Singapore an anchor for US presence in Asia, says Obama
Singapore is an anchor for the US presence in Asia, said US President Barack Obama, outlining why the country is being given the rare honour this week of an official visit with a state dinner at the White House.
He told The Straits Times such visits are an opportunity to "reaffirm our ties and friendship with our closest partners around the world".
"This visit is an occasion to mark the 50th anniversary of our bilateral relationship with Singapore, which is one of our strongest and most reliable partners in South- east Asia," he said.
"I look forward to hosting Prime Minister Lee, whose friendship and partnership I appreciate very much and with whom I've worked throughout my administration."
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived in Washington, DC yesterday to begin his official visit. The state dinner will take place tomorrow (Wednesday morning Singapore time).
White House state dinners are grand affairs and regarded as one of the highest diplomatic honours the US government can give. Singapore is only the fifth Asian country and the first from South-east Asia to be honoured with a state dinner during the Obama presidency.
Mr Obama added that the official visit reflects the important
role Singapore plays in the US rebalance. "Singapore is an anchor for the US presence in the region, which is a foundation of stability and peace.
"Both our nations are committed to building a regional order where all nations play by the same rules and disputes are resolved peacefully and this visit will be an opportunity to continue deepening our cooperation on behalf of regional stability and prosperity," he said.
Read the full version of The Straits Times' interview with US President Barack Obama at http://str.sg/obamaqa
Declining Student Resilience: A Serious Problem for Colleges
A year ago I received an invitation from the head of Counseling Services at a major university to join faculty and administrators for discussions about how to deal with the decline in resilience among students. At the first meeting, we learned that emergency calls to Counseling had more than doubled over the past five years. Students are increasingly seeking help for, and apparently having emotional crises over, problems of everyday life. Recent examples mentioned included a student who felt traumatized because her roommate had called her a "bitch" and two students who had sought counseling because they had seen a mouse in their off-campus apartment. The latter two also called the police, who kindly arrived and set a mousetrap for them.
Faculty at the meetings noted that students' emotional fragility has become a serious problem when it comes to grading. Some said they had grown afraid to give low grades for poor performance, because of the subsequent emotional crises they would have to deal with in their offices. Many students, they said, now view a C, or sometimes even a B, as failure, and they interpret such "failure" as the end of the world. Faculty also noted an increased tendency for students to blame them (the faculty) for low grades—they weren't explicit enough in telling the students just what the test would cover or just what would distinguish a good paper from a bad one. They described an increased tendency to see a poor grade as reason to complain rather than as reason to study more, or more effectively. Much of the discussions had to do with the amount of handholding faculty should do versus the degree to which the response should be something like, "Buck up, this is college." Does the first response simply play into and perpetuate students' neediness and unwillingness to take responsibility? Does the second response create the possibility of serious emotional breakdown, or, who knows, maybe even suicide?
Two weeks ago, that head of Counseling sent us all a follow-up email, announcing a new set of meetings. His email included this sobering paragraph:
"I have done a considerable amount of reading and research in recent months on the topic of resilience in college students. Our students are no different from what is being reported across the country on the state of late adolescence/early adulthood. There has been an increase in diagnosable mental health problems, but there has also been a decrease in the ability of many young people to manage the everyday bumps in the road of life. Whether we want it or not, these students are bringing their struggles to their teachers and others on campus who deal with students on a day-to-day basis. The lack of resilience is interfering with the academic mission of the University and is thwarting the emotional and personal development of students."
He also sent us a summary of themes that emerged in the series of meetings, which included the following bullets:
Less resilient and needy students have shaped the landscape for faculty in that they are expected to do more handholding, lower their academic standards, and not challenge students too much.
There is a sense of helplessness among the faculty. Many faculty members expressed their frustration with the current situation. There were few ideas about what we could do as an institution to address the issue.
Students are afraid to fail; they do not take risks; they need to be certain about things. For many of them, failure is seen as catastrophic and unacceptable. External measures of success are more important than learning and autonomous development.
Faculty, particularly young faculty members, feel pressured to accede to student wishes lest they get low teacher ratings from their students. Students email about trivial things and expect prompt replies.
Failure and struggle need to be normalized. Students are very uncomfortable in not being right. They want to re-do papers to undo their earlier mistakes. We have to normalize being wrong and learning from one's errors.
Faculty members, individually and as a group, are conflicted about how much "handholding" they should be doing.
Growth is achieved by striking the right balance between support and challenge. We need to reset the balance point. We have become a "helicopter institution."
Reinforcing the claim that this is a nationwide problem, the Chronicle of Higher Education recently ran an article by Robin Wilson entitled, "An Epidemic of Anguish: Overwhelmed by Demand for Mental-Health Care, Colleges Face Conflicts in Choosing How to Respond" (Aug. 31, 2015). Colleges and universities have traditionally been centers for higher academic education, where the expectation is that the students are adults, capable of taking care of their own everyday life problems. Increasingly, students and their parents are asking the personnel at such institutions to be substitute parents. There is also the ever-present threat and reality of lawsuits. When a suicide occurs, or a serious mental breakdown occurs, the institution is often held responsible.
On the basis of her interviews with heads of counseling offices at various colleges and universities, Wilson wrote:
"Families often expect campuses to provide immediate, sophisticated, and sustained mental-health care. After all, most parents are still adjusting to the idea that their children no longer come home every night, and many want colleges to keep an eye on their kids, just as they did. Students, too, want colleges to give them the help they need, when they need it. And they need a lot. Rates of anxiety and depression among American college students have soared in the last decade, and many more students than in the past come to campus already on medication for such illnesses. The number of students with suicidal thoughts has risen as well. Some are dealing with serious issues, such as psychosis, which typically presents itself in young adulthood, just when students are going off to college. Many others, though, are struggling with what campus counselors say are the usual stresses of college life: bad grades, breakups, being on their own for the first time. And they are putting a strain on counseling centers."
In previous posts (for example, here and here), I have described the dramatic decline, over the past few decades, in children's opportunities to play, explore, and pursue their own interests away from adults. Among the consequences, I have argued, are well-documented increases in anxiety and depression, and decreases in the sense of control of their own lives. We have raised a generation of young people who have not been given the opportunity to learn how to solve their own problems. They have not been given the opportunity to get into trouble and find their own way out, to experience failure and realize they can survive it, to be called bad names by others and learn how to respond without adult intervention. So now, here's what we have: Young people,18 years and older, going to college still unable or unwilling to take responsibility for themselves, still feeling that if a problem arises they need an adult to solve it.
Dan Jones, past president of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, seems to agree with this assessment. In an interview for the Chronicle article, he said:
"[Students] haven't developed skills in how to soothe themselves, because their parents have solved all their problems and removed the obstacles. They don't seem to have as much grit as previous generations."
In my next post I'll examine the research evidence suggesting that so-called "helicopter parenting" really is at the core of the problem. But I don't blame parents, or certainly not just parents. Parents are in some ways victims of larger forces in society—victims of the continuous exhortations from "experts" about the dangers of letting kids be, victims of the increased power of the school system and the schooling mentality that says kids develop best when carefully guided and supervised by adults, and victims of increased legal and social sanctions for allowing kids into public spaces without adult accompaniment. We have become, unfortunately, a "helicopter society."
If we want to prepare our kids for college—or for anything else in life!—we have to counter these social forces. We have to give our children the freedom, which children have always enjoyed in the past, to get away from adults so they can practice being adults—that is, practice taking responsibility for themselves.
And now, what do you think?
Have you witnessed in any way the kinds of changes in young adults described here and that seem to be plaguing colleges and universities? How have you, as a parent, negotiated the line between protecting your children and giving them the freedom they need for psychological growth? Do you have any suggestions for college counselors and professors about how to deal with these problems they are struggling with?
I invite you to share your stories, thoughts, and questions in the comments section below. This blog is, among other things, a forum for discussion. As always, I prefer if you post your comments and questions here rather than send them to me by private email. By putting them here, you share with other readers, not just with me. I read all comments and try to respond to all serious questions if I think I have something worth saying. Of course, if you have something to say that applies only to you and me, then send me an email.
Maid's death: Arrest of woman and daughter shocks neighbours
The two women were charged yesterday with murdering Ms Piang. They were taken away later from the State Courts in a police van (above), as their family members looked on.PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
A mother and daughter were yesterday accused of murdering their Myanmar maid.
Housewife Prema Naraynasamy, 58, and 36-year-old Gaiyathiri Murugayan showed little emotion when charged in court with killing Ms Piang Ngaih Don, a 24-year-old mother of a young child, in a ninth-floor flat at Block 145 in Bishan some time between July 25 and 26.
But Gaiyathiri was seen weeping after she spotted family members in the public gallery.
Her husband is believed to have worked in the police force and they have a young daughter.
They live in the flat where the alleged murder took place.
Neighbours were shocked to hear of the arrest, describing the family as just like any other.
Ms Piang, who had been working for the family for about a year, was from the Dimpi Village in Tedim Township, Chin state, in Myanmar.
Ms Piang (above), from Myanmar, had been working for the family of Prema and Gaiyathiri as a maid for about a year. PHOTO: FACEBOOK PAGE OF HELPING HANDS FOR MIGRANT WORKERS, SINGAPORE
She is survived by her child, a brother and two sisters.
Mr Suangh Khan Khai, her village neighbour who is now working here as a maintenance coordinator, described Ms Piang as "very quiet" and close to her family.
Before coming to Singapore, she had worked as a construction worker, but quit as the salary was low and she wanted to earn more to support her family, the 28-year-old neighbour told The Straits Times.
Ms Piang, he added, last called her brother this month and told him that she wanted to return home next month. But she was worried about not having enough money for a plane ticket home.
Maids working at the block and residents said they rarely saw Ms Piang, whom they described as short, with short hair, unless she was cleaning the windows or hanging the laundry.
Police said they received a call on Tuesday at about 11am for assistance.
When they arrived, Ms Piang was was found motionless. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neighbours saw police cordon off the area and said the body was removed at around 5pm the same day.
Gaiyathiri and Prema were arrested on Wednesday.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamed Faizal said the prosecution was not ready to accept a plea from the pair.
The court allowed his application for the two women to be remanded, with permission for them to be taken out for investigation.
Both women will be back in court next Thursday. If convicted of murder, they face the death penalty.
Bye bye, Big Splash: 40-year-old landmark will disappear for good in October
The splashes at Big Splash have been missing for a decade now. Come October, the 40-year-old East Coast Park landmark and its name will also go the way of the multi-coloured water slides into history.
When its lease expires, the site will be returned to the Government for redevelopment, thus bringing the curtain down on one of Singapore's first water theme parks.
Housewife Toh Sew Lay, 52, who once visited the water theme park with her secondary school classmates, says: "Going there was a real treat because it was the biggest water park at the time. I had so much fun playing in the pool.
"I could not swim, so I found the slides a little daunting at first. Nonetheless, I still went on them in the end and had a splashing good time."
The attraction was developed in 1977 at a cost of $6 million by Goldhill Properties, a private developer, and opened in the same year as a water theme park with four pools, including a 50m-long pool capable of creating 1m-high waves, a 230m-long flowpool, where water was kept in constant flow, and a children's pool. All the pools were filled with seawater.
The Big Splash water theme park opened in 1977 and its tallest water slides were more than six storeys high. PHOTO: ST FILE
Going there was a real treat because it was the biggest water park at the time. I could not swim, so I found the slides a little daunting at first. Nonetheless, I still went on them in the end and had a splashing good time.
HOUSEWIFE TOH SEW LAY, who visited the water theme park with her secondary school classmates
The water slides had five lanes. The tallest slides were more than six storeys high and were reportedly the highest water slides in the world at the time.
During Big Splash's heyday in the 1980s, it had big-name tenants such as KFC and many corporate events were held there.
Mr Morgan Chow, 64, public relations manager of current anchor tenant, The Seafood International Market & Restaurant, has been working at the restaurant since 1983. He recalls the numerous celebrities who visited the place, including Hong Kong actors Chow Yun Fat and Stephen Chow, Taiwanese star Chiling Lin and Chinese actress Gong Li.
He says: "For me to meet so many famous people and be able to talk to them, I felt very honoured."
But in the 1990s, the 300,000 sq ft Big Splash complex fell into disrepair. The slides grew filmy with algae and word of the dubious sanitation of the pools spread and became an urban myth.
Between 1997 and 2000, it reportedly suffered losses.
Then in 2006, Seafood International tendered for the site from National Parks Board and did away with the water slides. It has since become a lifestyle and dining enclave.
Its last day of operation is Oct 21, although some businesses will cease operations earlier.
Some tenants, including Seafood International, will have to stop operations temporarily while they look for new locations.
But until its closure on Sept 16, the 500-seat restaurant - which has been operating at the location since 1983 - will run a Thai-themed a la carte lunch buffet promotion, featuring many dishes on its original menu, such as Thai prawn cakes, fishcakes and basil prawn and chicken.
Says its director Justin Tan, 43: "We want to bring back the favourites for old times' sake, so those who supported us can come back for one last visit."
Former lifeguards still at Big Splash
Mr Wong Tham Poh (left) and Mr Gary Lim were former lifeguards at the Big Splash water theme park. ST PHOTO: BENSON ANG
The year was 1988 and Mr Wong Tham Poh was a lifeguard at Big Splash water theme park.
On weekends, when thousands thronged the park, he strode the premises in a white T-shirt, red shorts and sunglasses.
He thought himself the king of safety - with a sculpted physique - who also knew how to have fun.
Whenever he was on a break, he would join in the water games that patrons were playing. How many invitations did he get a day? He did not keep count.
Mr Wong, now 53, says: "Back then, work felt like a party every day. The lifeguards - there were about 30 of us - felt like one big family.
"We were young, we got along. We loved the customers - the more, the merrier, really. Even if we were not on duty, many of us lifeguards showed up. Honestly, in those days, what else could you do with your free time?"
His nickname at the pool was "Spider" because of the way he swam freestyle.
"People said my body looked like a spider swimming - my limbs were all over the place. But at least I could swim fast," says Mr Wong, who worked part time and full time as a lifeguard at Big Splash for 18 years.
Although he met many pretty lasses in the course of his work, he never dated any of them. His wife was a salesgirlhe met outside of his job and, ironically, she could not swim.
Mr Wong, who has two sons aged 18 and 13, says: "You could say I was pretty wild when I was young. But even when I was having fun, I kept one eye on the pool."
He recalls going to the aid of children who unwittingly ended up at the deep end of the pool, but does not remember the details.
During the theme park's heyday, there were occasional reports of customers injuring themselves while going down the slides.
He says: "If you followed the instructions - sit upright and hold the sides of the slide - you would have no problem. It was only when customers tried to do stunts - like stand up or jump from lane to lane while going down - that trouble arrived."
Nowadays, he works full time as a lorry driver for a shipping company. In the evenings, he works as a kitchen hand at The Seafood International Market & Restaurant, killing crabs, lobsters and fish ordered by customers.
He says: "It is strange that my life came to revolve around Big Splash. But it is honestly not a bad place to be."
Another former lifeguard at Big Splash, Mr Gary Lim, 40, also works at the lifestyle and dining enclave now, as a property maintenance executive.
Referring to his lifeguard days, Mr Wong says: "My life now is more mellow. As they say, all good things come to an end. Still, I am grateful I was that person once - young, fun, without a care in the world."
Benson Ang
Growing up and marrying there
Mr Kee Ah Lam and Madam Ang Ah Keok wed at The Seafood International Market & Restaurant in 1985 (above) and their son Yong Ming and his wife Connie Lee followed suit last year. PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE KEE FAMILY
In 1985, Mr Kee Ah Lam married Madam Ang Ah Keok at The Seafood International Market & Restaurant, where he works as a purchasing manager.
Last year, the elder of their two sons, Mr Kee Yong Ming, married his wife Connie Lee at the same restaurant.
Accountant Yong Ming, 30, says: "Big Splash has been a big part of my life. My father was already working there when I was born. As a child, I visited the water theme park and had many fond memories there.
"You can also see the sea from the restaurant. When it was time to choose a location for my wedding, it was my first choice."
In 1983, his father started work at the restaurant as a storeman. Two years later, he married Madam Ang, who handles quality control in a factory.
Looking at his wedding photos, Mr Kee says: "See the flared trousers I was wearing? In those days, such trousers were very fashionable.
"I chose the restaurant because I worked there. Why would I want the best day of my life to be anywhere else?"
He adds: "Having your wedding dinner at a restaurant was also cheaper than at a hotel."
A year after the wedding, he left to work in the construction industry. But three years later, he returned to work in the restaurant and has not left since.
He says: "I realised that working in a restaurant was my true calling."
Mr Kee Ah Lam and Madam Ang Ah Keok wed at The Seafood International Market & Restaurant in 1985 and their son Yong Ming and his wife Connie Lee followed suit last year (above). PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE KEE FAMILY
Yong Ming recalls that although his father worked at Big Splash, his family visited the attraction only a few times a year, due to his father's busy schedule and the fact that it was not easily accessible by public transport.
But when they played there, Yong Ming says, "we really enjoyed going down the slides, playing in the pool and eating at the KFC outlet".
"Those are among my best memories," he adds.
Nowadays, he visits Big Splash every one or two months - usually with his wife - to eat at the restaurant.
"I have grown up with Big Splash and seen it evolve over the years. It will be sad to see it go."
Bye bye, Big Splash: 40-year-old landmark will disappear for good in October
The splashes at Big Splash have been missing for a decade now. Come October, the 40-year-old East Coast Park landmark and its name will also go the way of the multi-coloured water slides into history.
When its lease expires, the site will be returned to the Government for redevelopment, thus bringing the curtain down on one of Singapore's first water theme parks.
Housewife Toh Sew Lay, 52, who once visited the water theme park with her secondary school classmates, says: "Going there was a real treat because it was the biggest water park at the time. I had so much fun playing in the pool.
"I could not swim, so I found the slides a little daunting at first. Nonetheless, I still went on them in the end and had a splashing good time."
The attraction was developed in 1977 at a cost of $6 million by Goldhill Properties, a private developer, and opened in the same year as a water theme park with four pools, including a 50m-long pool capable of creating 1m-high waves, a 230m-long flowpool, where water was kept in constant flow, and a children's pool. All the pools were filled with seawater.
The Big Splash water theme park opened in 1977 and its tallest water slides were more than six storeys high. PHOTO: ST FILE
Going there was a real treat because it was the biggest water park at the time. I could not swim, so I found the slides a little daunting at first. Nonetheless, I still went on them in the end and had a splashing good time.
HOUSEWIFE TOH SEW LAY, who visited the water theme park with her secondary school classmates
The water slides had five lanes. The tallest slides were more than six storeys high and were reportedly the highest water slides in the world at the time.
During Big Splash's heyday in the 1980s, it had big-name tenants such as KFC and many corporate events were held there.
Mr Morgan Chow, 64, public relations manager of current anchor tenant, The Seafood International Market & Restaurant, has been working at the restaurant since 1983. He recalls the numerous celebrities who visited the place, including Hong Kong actors Chow Yun Fat and Stephen Chow, Taiwanese star Chiling Lin and Chinese actress Gong Li.
He says: "For me to meet so many famous people and be able to talk to them, I felt very honoured."
But in the 1990s, the 300,000 sq ft Big Splash complex fell into disrepair. The slides grew filmy with algae and word of the dubious sanitation of the pools spread and became an urban myth.
Between 1997 and 2000, it reportedly suffered losses.
Then in 2006, Seafood International tendered for the site from National Parks Board and did away with the water slides. It has since become a lifestyle and dining enclave.
Its last day of operation is Oct 21, although some businesses will cease operations earlier.
Some tenants, including Seafood International, will have to stop operations temporarily while they look for new locations.
But until its closure on Sept 16, the 500-seat restaurant - which has been operating at the location since 1983 - will run a Thai-themed a la carte lunch buffet promotion, featuring many dishes on its original menu, such as Thai prawn cakes, fishcakes and basil prawn and chicken.
Says its director Justin Tan, 43: "We want to bring back the favourites for old times' sake, so those who supported us can come back for one last visit."
Former lifeguards still at Big Splash
Mr Wong Tham Poh (left) and Mr Gary Lim were former lifeguards at the Big Splash water theme park. ST PHOTO: BENSON ANG
The year was 1988 and Mr Wong Tham Poh was a lifeguard at Big Splash water theme park.
On weekends, when thousands thronged the park, he strode the premises in a white T-shirt, red shorts and sunglasses.
He thought himself the king of safety - with a sculpted physique - who also knew how to have fun.
Whenever he was on a break, he would join in the water games that patrons were playing. How many invitations did he get a day? He did not keep count.
Mr Wong, now 53, says: "Back then, work felt like a party every day. The lifeguards - there were about 30 of us - felt like one big family.
"We were young, we got along. We loved the customers - the more, the merrier, really. Even if we were not on duty, many of us lifeguards showed up. Honestly, in those days, what else could you do with your free time?"
His nickname at the pool was "Spider" because of the way he swam freestyle.
"People said my body looked like a spider swimming - my limbs were all over the place. But at least I could swim fast," says Mr Wong, who worked part time and full time as a lifeguard at Big Splash for 18 years.
Although he met many pretty lasses in the course of his work, he never dated any of them. His wife was a salesgirlhe met outside of his job and, ironically, she could not swim.
Mr Wong, who has two sons aged 18 and 13, says: "You could say I was pretty wild when I was young. But even when I was having fun, I kept one eye on the pool."
He recalls going to the aid of children who unwittingly ended up at the deep end of the pool, but does not remember the details.
During the theme park's heyday, there were occasional reports of customers injuring themselves while going down the slides.
He says: "If you followed the instructions - sit upright and hold the sides of the slide - you would have no problem. It was only when customers tried to do stunts - like stand up or jump from lane to lane while going down - that trouble arrived."
Nowadays, he works full time as a lorry driver for a shipping company. In the evenings, he works as a kitchen hand at The Seafood International Market & Restaurant, killing crabs, lobsters and fish ordered by customers.
He says: "It is strange that my life came to revolve around Big Splash. But it is honestly not a bad place to be."
Another former lifeguard at Big Splash, Mr Gary Lim, 40, also works at the lifestyle and dining enclave now, as a property maintenance executive.
Referring to his lifeguard days, Mr Wong says: "My life now is more mellow. As they say, all good things come to an end. Still, I am grateful I was that person once - young, fun, without a care in the world."
Benson Ang
Growing up and marrying there
Mr Kee Ah Lam and Madam Ang Ah Keok wed at The Seafood International Market & Restaurant in 1985 (above) and their son Yong Ming and his wife Connie Lee followed suit last year. PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE KEE FAMILY
In 1985, Mr Kee Ah Lam married Madam Ang Ah Keok at The Seafood International Market & Restaurant, where he works as a purchasing manager.
Last year, the elder of their two sons, Mr Kee Yong Ming, married his wife Connie Lee at the same restaurant.
Accountant Yong Ming, 30, says: "Big Splash has been a big part of my life. My father was already working there when I was born. As a child, I visited the water theme park and had many fond memories there.
"You can also see the sea from the restaurant. When it was time to choose a location for my wedding, it was my first choice."
In 1983, his father started work at the restaurant as a storeman. Two years later, he married Madam Ang, who handles quality control in a factory.
Looking at his wedding photos, Mr Kee says: "See the flared trousers I was wearing? In those days, such trousers were very fashionable.
"I chose the restaurant because I worked there. Why would I want the best day of my life to be anywhere else?"
He adds: "Having your wedding dinner at a restaurant was also cheaper than at a hotel."
A year after the wedding, he left to work in the construction industry. But three years later, he returned to work in the restaurant and has not left since.
He says: "I realised that working in a restaurant was my true calling."
Mr Kee Ah Lam and Madam Ang Ah Keok wed at The Seafood International Market & Restaurant in 1985 and their son Yong Ming and his wife Connie Lee followed suit last year (above). PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE KEE FAMILY
Yong Ming recalls that although his father worked at Big Splash, his family visited the attraction only a few times a year, due to his father's busy schedule and the fact that it was not easily accessible by public transport.
But when they played there, Yong Ming says, "we really enjoyed going down the slides, playing in the pool and eating at the KFC outlet".
"Those are among my best memories," he adds.
Nowadays, he visits Big Splash every one or two months - usually with his wife - to eat at the restaurant.
"I have grown up with Big Splash and seen it evolve over the years. It will be sad to see it go."
At least 10 dead in Munich shooting, including gunman who police say killed himself
MUNICH (REUTERS) – A gunman opened fire in a busy mall in the German city of Munich on Friday (July 22) evening, killing at least ten people, including himself, and sending shoppers running for their lives in the third attack against civilians in Western Europe in eight days.
Authorities told the public to get off the streets as the city – Germany's third biggest – went into lockdown with transport halted and highways sealed off.
Injured people in the shooting included children and dead people included youths, Munich police chief confirmed.
Three of the injured people are believed to be in life-threatening condition.
A man found dead near the scene at a Munich shopping centre killed himself and was likely the sole shooter in the attack, a spokesman for the Munich police said on Saturday (July 23).
Munich police said Saturday that the shooter was an 18-year-old German-Iranian man whose motive was "completely unclear".
"The perpetrator was an 18-year-old German-Iranian from Munich," police chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters after the massacre that left 10 people dead including the gunman.
The shooter, who was previously not known to police, is suspected of using a pistol.
Earlier police had said they were looking for up to three suspects in the attack, citing eyewitness accounts.
Munich police chief later said the three men seen fleeing scene of shooting were found to be uninvolved.
Early Saturday, a Munich police spokesman said it was now believed likely that only one man was responsible for the shooting.
The shooting was believed to have first started in a fast food restaurant and moved to the shopping centre after.
The Bavarian capital was placed under a state of emergency as police hunted for him and special forces deployed in the city.
Alleged video of a shooter in #Munich, location confirmed by a friend working close by (she did not film the video)
— Thomas Seymat (@tseymat)
Shooting in #Munich shopping mall #OEZ!! People running away to seek shelter!!
— Thamina Stoll (@thaminastoll)
#Germany Breaking| Unconfirmed video of people shouting abuse to shooter as he says "I'm a German"
— dotemirates (@dotemirateseng)
#Video Police & security forces demanding from passengers to immediately evacuate metro stations in Munich #Germany
"We are telling the people of Munich there are shooters on the run who are dangerous," he said. "We are urging people to stay indoors."
Munich newspaper TZ said one of the shooters was dead. German news magazine Focus said a gunman had shot himself in the head.
At the height of the incident, people in the Olympia shopping centre either fled or sought to hide. "Many shots were fired, I can't say how many but it's been a lot," said a shop worker hiding in a store room inside the mall.
It was the third major act of violence against civilians in Western Europe in eight days. Previous attacks in France and Germany were claimed by the Islamic State militant group.
A police spokesman said there was no immediate indication that it was an Islamist attack but it was being treated as a terrorist incident.
Friday is also the fifth anniversary of the massacre by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway in which he killed 77 people. Breivik is a hero for far-right militants in Europe and America.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the motive for the attack was not yet clear. "The motives for this abhorrent act have not yet been completely clarified – we still have contradictory clues," Steinmeier said in a statement.
ISIS SUPPORTERS CELEBRATE
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but supporters of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) celebrated on social media. "The Islamic state is expanding in Europe," read one Tweet.
Two witnesses told n-tv television that they saw a man dressed as Santa Claus walking away from the scene of the shooting with a crowd of people. One said the man had blonde hair, was not carrying a weapon but had a suitcase.
A video posted online, whose authenticity could not be confirmed, showed a man dressed in black outside a McDonalds by the roadside, drawing a handgun and shooting towards members of the public.
Witnesses had seen shooting both inside the mall and on nearby streets, police said.
Several hours after the shooting, police said it was unclear if the shooters were still in Munich. As night closed in, the streets of the city were largely deserted.
Thousands of people had been crowding the streets and squares in Munich's city centre in the afternoon, clinking glasses, eating sausages, and listening to bands at a beer festival.
The festival was meant to last until Sunday but was evacuated shortly after the attack.
Elena Hakes, wearing a blue traditional dress, had been with a friend in the Odeonsplatz square.
"We heard what had happened and decided to leave, it just seemed not befitting anymore to continue partying.
"Most of the people were very calm and composed. There were a few people who came running towards us who were screaming and in panic. But mostly it was surprisingly calm."
Munich's main railway station was evacuated. BR television said police had sealed off many highways north of Munich and people were told to leave them.
The shopping centre is next to the Munich Olympic stadium, where the Palestinian militant group Black September took 11 Israeli athletes hostage and eventually killed them during the 1972 Olympic Games.
Friday's attack took place a week after a 17-year-old asylum-seeker assaulted passengers on a German train with an axe. Bavarian police shot dead the teenager after he wounded four people from Hong Kong on the train and injured a local resident while fleeing.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas told Bild newspaper's Friday edition before the mall attack that there was "no reason to panic but it's clear that Germany remains a possible target".
The incidents in Germany follow an attack in Nice, France, on July 14 in which a Tunisian drove a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, killing 84. ISIS claimed responsibility for that attack.
The Munich assault was also reminiscent of Islamist militant attacks in a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2013 and in Mumbai, India, in November 2008.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said on Twiiter:"Horrible killings in Munich. Taking place on the same day as we mourn & remember the appalling terror that hit Norway so hard five years ago."
US President Barack Obama pledged support for Germany. "We don't yet know exactly what's happening there, but obviously our hearts go out to those who may have been injured," Obama said.
Watch as @POTUS provides an update on the developing situation in #Munich, Germany:
