SINGAPORE: Malaysian student Koh Ji Sen is in a hurry for school to start on Tuesday.
For more than two months, this 14-year-old has been living on his own in Singapore, isolated from his family in Tebrau, a suburb of Johor Bahru.
More than anything, he misses the social interaction with others.
“I feel lonely sometimes because of a lack of support and human contact,” said Ji Sen, who studies at a school in Yishun. “I’m just happy for school to start; it’ll be easier to pass the time.”
When Malaysia declared a nationwide movement control order on Mar 16 — during the school holidays — his parents decided that he would have to move to Singapore as soon as possible.
His father, Koh Choon Meng had reservations about leaving his son without adult supervision, but he did not want Ji Sen to miss out on school.
“We were a bit nervous … We didn’t know if he could do it (live alone),” Koh said. “He’s been dependent on my wife all along. If he can’t cope, we’d have to bring him back.”
The 51-year-old scrambled to sort out accommodation for the boy, making calls to relatives and friends in Singapore before his uncle offered the use of his place.
Koh’s uncle had temporarily moved in with his daughter to help take care of his grandchild, so his flat was vacant.
“I initially said no … I’d be alone. I’d be separated from them (my family),” said Ji Sen. “(But) I was also worried that if I didn’t go to Singapore, I’d miss my lessons.”
CNA Insider has changed his name and that of his father in this story, for his safety as a minor living alone.
On Mar 17, the Secondary Two student packed a small bag of clothes, his school backpack and came to Singapore.
HE HAD TO GROW UP FAST
When his parents dropped him off at his great-uncle’s place, after having dinner together at a nearby shopping centre, Ji Sen’s mother was teary-eyed and his father gave him a long hug.
“(My mother) was scared that we wouldn’t be able to meet until the end of this year,” said the teenager.
He, on the other hand, began to feel “excited”. “I thought I could be independent — no one to control me, to tell me what time to sleep.”
With his newfound freedom, he frequently stayed up till past midnight and watched documentaries on YouTube.
But while on his own, this boy realised he had to grow up quickly — and learn to do housework such as mopping the floor and balance his S$400 monthly allowance. Previously his mother did all the chores.
“Suddenly, I had to be an adult. I have to manage money and household chores … buy groceries by myself and choose the vegetables,” said Ji Sen, who has an elder sister studying in Malaysia. “I appreciate my mother more now.”
For the first time in his life, he also had to learn how to cook.
His first few attempts did not go too well; for example, he overcooked some frozen dumplings, causing the skin to break. He also burned the scallion pancakes he was pan-frying on another occasion.
The frozen dumplings he cooked.
But these days, his cooking is getting better, he reckoned. He can make spaghetti with tomato sauce or heat up frozen Chinese glutinous rice balls on days when he is sick of his usual takeaway food.
Initially, however, he was reluctant to spend money on groceries. He called home frequently to complain that everything in the supermarket was three times more expensive than in Malaysia because of the exchange rate.
“I told him to stop comparing the prices and just buy what he needed,” said Koh, who owns a factory in Johor Bahru.
Thrifty by nature, Ji Sen budgets S$12 daily for his meals, which usually would be cai png (economy rice) from a nearby coffee shop. And he keeps a ledger listing his daily expenditure, he said.
The tang yuan, or Chinese glutinous rice balls, he made.
He does grocery shopping once a month, he added, and tries not to spend more than S$20 each time on frozen food, milk and snacks.
He also had to buy more clothes as the weeks became months with Malaysia’s movement control order being extended four times, now until June 9. When he left home in March, he had packed only a week’s worth of clothes.
MISSING HOME
Because of the “circuit breaker”, Ji Sen spends most of his day at home revising his schoolwork, watching YouTube videos and napping. Fearful of contracting COVID-19, he leaves the house only to buy his meals and groceries.
Without fail, he calls his family every night, and his father also makes frequent video calls to him to ensure that he is safe.
But with every passing week, he has grown homesick and has struggled with feelings of loneliness, especially during the school holidays this month. Previously he had been attending school with a handful of students and was kept busy.
It does not help that he can see the Johor Bahru skyline from his bedroom window.
“(The view) makes me miss my parents … Sometimes I’d just look (at Johor Bahru) because I have nobody to talk to and engage (with),” he said.
The view from his window of Johor Bahru in the background.
He misses playing basketball with his friends, he added, as well as going to the water and adventure park near his home in Tebrau.
His father said that when Ji Sen initially called home, he complained that he was homesick and lonely.
“I encouraged him … and I saw that he was slowly adjusting … He could even cook his own breakfast,” said Koh. “He took this opportunity to grow and has become more independent.”
To stave off loneliness, Ji Sen made friends with a neighbour who, upon finding out that he was living alone, offered to help if he needed anything — and also passed him a bowl of home-made green bean soup once.
His great-uncle also visits him regularly to check on his well-being.
“When (the movement control order) was extended, I felt quite sad. I didn’t expect it to be so long,” said the boy. “But school is opening on Tuesday. I feel very good. (There’s) more time to spend in school.”
Since Primary One, he had been commuting by bus to Singapore, waking up at 4am every weekday to reach school on time, like some other students he knows from Johor — until now.
MONEY FOR ONLY ONE SON
Ji Sen’s childhood friend and fellow Malaysian, Kenan Chan, wants to continue his studies in Singapore too, but it may be too expensive for him.
Kenan and his elder brother were attending schools here, but they returned home for the March holidays. Both of them were doing home-based learning last month.
“Going to school is better than doing home-based learning. I can interact with my friends and ask (them) questions in class,” said the 14-year-old.
The brothers are unable to commute to school for the new term because of the current travel restrictions. Moving to Singapore temporarily would mean incurring rental costs, said their mother Wong Kaye.
She calculated that renting a room for one child would cost about S$300, plus an allowance of S$400, or about RM$2,150 a month.
“For two boys, (the financial cost) would be too much,” said Wong, who is planning to send only her eldest son to Singapore, as he is taking his N Levels this year.
She is in the midst of applying for approvals from both governments so that he can travel out of Malaysia. She is still sorting out his accommodation, as they have no relatives in Singapore.
“It’s a major decision. Once he goes to Singapore, I won’t know when I can see him. This lockdown could drag till next year. As a mother, I’ll miss him like crazy,” she said.
MINNEAPOLIS: Minnesota's governor called up more national guard troops on Saturday (May 30) and warned they would "decimate" rioters after a fresh night of violence in Minneapolis overwhelmed law enforcement and protests against police brutality spread across America.
Officials in more than a dozen cities braced for more unrest as the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police hands this week sparked outrage over police mistreatment of African Americans.
It was one of the worst nights of civil unrest in the United States in decades.
Police cars and other property were set alight and destroyed in New York, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere, and protesters shouted and chanted for hours outside the White House in Washington, as President Donald Trump sat inside.
FEDERAL TROOPS COULD BE CALLED
Governor Tim Walz said he was mobilising the entire 13,000-strong Minnesota National Guard to deal with the rioters who have looted shops and set fires in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, a move not taken since World War II.
He also said he had spoken with the Pentagon on drawing on US military resources for peacekeeping, and The New York Times reported that, at Trump's bidding, military police were being put on notice for possible mobilisation, a step not taken in decades.
Protesters kneel as they demonstrate over the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer at a rally on May 30, 2020 in New York. (Photo: AFP/Bryan R Smith)
Walz said he would continue to support peaceful protests during the day as members of the African American community memorialised Floyd, whose death on Monday was seen on a horrifying cellphone video around the world.
But Walz alleged that protesters staying out past the 8pm curfew and wreaking "wanton destruction" of the city had nothing to do with Floyd.
"Our expectation is to have the curfew in place. Our expectation is to restore order," Walz said.
"It will be a dangerous situation on the streets tonight," he warned.
Saying the rioters were members of anarchist and white supremacist groups, he said: "Our goal is to decimate that force as quickly as possible."
'I CAN'T BREATHE'
The protests were expected to continue throughout the weekend even after the now-fired Minneapolis police officer accused of Floyd's death was arrested and charged with third degree murder on Friday.
With a video showing the officer, Derek Chauvin, pressing his knee on the neck of Floyd for nearly nine minutes until well after he went motionless, while three other officers assisted, Floyd's family and many protesters demanded more arrests and tougher murder charges.
Police arrest a protester walking on FDR Drive and stop traffic as they demonstrate over the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer at a rally on May 30, 2020 in New York. (Photo: AFP/Bryan R Smith)
Chanting Floyd's repeated words to the police, "I can't breathe," protesters across the country said it was the latest example of systemic police brutality against African Americans.
OUTNUMBERED
The violence in Minneapolis Friday came despite an 8pm-6am curfew.
Despite calling up hundreds of national guard troops to support local and state police, the city found itself outnumbered by those in the streets in defiance of the curfew.
But the televised violence overnight Friday led leaders to accuse rioters of acting on other motives than sympathy for Floyd.
Black community leaders pleaded for the local public to stay home Saturday night, as the curfew was expanded to multiple cities in the state.
"Last night is a mockery of pretending this is about George Floyd's death or inequities or historical traumas to our communities of colour," Walz said.
Trump, who on Friday branded the protesters "thugs," said the mostly peaceful protests outside the White House late Friday were "professionally managed" and members of the "radical left."
He also sought to make the issue political, attacking Democratic officials in Washington and Minneapolis for mishandling the protests.
"These are 'Organized Groups' that have nothing to do with George Floyd. Sad!" Trump tweeted.
NEW DELHI,: India extended its coronavirus lockdown until Jun 30 in high-risk zones but permitted restaurants, malls and religious buildings to reopen elsewhere from Jun 8 despite a record high number of cases detected nationwide on Saturday (May 30).
The home ministry ordered state governments and local authorities to identify "containment zones", or areas that should remain under lockdown, as they continue to report high number of infections.
The government allowed hospitality and retail sectors and places of worship to open from Jun 8 and expected authorities to ensure physical distancing rules and staggered business hours.
India reported a record daily jump of 7,964 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday and has so far recorded 173,763 positive cases and 4,971 deaths, making the world's second-most populous country ninth on the list of most infections, Reuters data showed.
Restrictions on international air travel and city train services have not been revoked but permission for intra-state travel was granted.
The federal government expected states to make a call on reopening schools and colleges in July.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the nation on Sunday as his government wrestles to contain the pandemic despite imposing the world's longest lockdown.
In an open letter marking one year into his second term, Modi urged people to follow the rules.
"Our country (is) besieged with problems amidst a vast population and limited resources," Modi said, adding that labourers and migrant workers had "undergone tremendous suffering" due to restrictions.
While fatality rates in India have been comparatively low, experts warned that the pandemic's peak has not been reached as new infections are increasing.
Officials are nervous about the pandemic spreading through villages as millions of jobless migrant workers return home from the cities.
State carrier Air India said it had to recall a plane heading to Moscow to bring home stranded citizens after a crew member tested positive for COVID-19.
MINNEAPOLIS: Protests flared late into the night in many cities in the United States over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died this week after being pinned down by the neck by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
The sometimes violent demonstrations hit cities from New York to Atlanta in a tide of anger over the treatment of minorities by law enforcement.
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer shown in video footage pinning Floyd down on the street with his knee, was charged with murder in the case on Friday (May 29).
Chauvin, who was dismissed from the police with three fellow officers the day after Monday's fatal encounter, was arrested on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges for his role in the death of Floyd, 46.
Minneapolis Police Department officers watch protesters during continued demonstrations against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African-American man George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., May 30, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
In Detroit, a 19-year-old man protesting in the city was shot dead on Friday night by a suspect who pulled up to demonstrators in a sport utility vehicle and fired gunshots into the crowd, then fled, the Detroit Free Press and other local media reported.
Police could not immediately be reached for comment.
Protesters raise their arms as they face off with US riot police officers during a protest in the city of Detroit, Michigan, on May 29, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Seth Herald)
Detroit Police with batons face off with protesters in the city of Detroit, Michigan, on May 29, 2020, as they demonstrate over the death of George Floyd. (Photo: Seth Herald/AFP)
Hundreds in the city had joined a "March Against Police Brutality" late in the afternoon outside the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters.
A city police officer with a Punisher path that reads 'Detroit Police' walks through a crowd of demonstrators during a protest in the city of Detroit, Michigan, on May 29, 2020, over the death of George Floyd. (Photo: Seth Herald/AFP)
Many chanted, "No justice, no peace." Some carried signs that read, "End police brutality" and "I won't stop yelling until everyone can breathe."
Thousands of chanting protesters filled the streets of New York City's Brooklyn borough near the Barclays Center indoor arena. Police armed with batons and pepper spray made scores of arrests in sometimes violent clashes.
Protesters gather during a "Black Lives Matter" protest near Barclays Center on May 29, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo: AFP/Angela Weiss)
In lower Manhattan, demonstrators at a "We can't breathe" vigil and rally were pressing for legislation outlawing the police "chokehold" used by a city police officer in the 2014 death of Eric Garner, who was also black.
New York police officers arrest a demonstrator protesting against the death of African American George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. (Photo: AFP/Timothy A Clary)
Protesters stand and watch buildings burn during continued demonstrations against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African-American man George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., May 30, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
A protester reacts standing in front of a burning building set on fire during a demonstration in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 29, 2020, over the death of George Floyd. (Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP)
In Washington, police and Secret Service agents were out in force around the White House before dozens of demonstrators gathered across the street in Lafayette Square chanting, "I can't breathe".
Protesters face off with police outside the White House in Washington, DC, early on May 30, 2020 during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd. (Photo: Eric Baradat/AFP)
Protesters face off with police outside the White House in Washington, DC, early on May 30, 2020 during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd. (Photo: Eric Baradat/AFP)
The protests erupted and spread around the country this week after video footage taken by an onlooker's cell phone was widely circulated on the internet. It shows Floyd gasping for air and repeatedly groaning, "Please, I can't breathe," while a crowd of bystanders shouted at police to let him up.
The video reignited rage that civil rights activists said has long simmered in Minneapolis and cities across the country over persistent racial bias in the US criminal justice system.
CHAOTIC SCENES IN ATLANTA
In Atlanta, Bernice King, the youngest daughter of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr, implored people to go home on Friday night after more than 1,000 protesters marched to the state capitol from the Centennial Olympic Park, blocking traffic and an interstate highway along the way.
The demonstration turned chaotic and at times violent. Fires burned in downtown Atlanta near the CNN Center, the network's headquarters.
A man waves a Black Lives Matter flag atop the CNN logo during a protest in response to the police killing of George Floyd outside the CNN Center on May 29, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: AFP/Elijah Nouvelage via Getty Images)
People protest outside the CNN Center on May 29, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia (Photo: AFP/Elijah Nouvelage via Getty Images)
At least one police car was among several vehicles burnt. Windows were smashed at the CNN building, along with store fronts. Police pushed back the crowd, but they hurled bottles at officers.
Protesters also took to the streets in other cities including Denver and Houston.
People fill the streets next to the Colorado state capitol during a protest on May 29, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo: AFP/Michael Ciaglo via Getty Images)
In Minneapolis, hundreds of protesters defied an 8pm curfew to gather in the streets around a police station burnt the previous night.
"We are out here because we, as a generation, realize things have to change," said one marcher, Paul Selman, a 25-year-old black man.
Looters rob a Target store as protesters face off against police in response to the killing of George Floyd, in Oakland California early on May 30, 2020. (Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP)
A dumpster is lit on fire infront of a Target store in Oakland California on May 30, 2020, over the death of George Floyd. (Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP)
The charges brought by Hennepin County prosecutors against the police officer came after a third night of arson, looting and vandalism in which protesters set fire to a police station, and the National Guard was deployed to help restore order in Minnesota's largest city.
Authorities had hoped Chauvin's arrest would allay public anger. But defying an 8pm curfew imposed by Mayor Jacob Frey, about 500 demonstrators clashed anew with riot police outside the battered Third Precinct building.
Police, creating a two-block buffer area around the precinct house, opened fire with tear gas, plastic bullets and concussion grenades, scattering the crowd.
Another group of protesters later converged near the city's Fifth Precinct station until police arrived and fired tear gas and plastic bullets to break up that gathering. A nearby bank and post office were set on fire.
Still, Friday night's crowds were far smaller and more widely dispersed than the night before.
Law enforcement kept a mostly low profile, a strategy seemingly calculated to reduce the risk of violent confrontations, as was the case in several urban centers across the country where sympathy protests arose.
A woman reacts while protesters set fire in a liquor store as demonstrations continue in Minneapolis
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, announcing Chauvin's arrest, said the investigation into Chauvin, who faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, was ongoing and he anticipated also charging the three other police officers, identified by the city as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng.
Floyd, a Houston native who had worked security for a nightclub, was arrested for allegedly using counterfeit money at a store to buy cigarettes on Monday evening.
