Singapore Flyer Files Police Report After Information Leak

This story appeared in TODAY on 8 January 2009.
By Derrick A Paulo

SINGAPORE : The Singapore Flyer management has filed a police report after an information leak resulted in a news report on Wednesday on the sudden resignation of its general manager Steven Yeo.

Following his departure this week, TODAY has learnt that a three-man executive committee, comprising former MP Chng Hee Kok, NTUC Club Investments’ ex general manager Shirley Leow and Adval Brand Group managing director Patsy Ong will take the company forward.

The developments come just before a press conference the Flyer intends to hold on Friday, where it hopes to give an indication of its targeted reopening date and its experts will present the back-up solutions it intends to implement to prevent the kind of six-hour wheel stoppage on December 23 from happening again.

But with Mr Yeo leaving immediately - at the request of Flyer’s board of directors - instead of seeing through the full recovery of the stalled wheel, fresh questions are now being asked about the company.

The spokesperson was unable to comment on the decision, out of respect for "the individual's privacy", but said that the company “has the full capabilities to move forward”.

Its new executive committee comprises individuals with strong links to NTUC Club, the leisure and entertainment unit of the labour movement, which manages, among others, two theme parks and the integrated leisure and entertainment complex at Pasir Ris, Downtown East.

Mr Chng used to be NTUC Club CEO, while Ms Ong founded her integrated marketing services company for the tourism industry over a decade ago with an initial partnership with NTUC Club.

It was their appointment, however, that appears to have sparked Mr Yeo’s departure, according to The Straits Times, which obtained a copy of his resignation letter.

The Flyer spokesperson did not want to respond to his comments in the letter, and told TODAY: “We take a very serious view of any illegal breach of confidentiality. We have consulted our lawyers and lodged a police report on the matter.”

She added: “We would like to highlight that measures to strengthen the Singapore Flyer management had already been decided on before the incident on December 23.

“The Singapore Flyer project is a complex one that spanned over two years and different phases of the project required different types of expertise.”