ON JAN 16, my wife and I helped to take Ms Ivy Tham, a 44-year-old Down's syndrome woman with the mental age of a two-year-old, to the Toa Payoh Polyclinic. She is not related to my family.

I WAS a little curious about a recent article on maternity leave, especially over the 180 days that a new employee has to serve to be entitled to the leave.

RECENTLY, I gave feedback to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on tentage causing obstruction to two walkways leading to the area bounded by blocks 152A, 152B and 154, Serangoon North Avenue 1, and compromising safety. The tentage was used for conducting festive business.

AFTER reading the articles, 'Sec 5 class advised: Go to ITE instead' (ST, Jan 12) and 'Principal's ITE advice 'had to be delivered'' (ST, Jan 17), I would like to share my experience.

MR LAWRENZ Sim and Miss Marissa Teo expressed their feelings very strongly in their letters, 'Principal's tone to Sec 5 students plainly wrong' and 'Individual counselling would have been better', respectively.

I REFER to Mr N. Nageswaran's letter, 'Bursary presentation was too rushed' (ST, Jan 18).

I REFER to Mr Tay Lai Hock's letter, 'Aircon at CC too cold for comfort' (ST, Jan 17).

I HAVE been following with interest the recent point-counterpoint discussion on the 'insensitive' ITE remarks by the principal of a girls' school and reading Madam Lee Choon Hong's letter, 'Educators should awaken love and joy for learning rather than instil fear in it' (Online forum, Jan 19), has led me to realise that we could be missing a deeper issue here: How can we expect teachers, who themselves have been through the system of education as described by Madam Lee, do anything different?

ALLOW me to reflect on my recent business/cultural trip to your wonderful country.

THE annual Thaipusam festival is an important religious and cultural event celebrated by the Indian community in Singapore.

I AM writing in as a frustrated member ever since Treasure Resort has taken over Sijori Resort on Sentosa and will like to highlight the situation that the members are facing.

I BOUGHT my first phone - a Nokia - in 1992 and I have been a faithful user for the past 15 years, up till my recent experience convinced me that the company had finally lost its human touch.

WE REFER to the letter, 'Proud about connecting people, but Nokia should first connect with its customers' by Mr G. Arumugam (Online forum, Jan 17), and thank the writer for his valuable feedback.

I REFER to Mr P. Vasantha Shetty's letter, 'M1 customer billed for 348 missed calls in one and a half hours' (Online forum, Jan 22).

WE REFER to the letter by Ms Siow Lai Tsin, 'Fare hike, itinerary changes and flight delays add up to poor service by travel agent' (Online forum, Jan 15), and would like to clarify the following.