makes money as the price could be higher depending on area and district that could later fetch a high price, thus they always procured for HUDC.

This is the one thing that I am against the HDB's action because some of the land we owned in district 7 were acquired through this way.

Do you know where are the most expensive district?  It is 7 is in the heart of the City, 9 is in Orchard and 11 Tanglin, Coronation, Holland Road, Oei Tiong Ham Park etc.

HUDC is the private arm for the Singapore Government in housing development.

Your response is too predictable dragie. Try to be more creative. Despite what Hary told us about singaboreans, you can (if you believe). Oh, and try not to use the A word. It's too profan.

Hary,

I am aware that the current population in Singapore is around 4.5 but I am referring to the comment by Murphy who had blown the proportion of grumpy face to 40 million.

Yes I am and I know that both the HDB and HUDC are statutory Board but the latter one os always being used for the more up market project.

I agree that in Bangkok they are more with flairs, but Jakarta money works wonder and as for those you encounter is just too bad and perhaps you might want to change them.

As to those that does not know Bali is part of Indonesia is personal because majority of them knows Bali to be part of Indonesia and as to independence to them and whether they live the most out of live, there are 4.5 million to compare.

Hi Sputjam. I'd bet you are Singaporean... I love your cynicism. See wat I mean D ?

To sngaporeans, jungles, wild rivers, mountains and volcanoes, means backwardness. They see beauty only in tall buildings.

Another singaporean remarked that she could see most of KL from the office window. In Singapore, she exclaimed, you get to see only other people's window.( meaning, buildings in KL not many and not tall enough)

And another said you cannot tell night from day while driving in singapore, because the roads are so brightly lit, after reading in the newspaper that a singaporean banker died  after his car crashed into a buffalo sleeping on a rural road, while driving in Malaysia with his girlfriend. The girl friend survived.

Beauty is south Lombok, with crystal clear water and volcano nestled behind you, with strong breeze to cool the tropical heat. You can hear the surf, as it breaks down half a mile away in the reef. Very relaxing.

That was probably the reason why DW abandoned sinapore for indonesia, married an indonesian, because he too couldn't tolerate singaporeans, and after 1997-1998 disaster, opened up his business in the US. His next adventure will be in China. And when he retires, I think Singapore will not be on his list. 

The posting after my last posting was added to the first posting making the whole dialogue onsolete. Commencing " is suppose to be replying to sputjam's nemesis.

"That was probably the reason why DW abandoned sinapore for indonesia"

What makes you think that I had abandoned Singapore for Indonesia?

I went to Indonesia in 1988 on assignment from my Singapore company and has been back and forth and all over asia until 2000 after recuperating from the riot I left Indonesia for the US until now.

"married an indonesian, because he too couldn't tolerate singaporeans,"

I married my wife because I like her not because she is rich.  She came from a poor cobbler's family in Medan and I met her while I was on assignment and married her that same year.  What has that got to do with tolerating Singaporean.  I think you are making up stories because you think someone else is.

" and after 1997-1998 disaster, opened up his business in the US."

After the riot me and my wife recuperated and cleared up all debts and left for the US.  We still have our businesses in Indonesia and not just those tiny sidewalk kind of business.  We still owned some large tract of properties in Jakarta.

" His next adventure will be in China."

Yes I said I am venturing into China because I already have the foundation in the US that I could easily tapped into the Chinese market.

" And when he retires, I think Singapore will not be on his list. "

And what makes you think that Singapore will not be on my list.

The very first thing I am going to do is to bring my family over to Singapore and then I might retire in China or Europe.

Of all that was commented by you, can you prove a point to me what you are talking about except that you were becoming more cynical and more sacarstic in remarks like the Singapore roads were so brightly litted.  DO you know what is safety to the pbulic and road users? And that you even said that a Malaysian driver hit a buffalo sleeping on the road.  So is there a difference in that to you to whom you may be speaking to?

The limitation of people that you got in touch were only a bunch of those in the surrounding of Geylang Serai and the Geyland whore house where you won't be caught for prostitution like those in Jakarta for being a muslim.  Muslims in Singapore and Malaysia goes to the whore house and that is open secret.  How haram or halal please judge that yourself.

Seeing KL from the Singapore highrise has thus shown to you the majestic view Singapore have prepared for sacarstic people like you to whin and sigh when you can't even see Lombok from any of the Jakarta tower.

The bottom line to this comment is that of all was said and comment you have not made any logical response as to what you claimed to know about Lee Hsien Loong, his wife, the so called Lee family, GIC and Singapore's investment.

You are what I should consider to be a second hand news reporter spreading propaganda and smearing the image of Singapore without any basis and prove why when you said his wife took her own life because she felt miserable as she had bore two child and one of them had a down syndrome.  And you so called claim of Lee Hisen Yang's involvement with the aussie girl when they choose to invest in Optic.

Yopu failed to convince me of their involvement and the Singapore's investments.

This is one thing I like to say of you is that you cry when you lose out in an investment and that will not make you a successful business and you will never be the man.  So please take that to the bank.

"Singapore is as corrupt and inpet as any other Asian country."

Prove it like a man.

" Lee Kwan Yew Inc are the Suharto of Singapore- no one would seriously argue that Suharto family Inc do not still hold the reins of power and wealth here in Indonesia- it's a given."

But with a difference.  None of Singapore leaders except Lim Yew Hock's action in selling out Christmas to the Australian the only person that was asked to step down was the Indian President while Teh Cheang Wan the Minister for development was impeach for his denial in accepting a so called bribe which many thought he was framed but the fact shows that his house was in fact renoveated by someone which he did not paid for that.  He was thrown into prison but he decided to end his life to safe the agony of being a traitor to his party.

Similar to the case of Eddy Tansil he was framed by Tommy Soeharto and paid heavy price after being imprisoned.  Most of his assets in Indonesia vanish without a trace.

"But Singapore-is a free-port regaionl HQ nation where satbility exists enough to do business with the real majors: Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia"

And that make many people jealous and envy of her achievements with unwarranted propagandas.

"The British hate the Singaporeans- they would never accept you as equals- give up your white delusion from selflessly lunging at them to bask in their alleged glory."

Singapore understands the possibility and probability of a working relation and whether they accept Singapore as our equal is left to be seen because many a time Singapore had proven to outshine any British in terms of technology and mindset.  You can continue to lickspittle the British with putdowns and insults but that will not stop you from others working together with foreigners whom they deemed to be beneficial to either party and one thing Singaporeans does not live on past glories.

You should be more concern if you said about the involvements of Soeharto Inc and fight corruption to prove your point.  Otherwise whatever you said will be rendered useless.