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Sabtu, 10 April 2021

Singapore leaders send condolences to the UK over death of Prince Philip - CNA

SINGAPORE: President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday (Apr 10) conveyed their condolences to Britain's leaders on the death of Prince Philip, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said.

Madam Halimah, who wrote to Queen Elizabeth II, said that she was "deeply saddened to learn" of Prince Philip's death.

"On behalf of the people of Singapore, I extend my condolences to Your Majesty and the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland," she said.

She added that the Duke of Edinburgh "was an exemplary role model for the British people, and served the United Kingdom selflessly and with honour for over six decades".

President Halimah said that "Singapore will always fondly remember" the state visit Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip made to Singapore in 2006, as well as the "generosity and warmth" he showed former President Dr Tony Tan during Singapore’s first-ever state visit to the UK in 2014.

READ: Britain's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dies aged 99

READ: Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip: The strength behind the crown

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote to Prince Charles, saying: "I was saddened to learn of the passing of your father, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh".

Prince Philip had lived a "significant and remarkable life", Mr Lee said, "dedicated first and foremost to service to the United Kingdom and its people, as well as to the peoples of the Commonwealth and the world at large".

Mr Lee added that education was "an utmost priority" of Prince Philip's. He noted the Duke of Edinburgh's visits to the National University of Singapore in 1972 and the United World College of Southeast Asia in 1989.

"He also met students from the Singapore Sports School during Her Majesty The Queen’s State Visit in 2006, where I had the great pleasure to meet him," wrote Mr Lee.

"On behalf of the Government of Singapore, I extend to you my deepest condolences and sympathies for this immense loss. He will be remembered and missed."

READ: UK PM hails Philip's 'extraordinary life' as tributes pour in

In another letter addressed to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Mr Lee extended his "deep condolences" on Prince Philip's passing.

"Our thoughts are with you, your Government and the people of the United Kingdom as you mourn the loss of a public figure who was much loved and respected by all of us."

Mdm Halimah’s and Mr Lee’s letters are reproduced in full below:

Letter from President Halimah Yacob to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

10 April 2021

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Buckingham Palace

Westminster London SW1A 1AA

Your Majesty,

My husband and I were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of your beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. On behalf of the people of Singapore, I extend my condolences to Your Majesty and the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Duke of Edinburgh was an exemplary role model for the British people, and served the United Kingdom selflessly and with honour for over six decades. Singapore will always fondly remember the State Visit by Your Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh to Singapore in 2006, as well as the generosity and warmth His Royal Highness had shown to our former President Dr Tony Tan, during Singapore’s first-ever State Visit to the United Kingdom in 2014.

The many decades of public service of His Royal Highness will continue to inspire successive generations of young people, and live on in the memories of many around the world.

Our thoughts are with Your Majesty and the Royal Family during this time of mourning.

Yours sincerely

Halimah Yacob

Letter from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales

10 April 2021

Your Royal Highness,

I was saddened to learn of the passing of your father, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

As we mourn his passing, we remember the significant and remarkable life that he had led, dedicated first and foremost to service to the United Kingdom and its people, as well as to the peoples of the Commonwealth and the world at large. He had an indomitable spirit, fighting for peace and justice in the Second World War in his early years, and later steadfastly pursuing environmental causes, where he was well ahead of the times, and taking a close interest in sports and education. His selfless devotion to service has contributed much to advance and uplift the livelihoods of people in the United Kingdom and within the Commonwealth. We will also remember him for his steadfast support of Her Majesty The Queen.

One of his distinguished achievements was the creation of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme over six decades ago. The awards nurtured and empowered young people to gain the skills, confidence and resilience to become exceptional individuals who can make a difference and contribute to society. The scheme also inspired Singapore’s own National Youth Achievement Award programme, which was launched in 1992.

It was clear that the Duke of Edinburgh made education an utmost priority. He visited the National University of Singapore in 1972, and the United World College of Southeast Asia in 1989. He also met students from the Singapore Sports School during Her Majesty The Queen’s State Visit in 2006, where I had the great pleasure to meet him.

On behalf of the Government of Singapore, I extend to you my deepest condolences and sympathies for this immense loss. He will be remembered and missed.

Yours sincerely,

Lee Hsien Loong

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Letter from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Prime Minister Boris Johnson

10 April 2021

Dear Prime Minister Johnson,

On behalf of the Government of Singapore, I extend to you and your Government my deep condolences on the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Throughout his life, the Duke of Edinburgh devoted himself to public service in support of the Crown and Government. With a steady resolve to uplift livelihoods, he brought forth many initiatives over the years, which continue to benefit the people of the United Kingdom as well as the larger Commonwealth family. His unwavering support of Her Majesty The Queen in fulfilling her role as Head of the Commonwealth was evident in his multiple pioneering efforts. These include his project to empower the youth of the Commonwealth, through ground-breaking initiatives such as the Commonwealth Studies Conferences which enabled them to acquire the skills, self-confidence and resourcefulness to meet the challenges of the future. It is a testament to his foresight that these initiatives continue to support social progress for people across the Commonwealth to this day.

We have warm memories of the Duke of Edinburgh’s many visits to Singapore, both accompanying Her Majesty The Queen and in his capacity as a member of the Royal Family. His visits regularly featured tours to one of our nature and wildlife reserves and educational institutions. It reflected his lifelong support for environment and education causes. We recall his gracious opening of the Singapore Polytechnic, one of our oldest post-secondary institutions, during his first visit in 1959.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s contributions to the Commonwealth and the furthering of close relations between our countries are part of his lasting legacy. He will be missed. Our thoughts are with you, your Government and the people of the United Kingdom as you mourn the loss of a public figure who was much loved and respected by all of us.

Yours sincerely,

Lee Hsien Loong

The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP

Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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2021-04-10 22:55:14Z
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Prince Philip's funeral to be held on April 17, Harry to attend but not Meghan - The Straits Times

WINDSOR, ENGLAND (REUTERS) - The funeral service for Prince Philip, the husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, will be held on April 17, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday (April 10), adding that their grandson Prince Harry would attend.

Long-established plans for his funeral have had to be redrawn and scaled down because of Covid-19 restrictions, but Buckingham Palace said they remained very much in line with Philip's wishes.

Philip, known as the Duke of Edinburgh and at his wife's side throughout her 69-year reign, died on Friday at Windsor Castle aged 99.

He will be given a ceremonial royal funeral, not a state funeral, with no public processions, held entirely within the grounds of Windsor Castle and limited to 30 mourners.

"The occasion will still celebrate and recognise the Duke's life and his more than 70 years of service to the queen, the UK and the Commonwealth," a palace spokesman said.

The funeral will be held at the castle's St George's Chapel and will be preceded by a minute's silence across the country.

Exact details of who will attending were not released, but among those present will be Prince Harry, whose explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey alongside wife Meghan last month plunged the royal family into its greatest crisis in decades. Meghan, who is pregnant with their second child, will not attend on doctor's advice, the palace said.

During the interview, Meghan said her pleas for help while she felt suicidal were ignored and that one unnamed member of the family had asked how dark their unborn child's skin might be.

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, also bemoaned his family’s reaction to the couple’s decision to step back from official duties and move to Los Angeles.

"The Duke of Sussex is planning to attend," the palace spokesman said.

"The Duchess of Sussex has been advised by her physician not to travel. So the Duke will be attending."

Buckingham Palace stressed the service would be held in line with government coronavirus guidelines, meaning members of the royal family including the queen would be expected to wear a mask.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not be among the guests in order to make space for as many family members as possible, his office later said.

'A family in mourning'

Tributes have flooded in from across Britain and from world leaders for Philip, who was a pillar of strength for the queen. At 94, she is the world's oldest and longest-reigning living monarch.

The armed forces marked Philip's passing at noon on Saturday (7pm Singapore time) with a Death Gun Salute. Artillery units in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and Gibraltar, and some navy warships, fired their guns.

The royal family asked the public to heed social distancing rules and avoid visits to its residences, but people still laid cards and bouquets outside Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.

"It's not something I've ever done before," said Joanna Reesby, 60, who came to pay her respects at Buckingham Palace. "I brought yellow roses for friendship because I think that's what he exhibited to everyone who came into his world."

The queen has lost her closest confidante, the one person she could trust and who was free to speak his mind to her. They had been married for 73 years and Philip would have turned 100 in June.

Asked how the queen was coping, the palace spokesman said: "It's a family in mourning".

Members of the family have been visiting the grieving monarch at Windsor Castle.

"The queen has been amazing," said a tearful Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, as she left with her husband Prince Edward, the youngest son of Elizabeth and Philip.

On its official Twitter feed, the royal family put up a tribute paid by the queen to her husband on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.

"He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know," she said.

Flags at Buckingham Palace and at government buildings across Britain were lowered to half-mast and billboard operators replaced adverts with a photo and tribute to the prince.

A Greek prince, Philip married Elizabeth in 1947 and broke the news of her father's death five years later while they were visiting Kenya, meaning that she was queen at the age of 25.

He went on to play a key role helping the monarchy adapt to a changing world in the post-World War II period, and also to support the queen as the monarchy faced numerous crises over the years. He finally stepped back from public duties in 2017.

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2021-04-10 16:24:13Z
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Myanmar security forces with rifle grenades kill more than 80 protesters: Monitoring group - CNA

YANGON: Myanmar security forces fired rifle grenades at protesters in a town near Yangon on Friday (Apr 9), killing more than 80 people, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group and a domestic news outlet said.

Details of the death toll in the town of Bago, 90km northeast of Yangon, were not initially available because security forces piled up bodies in the Zeyar Muni pagoda compound and cordoned off the area, according to witnesses and domestic media outlets.

The AAPP and Myanmar Now news outlet said on Saturday that 82 people were killed during the protest against the Feb 1 military coup in the country. Firing started before dawn on Friday and continued into the afternoon, Myanmar Now said.

"It is like genocide," the news outlet quoted a protest organiser called Ye Htut as saying. "They are shooting at every shadow."

READ: Myanmar's envoy leads UN calls for urgent action

Many residents of the town have fled, according to accounts on social media.

A spokesman for Myanmar's military junta could not be reached on Saturday.

AAPP, which has maintained a daily tally of protesters killed and arrested by security forces, has previously said 618 people have died since the coup.

That figure is disputed by the military, which says it staged the coup because a November 2020 election won by Aung San Suu Kyi's party was rigged. The election commission has dismissed the assertion.

Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun told a news conference on Friday in the capital, Naypyitaw, that the military had recorded 248 civilian deaths and 16 police deaths, and said no automatic weapons had been used by security forces.

READ: Myanmar diplomat in Berlin takes stand against junta

An alliance of ethnic armies in Myanmar that has opposed the junta's crackdown attacked a police station in the east on Saturday and at least 10 policemen were killed, domestic media said.

The police station at Naungmon in Shan state was attacked early in the morning by fighters from an alliance that includes the Arakan Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the media reported.

Shan News said at least 10 policemen were killed, while the Shwe Phee Myay news outlet put the death toll at 14.

READ: Rights group condemns Myanmar death sentences

Myanmar's military rulers said on Friday that protests against its rule were dwindling because people wanted peace, and that it would hold elections within two years.

Ousted Myanmar lawmakers urged the United Nations Security Council on Friday to take action against the military.

"Our people are ready to pay any cost to get back their rights and freedom," said Zin Mar Aung, who has been appointed acting foreign minister for a group of ousted lawmakers. She urged council members to apply both direct and indirect pressure on the junta.

"Myanmar stands at the brink of state failure, of state collapse," Richard Horsey, a senior adviser on Myanmar with the International Crisis Group, told the informal UN meeting, the first public discussion of Myanmar by council members.

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2021-04-10 15:24:26Z
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India's daily COVID-19 cases rise to record for fifth time this week - CNA

NEW DELHI: India's daily coronavirus cases on Saturday (Apr 10) rose by a record for the fifth time this week and deaths surged to the highest in more than five months, with hospitals and crematoriums overflowing in parts of the country.

New cases in the world's second-most populous country have totalled the most of anywhere in the world over the last two weeks. India's overall tally of 13.21 million is the third-highest globally, just shy of Brazil and below the worst affected country, the United States.

The second surge in infections, which has spread much more rapidly than the first one that peaked in September, has forced many states to impose fresh curbs but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused to impose a national lockdown given the high economic costs.

Authorities in Maharashtra, the Indian state with the highest cases, have ordered a weekend lockdown that will end early on Monday. Mega cities such as Mumbai, the country's financial centre and Maharashtra's capital, and the national capital of New Delhi have also imposed nightly curfews until the end of April.

READ: Rallies, religious gatherings aggravate India's worst COVID-19 surge

India reported 145,384 new COVID-19 cases and 794 deaths, the Health Ministry reported.

Despite that, Prime Minister Modi again addressed an election rally crowded with thousands of people, many without masks, in the eastern state of West Bengal.

The government has blamed the resurgence mainly on crowding and a reluctance to wear masks as businesses across the country have reopened since February, only to be partially shut again to control the current surge.

"Mass gatherings for elections and religious events have accelerated COVID, for which all of us are responsible to some extent," Sonia Gandhi, the chief of the main opposition Congress party, said in a statement.

READ: Rallies, religious gatherings aggravate India's worst COVID-19 surge

In Mumbai, hundreds of poor migrant workers crammed onto trains this week to flee, potentially risking a wider outbreak in smaller towns and villages.

The railways department called it a usual rush this time of year for people to harvest crops back home and celebrate festivals.

VACCINE SHORTAGE

Many states have complained of a vaccine shortage though immunisations are currently restricted to only about 400 million of India's 1.35 billion people.

The health minister said on Thursday the government had more than 43 million doses in stock or in the pipeline, which may be enough for only about 10 days going by the immunisation trend.

READ: India's Maharashtra state battles huge COVID-19 vaccine shortages

India, the world's biggest maker of vaccines, has so far administered 97.5 million doses, using the AstraZeneca shot and another developed at home by Bharat Biotech.

Arvinder Singh Soin, a surgeon and leading liver transplant specialist, is one of many top Indian medical authorities that have criticised the government for its slow approach to approving other vaccines by insisting on the need for local trials for shots formulated abroad.

"We need to immediately facilitate the approval of the next lot of vaccines," Soin said on Twitter. "Insistence on bridging trials data not relevant anymore given the situation. Millions have had these all over the world."

READ: India pushes ahead with COVID-19 vaccination drive to head off new surge

The country breached the 100,000 mark for the first time on Monday. Only the United States has reported more cases in a day since the pandemic began over a year ago.

India's total deaths have now swelled to 168,436, health ministry data showed, though it has one of the lowest fatality rates, partly attributed to its relatively younger population.

Still, crematoriums have been overwhelmed in some Indian cities.

In Surat in the western state of Gujarat, officials were seeking additional crematorium workers to handle the overflow. It has dropped a plan to rope in teachers after online criticism.

In the northern city of Lucknow, distraught relatives had to wait for hours to perform the last rites of their family members in the area's only electric crematorium, said its officer-in-charge Mohammad Wasimuddin.

In Hinduism, the religion for the majority of Indians, cremation is the traditional method for dealing with the physical body after death.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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2021-04-10 09:33:45Z
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India's COVID-19 infections hit another record, weekend lockdown in Maharashtra - CNA

NEW DELHI: India reported a record 145,384 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday (Apr 10) and the highest number of deaths in more than five months, as it grapples with an overwhelming second wave of infections that has forced the state of Maharashtra to impose a weekend lockdown.

Deaths rose by 794 to a total of 168,436, health ministry data showed.

India's overall case load has swelled to 13.21 million, the third-highest globally, behind the United States and Brazil. India has reported the most number of cases in the world in the past week, breaching the 100,000 mark for the first time on Monday and four times after that.

READ: Rallies, religious gatherings aggravate India's worst COVID-19 surge

The government blames the resurgence mainly on crowding and a reluctance to wear masks as businesses have nearly fully reopened since February, only to be partially shut again to control the current surge.

Maharashtra, the Indian state with the most cases, has already shut down restaurants, malls and places of worship and barred the movement of most people to control the outbreak that has threatened to overrun medical facilities and created vaccine shortages, officials said. Its weekend lockdown will end on early Monday.

READ: India's Maharashtra state battles huge COVID-19 vaccine shortages

In India's financial capital Mumbai, hundreds of poor migrant workers crammed onto trains this week to flee the city, potentially risking a wider outbreak in smaller towns and villages.

The railways department denied people were fleeing cities because of the surge, calling it a usual rush this time of year because of holidays and as workers move to harvest crops.

Many states, meanwhile, have complained of a shortage of vaccines.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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COVID-19 lockdowns around the world as vaccine efforts stumble - CNA

MUMBAI: Fresh lockdowns and curfews were imposed on tens of millions of people from India to Argentina on Saturday (Apr 10), as COVID-19 infections surged again and vaccine roll-outs were hampered by shortages and scares over side effects.

In India, the worst-hit state of Maharashtra was running out of vaccines as the health system buckled under the weight of the contagion, which has killed 2.9 million people worldwide.

Having let its guard down with mass religious festivals, political rallies and spectators at cricket matches, the world's second-most populous nation has added more than a million new infections since late March.

Every weekend from Saturday until the end of April, Maharashtra's 125 million people will be confined to their homes unless travelling or shopping for food or medicine.

READ: India's new COVID-19 infections hit record, deaths at more than 5-month high

READ: Rallies, religious gatherings aggravate India's worst COVID-19 surge

"I'm not for the lockdown at all but I don't think the government has any other choice," media professional Neha Tyagi, 27, told AFP in Maharashtra's megacity Mumbai.

"This lockdown could have been totally avoided if people would take the virus seriously."

The crisis is being exacerbated by a shortage of vaccines.

India has so far inoculated 94 million of its 1.3 billion people, but The Times of India reported on Friday that states on average had just over five days of stock left, citing health ministry data, with some regions already grappling with severe shortages.

READ: India pushes ahead with COVID-19 vaccination drive to head off new surge

READ: Japan places Tokyo under COVID-19 state of 'quasi-emergency'

Stay-at-home orders were also set to come into force for the eight million inhabitants of Bogota, as the Colombian capital battled a third wave of infections, adding to curfews already covering seven million across four other major cities.

Elsewhere in South America, Argentina entered a night-time curfew on Friday, running from midnight to 6am every day until Apr 30.

It will be in force in the country's highest-risk areas, mainly urban centres, where bars and restaurants will close at 11pm.

Both Argentina and Colombia have recorded about 2.5 million coronavirus cases, numbers surpassed only by Brazil in the region.

All of France is subject to restrictions of some form, while the German government's attempts to curb movement and commerce have been stymied by several states refusing to go along with the proposals.

Now Berlin is changing the rules to centralise power, adjustments likely to usher in night-time curfews and some school closures in especially hard-hit areas.

But some countries were in the process of opening up.

Italy was set to end lockdowns from next week for Lombardy, the epicentre of its coronavirus pandemic, and several other regions with improving contagion statistics.

READ: Italy eases COVID-19 curbs as infections decline, but deaths still high

Neighbouring Slovenia announced it would ease coronavirus restrictions and suspend a six-month-long curfew starting Monday.

SHAKY ROLL-OUTS

As in India, Europe's stuttering vaccine roll-out faced multiple hurdles Friday as EU regulators said they were reviewing side effects of the Johnson & Johnson shot and France further limited its use of the AstraZeneca jab.

France has repeatedly changed the rules on AstraZeneca's vaccine, first over doubts about its efficacy, then over fears that it could be linked to blood clots.

On Friday, it did so again, with Health Minister Olivier Veran saying under-55s who had been given a first shot with AstraZeneca would be given a different vaccine for their second dose.

But shortly after he spoke, the World Health Organization said there was "no adequate data" to support switching COVID-19 vaccines between doses.

READ: Europe's COVID-19 vaccine drive set to pick up as 100 millionth dose delivered

As for the J&J shot, the European Medicines Agency said four "serious cases" of unusual blood clots had been reported - one of them fatal - with the vaccine, which uses similar technology to the AstraZeneca one.

The US Food and Drug Administration said it had found no causal link between the jab and clots, but noted "a few individuals" in the country had clots and low levels of platelets in the blood after receiving the vaccine, and its investigation was continuing.

Both jabs are approved for use in the European Union but the J&J vaccine has not yet been rolled out, and various EU countries have stopped or limited the use of AstraZeneca.

An AstraZeneca spokesman said half of its vaccine shipments to the EU would be delayed this week.

READ: AstraZeneca: Who is using the jab, and who is not

READ: How worried should we be about links of blood clots to AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine?

In the United States, deliveries of the J&J vaccine were set to drop off sharply next week, US health authorities warned on Friday.

And in badly-hit Brazil, the Senate said it would open an inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic, as President Jair Bolsonaro continued to resist lockdown measures even with COVID-19 deaths at new records.

Yet Rio de Janeiro on Friday was reversing restrictions in place for two weeks, reopening restaurants and bars, though the city's famed beaches remained closed.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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2021-04-10 06:36:37Z
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Jumat, 09 April 2021

'We do it to keep busy': Elderly sisters continue knife sharpening trade in Kuala Lumpur - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Sparks flew as Yip Yoke Lin, 74, held the Chinese chef knife she was sharpening at a 30-degree angle off the bench grinder.

After running the blade a few times with the grinder, she tested her work by gingerly running her thumb along the edge.

“This is the ‘rough’ portion. Once it’s satisfactory, then I’ll put it on the workbench and whet the blade with those sharpening stones,” she said.

Her elder sister, Yip Ah Moy, 84, bent from age, was already doing the same thing with another customer’s knife, drawing the blade across the stone in smooth motions from the handle end of the blade to the tip.

vtsharpen 04 — Yip Ah Moy, 84, hunches over her workbench to work on a kitchen knife. (Photo: Vincent Tan)

Occasionally, Yip Ah Moy would stop and dip her sharpening stone in a bucket of water placed next to her bench to wash away the swarf (waste material) and re-lubricate her stone.

In the background, trendy music played in the cafes and open-concept food court at REXKL’s ground floor, a former cinema turned arts and culture hub along Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown area.

Occasionally, curious visitors would wander over to the Yip sisters’ corner to watch them work, while some dropped by to hand over one or a few kitchen knives for them to sharpen.

READ: Artisanal blacksmiths in Malaysia build up strong following with traditional skills, modern techniques

STARTING OUT BY THE ROADSIDE

The tool sharpening business was started by the sisters’ father back in the late 1940s in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, along Petaling Street.

In fact, Yip Ah Moy recalled that her father first set up shop in front of the Fung Wong Chinese confectionery maker, a Petaling Street institution which has lasted for four generations.

Yip Ah Moy said the business had always been based around the Petaling Street area, and they recently moved into REXKL when the new proprietors allowed them a small space to continue their craft.

They also operate out of a morning market in Cheras.

“Our customers did not just come from the nearby shops, but also from other parts of the town looking for us to sharpen their tools,” she said.

vt sharpen 01 — Yip Yoke Lin (left) hands over sharpened knives, which have been wrapped in newspaper, to a customer. (Photo: Vincent Tan)

Some were running food businesses, while others were tailors and cobblers.

“Even people who cut the smoked rubber sheets last time, they’d come to look for us as well,” said Yip Yoke Lin.

Learning the craft was a matter of trial and error for the sisters.

READ: Forest plants in watercolours - Malaysian artist documents Orang Asli knowledge and culinary practices

“We learned from our father,” said Yip Ah Moy, adding that she began sharpening knives alongside their late father in her late teens.

“How did we learn? He would pass us a simple knife to sharpen. After that, he would test how well we had sharpened the blade by cutting some items.”

“If it didn’t cut well, or we had to push to cut through, like kitchen knives, then that means we didn’t sharpen it properly,” Yip Ah Moy added.

The Yips’ work set-up is simple - the bench grinder and a workbench each, where a small plank is propped at a slanted angle, with a small catch to hold the sharpening stone in place.

Each sister has her own work process.

vtsharpen 08 — The Yip sisters' work set-up is simple, with sharpening stones propped at an angle and a bucket of water to dunk the stones in to get rid of the swarf (waste material from sharpening the blades). (Photo: Vincent Tan)

Yip Ah Moy prefers to immerse her sharpening stones in the water to lubricate them and wash off the swarf, while Yip Yoke Lin scoops up water with her hand and drips it over the blade she is polishing every once in a while.

“The electric bench grinder is the newest piece of equipment. We also used bench grinders in the past, but those were pedal-powered which you had to sit on,” Yip Yoke Lin said.

READ: With movement restrictions eased in Malaysia, reforestation efforts pick up momentum again

BUSINESS IS NEVER CERTAIN

Feast or famine would be the appropriate description for the Yips' sharpening business.

“Business is never certain. Sometimes, we can sit the whole day and get no customers. And then you have days like today, we’ve been working non-stop since we opened up at 2pm,” she said.

At one point, Yip Ah Moy finally took a break from work to tuck into her lunch - a packet of chee cheong fun (rice noodle rolls), with her sister helping to pour the packet of chilli sauce all over the dish.

vtsharpen 07 — A couple of kitchen knives lie waiting to be worked on, alongside a sharpening stone and the Yip sisters' tool box at REX KL. (Photo: Vincent Tan)

After completing an order, each knife would be individually wrapped in newspaper and either lady would write the job’s price with a marker.

“Prices depend on the size of the knives or the tool like scissors. We can do knives from RM10 (US$2.43) to RM15, especially for the bigger, heavier knives.

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“Scissors, too, up to RM15 for the large ones which tailors use,” she said.

While there were now fewer people making or ordering tailor-made clothes, Yip Yoke Lin said weeks in the run-up to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri were busy for them.

“Many tailors are sending their scissors for sharpening as our Malay compatriots get ready for the fasting month and Hari Raya after,” she said.

vtsharpen 03 — Yip Yoke Lin says sharpening scissors is a little more difficult compared to kitchen blades. The sisters often get repeat business from tailors and other craft stores to sharpen. (Photo: Vincent Tan)

While the sign on one pillar states that the Yip sisters work at REXKL on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, they usually come to their Jalan Sultan spot whenever there is demand for their services.

“Otherwise, we usually work at the morning market in Cheras, and whenever people call us up because they have implements to sharpen,” Yip Yoke Lin said.

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CHILDREN NOT KEEN TO TAKE OVER

The two ladies said their children did not take up the family business, and they understood their choice.

“It’s a pity, but you can’t raise a family with a spouse and two children on the money you earn from this line. It’s a sunset job.”

vtsharpen 05 — Yip Yoke Lin runs a finger along the edge of a Chinese chef's knife to check her grinding, before doing finer work with the sharpening stones on the workbench. (Photo: Vincent Tan)

“For us, we do it to keep busy, and also to earn our spending money,” Yip Yoke Lin explained.

They also had to compete with the home sharpening kits.

“Those work well enough if you just need a knife to prepare your ingredients, so the owners don’t need to look for someone to sharpen their knives,” Yip Ah Moy remarked.

vt sharpen 02 — A long-time customer hands over money for his kitchen knives, which the Yip sisters have finished sharpening at their weekend space in REX KL. (Photo: Vincent Tan)

“Then at the same time, there are also people who just buy new knives after their current one goes dull!” she laughed.

“But actually, there are still people who do this for a living, younger than us, but they work on higher-end, more expensive blades, so the fees are also much higher,” the younger Yip sister added.

Read this story in Bahasa Melayu here.

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2021-04-09 22:03:45Z
CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vbmV3cy9hc2lhL21hbGF5c2lhLXlpcC1zaXN0ZXJzLXNoYXJwZW4ta25pdmVzLXJleGtsLXBldGFsaW5nLXN0cmVldC0xNDU3MTU3MtIBAA