Singaporeans

Thousands of gamblers filled the sprawling Marina Bay Sands casino here on a recent weeknight, placing bets on baccarat tables, roulette wheels and dice games under the glow of a seven-ton Swarovski crystal chandelier. With its high-stakes tables, dozens of invitation-only VIP rooms and sleek design, the Marina Bay Sands is the go-to hotel for visiting celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. And it's one of the reasons Singapore is poised to vault past Las Vegas next year to become the world's No. 2 gambling destination, behind Macao in southern China.

Are you a connoisseur of agony? Then drop by Starry Kitchen for a bite some evening, somewhere around 9 p.m. if you can swing it, and listen to the customers who have been denied a shot at the Singaporean chili crab. They will be muttering imprecations when they think the staff is out of listening range, grinding teeth, staring up at the glittering pastels of the high ceiling as if they expect a unicorn to flutter down from the rafters with a sackful of British Columbia's finest culinary export.

A popular T-shirt seen around Singapore says it all: No importing chewing gum, $10,000. No spitting, $1,000. No urinating in lifts, $500. The question, some joked, is wheth er one day wearing the T-shirt will be added to the list of prohibited activities subject to fines. In Singapore, domestic and international publications are tightly controlled, films are censored, the political opposition remains small and closely monitored and a plethora of rules and regulations dictates the lives of Singaporeans.

Thousands of gamblers filled the sprawling Marina Bay Sands casino here on a recent weeknight, placing bets on baccarat tables, roulette wheels and dice games under the glow of a seven-ton Swarovski crystal chandelier. With its high-stakes tables, dozens of invitation-only VIP rooms and sleek design, the Marina Bay Sands is the go-to hotel for visiting celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. And it's one of the reasons Singapore is poised to vault past Las Vegas next year to become the world's No. 2 gambling destination, behind Macao in southern China.

Artists were told to flourish, kids to think more independently, and citizens to relax and have more fun. The official messages were to herald a new era of openness in Singapore, eager to improve its authoritarian image and draw talent from abroad. The purported shift was much touted in Western media. Time magazine extolled "swinging Singapore" in a cover story last year.

The first thing I noticed when I rode into downtown Singapore at 3 a.m. was the garbage-strewn field -- cans, cigarette butts, gutted cartons of take-away food. Could this be Singapore? Squeaky-clean, litter-at-your-peril Singapore, where even chewing gum is outlawed? The answer would come soon enough, and like much about Singapore over the next five years, it would surprise me.

At last month's National Day rally, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew held forth for more than two hours, detailing past successes and demanding continued diligence of Singapore's 2.6 million people. As always, he made no apologies for his quarter-century of tough rule. "Whatever I do I am prepared to justify publicly," he declared. "Whatever I cannot justify, I never do."

A shiny green mat, cut from a broad banana leaf, was placed in front of me at the small restaurant in Singapore's Indian quarter. Then came lunch: a robust curry feast of tantalizing aromas--served without plates or utensils or napkins. A waiter moved around the table, plopping spoonfuls of white rice in the middle of each leaf. Others dished out mounds of okra, corn, pink prawns, curried mutton and golden tandoori chicken. Stacks of Indian bread came next, and cold mugs of Tiger beer.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Ong Teng Cheong became Singapore's first elected president Saturday despite a strong showing by a reluctant opponent who had barely campaigned. Backed by the ruling People's Action Party and the nation's labor unions, the 57-year-old Ong was heavily favored to win a six-year term in the newly strengthened post. He faced token opposition from Chua Kim Yeow, 67, a retired civil servant and banker who said he was urged to run in order to provide a contest.

Seven of a group of nine Singaporeans who received kidneys in transplant operations in China last November have died, the Straits Times said Friday. Relatives of the victims complained of "appallingly unhygienic" conditions in the hospital where the operations were performed, the newspaper said. "They also spoke about having to offer doctors money or gifts after each operation," it said.

On an early summer night, I'm enjoying sitting at a sidewalk table taking in the street action in front of the Spice Table, a 3-month-old Vietnamese-Singaporean restaurant in Little Tokyo. People are walking by, rushing past on their way inside or to some other spot in the neighborhood. A breeze ruffles the edge of the paper menu. Downtown's skyscrapers light up the sky. The vibe is relaxed and festive. How can it not be when spice, chile and fish sauce are calling? The server turns up the heat lamps when the wind picks up and brings out an order of fried cauliflower florets so light and crispy we devour the whole thing in a flash.

Merrill Lynch & Co., hit by huge sub-prime mortgage losses, said Monday it would boost its capital by selling as much as $6.2 billion of common stock -- at a discount -- to a Singaporean state-owned fund and to a U.S. investment management firm. Singapore's Temasek Holdings agreed to buy $4.4 billion in Merrill stock with an option for $600 million more by March 28. Davis Selected Advisors agreed to buy $1.2 billion of stock.

A citizen of Singapore was indicted Friday for allegedly trying to buy three U.S. military rifles to send to Indonesia. Chia Kia Cheng was arrested after meeting with an undercover government agent in San Diego. The rifles were to be the first batch of "hundreds of additional rifles" that Cheng wanted to buy, prosecutors said.

The first thing I noticed when I rode into downtown Singapore at 3 a.m. was the garbage-strewn field -- cans, cigarette butts, gutted cartons of take-away food. Could this be Singapore? Squeaky-clean, litter-at-your-peril Singapore, where even chewing gum is outlawed? The answer would come soon enough, and like much about Singapore over the next five years, it would surprise me.

Thirteen people signed up Monday to be the first Singaporeans allowed to speak publicly without a license, police said. The 13 had come forward by late Monday, the first day of registration for those wanting to vent their opinions at a new "Speakers Corner" opening in Singapore on Sept. 1, said Chee Wing Cheong, an officer at the Kreta Ayer police post. For years, residents of this city-state wanting to speak out in public have had to wait for authorities to issue special licenses.

Artists were told to flourish, kids to think more independently, and citizens to relax and have more fun. The official messages were to herald a new era of openness in Singapore, eager to improve its authoritarian image and draw talent from abroad. The purported shift was much touted in Western media. Time magazine extolled "swinging Singapore" in a cover story last year.

Thirteen people signed up Monday to be the first Singaporeans allowed to speak publicly without a license, police said. The 13 had come forward by late Monday, the first day of registration for those wanting to vent their opinions at a new "Speakers Corner" opening in Singapore on Sept. 1, said Chee Wing Cheong, an officer at the Kreta Ayer police post. For years, residents of this city-state wanting to speak out in public have had to wait for authorities to issue special licenses.

It was risky, inviting two Singaporeans to sample one of their own cuisines halfway around the world. The place I chose was Nizam, an Indian restaurant in West Los Angeles. And their comments about the meal were as peppery as expected. Singaporeans know and love Indian food. It is one of their basic tastes, thanks to a sizable Indian population that demands a variety of food--northern and southern dishes, vegetarian and Muslim fare.

Can Asians think? That simple, seemingly insulting question comes from an unusual source. "Can Asians Think?" is the title of a recent book by Kishore Mahbubani, the Singaporean diplomat who is the leading apostle of the so-called "Asian values" movement. Mahbubani has tried to provide the intellectual underpinnings for an Asian challenge to the values of democracy and liberty. He accuses the West of hypocrisy in its dealings with Asia, and preaches the virtues of order and stability.

The woman's voice broke when she answered a phone call about a newspaper ad offering her family's 3-year-old German shepherd to a good home. "We love our dog so much, but neighbors reported on us and we must give it away," said Anlita, a working mother of three. "The kids are terribly upset. But we have no other choice." It was a classic case of civil disobedience gone bad, Singapore-style. By keeping a large dog, the family was breaking the law.