The 15th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific from 28 to 30 October 2013 saw Chief Justices and Heads Of Delegations from 41 jurisdictions participating in an active discourse that agreed on five core values to underpin a strong and effective judiciary, namely: (i) Integrity; (ii) Independence; (iii) Transparency; (iv) the Role of the Judiciary in Promoting Trade and Development; and (v) Access to Justice. To document the rich and diverse wisdom of all delegations expressed during the Conference, the Singapore Academy of Law will publish a book of all the papers and commentaries submitted to benefit succeeding generations of Judges.

15th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific

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November 2013

NEW ZEALAND’S MINISTER FOR JUSTICE The Minister for Justice of New Zealand, Minister Judith Collins, called on CJ Menon on 24 October 2013 for an exchange of views on family justice, alternative dispute resolution and to learn more about the Supreme Court’s electronic court technology. During her trip, Minister Collins also called on Minister for of Law, K Shanmugam, and visited the Maxwell Chambers international arbitration centre.

welcome Tan Yeok Ching Joanna Senior Librarian, Corporate Services “I’ve been with the Special Libraries Division for some years and was at the Attorney-General’s Chambers Library prior to joining Supreme Court Library. Outside of work, I enjoy travelling to places around the region and beyond”

October 2013 was indeed a milestone month for the Supreme Court with the successful hosting of two meetings attended by more than 100 delegates, including Chief Justices and Heads of Delegations, from 41 jurisdictions in the Asia and Pacific region from 28 October to 1 November 2013. These meetings represent the largest gathering of Chief Justices in the history of Singapore.

The 5th Asia Pacific Judicial Reform Forum from 31 October to 1 November 2013 saw the active participation of 20 jurisdictions in the region to reaffirm their commitment to judicial reform specifically in the areas of training, education and development programmes. The Forum considered common issues of concern to all judiciaries and expressed a desire to actively pursue measures to facilitate a greater exchange of knowledge among members to enhance the effectiveness of the Asia Pacific judiciaries.

5th Asia Pacific Judicial Forum

The Judicial Recreation Club (JRC) held its annual Dinner and Dance (D&D) at Marriott Hotel on 18 October 2013 where more than 400 staff from the Supreme Court and Subordinate Courts, dressed to the theme of ‘Hollywood Glamour’, turned up to literally “dine with the stars” of the evening – rockers, musicians and singers from our very own pool of talents amongst court staff!

Dining With The Stars – JRC D&D 2013

The evening kick-started with our very own staff, selected from the opening table game, personally serving their colleagues with the first course of the dinner! A magic show, a game of charades, a mock catwalk and a ventriloquist warmed up the stage for the main highlight – the “Dining With The Stars” talent show!

The event is the result of several months of planning and hard work by the JRC D&D Committee, led by AR Karen Tan. On behalf of everyone at the Supreme Court, we express our heartfelt appreciation and thanks to the JRC for putting together a really enjoyable evening!

But our “court idols” weren’t the only winners of the evening. All staff had a shot at a range of attractive prizes, from staycations, digital cameras to iPads, through various stage and table games and a Grand Lucky Draw that concluded the evening’s festivities.

While D’Res & D’Mas grooved to the beat of the Beatles, The Violin & Piano Guys serenaded with a Les Misérables rendition, and The Botols and Double Treble belted out hits from Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz. Selecting the winner was a tough decision, but the judging panel, comprising CJ Menon, RSC Foo Chee Hock and CDJ See Kee Oon, finally singled out Double Treble as the evening’s star performance!

CJ Menon hosted a lunch for the faculty staff and the dean of the NUS Law Faculty, Professor Simon Chesterman, on 23 October 2013 at the Viewing Gallery. This was a reciprocal lunch by members of the bench for the hospitality of NUS Law Faculty which hosted them for a previous lunch, as well as part of the Supreme Court’s on-going efforts to reach out to members of the academia for engagement in active legal discourse and exchange.

Lunch with NUS Law Faculty

The luckiest staff! – Nurul Sultana from OPA bags the Grand Lucky Draw Prize

NOVEMBER

Upcoming Events in

COUNCIL OF JUDGES The Council of Judges is an annual event involving the Chief Justice, Judges of Appeal, Judges and Judicial Commissioners. The Council of Judges is required to be held at least once a year under section 81 of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Cap 322, 2007 Rev Ed). CJ Menon has directed that this year’s Council of Judges be held on 22 November 2013.

LASCO TEA The Supreme Court will be hosting a tea reception for about 120 lawyers on the LASCO (Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences) on 29 November 2013 in recognition of their contributions. The reception also presents a platform for the lawyers to network with their peers, members of the Bench, and officers of the Supreme Court Registry.

SOUTH AFRICA’S CHIEF JUSTICE AND DELEGATION OF HIGH COURT JUDGES A delegation of 18 high court judges and court officials of the Supreme Court of South Africa visited the Supreme Court of Singapore from 28 to 31 October 2013 where they were briefed on judicial education, mediation and eLitigation. The visit concluded with a courtesy call by South African CJ M Mogoeng on CJ Menon in the presence of South African High Commissioner to Singapore, Her Excellency Hazel Ngubeni.

After a distinguished career spanning over 22 years in the judiciary, Justice Lai Siu Chiu will retire from the bench with effect from 30 October 2013. CJ Menon and members of the Bench held a farewell dinner for Justice Lai on 24 October 2013 at St Regis Hotel, where CJ thanked Justice Lai for her unwavering dedication to the judicial service, noting her unique position in Singapore’s legal history as the first female Judicial Commissioner in 1991, and subsequently, the first female Judge of the Supreme Court in 1994. The Supreme Court wishes to express its deep appreciation for Justice Lai’s invaluable contributions and wishes Justice Lai a happy retirement.

Farewell to Justice Lai

The President of the Republic of Singapore, acting in his discretion, and in concurrence with the advice of the Prime Minister, has appointed Mr Tan Siong Thye and Mr Edmund Leow to be Judicial Commissioners of the Supreme Court for a period of one year, with effect from 1 October 2013. With the appointment of Mr Tan and Mr Leow as Judicial Commissioners, the Supreme Court will have a total of 14 Judges (including the Chief Justice) and 4 Judicial Commissioners.

Swearing-in of New Judicial Commissioners

Mr Tan Siong Thye and Mr Edmund Leow are sworn-in at the Istana in the presence of His Excellency, President Tony Tan

Hindus celebrate Deepavali with dazzling displays of lights – lighting rows of candles and diyas (earthen lamps) around their homes, igniting colourful sparklers and illuminating the skies with fireworks. That is why Deepavali is known as the “Festival of Lights”. But what is the significance of the “Festival of Lights”? The lights or diyas signify the victory of good over evil within every human being. In Hindu culture, it is a tribute to the great warrior king, Lord Rama, who returned to his hometown, Ayodhya, after 14 years in exile and defeating the evil demon king of Lanka, Ravana. The people welcomed Rama’s return by lighting rows of diyas in honour of his victory over Ravana, and by extension, of Light overcoming Darkness. The festival gets its name Deepavali, or Diwali, from the rows (avali) of lamps (deepa) that the people of Ayodhya lit to welcome their king.

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME PEOPLE’S COURT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Mr Zhou Qiang, President and Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), called on CJ Menon on 30 October 2013, where they discussed scope for further cooperation between the judiciaries of PRC and Singapore.

CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA Chief Justice of India, Honourable P. Sathasivam, called on CJ Menon and Justice of Appeal V.K. Rajah on 30 October 2013 in the presence of the High Commissioner of India to Singapore, Her Excellency Vijay Thakur Singh, where they had a discussion on the prisons service and commercial litigation.

Have you ever wondered how some of your colleagues fill their working hours? Take a walk in their shoes in our “A Day in the Life” column!

Marina Wang Chinese Interpreter, CPD

When I receive court interpretation assignments usually one day in advance, I will kick start my preparations by reading up affidavits, pleadings and all other related documents about the case using the eLitigation system. To help me better understand the case, I will do research into the technical terms, the subject matter and even study any photographs attached. I will compile a glossary list using various resources such as STARS, dictionaries and consulting my seniors.

On the date of the hearing, I will read up my glossary list before the hearing commences to refresh my memory and will be seated in court 15 minutes before the commencement of the hearing. As and when the witness requiring my services takes the stand, I will administer the oath/affirmation to the witness and commence my interpretation.

During the hearing, I will employ various interpretation techniques to adapt to different scenarios during the proceedings. For example, I will apply note-taking and consecutive interpreting techniques when interpreting the testimonies of witnesses, and use simultaneous interpreting technique when interpreting submissions by lawyers or delivery of judgment by the judge. When witnesses are referred to documents in court, I often have to perform sight interpretation so as help them understand the contents of the documents and to facilitate the trial.

During the lunch break at 1pm, I will check on new terms heard during the morning tranche of the trial and discuss them with my seniors and colleagues. I always enjoy such sharing sessions because they enrich my experiences and make me more confident.

At the end of the day, I will update the Head Interpreter on the status of the case. The most rewarding part of the day is when I share about my day in court with my fellow colleagues and in turn, learn about their experiences and build up on knowledge.

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1800 To me, every day is a rewarding day because there’s so much to learn from everyone and everything in life. And I am so thankful to have wonderful colleagues who are generous in sharing and guiding me along the way!