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SINGAPORE: With his girlfriend in tow, Mr Yang Tao took a S$20 taxi ride from Boon Lay to the Singapore Flyer to catch a 30-minute ride before an evening of shopping and dining in town.
But when he approached the counter staff on Sunday with tickets that he had bought some months earlier, the 27-year-old was told the Flyer had stopped turning. He was given a stamp on the tickets that extends the expiry date to June next year.
Mr Yang, who works in an electronics firm, said he knew about last week’s ordeal - in which 173 passengers were trapped in the capsules on the world’s largest observatory wheel for six hours - but did not know that operations have been suspended by the police.
“I will come back when it reopens,” he said. “Whatever happened last week doesn’t scare me.”
He was not alone. Others, like Mr Yang, also told TODAY they were not too disturbed with the stoppage and would take the rides.
Conference sales assistant Shatina Ahmad said she felt the Flyer handled the rescue operations well.
The 48-year-old bought a pair of tickets in July at a discount because she is an NTUC member and, like Mr Yang, had until Wednesday to take the ride. Ms Shatina, who has been on the Flyer before and “enjoyed it tremendously”, was at the ticketing booth on Sunday afternoon to extend the expiry date.
“I am confident of those running the Flyer and will definitely board it again,” she said.
Less upbeat, however, are the 25 tenants at the Flyer. Those that TODAY spoke to said they were seeing fewer customers because of the suspension.
They will meet the Flyer’s management on Tuesday to discuss compensation and rebates.
At the Sunglass Hut, which sells sunglasses, red stickers proclaiming discounts of 20 and 30 per cent were prominent. But store manager May Auyong said not a pair had been sold since it opened at 11am. The shop used to be able to sell “at least 10 pairs” on a Sunday, she said.
On a different note, the newest tenant at the Flyer - Love The World Bistro Bar - will hold a free concert, titled Concert of Hope, at the waterfront Flyer Theatre on New Year’s Eve.
Mr Samuel Seongkoon, director of the bar which is billed as the first Christian rock club in the world, said: “We want to take the opportunity to spread the message of love and hope for Singapore amid the current gloomy climate.”
Meanwhile, Law Minister and Second Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam told reporters at a community event on Sunday that the Flyer can only resume operations if the police is assured that public safety is not at risk.
He said it would only be allowed to continue operations after assurance is given by an international certifying body.
“It’s a bit premature to indicate a timeline,” he said. - TODAY/ra
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