Singaporean jailed for nothing while entering the States

[Chickenfarm]

Oic...I'm mostly in CBD dlvrg my chicken and eggs Met Ah Pok twice for kopi oredy

[Tigershark1976]

People people, chk this out...

 

Here's a story of a Singaporean who kena detention/jailed for nothing when he went into the States for a business trip (and he was travelling with his clients even!)...

 

I felt like meat in microwave

 

WHAT was to be a business trip turned into a hellish nightmare for a Singaporean marketing director.

He was interrogated, handcuffed, chained at the feet, and even spent some time in a prison facility.

He was detained in a holding cell, slept in a prison bed and also ordered to work in the jail.

It was Mr Ronald Wong Yoke Kheong's first trip to the United States.

His flight landed in Houston at 8.30pm (local time) on 4 May. He saw two police officers at the plane's exit door, checking each passenger's passport as they disembarked.

The 49-year-old marketing director, a seasoned traveller said: 'I thought it was just a routine check. But the two officers stopped me after checking my passport. They took me aside, and said they wanted to speak to me.

 

NOT WORRIED

 

'I still wasn't worried because I thought they just wanted to ask a few more questions before letting me go.'

He did feel the glare of other passengers as he was led away by the two officers.

'The officers didn't even allow me to collect my luggage at the belt.'

Mr Wong had to hand over the luggage collection slip to the officers while he was escorted to an office.

He had left Singapore on 4 May, a Sunday, on an early morning flight to participate in a trade exhibition in Houston from 5 to 8 May. After that, he was scheduled to go to New Orleans, and Canada, and was to return only on 17 May.

Mr Wong said he travelled regularly for work, about three times a month, to various countries, including China, Japan, India and the Middle East.

But these were usually short trips which lasted five days at most.

On the US trip, some of his clients had been on the same flight as him.

At the Houston airport, Mr Wong was taken to a room with glass windows, It had only a table and a few chairs. He noticed that the officers outside were all armed.

'I was still not worried, as I knew Ididn't commit any crime.'

But alarm bells started to go off in his head when an officer ordered him to remove all items from his pockets.

'I was allowed to wear my watch, but I had to hand over my handphone, my wallet and check-in lugagge,' he said. The only exception was the cash in his wallet. He had about USD$7,500 ($10,250) as well as some Singapore money.

Mr Wong was then taken into a room next door, where he would spend the next 19 hours under interrogation.

'I asked to make a call to my company and wife to inform them, butthe officers didn't allow me to,' hesaid.

'They started to ask me a number of questions. I gave my answers readily as I knew I was speaking the truth.'

Mr Wong said he was questioned about the purpose of his visits to all the countries reflected in his passport, where he stayed in those countries, whom he met on his business trips, and if he had bank accounts in these countries.

'They repeated the questions over and over. It was exhausting, but I answered all their questions,' he said.

Mr Wong, who said he could be hot-tempered at times, remained calm throughout the interrogation process.

'I didn't allow myself to lose my patience. I told myself that I was in foreign territory and it was best to co-operate and not antagonise the local authorities,' he added.

He said he was questioned by at least three shifts of officers who worked in pairs.

'I felt like a piece of meat in the microwave,' said Mr Wong of his being grilled.

He said he was not given any food, but was allowed to drink from a water cooler and to go to the toilet. But his every movement was watched.

Mr Wong said at one point, an officer who introduced himself as a CIA officer also questioned him for about four hours.

After 19 hours of being questioned and going without food, the worst was yet to come.

'The next day at about 3pm, two prison officers came and wanted to handcuff me and shackle my ankles,' he said. 'I asked them why, but they said it was the standard procedure.'

The handcuffs and leg cuffs were chained together.

'It was very humiliating to be treated like a convict. The leg cuffs hurt and I had to walk like Frankenstein since my movements were restricted,' Mr Wong recounted.

'I couldn't even hold up my hands to scratch my nose.'

 

STAYED CALM

 

But he told himself to stay calm, and hoped his colleagues in the Houston office would look for him when he didn't show up for the exhibition.

He said he usually called his wife and secretary to keep them informed of his whereabouts when he travelled.

He was put in a van and taken to a prison, where he was told to change into a blue prison uniform. He had to hand over all his possessions, and was put in a holding cell with four benches with about 20 other people.

That was when he started to feel a real sense of fear.

'I was starving, I didn't know what was going on. I started to think maybe I would end up there forever, for a reason I didn't even know,' he said.

He said he was there for about 12hours before he was taken to another cell with nearly 60 other prisoners, where he was given a bed.

At one point, he was ordered to work with the other prisoners on some chores, but he refused.

'In all my travelling experience in the past 20 years, I have never been in such a situation. I wondered if it was a case of mistaken identity,' he said.

He counted the minutes as the time passed agonisingly by in the cell.

After another 24 hours, he was given back his clothes and taken back to the detention room at the airport.

'The questioning continued. And my requests to make phone calls were denied,' he said.

The hours wore on and Mr Wong grew more weary and despondent.

Finally there was a glimpse of hope when he was told the Singapore Embassy wanted to speak with him.

'I was relieved that someone knew about my plight, and I asked the embassy official to inform my wife.'

The embassy official asked if he was all right and how he had been treated.

At about 10pm, three days after his ordeal began, Mr Wong was told he was to be deported. No reason was given to Mr Wong for his detention.

His belongings were returned to him, and he was escorted by two police officers to his seat on the plane, which was scheduled to depart at 11.45pm (local time).

'It was very humiliating to be escorted onto the plane with the other passengers staring. I wasn't even allowed to hold my own passport,' he said.

But he was finally allowed to call his wife.

 

GRATEFUL

 

'I just focused on having my freedom back and going home,' he said. 'I was thankful the Singapore Embassy helped secure my release so quickly.'

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman confirmed a Singaporean was detained at the Houston Airport and that the Singapore Embassy in Washington had provided the necessary consular assistance.

But Mr Wong's ordeal did not end when the plane took off from Houston.

When he was in transit in Moscow, he was escorted from the plane by two Russian police officers and kept under watch. He was later also escorted onto the Singapore-bound plane.

He finally arrived in Singapore on 8May. He was escorted by two Singapore police officers after he got off the plane. After he cleared immigration, he met his wife who was at the airport.

Until today, Mr Wong does not know why he was detained. He said he has written to the US embassy here for an explanation.

 

This article was first published in The New Paper on May 20, 2008.

 

 

That's why everytime I go to the States, I was worried of clearing the imigration & customs!

 

If the guy really travel so frequently, he should know that US Imigration officers are the most arragont poeple in the world. They can anything they want.... and dont be suprise, China Imigration is rated the best in service and attitude.... Singapore?? I dunno, should be in between bah...

[Chickenfarm]

 

I agree wif u Back in CDO, we were told not to offend the riggers who packed our chutes Otherwise when u jump...bras and panties will eject from the pack instead of your parachute

[Mazdaowner]

Ah Pok? The one selling mee pok at Amoy Street Hawker Centre ar?

I julong area la, going CBD area not possible unless got snake to eat.

[Mazdaowner]

Eyh, what offend, DON'T FARK THEM. You which year? I was in 1981 SOF with WO Lim (Passed away few years back due to cancer)

first batch, and first batch seals. Finished off reserve as Snr.WO. Did extra 7yrs reserve service as trainer. I tell you,

farking small world if we happen to know each other. Call Sign: Hitman.

[Chickenfarm]

I is much later I was a regular and my formation was actually Armour (1986)

 

Joined CDO only in 1989...was roped in after my rangers course...

[Tashi]

hi bro

That stretch all kena moved out liao. Think the Murray St building undergoing some kind of reno or something. The Hakka eating place bosses quite familiar with me as I went there often at one time. But.... tastes changed. Dunno where they are now after the moving out.

 

There were/are some Hakka stalls in Maxwell mkt itself. There is one which is stewed beef noodles, not so bad, my wife (not Hakka) likes it.... unfortunately, I am more drawn to the true-blue Taiwanese stewed beef taste. Bro Mazdaowner might agree. dunno.

 

keep blessed

+

[Mazdaowner]

I had to do fast march wen I didn't make it thru pilot course, FTS then changi, and next door.

Regular all the way till ROD, went thru a lot of crap. I would have ROD when you just came in.

1st Coy 2yrs, then rest there.

[Mazdaowner]

You mean....ngow lan tan chu hai??

[Flight_skoda]

Oic...I'm mostly in CBD dlvrg my chicken and eggs Met Ah Pok twice for kopi oredy

How cum nber jio me one? Izzit becoz I am a poor teller clerk?

[Mazdaowner]

I don't appreciate the taiwanese beef noodles, but I don't know if you've ever tried the

cantonese version of stewed beef tendon noodles. Used to ,be sold by those

amah chey in the 70s. I'll try and find the recipe, wrote it down somewhere, since now

you know where to get quality beef, you can try our hand at cooking this dish. Yes,

taken with noodles. Cantonese name is: Ngow Lam Meen.

[Mazdaowner]

You poor teller clerk, I road sweeper niah.

[Flight_skoda]

You so humble ...

My job is about service ... which is ...

a good balance between telling people off and doing admin stuff. So Teller Clerk loh...

[Viceroymenthol]

what expat forums?.... would be interested to have a look see on what they talk about .... and maybe educate them a bit

 

expatsingapore. hahahhaa

 

the white guys are always going on about how great they are and how all local girls love them. a perennial topic is how dumb singaporeans are and how singapore needs these expats to work here otherwise singapore will degenerate into a 3rd world sh1thole. wtf!

 

this thread, for instance, makes it seem like all local girls who like ang mor are sluts who are interested in them for the money:

http://www.expatsingapore.com/forum/index....ic,43574.0.html

[Mazdaowner]

I like, can we change jobs, I like specially the "telling people off" part.

[Mazdaowner]

The more to hate them. They think they're demi gods and we are like coolies, only meant to do manual labour

and have no brains. WTF! If they were back home, they'd be 3rd class idiots. That's the thing with most

SG people, they let these sonsofbitches walk over them, kowtow to them like they're some big deal, NOT!

 

And I will still continue to walk along Orchard Road like OUR Grandfathers own it, buay song,

lai kong. KNN chow Angmo kia. Langa also won't say sorry. WTF!

[Typhoonz]

Mai siu kee lah... They know they need us more than we need them but way too proud to admit it...

 

If the companies don't employ them here, how they how lian? If their companies don't need our business, they can jolly well move elsewhere and rot...

[Boyboy]

i'm sure there has to be a nicer way of putting it .