Serious [ Singapore News ] Beware of Indian : Abusing Crowdfunding

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...6398?cid=fbcna

Singapore
Friend of missing Singaporean diver crowdfunds to further search efforts

rinta.jpg
Rinta Paul Mukkam was on a dive trip at Gili Lawa Laut in Indonesia when she went missing, her brother Roy posted on Facebook. (Photo: Roy Paul Mukkam/Facebook)
16 Jul 2017 09:52PM (Updated: 16 Jul 2017 10:00PM)

SINGAPORE: A family friend of missing Singaporean diver Rinta Mukkam has turned to members of the public to help raise funds to further search and rescue efforts.

On Saturday (Jul 15) – two days after Ms Mukkam was reported missing after going on a diving trip near Indonesia’s Komodo Island – Mr Srinesh Balakrishnan started campaigns on crowd gogetfunding and Give.Asia “to pay for further air and sea search support”.

Mr Balakrishnan aims to raise S$350,000 in total, adding that it costs US$60,000 (S$82,000) a day to book a helicopter to conduct search operations from the air.

Nearly 700 netizens have raised more than S$120,000 across both platforms as of Sunday evening.

In an update on Give.Asia on Sunday, Mr Balakrishnan thanked contributors for their support so far, but noted that search and rescue efforts have been without success.

“So far the first day of air search has turned up naught with Ms Rinta still missing at sea. The family have managed to secure the Helicopter services for continued search effort that has resumed earlier today. We hope and pray she is found,” he wrote.

Source: CNA/am





http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...fter-four-days

S'porean diver still missing after four days
Published
4 hours ago
Samantha Boh

Singaporean diver Rinta Paul Mukkam remained missing yesterday, after a fourth day of searching ended.

Ms Rinta, a 40-year-old associate regional sales manager, failed to surface on Thursday during a diving trip off Komodo Island. She had been part of a group of 16 women who were diving in the area.

Dr Srinesh Balakrishnan, 37, a family friend, said no one has found her, or anything to suggest where she is.

He said posters have been handed out to villages near where Ms Rinta disappeared, offering a reward of US$10,000 (S$13,700) to anyone who finds her.

About four people have also flown to Indonesia from Singapore to help with the search, including Ms Rinta's brother and brother-in-law.

A fund-raising effort on crowdfunding site GoGetFunding - started by Dr Balakrishnan - has raised slightly over $121,000 of the targeted amount of $250,000.

The money is funding the search-and-rescue efforts.

A second helicopter might be rented today to help with the search. A helicopter costs about US$60,000 per day to rent.

"We want to believe that we're not looking for a body, we're looking for a live person, so we're focusing funds and efforts on (renting a) helicopter," said Dr Balakrishnan.




http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...-sporean-diver

Search goes on for missing S'porean diver

Published
Jul 15, 2017, 5:00 am SGT
Sean Lim
Kok Xing Hui

Singaporean diver Rinta Paul Mukkam remained missing as night fell yesterday after a second day of searching, with the Indonesian authorities pledging to continue the effort this morning.

Ms Rinta, 40, had been diving off the famed Komodo Island on Thursday when she failed to resurface with her group.

Search efforts have so far spanned a radius of more than 200km.

Ms Rinta had started her dive at about 11.40am that day at a site off Gili Lawa Laut island.

According to one woman in the group of 16 Singaporeans she was in, a boat had dropped them off at the spot and left to pick up other divers.

But Ms Rinta, who is an associate regional sales manager, did not surface with the other divers, said the Singaporean woman, who declined to be named.

She added that it was sunny at the time and they had been briefed by the dive master to be prepared for a drift dive - where divers are carried by the current.

The divers were then split into smaller groups for the dive. It is unclear what happened to Ms Rinta's "buddy". Divers typically dive in groups of two or three as a safety precaution, in a buddy system where members look out for one another.

According to West Manggarai regency police chief Supiyanto, Ms Rinta was in a group with a local diver known as Ajidan.

As they dived to the 4m depth, Ms Rinta stopped and swam back to a shallower 2m depth, while her three other friends continued to dive deeper to 15m as planned.

"When Rinta was diving towards the 2m depth, she signalled to the (local) diver to continue and accompany her three friends to the seabed (at a depth of 15m)," Mr Supiyanto said.

The group discovered that she was missing only when they had completed the dive and were boarding the boat.

"The missing tourist is suspected to have been swept away by currents at the depth of 2m, at the point where she was to surface and get onto the boat," added Mr Supiyanto.

According to those familiar with the area, Gili Lawa Laut, a popular diving spot, is also known for strong currents and relatively cold waters.

Mr Gede Ardana, head of rescue agency Badan SAR Kupang (Basarnas), told Indonesian media that his agency received a missing persons report at 2.30pm on Thursday. His agency then sent a team of six rescuers to the location by motorboat to carry out a search.

Yesterday evening, Basarnas told The Straits Times that boat operators and Komodo-based dive centres were also helping out in the search operation.

The current search-and-rescue efforts are focused on the region west of Flores Island, which is located in West Manggarai in Indonesia.

Ms Rinta's brother Roy Paul Mukkam, a 36-year-old lawyer, posted on Facebook on Thursday evening asking for help and information in locating his sister.
Attached Images



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