2020 award winners

Seventeen awards were presented to celebrate and honour the best works of journalists across newsrooms at Press Holdings’ English, Malay and Tamil Media Group annual awards yesterday. Here are the award winners:

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR STORY OF THE YEAR Choo Yun Ting Audrey Tan Shannon Teoh for Malaysians await outcome of meeting The Straits Times The Straits Times over state of emergency (The Straits Times, Oct 24)

FEATURE/COMMENTARY VIDEO OF THE YEAR ILLUSTRATION OF THE YEAR SPECIAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE OF THE YEAR Olivia Quay, Hairianto Diman, Manuel A Francisco for Get ready for 1 Siti Zulaiqah Abdul Rahim, Hanim 4 David Sun for his stories: Elliott Danker, Michelle Timothy Goh, Chng Choon Hiong, Joyce the new normal in public health Mohd Saleh, Irma Kamarudin, Nur NUS probing students for cheating Martin, Zia-ul Raushan, Irshad • Teo, Salma Khalik, Audrey Tan, Marlone (The Straits Times, Feb 4) Humaira Sajat, Muhd Fakhruradzi during home exam. Rubio, Lee Chee Chew, Tee Zhuo, Tan M, Joel Chng, Kemburaju Ismail and Shahida Sarhid for “The I was kidnapped, tortured in Dawn Wei, Philip Cheong and Rachel Thangarajan, T Kumar, Renee • BM Show” Thailand, S’pore man claims. Quek for the package: On the front Poh, Dylan Ang, Yeo Sam Jo, (Berita Harian, Season 1: June 14 to lines of the coronavirus. Kimberly Jow, Cheow • Gambling site promoted by Ah Boys Sue-Ann, Farzanah Friday, Aug 2, Season 2: Oct 11 to Nov 29) To Men star blocked. (The Straits Times, Feb 16) Rachel Quek, Ryan Huang, • Gojek to suspend 120 drivers for Samuel Ruby Rianto, Jamie fake app use. Sunday, February 16, 2020 | The Sunday Times | B1 Koh, Ashleigh Sim, Jacen Tan, 25 questions • Illegal online bookies offering bets answered B 2 Elizabeth Law for her work on the about the virus Teo Aileen, Gregory Loo, Azim on coronavirus cases. B10&11 coronavirus outbreak in China Azman, Philip Cheong, Chong Worker who died was family’s sole ‘Everything is going on normally’- • Lii, S Rubeen Raj, Iqbal Isa, • provider. CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL Huda Aziz, Zeke Tan, Ernest Wuhan’s curious nonchalance to Luis, Ong Swee Lin, Rodolfo virus outbreak • A prized bicycle reappears to Front-line soothe a grieving family. Pazos, Rebecca Pazos, Chee • Coronavirus: Trauma lingers as Fighters Wei Xian, Marc Justin de Wuhan reopens • Cigarettes, booze smuggled into Nurse clinician Priscilla Fu (left) is one of dorms during lockdown. many Singaporeans fighting the coronavirus. Souza, Shawn Lee Miller, Wuhan, one year on: A city of In this special report, we speak to others on • the front lines and look at measures to stem Jonathan Roberts, Ng Kai Hackers hawk explicit videos taken the virus, described by WHO as resilience, scars in wake of Covid-19 • ‘public enemy No. 1’. B2-16 Ling, Danson Cheong, Royston outbreak off S’pore home cams. Sim and Salma Khalik for their Some users hack and modify their ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH DESIGN: CHNG CHOON HIONG (The Straits Times, Jan 11, April 19, • GE2020 Polling Day show TraceTogether tokens. Dec 12) (The Straits Times, July 2020) • Mediacorp drops radio DJ as host

HEADLINE OF THE YEAR A10 | Topof theNews of countdown show. Coronavirus pandemic The Sunday Times | Sunday, April 19, 2020 Sunday, A pril 19, 2020 CROSS-MEDIA PACKAGE | The Sunday Times Topof theNews | A11 (The New Paper, Jan 10, Jan 14, Jan OF THE YEAR Recovery may not Eugene Mok for By hook or by crook confer immunity, warn experts PHOTO: JET CHEN 20, Jan 29, April 16, April 29, May 22, A man (left) buying meat from a vendor on the other side of a barricaded residential compound in LIVING IN ISOLATION Wuhan on Tuesd ay. Some estates are regulating residents’ movements . PHOTOS: I think I was depressed. It was almost like PARIS/SANTIAGO AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE • Even as virolo- whe gists zero t n I was doing my PhD, when I felt in on t he v hree years, on average”, said Pro- completely alone and no one really cared causes Covid-19, a very basicirus ques-that fessor Francois Balloux, director tion remains unanswered: Do of the Genetics Institute at Univer- about what I was researching. those sity who recover fr om College London. ease have imm the dis- “On unity? e can cer tain There is no clear answer to this fe ly get rein- cted, but after how much time? question, experts say, even if many We’ (The New Paper, March 5) ll only know retroacti vely have assumed that contracting the Several cases from South Korea.” Sept 18, Oct 12, Oct 27, Dec 28) DR HAN LINING (above), an academic who spent his days lying in potentially deadly showed that pat bed thinking about the sudden outbreak that had gripped his home disease con ients who recov- city when immunity, at lea fers ered from Covid-19 later tested everyone was orde st for a while. Chang Ai-Lien, Salma Khalik, Theresa red to go under quarantine. “Being immu positive fo ’’ nised means r th e virus. you have developed an immunetha re-t are several ways to explainBut thatthere sponse against a virus such that outcome, scientists said. you can repulse i t,” said While it is not impossible that Vivier, a professor of immunologyDr Eric these individuals became infected in the public hospital system in a second time, there is little evi- Marseilles. dence that this is what hap “Our immune systems remem- More likely, the virus neverpened. com- ber, which normally prevents you pletely disappeared in the first from being infected by the same place and remained – dormant virus later on.” and asymptomatic – as a chronic For some viral diseases such as infection, said Prof Balloux. Tan, Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Linda measles, overcoming the sickness Dr Ryan said he is not sure confers immunity for life. whether the presence of antibod- Above: Vendors offering prawns for sale at the Wuhan Baishazhou market on Wednesday. Small and But for RNA-based viruses such ies in blood gives full protection medium-sized retail businesses are the hardest hit in the city. as Sars-CoV-2 – the scientific against reinfection with the Right: A man wearing a face mask and a plastic bag on his head riding a bicycle in Wuhan on Tuesday. PHOTO: JET CHEN name for the bug that causes the coronavirus. Anguish and anxiety still linger as the city begins to process its ordeal after lifting of the lockdown. Covid-19 disease – it takes about STRESSFUL SITUATION “A lot of preliminary informa- three weeks to build up a suffi- tion coming to us right now would cient quantity of antibodies, and suggest quite a low percentage of We saw a trend in the calls we received. even then they may provide pro- the population have serocon- In the early days, it was from people tection for only a few months, Dr verted (to produce antibodies). worried that they couldn’t get help, then it Vivier told Agence France-Presse. “The expectation that... the ma- At least, that is the theory. became people who were paranoid that jority in society may have devel- Yulisman, Arlina Arshad, Elizabeth Law, Trauma lingers as In reality, the new coronavirus oped antibodies – the general evi- they might have contracted the virus. has thrown up one surprise after dence is pointing against that, so By March, many of the calls were about another, to the point where virolo- it may not solve the problem of gists and epidemiologists are sure on Tuesday, before the death toll in domestic tensions because underlying governments,” he added. Wuhan was revised upwards on Fri- come back again, spending dips.” of very little. Meanwhile, Chile plans to issue day, bringing the total number of fa- As Wuhan was recording next to family problems were getting “We do not have the answers to immunity cards from tomorrow Wuhan reopens talities to 3,869. no daily infections late last month, exacerbated by the stressful situation. that – it’s an unknown,” said Dr to people who have recovered His music therapy sessions at a lo- health officials bowed to public Michael Ryan, executive director from Covid-19, to signal that they cal hospital have been suspended pressure and decided to make avail- of the World Health Organisation’s are no longer contagious and can because of the outbreak, but Mr able the number of symptom-free (WHO) health emergencies pro- return to work and their normal Feng still organises occasional mini cases in its daily report. gramme, when asked how long a re- lives, said Health Minister Jaime MS DU MINGJUN covered Covid-19 patient would Manalich. gigs online to offer people some Such cases continue to unnerve (above), a counsellor at Hubei Province Magdalene Fung, Lim Yong, Raul Dancel, comfort and cheer. the Chinese public as they could still Counsellors Association, on the wellness hotline that was set up as have immunity. The measure may prove contro- “Trauma is something you can- pass on the virus. soon as the lockdown kicked in. For severe acute respiratory syn- versial as some of the cards will be not get rid of in the short term, but ’’ drome, which killed about 800 based on the presence of antibod- LAYOUT OF THE YEAR And the health authorities, espe- 5 Two-month lockdown lifted but residents still the Chinese mindset is to get cially in Wuhan, maintain a tight people across the world in 2002 ies to the virus, for which coun- and 2003, recovered patients re- tries have struggled to mass pro- Toh Yong Chuan, Rodolfo Carlos nese living in Canada, Italy and things over and done with,” he grip on anti-coronavirus measures learning to cope with anger, grief and anxiety mained protected “for about duce reliable tests. across South-east Asia. said, predicting a “crest” in the such as social distancing rules. AGENCE FRANCE- “We saw a trend in the calls we re- need for mental healthcare in Wuhan ranked eighth last year PRESSE, REUTERS, BLOOMBERG Elizabeth Law ceived. In the early days, it was from Wuhan as PTSD sets in. among the economies of Chinese China Correspondent I was depressed,” he said quietly. “It people worried that they couldn’t “You cannot remove trauma. It’s cities, with a GDP of 1.62 trillion In Wuhan was almost like when I was doing my get help, then it became people who about how someone learns to live yuan (S$325.7 billion) and a growth and Tan Dawn Wei PhD, when I felt completely alone were paranoid that they might have with it. There will be many who rate of 7.4 per cent. Long an indus- China’s revised figures China Bureau Chief and no one really cared about what I contracted the virus. will have to live with this for their trial city well known for its automo- Chang May Choon, Rohini Mohan, In Beijing was researching.” “By March, many of the calls were entire lives.” tive industry, the central Chinese What little social interaction he about domestic tensions because city has been nurturing high-value- bid to leave no case had with his neighbourhood com- underlying family problems were GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS added industries such as by hosting It has been nearly a week since aca- mittee, which was helping to organ- getting exacerbated by the stress- Couples dancing in a park next to the Yangtze River in Wuhan on Monday. With the two-month lockdown lifted, some Shop owners like Wang Jing, 66, are semiconductor suppliers and other demic Han Lining was allowed to ise food deliveries, and his neigh- anxious just to get on with sal- Pazos, Spe Chen, Tampus Charles ful situation,” said Ms Du, 49. semblance of normal life is returning to this city of 11 million. tech companies. undocumented: WHO leave his studio apartment in bours, who sometimes got his gro- vaging her business. By the end of the two-month lock- Most carmakers in Wuhan have PHOTO: JET CHEN Wuhan where he spent 76 days ceries, helped keep him sane. down, the hotline had received Her Cantonese restaurant in restarted production lines since alone, but the assistant economics “Everyone was angry and trying 2,367 calls. downtown Wuhan has been shut for last month, although also with TRAUMATISED PEOPLE professor is still worried about go- to assign blame,” he recalled. When the announcement came two months and was only recently strict virus-control measures. ing outside. GENEVA/ZURICH “Some targeted the management, on March 25 that the lockdown given the green light to reopen. Work at a joint venture plant be- This is a city that has been thoroughly • A sharp upward revision in He tries to spend as little time out- some the government. For me, I would soon be lifted, it was the first Even so, hardly anyone is dining tween Japanese automaker Honda China’s coronavirus death toll on Friday was “an at- doors as possible, taking along a looked towards my religion, which time in eight weeks the hotline in at her two-storey eatery as gath- and Dongfeng Motor resumed on traumatised. When you frame this as a war, tempt to leave no case undocumented” after medi- Fraemone Wee for 1,000,000 lives lost stack of alcohol wipes and hand says to forgive, but it’s difficult,” logged no calls at night. erings are still prohibited; delivery cal services in Wuhan were overwhelmed at the Nirmal Ghosh, Fraemone Wee, Rebecca March 11, but workers have to have it is that we’ve lost over 2,000 people, sanitiser, cleaning every surface be- start of the outbreak, the World Health Organisa- said Dr Han, a Christian. Ms Du and her team are keeping orders have been slow too. their temperatures taken and are which sounds like a statistic when really fore sitting down. Many were unhappy with the lo- the service going, and are now train- “People come here to eat be- misted with disinfectant twice be- tion (WHO) said. “At least I’m not wearing any cal community management, he ing counsellors to help those deal- cause it’s a special occasion be- fore being allowed onto the fac- what happened is that someone has lost a Nearly 1,300 people who died of the coronavirus gloves,” he said with nervous laugh- said, recounting an incident in ing with grief and trauma as Wuhan cause, for these people, Cantonese loved one, an already painful experience in the Chinese city of Wuhan, or half the total, were Singson, Chong Lii, Iqbal Isa, T tory floor. ter close to his home in Wuchang, a Break time is staggered not counted in death tolls because of lapses, state which medical reinforcement and the wider Hubei province be- food is not something you have ev- and low stools for resting are set at which has been repeated over 2,000 times stone’s throw from Wuhan Univer- teams were put up in apartments in gin to process their ordeal. ery day,” she said. “With the econ- least 1m apart. media said on Friday, but Beijing dismissed claims sity where he teaches. that there had been any kind of cover-up. his building where some units dou- “After the outbreak, while we see omy looking so bad, people are Most of its 12,000 workers have across the city. The 30-year-old had fallen ill just bled as hotel rooms. more cars and people on the also trying to spend less.” been asked to work an additional US President Donald Trump has suggested that before the city was put into lock- “Maybe it was a way for them to 1 China understated its toll of coronavirus deaths, and streets, the trauma of those 76 days, Small and medium-sized retail 1 /2 hours on top of their usual down on Jan 23, and did not want to vent their anger, but the neigh- the spectre of that time, still re- businesses are the hardest hit in the eight-hour shifts, said assistant di- has condemned the WHO for the support it has go to his parents’ home in the Han- bours banded together to complain mains and we need a long process city, and many may not survive for rector of the final assembly plant Li given to China’s approach in the crisis. to Covid-19 kou district across the Yangtze and had them remove the medical of therapy,” said Mr Tang Guobin, much longer. Shiquan. MR SEAN FENG (above), also known as Feng Xiang, a He suspended funding to the United Nations Viviana Pazos, Stephanie Adeline, River, about half an hour away. singer-songwriter. His song, Hanyang Gate Garden, which he wrote agency last week. workers, who they thought were a vice-chairman of the HPCA. A study done by researchers from When The Sunday Times visited during a difficult period in his life, was shared widely across social The virus has infected more than 2.2 million world- “At the time, we weren’t sure how risk to our health,” he said. “In the early days, we were deal- the National University of Singa- on April 8, a sign in the factory media as people sought solace in music at the start of the outbreak. the virus was spreading and I re- ’’ wide and killed more than 154,000. ing with an emergency. Now, it’s pore (NUS) Business School and Xi- stated the goal for that day: 1,237 alised I was near Huanan market POST-TRAUMATIC about the follow-up. There’s a lot amen University showed that con- cars, a significant increase from the Dr Maria van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist Kumar, Alexis Gabrielle, Mark too. So when I got a bad stomach STRESS DISORDER of remaining trauma that would sumption, which has accounted for usual 1,060. who took part in an international mission to China and a mild sore throat, which they in February, said of the country’s revised figures: The two-month lockdown may manifest over time, in all sorts of over 40 per cent of China’s gross do- The China Passenger Car Associa- said was one of the symptoms, I de- have just been lifted, and some sem- ways, so we need to be prepared mestic product (GDP) in the past tion has said that nationwide sales “This was done in an attempt to leave no case un- cided to stay away from everyone,” blance of normal life is returning to for that.” decade, nosedived in the 12 weeks for last month was down 40 per documented.” he said. this city of 11 million. But anger, an- since the outbreak started in Janu- cent from last year. But it predicted She said the Chinese authorities had gone back Huanan Seafood Wholesale Mar- guish and anxiety still linger. SOLACE IN MUSIC ary. The research was conducted us- that weekly sales will rebound to over data from funeral services, care homes, fever ket, where many of the early pa- clinics, hospitals and detention centres, as well as pa- “It might not come out now, but While censors worked overtime to A man looking over a barricade set up to keep people out of a residential compound in Wuhan on Tuesday. Though the ing daily transaction data in 214 last year’s levels by the end of this tients had worked or shopped at tients who had died at home, in Wuhan, Hubei prov- post-traumatic stress disorder scrub social media clean of a tor- lockdown has been lifted, some residents are still cautious about going out. cities from late January. month. Thong Yong Jun, Spe Chen, Tin May and where the virus was believed to (PTSD) is very real and could mani- ince, where the outbreak began late last year. rent of rants in the early chaotic The worst-performing city was, have originated, has been shut fest in various ways in months or days of the outbreak, people sought unsurprisingly, Wuhan. WUHAN PEOPLE HAVE CHANGED “What they have reported is that the discrepan- since Jan 1. even years to come,” said counsel- solace elsewhere, like in the music cies in these cases were due to a number of factors. Still, it was an agonising few lor Du Mingjun, who, together with of singer-songwriter Sean Feng, First is that the healthcare system in Wuhan was Cheong, Benjamin Seetor, Jonathan (The Straits Times, Sept 26) weeks for Dr Han not knowing if he overwhelmed at one point. And some patients died her colleagues at Hubei Province also known as Feng Xiang. Revisiting Wuhan had been infected with the corona- Counsellors Association (HPCA), The former psychiatrist returned Correspondent Elizabeth Law describes how life virus, and living in an apartment set up a wellness hotline as soon as from Beijing to his home town of has changed in the city after a 76-day lockdown “Second is that medical staff were delayed in re- “mostly meant for sleeping”. He the lockdown kicked in. Wuhan in 2014 to be a musician and porting of these cases because they were focused on does not even have a rice cooker or Initially staffed by just one coun- has been living in the city since. providing care for those patients and they didn’t fill broadband Internet. sellor catering to Hubei residents, Shortly after the lockdown, he With everyone ordered to go un- the hotline quickly expanded to found that his song, Hanyang Gate Mild cases were treated in makeshift hospitals in der quarantine, he would spend cover all of China with some 400 Garden, a wistful ode to the Hankou Wuhan stadiums or other facilities, she said, adding: Linn, Ng Huiwen, Aileen Teo, Jacen Tan, his days lying in bed thinking trained counsellors taking turns to district released in 2016 and sung in “In those situations, the reporting wasn’t done in a 27 A about the sudden outbreak that man the phones. the Wuhan dialect, was being timely manner and so those cases were added.” had gripped his home city. But calls came from all over the shared widely across social media. It was important to know the number of people “I think world, including from overseas Chi- Thousands commented on mi- who had died from the disease and to have “accurate Roberts and Yu Sheng Sin for their croblogging site Weibo that the song reporting”, which can be a challenge during an out- “I would anticipate that many countries are going to be in a similar situation where they will have to go SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 SINCE 1845 back and review records and look to see did we cap-

Dr Michael Ryan, WHO’s top emergencies expert, said: “It is important that countries provide that Jonathan Roberts, Xaquin Veira data as quickly as they can in the interest of moving | ASIAN INSIDER our collective efforts forward to control this pan- | THE STRAITS TIMES infographics on The Great Singapore | SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020 |

| SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020 PICTURE OF THE YEAR CUSTOMERS ALL GONE Gonzalez, Alyssa Karla Mariano | THE STRAITS TIMES There used to be all these people from the car business or logistics business who would come and eat, Drive. people from the south or overseas, DOWN THE DRAIN they understand Cantonese food. But now, they’re all gone. In our brewery, we had to pour away a lot of beer because we couldn’t access the facility , a restaurant owner. Mungcal and Tampus Charles Singson MADAM WANG JING A26 ASIAN INSIDER during lockdown, so all that had gone bad, along with raw ’’ ingredients, which chalked up TOUGH GOING quite a lot of losses too. This is a tough business to be in. (The Straits Times, Oct 30) Chong Jun Liang for KL pledges that Retail sales are hard too, and the , founder of gastropub chain pandemic’s impact on our MR WANG FAN for the Covid-19 package including: business has been very big. Wuhan No. 18 Brewery. Moreover, during the pandemic, ’’ people don’t have much spending power after staying at home most of the year and not curbs won’t affect ow of goods to earning much.

MADAM XIE SHUIXIANG, a pork wholesaler who manages a small shop with her husband Tao Xianggen and six staff. How the world lost 1 million lives to PHOTOS:’’ M. ISHIKAWA FOR THE STRAITS TIMES • Above: A pharmacy in Wuhan where a table has been Singapore. set up in front of the counter to ensure adequate social distancing. Covid-19 Left: A poster in the city telling people not to go out unless necessary, to have self-discipline and to wear a mask. PHOTOS: M. ISHIKAWA (The Straits Times, March 18) FOR THE 1 million lives lost to Covid-19: World STRAITS TIMES • demic still raging in many other parts of the world, dragging down economies and closing borders. cumbed to the illness. The main clientele for Madam One of them was ophthalmologist Wang’s restaurant are business trav- Li Wenliang, who was among eight ellers, who have not returned to year, while others believe it es- people probed by police in early Jan- China in any meaningful way. caped from a Chinese lab. uary for “spreading rumours” – While Wuhan is a major automo- But even though the origins of they were in fact doctors warning tive and logistics hub, French car- WA FOR THE STRAITS TIMES the virus are murky, people agree colleagues of the new virus. maker Renault said in April that it set to cross grim milestone this Dr Li caught the virus from a pa- was pulling out of a joint venture in PHOTOS: M. ISHIKA on one thing – that the govern- ment bungled its early response to tient but continued posting on so- the city following poor sales. the outbreak. cial media before succumbing to On the street outside Madam One of the earliest cases, seafood Covid-19 on Feb 7 at the age of 33. Wang’s restaurant, at least three merchant Wei Guixian, started to His death sparked a huge wave of shops have shuttered since April. feel sick on Dec 10 and was treated public anger across the country at Malls have units that have been va- at a local clinic before she went the government’s mishandling of cant for months. back to work at the Huanan mar- the virus, and people accused it of For pork wholesaler Xie Shuixi- ket. Eight days later, she was downplaying the severity of the dis- ang, 46, the state of the economy is barely conscious in a hospital bed, ease and staging a cover-up. The evident in her customers’ pur- fighting for her life. number of angry comments over- chases. By Dec 31, doctors in Wuhan whelmed censors, who struggled Factories and school canteens weekend knew they had a new coronavirus to delete critical remarks. have either stopped operations or Above: A fruit stall in Wuhan late last month. Below: Residents of the city queueing for a Covid-19 test at the outdoor facility of the Wuhan Union Red Cross Hospital. on their hands, but the fact that it On his Weibo page, where Dr Li are reducing their orders to save was spreading between humans first started posting about his ill- cost, while retail sales have dipped was not made known to the public ness, hundreds of thousands have as Covid-conscious customers for another two weeks. flooded his last post with com- turn to e-commerce, she said. And it was not until Jan 19 that ments, a memorial that also serves “Moreover, during the pan- Beijing dispatched epidemiolo- as a cathartic outlet in a country demic, people don’t have much gists to investigate the outbreak. with little room for expression. spending power after staying at By then, nearly 200 people had “Dr Li, I was quite tired at work home most of the year and not fallen ill and two had died. today, I’m planning to take a nap earning much.” Dr Zhong Nanshan, who headed before continuing my night work. “It’s very hard (keeping a busi- A city of How are you over there? Take care ness going) but we have no China’s Covid-19 response task force, said later that had action and keep warm, don’t get a chill,” choice,” she added. “We just have been taken in December or even read one comment. to get on with it.” early January, “the number of sick So far, there have been over one But at the Wuhan No. 18 Brew- Lessons from one million would have been greatly reduced”. million comments, with several ery, which has one of its five gas- new posts every hour. tropubs in the Guanggu mall, busi- • nia”, saying it was a seasonal flu. OVERWHELMED SYSTEM ness has started to pick up after a Those wearing masks were scoffed SLUGGISH ECONOMY rough few months. When the lockdown was first resilience, at for being paranoid. By end-January, Wuhan’s hospitals was very frustrating. By April, even as the lockdown were overwhelmed, with front-line On paper, Wuhan appears to have lifted and eateries were allowed to “Some days I still have night- had been lifted, people barely bat- medical staff often working double bounced back in a big way: The serve only takeout orders, Wuhan mares about having to eat tinned ted an eyelid at pedestrians dressed shifts. Protective gear was also in economy contracted 10 per cent in No. 18’s takings dwindled to just 3per cent of its usual amount, said not leave for close to five months food, which I really hate. When I in white full-body protective suits. short supply, with some reusing the first three quarters of the year, When ST visited again late last masks and even resorting to putting a sterling comeback from the 40.5 owner Wang Fan, 36. because of the lockdown and inter- wake up, I order a big meal delivery His business would have folded national travel restrictions. to make up for it, not because I’m month, masks were still commonly trash bags over their clothing when per cent plunge in the first quarter, FEAR OF ANOTHER WAVE Ms Zhang, 46, lost her job as an ad- hungry but because I can.” seen – albeit improperly worn – they ran out of protective suits. when factories were shut and all during the outbreak if not for the In February, the Chinese authori- support of other bar owners who ministrator in Singapore and now In China’s battle against the coro- while hand sanitiser, disinfectant construction projects halted. a city of scars and thermometers were a com- ties reported that at least 3,300 In a bid to drive up domestic con- held promotional events to sup- In late January, after realising the works as a housekeeper in Wuhan. navirus, Wuhan bore the brunt. “We don’t talk about it openly be- Over 86,000 people in the country mon sight in shops, restaurants medical workers had been in- sumption, the government has port the brewery. Thankful to be alive after family’s On a rainy Sunday evening, a line scale of the outbreak, Wuhan went also given out consumption vouch- But as the curbs eased, customers and even taxis. Careful drivers fected, most of them in Hubei prov- of about 100 cars is at a standstill into an emergency lockdown that cause us Wuhan people are stub- have contracted the illness, of even spritz disinfectant on change ince, of which Wuhan is the capital. ers encouraging residents to sup- returned. On a Sunday evening, at waiting to enter an upscale mall in dragged on for 76 days. No one was born but the fear is there, especially whom 50,300 were in Wuhan. A • bulk of virus-related deaths – 3,869 and receipts from toll booths, one It highlighted the strain that the port the local economy. least a dozen customers were wait- the Guanggu district east of allowed to leave home, let alone now that it’s winter again,” she said. But business owners say the ef- ing for a table at the 50-seater One year after the the city, as schools, factories and “Of course the government is bet- out of 4,755 – were in the city. of the few places where cash is still healthcare system was under, and Wuhan. And it is still ravaging the city. Re- commonly used. the acute lack of resources. These fects have been short-lived. eatery where beers start at 35 yuan Inside, shoppers browse the shops were ordered to shut. ter at controlling the situation be- After a spike in sales in July and (S$7) and a burger goes for 78 yuan. coronavirus first After it was lifted on April 8, fears cause we’ve dealt with it for so long, search has shown that disasters problems prompted the central gov- mall’s offerings, joining a snaking EARLY MISSTEPS ernment to send 42,000 reinforce- August, around the time the vouch- “I think no matter what happens, queue for bubble tea while parents of a second wave arose when a clus- but remembering those early days such as epidemics, which can surfaced in Wuhan, quickly overwhelm communities ment medics from across the coun- ers were handed out, sales have the people of Wuhan still do like look on as their children play with ter of cases was reported in May, of not knowing anything... that sort coming out to spend money,” Mr of haplessness still scares me a lot.” and cripple their ability to re- Across the city, there is acceptance try and the military to the province. started to taper off. which went under a an interactive art exhibit. prompting the city to order mass To cope with a massive shortage Restaurant owner Wang Jing, 66, Wang said. Many are in masks but some testing for all 11 million residents. She still shudders at the memory spond, can leave long-lasting men- of the fact that it was here that the 76-day lockdown, life Since then, the worry has been in- of the order to close the city. tal health impacts on both front- virus first spread widely. of hospital beds, two brand-new who runs a Cantonese eatery in the have them pulled down below “We can’t escape that reputation, hospitals – Huoshenshan and heart of the city, said she struggles [email protected] their chins. A middle-aged shop- termittent, with traces of the coro- Though the Wuhan government line workers and survivors. battle with virus appears to be back to gave the order in the wee hours of Counsellors at the Hubei Prov- even though the source of the virus Leishenshan – were built in just 10 to fill even half her restaurant on per hacks and spits into a nearby navirus showing up on imported ince Counsellors Association, who is still a mystery,” said businessman days. Convention centres and weekends. normal. But look bin, missing spectacularly. frozen food, and as cases continue Jan 23, the lockdown did not take Recovery is hampered by the pan- Nearly a year after a mysterious to surface in pockets in cities such effect until 10am, resulting in set up a wellness hotline as soon as Weng Maowei, 60, who has lived sports halls were also converted closer and the scars as Tianjin and Chengdu. panic-stricken thousands fleeing the lockdown started, said post- here for nearly two decades. into temporary hospitals for pa- Graves in the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery in Manaus, Brazil, in June. The world’s worst-hit countries – the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico – account for more than half of the Covid-19 deaths globally. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE pneumonia appeared in a Wuhan Where there is little consensus is tients with milder symptoms. seafood market, life has largely re- Mask-wearing and disinfection the city without any screening. traumatic stress disorder is likely left by the pandemic In Wuhan, people fearing an to manifest in various ways in the how the virus came about. But dozens of medical staff suc- turned to normal in the central Chi- have become a part of daily life, Many believe it originated else- along with the use of “health acute shortage of food and medical coming months and years. are visible. China nese city, even as the rest of the The city, too, appears to have where. Some are adamant it came world battles the deadly pandemic. codes”, contact-tracing applets supplies rushed to empty the reports But beneath the veneer of nor- that are hosted on the ubiquitous shelves of stores, not knowing been shocked out of complacency: through foreign soldiers attending correspondent military games in October last malcy, scars remain: in the masks WeChat and Alipay platforms. when they would be restocked. In early January, when The Straits Elizabeth Law that have become commonplace, But while the worst appears to be Said Ms Zhang, who stayed the v- Times first visited Wuhan, resi- after a third trip to the the use of “health codes” to enter over, the experience of the lock- whole time with her parents: “We dents interviewed had dismissed places, and the missing family down, of not knowing when it knew we probably wouldn’t reports of the “mysterious pneumo- central Chinese city. members around dining tables. would end, or what tomorrow starve to death, but just not ha Burying his anguish in the earth The economy, having staged a re- would bring, still haunts Wuhan ing any control over something ba- markable comeback earlier in the resident Zhang Yingyue. sic like what you could eat, that year, is now struggling tos keepon, ques- up She had come back from Singa- • pore to visit her parents for the Chi- the momentum. And nearly 12 month nese New Year holidays, and could tions about the virus’ origin and Market where outbreak its spread still remain unan- READ MORE swered. started now walled off • Rushing headlong into a dangerous 1,000,000 A28 unknown Lives lost to Covid-19: World set to cross grim milestone this weekend Chang Ai-Lien Deaths are expected to reach one and countries battling repeated The remainder are spread over Associate News Editor million this weekend, based on fig- waves of infection. about 190 other countries and terri- ures from Johns Hopkins Univer- Faces of a The pace is relentless. In the time tories. sity, which has been collecting pandemic taken to read the first few sen- India now consistently reports A million lives lost. A million stories global coronavirus data since the be- tences of this report, one more per- the world’s highest daily tally of in- A world devastated by disease of tragedy. ginning of the outbreak. The real Accounts from our son has lost his fight against the fections, as overstretched health 82 PAGES IN THREE PARTS • Since December, when Covid-19 numbers, however, are likely much correspondents in Singapore virus. services struggle to control the pan- $1.20 first surfaced in Wuhan, China, higher because of gaps in testing and around the world The world’s worst-hit countries – demic. With over 5.8 million infec- To subscribe: 6388-3838 sphsubscription.com.sg over 32 million people have been and reporting. TOP OF THE NEWS A6-14 the United States, Brazil, India and tions, it is second only to the US, A Singapore infected, and the coronavirus con- Instead of improving, the situa- The lessons so far Mexico – account for more than which has about seven million Press Holdings tinues its reign of terror around tion has worsened in many places, TOP OF THE NEWS A4 half of the Covid-19 deaths globally, publication • He just didn’t want to ght any more the globe. with cases and deaths accelerating with one in five occurring in the US. ANGUISH AND HOPE continued on A4 MCI (P) 044/01/2020 ## 3 Zaihan Mohamed Yusof, Ng Sor Luan, • Defying the angel of death Lee Pei Jie, Lee Hup Kheng and • Zen and the art of beating a virus Bryandt Lyn for the infographic and story Highway to leafy hideout and New hope, despite losses • INFOGRAPHIC OF THE YEAR Singapore’s mysterious ‘drain walkers’ • Covid-19 through my eyes 6 Benjamin Seetor and Mark Cheong (The Straits Times, Jan 28) for A city at a standstill. (The Straits Times, Sept 26) (The Straits Times, May 15)

B6 HOME | THE STRAITS TIMES | TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020 | | TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020 | THE STRAITS TIMES | HOME B7

towards Segar Road. The 1.8km- the hideout returned. But they seizure of a large amount of contra- Suspected illegal immigrants use drain long trail led to concealed spots on scrambled down the slippery slope band cigarettes. | THE STRAITS TIMES | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020 | | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020 | THE STRAITS TIMES | the tree-lined slopes sitting on ei- when they realised they were seen. resident Leonard A8 A9 networks as links to their secret abodes ther side of a drain network. In their escape, they left their mo- Boey is aware that men have been TOPOF THENEWS TOPOF THENEWS ST found one “home”. Hidden bile phones on the table and some spotted in the forested areas Zaihan Mohamed Yusof In October, a Straits Times reader from prying eyes were tooth- ingredients for their mid-afternoon nearby. They would emerge from and Ng Sor Luan contacted the paper hoping to shed brushes, soap bars and plastic bags meal. There was a pot of cooked trails within Dairy Farm, said Mr Coronavirus pandemic light on suspicious activities she no- containing detergent and towels. rice, and another containing coffee, Boey, who spoke to ST at a jogging ticed close to where she lives near The forest floor was littered with placed on the table. A mixed veg- trail in Dairy Farm Road. Tucked at the bottom of tree-lined Woodlands Road. canvas bags, discarded food pack- etable dish was left steaming on a The 49-year-old said most people ‘HIGHWAY’ slopes along the Over the next two months, ST ets and cigarette carton boxes. portable stove. We saw three are unaware of the dangers of hav- (KJE) is a network of canals that searched for the men who use the Without warning, two men, who knives at the mini camp. ing undocumented people living in snakes roughly 6.7km from Wood- travel network, while also alerting looked to be in their 20s, appeared From the bottom of the slope, the forest or canals. lands Road, through Segar Road, to the authorities of the suspected ille- on a nearby trail carrying plastic they responded to our shouts. They “I have seen lone women running Hill. Another network gal activities. bags of groceries. They had come said in Malay that they were “work- here at 7pm and teens loitering runs 5.8km from Woodlands Road Proof that people had been living from the nearby Senja Road Hous- ing” Malaysians who had recently with expensive camera equipment. through Road to in the area was clear – from mat- ing Board estate. “moved in”. But that was all they People have no idea how remote Bukit Timah Hill. tresses to makeshift kitchens. The Realising they were spotted, they were prepared to say before climb- this place can be,” he said. These networks in the northern authorities later removed these quickly vanished near the drain. But, ing up the slope in a menacing fash- The canals connect different part of Singapore, and the thick fo- items to ensure the men would not by then, photojournalist Ng Sor ion. As we left, they took photo- parts of Bukit Panjang and the liage above the 1.7m-deep drains return. But the men themselves Luan had found their “home” on a graphs of the ST team. neighbouring areas. Our 12km trek that run next to them, hide a secret managed to avoid detection. two-storey-high rocky slope. Former law enforcement and to- above the canals and through the – they have been a passage for sus- All that changed in late October Despite the rugged conditions, the bacco industry sources said these forested areas uncovered more TO LEAFY pected illegal immigrants who play last year – the Bukit Panjang resi- sparse hideout had a king-size mat- hideouts may be connected to oth- hideouts and makeshift tents. a game of hide-and-seek with the dent who contacted ST pointed out tress and a zinc-roof shelter, eight ers in the vicinity, as the area has a Near Mandai, an elderly Bukit authorities, and with residents some areas where the men had plastic chairs, a table next to a cook- history of illegal cigarette-peddling Panjang resident said he had in re- wary of their activities. been seen previously. ing and washing area, and a activities. cent months seen the police round- Largely men, they try to avoid be- One part of the small drain runs makeshift cabinet to store food and “These hideouts are secluded, yet ing up some men staying in the for- ing seen by keeping their daytime less than 60m from Block 636 Senja luggage. The compound, twice the close enough to Housing Board es- est. Bukit Panjang resident Lim movements to a minimum, and use Road. After a week observing the size of a room in an HDB flat, was tates where peddlers can buy food Leng Wee, 46, was taken aback the canals as roads linking differ- area, a man was spotted walking in- filthy, with piles of rubbish every- and sell their contraband ciga- when told about the hideouts close ent hideouts that dot the forested side the drain towards Woodlands where. rettes,” said one former officer. to his Segar Road home. areas nearby. Road, but only his head was visible What noise they made there was In October 2018, a raid below the “If they are not doing anything il- Bukit Panjang residents living from the vantage point. masked by the sound of passing ve- Suspected illegal immigrants fleeing down the slope from their forested hideout – located between the KJE and a slip Zhenghua Flyover, about 3.5km legal, why do they need to hide?” near Zhenghua started noticing In the following weeks, more peo- hicles on the KJE and the nearby road leading to Woodlands – after they spotted the ST team on Dec 27 last year. In their escape, they left their mobile away from the makeshift camp, led men behaving suspiciously around ple were spotted inside the drains, slip roads. phones on the table and some ingredients for their mid-afternoon meal. There was a pot of cooked rice and another to the arrest of five immigration of- [email protected] HIDEOUT the canals last September. some sloshing in ankle-deep water After an hour, four occupants of containing coffee on the table, as well as a dish on a portable stove. ST PHOTOS: NG SOR LUAN fenders from Indonesia and the [email protected]

Kranji Expressway Drains act as paths Motorists on the busy KJE would hardly notice the hideout as its position is slightly lower than that of the expressway. E S S W A Y E X P R N J I to hideouts and THE HIDEOUT K R A West Spring HIDEOUT KRANJI EXPRESSWAY Primary School Trees and shrubs conceal the hideout. Four men are Zhenghua secret forest trails spotted there but eight plastic seats seem to indicate Secondary more people stay there or visit the shelter. It has West Spring School Segar Joseph Ricafort, cooking, washing, sleeping and drying areas. Senja Secondary School station Above: An area outside Ion Orchard, usually popular with shoppers and tourists, near-deserted last Saturday at 5pm. The once-bustling has become a quiet spot as people stay home amid the The refuge is surrounded by litter and Parc View Zhenghua Last October, one Bukit Panjang anked by the KJE and a slip road which Community circuit breaker and tourists have disappeared, with travel restrictions imposed due to the ongoing pandemic. S E N resident saw a man inside a drain close leads to Woodlands Road. Traf„c noise J A R O A D Jelapang Club Left: Nary a ripple in the pools at Toa Payoh Swimming Complex on May 5 at 9.10am. The calm surface of the pools’ waters remains undisturbed as sports and recreation facilities stay off limits. masks the occupants' Slip road station B to her Senja Road estate. The sighting U K activities. West Spring Greenridge I T B led ST on a two-month probe, KJE Greenridge P Zhenghua U J Primary A K Secondary School E Shopping N Nature Park I

uncovering a complex network of drains School T L Centre J A A

T that conceals the movement of various P N A D I W A Fajar G M O N G R O

men as they make their way to hideouts A O station R D H L I and secret paths within Bukit Panjang. N A West View Beacon Fajar E Bukit Panjang S Senja N G Primary School A Primary X

D Neighbourhood Shopping

Parc View S U R School P Teck Whye O R Park J Centre R Senja

A A E

Primary School O Rebecca Pazos & D S station N A A S D R Pang Sua O A D Greenridge W Senja-Cashew Pond Secondary A Community Club School Y D A Drains conceal movement B U K I T P O A N R Men are observed walking in a shoulder-width drain, J F A Bukit Panjang A N J A R Bangkit roughly 1.6m deep, that links to a network of covered drains. G Plaza R O station sq m urban park popular with pic- These covered drains allow them to head to A Zhenghua or to housing estates in Bukit Panjang. The smaller drains D Primary School nickers and kite fliers. eventually lead to bigger canals. D A group of foreign helpers are in O A K R one corner chatting away and keep- T O Hillion Mall B A Bukit ing an eye on expatriate children on I T Petir K Panjang Masjid Al-Iman kick scooters. A few people – B U station Thong Yong Jun for station maybe from The Sail residence Bukit Panjang P nearby – are walking their dogs. Open-top drain E T Community Club The park is a beautiful space with I R The morning jams are gone, Orchard Road is Sleeping area R Pending a stunning view of the Singapore Covered drain O A A zinc roof shelters a king-size mattress at the hidden D station a ghost town and the tourists at Merlion Park skyline. I feel at peace and wish I Open monsoon drain/canal A city at a encampment. Bags, pants and waist pouches hang on could linger but make my way to beams supporting the roof structure where luggage is have disappeared. To fight Covid-19, Raffles Place station. There’s no stored. other pedestrian in sight. SLIP ROAD THE NETWORK OF DRAINS Singapore went into circuit breaker mode on The usually chaotic intersection Steep slope OFF KJE The network of drains anking the Bukit Panjang area consists of April 7. The Straits Times executive of Finlayson Green and Collyer The climb up the shoulder-width drains leading to huge open monsoon drains. It is believed that Quay is unrecognisable with just jagged slope is these drains form an ‘underground highway’ for illegal overstayers in the area. photojournalists Benjamin Seetor and Mark two, maybe three, cars whizzing by treacherous and at any one time. slippery. The Cheong document what the country looks I stop by the conical red sculpture How many times has hideout is about Types of drains landmark in the middle of the junc- two storeys up. like – from above – in these photos shot The elevated tion. A sign there tells me that it is position makes it exclusively with a drone. called Momentum and the 18m steel impossible to see structure is a tribute to Singapore-

170cm standstill what the Open top Covered drain ans’ “toil, strength and ingenuity”. occupants are It is now 4pm and I am on my way SCAN TO WATCH doing. to Orchard station. I need a while to Circuit breaker: find my bearings when I arrive be- Slip road 75cm 125cm Singapore from above I am expecting to find it eerie. ful. Let me do a story to see what life 2.50pm and exit at Pagoda Street. It cause I’m not used to seeing it so This road, which branches off the on the ground is like, I volunteer. is, luckily, a cloudy, breezy day. empty. Above: A lonely Merlion spews water at Merlion Park on May 6 at 12.15pm. Usually a tourist favourite, the park has seen few visitors since the pandemic slowed inbound flights to a trickle, with short-term KJE, leads to Woodlands Road. Some Instead there’s an almost magical I set off at 2pm on Wednesday, I see just three people in front of To get inside Wisma Atria, I use visitors no longer allowed to enter or transit through Singapore, in an effort to prevent coronavirus cases from being imported into the country. of the men run across it carrying Open monsoon May 13, mask in place and hand sani- me. An old man carrying his lunch SafeEntry and my temperature is Below: A section of the Pan-Island Expressway and Central Expressway in Toa Payoh on May 5 at 8.30am. With many working from home, the morning rush-hour jams have disappeared. bags and even a mattress.

drain/canal 2.5m feeling of space and peace. tiser in my bag. I also have my me- and a young couple – the man with checked.

your constituency About dia pass, just in case. (Journalism is a haversack and the woman with Wisma’s underground link to an “essential service” after all.) red hair. Ngee Ann City is closed so I have to A drain close to Segar, Bukit Panjang, with personal belongings such as a brush. About 4m I will take the North East MRT The souvenir stalls along the walk outside to get to the latter. The drain connects Segar to Bukit Timah Hill and Mandai. Line from Kovan to Chinatown. street are all neatly shuttered with Again, I check in via SafeEntry and From there, I will switch to the thick curtains. my temperature is taken. PHOTOS: NG SOR LUAN, GOOGLE STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS: LEE HUP KHENG, BRYANDT LYN Downtown Line to the Marina Bay In one corner of a stall, however, a The mall’s air-conditioner is on financial district, then head for the stand has been left uncovered. It is and Cold Storage supermarket in http://str.sg/drone-sg North-South Line at Raffles Place stuffed with tourism pamphlets. the basement is open. To enter, to get to Orchard. “Save Up To 57% With The Singa- there’s yet another round of Sumiko Tan Wednesday is the day after a few pore Pass” reads one with a picture checks. Executive Editor more businesses are allowed to of the Merlion. It is from another era. The foodcourt next door is closed PUB launches investigation, removes items open and the Kovan area looks Nearly all businesses in the shop- and the lights are off. But I can busier than during my earlier super- houses are closed. A Guardian phar- make out that the tables and chairs changed? In a city that has hit the pause but- market runs. macy is open but empty of cus- have been neatly stacked. ton, it is the security officer you see But the MRT station is quiet. Only tomers. I buy a bottle of water and when I After The Straits Times alerted the are not allowed to enter drains at all the most often. four others are waiting to take the Without people, the architecture toss it into a dustbin, it lands with a SCAN TO WATCH authorities to the presence of men times for their personal safety. The crowds are gone but there he train and there are only a handful of of Chinatown calls out to be no- thud. There’re so few shoppers Mysterious drain walking in drains and living in hide- “Heavy rainfall in upstream loca- – or she – is, at an MRT station, people inside it. On the floor, green ticed. even the dustbins are empty. outs near Senja Road, national wa- tions will cause sudden and rapid ready to be of help. stickers mark where you are to Near , I spot a I head outdoors to Ngee Ann City’s Civic Plaza and other than a walkers ter agency PUB launched an inves- water flow, posing a serious danger You will spot him manning a desk stand. Every other seat has an or- side building of the Sri Mariamman at an office building in the now-de- ange sticker where you can’t sit. Temple with a balcony. I’d never no- middle-aged woman standing by tigation. to anyone in the drains.” serted downtown. Everyone is masked. When a ticed before the intricate carvings the edge with a bag of groceries, not Officials removed several items, Anybody who enters the water- Or sitting by the gate of a condo- woman in the next carriage on the facade. a soul is in sight. including a mattress and personal ways without approval can be fined minium where, in the units above, sneezes, the elderly man opposite The temple, like its neighbours I stride across the wide, empty ex- belongings, found in a drain along up to $3,000. hundreds of people are at home me doesn’t bat an eyelid but I crane the Jamae (Chulia) mosque and Bud- panse of the plaza, wind in my hair, Kranji Expressway (KJE) near Separately, the Immigration and serving out this Covid-19 circuit my neck to see who the culprit is. dha Tooth Relic Temple, is closed. and know that this is a Singapore I Woodlands Road. Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said it breaker period. Later, I spot a passer-by standing will never experience again. The uncovered drain, where a has been working closely with en- I, too, have been working from SPACE AND PEACE near the Sri Mariamman Temple. It is 5pm and I should be going man was first spotted in October last forcement agencies, such as the po- home since April 7. Save for a few I am expecting to find Singapore un- Hands clasped, eyes shut, he prays. home. There are more commuters year, is about 1.7m deep and 0.75m lice, to conduct raids on immigra- runs to the supermarket and three der shutdown eerie. A country At Kim Tee bak kwa shop in Sago now though the trains are nowhere wide. Running parallel to a slip road tion offenders. In a joint reply to ST, Far left: The men from the forest congregate in the trips to the office, I have stayed sapped of its soul. Sad. Desperate. Street, the sales assistant looks near crowded. (The Straits Times, off the KJE, it is linked to a covered the police and ICA said: “The rele- evenings at the Petir Road and Bangkit Road HDB home. Disaster movie. happy to see me even though I’m Singapore may be on pause but drain of similar dimensions close to vant agencies will also dismantle estates and receive big plastic bags of items. The My work days are marked by two What I find instead is something not buying anything. having ventured out, I feel reas- West Spring Secondary School. any makeshift shelters and remove contents are redistributed and packed into smaller daily virtual meetings. There is a akin to magic. She’s had just three walk-in cus- sured that even in a disordered It was in the same area that PUB any items found during operations plastic bags. The men disperse while another cycles structure, yet time has taken on a It is a Singapore I have never expe- tomers that day. When the store re- world, there can be order. found a metal frame bed and some mounted in forested areas. to various locations handing out packets of food. shapeless quality. Days drift. Is to- rienced before, a city of space and opened on Tuesday, there was only Shops are shuttered but secure. plastic bags in October 2017. “Immigration offenders found to day Tuesday or Saturday? quiet and peace and previously one. But, she cheerfully shares, she Trains are humming. Systems have INTERACTIVE: These men live VIDEO: An escape from the tedium undiscovered beauty. has been busy with online orders. been put in place for the country’s in makeshift homes deep in the forested Who are these Between 2017 and last year, PUB be involved in other criminal or il- Left: The cooking area with meals half-cooked at the had received feedback from a total licit activities will be referred by forest hideout. A mixed vegetable dish was left comes when my colleagues Ben- And while the grass on pave- By now it is 3.30pm. The train to eventual reopening. The security hilltops near Kranji Expressway, and move drain walkers? jamin Seetor and Mark Cheong pro- ments is overgrown, it strikes me the Downtown station is even emp- people are always there. around undetected via a network of drains. ST follows their trail. of four sources on people entering ICA to the relevant agencies for in- steaming on a portable stove. drains without permission. vestigation.” duce drone footage of Singapore un- that everywhere I go, it is cleaner tier. We will get through this. https://str.sg/drainwalkers https://str.sg/bpdrain der shutdown. than usual. I head outside and step into The A PUB spokesman told ST in an e- Above: The forest hideout, twice the size of a room in an Clarke Quay last Saturday night. Nightlife spots are now ghost towns as bars and entertainment outlets remain shut. The view from the top is beauti- I arrive at Chinatown station at Lawn@Marina Bay, a lush, 13,000 [email protected] June 23) mail reply: “Members of the public Zaihan Mohamed Yusof HDB flat, was filthy with piles of rubbish everywhere.

ST PHOTOS: NG SOR LUAN, FILE STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS