Happy Birthday Singapore - You Suck!

[oakweb]

Happy Birthday Singapore - You Suck! Official Don't Go To Singapore Post

Ok here's my story about traveling to Singapore with my Thai Fiancé. This just happened so I'd

like to get it down while it's still fresh in my memory. Today is Singapore's National Independence

Day. August 14, 1965 is that day, and also happens to be my birthday. I thought for my birthday

present I'd book a room at the Sands Hotel in Singapore for my Fiancé and myself. I've seen the

Discovery channel show about the hotel, looked like a fantastic new hotel overlooking Singapore

and a great roof top pool. I proceeded to book my flights and my hotel for 4 days, the very best

room I could get there.

My Fiancé and I have traveled all over the world. She holds a valid VISA for Schengen, UK, 10 Year

VISA for USA, Japan, and many other countries we have traveled without a problem. We have even

traveled to Singapore twice before in the past 7 years with no problem.

As I stood in line to have our passports checked, I had no idea or even a feeling that we would ever

be declined for entry. Here is what happened, and let it be known for anyone wanting to enter

Singapore with a sexy Thai other, not to try.

My Fiancé was dressed casually, nothing too provocative. She is sexy though, and that was enough for

the checker to decide that she needed to be interrogated. I've seen my own US Customs officer give her

a hard time in New York, not long after 9/11 so I've always had a gut clenching angry feeling whenever

she gets interrogated at the counter. This lady working the Customs desk, does a look at

her, then she proceeds to say "Come with me". I immediately step in and ask what the problem is, she

sternly says "Back in line". I stated, "No, she's traveling with me and I'm not going back in line. I'm going

wherever she's going".

Off to a desk we went where there were 6-7 officers. I was thinking surely this is going to be resolved, I'm

an American, she has traveled here twice before, she has a US VISA good for 10 years, this is just the

one officer who is just crazy.

I was wrong, the officers (all this time holding her arm like she's a criminal) whisked her away to the

"interrogation room". I was not permitted to come, they informed me to go sit in a waiting area. During

this time I exchanged the stated above facts about her travels, with any officer that was near me. The officers were

for the most part respectable except for one. I got his name "Inspector Danny Lim Yu-san". This officer

was quite rude and indifferent to me. After a few minutes he came out and exclaimed, "Your girlfriend she

can not come Singapore! We ban her forever!" I was so pissed at this point, looking over at the

couches there were other people that were pulled from the line, intimidated by these idiot governmental goons.

I said back, "Good we don't want to go to your country anyways, this place sucks!. You guys are crazy

she has 10 year Visa with America and has been all around the world." I was yelling at this time, and I

really didn't care what was going to happen. They can't throw me in jail for being pissed.

I went around to the front of the counter to where the group of them were, and begin to interrogate them. I

wanted to know how and when they were going to return my fiancé. Their English was horrible and impossible

to understand. There was no one there to give me a piece of paper or anything on what I needed to do to get

her out of this detention area and back on a plane to Bangkok.

After about 20minutes they figured I was not going to leave until I had this information and an executive officer

(who was polite) explained that I would need to pass customs, get my baggage and then go to the ticketing

area and purchase a ticket for us to return to Bangkok. No problem, gladly!. I'll do that and meet her at the

boarding gate. So I left her, gave her some hand signals through the glass door, that I'd meet her upstairs.

They would not let me speak to her again.

I went though customs, picked up our luggage and proceeded to AirAsia ticket desk. I explained to them what happened, and

I guess it's quite common. "No problem, please come back in an hour and we will have someone help". Ok well

I heard that from them a couple more times and 3 hours had passed, I finally have our tickets, 1 way back to

Bangkok. No ability to use our return flight or refund, so there's about a 7000 baht loss. I book the tickets

total 15,000 baht for one way back to Bangkok. The manager explained that she would be at the gate at boarding

time 20:00 hours. Ok so that means, she is going to be in some detention room for a total of 6 hours today. I'm

about as pissed as you can be at a country by this point.

20:20 hours I'm at the gate, everyone has boarded and my worry is they are not going to release her. AirAsia checkin

lady is crazy, telling me to go ahead and board. Right! Why do they keep wanting me to leave this country without

my fiancé. I explained to her I'm not getting on the plane without my fiancé .

I don't trust this group of goons, and the fact I showed some rage I'm sure has them thinking payback. I'm worried

they just wanted me to purchase the tickets earlier so I could get screwed out of more money. 20:25 hours, finally I can see

4 agents with guns and my Fiancé coming down the hall. She's visibly shaken a and has tears. After some paperwork at the

gate, we board the plane, everyone looking at us and waiting.

On the flight back she tells me about everything. I hear from her that there were two other Thai girls in the holding cell, a

Viet Nam and a Chinese girl even a Farang youth. My Fiancé watched one Thai girl get patted down, her genitals and her breasts

touched by a male officer. I was happy to hear that they didn't do that to my Fiancé. There were others rejected on our flight. One Thai girl

had a farang boyfriend in Singapore trying to pick her up. Another Thai girl was rejected as she had been there

twice this year already, and they felt it was excessive her wanting to go again. Their rejection room total had about 20 people

in and out of it within the hours she was there.

When I was pissed at the desk, I also saw them bring over a Farang European lady for inspection, she was in her mid 30's and

attractive. The officer looked her over and explained he didn't like her passport, that it looked old. They let her

enter the country after a few minutes of brow beating.

When we arrived in Bangkok the ordeal was still not over. My Fiancés passport was still not returned to her. We had to

go with a AirAsia security agent for about an hour to another room in Suvarnabhumi airport to the Immigration Transit

desk. Walking with the AirAsia guy he told us he does this every day. Every day Thai residents are rejected in this manner.

What this also means for someone rejected is if you make a hotel reservation in Singapore that is non refundable, you have lost that

money as well. AirAsia is making money as well, their tickets are non refundable for the return flight you will never make, and you will

need to purchase those tickets to return back once rejected, as I did. I don't hold AirAsia too much at fault, they were nice

enough throughout the process.

All of this BS for why? Because Singapore has no VISA entry process I guess. They reject probably 30-70, maybe more, people a day

since they don't ask for VISAs. The one immigration girl told my Fiancé that she should have written a letter asking to

enter Singapore. Now, why would we have done that if we had gone twice before?

Singapore is nothing special, I hope this post helps others. I can say Hong Kong is no problem and funner. Don't go to Singapore

and tell your friends if they have a significant Thai other, not to go there as you could loose money and spend the day traveling

back and forth from Thailand and in a detention center for no good reason at all.

Here are some other reasons not to go there:

1) Oral sex, if not followed by vaginal intercourse, has been ruled as an "unnatural act" under section 377 of the Singapore penal code which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Yes, somebody went to prison for that.

2) Jehovah's witnesses: How can anyone respect the government of a country that feels so insecure that it can't even let its people make up their own minds about the "Watchtower"? Actually, the reason Singapore jails all Witnesses or people found holding their literature is that their religion forbids military service as all killing of fellow human beings (remember "Thou shalt not kill"?), which is the same reason why Hitler sent them to concentration camps.

3) No one has ever died of a cannabis overdose. Scientists say it's about as habit forming as coffee and does not lead to harder drugs, yet the government of Singapore is prepared to kill people they find in possession of it. Singapore is unique amongst tiny countries (the city state has only 3 million inhabitants) in executing some 50-80 people every year, many of them for being found with drugs. Imagine if Japan was executing 3000 people per year and holding 400,000 citizens in concentration camps for using illicit substances and you've got things in proportion. Despite these barbaric punishments the number of illegal drug users in its five drug rehabilitation centres (where people can be detained against their will if they have used illegal drugs) rose from around 5000 in 1990 to 8700 in 1994 [1]. That means two decades after making the death penalty mandatory for a range of drug offences as many as 1 in 300 Singaporean citizens are now undergoing forced drug treatment, tendency rising...

4) Chewing gum: On the other hand, no one has been sentenced for smuggling gum yet. There was a case recently though where a 16 year old boy was sent to a detention camp for two years for being caught with a pack of cigarettes.

UPDATE: In May 2004, the government of Singapore lifted its blanket ban on gum sales. 19 "medicinal" and "dental" gums may be sold in pharmacies, provided users show valid ID. Selling chewing gum without checking ID makes the seller liable to a fine of S$5000 (US$3000) and up to two years in jail.

[wileycoyote]

Sorry oakweb

You and your fiance experienced a terrible ordeal.

There is no way that the Singapore Immigration can defend such treatment.

Wiley Coyote

[wimpy]

Wow - that sucks. We were thinking of going. On second thought, I think we'll give it a miss.

[FelixB]

Similar, but no so bad happened to me. Watch out in Singapore!

I sailed through Singapore immigration, went to get the bags whilst my Thai wife queued. We've been to Singapore at least 15 times and I hold a Singapore PR pass. I waited and waited, still she didn't come. So I walked back to the immigration desks to see that she was still there arguing with the official. I asked what was going on and she told me that they were not letting her in. Now my wife is attractive, a former top model. But we have two kids, who were actually in Singapore attending a school outing. We were going to join them.

I shouted at my wife, "just tell him to fuc_k off" and come through. Well he did chop her passport and she came though.

It was then as we were approaching the exit that two policemen approached me. They asked me to come with them. I asked why. They said that I was being arrested because I used "vulgarities" against an immigration officer!

After some arguing we went back to the immigration desk. The immigration guy said he was just doing his job. I told the police that they couldn't arrest me because I had used no vulgarities at the immigration officer. I repeated what I had said. But I said I was talking to my wife not to the immigration officer. There was little they could do, so they released me.

But it was a hairy few moments.

[oakweb]

Similar, but no so bad happened to me. Watch out in Singapore!

I sailed through Singapore immigration, went to get the bags whilst my Thai wife queued. We've been to Singapore at least 15 times and I hold a Singapore PR pass. I waited and waited, still she didn't come. So I walked back to the immigration desks to see that she was still there arguing with the official. I asked what was going on and she told me that they were not letting her in. Now my wife is attractive, a former top model. But we have two kids, who were actually in Singapore attending a school outing. We were going to join them.

I shouted at my wife, "just tell him to fuc_k off" and come through. Well he did chop her passport and she came though.

It was then as we were approaching the exit that two policemen approached me. They asked me to come with them. I asked why. They said that I was being arrested because I used "vulgarities" against an immigration officer!

After some arguing we went back to the immigration desk. The immigration guy said he was just doing his job. I told the police that they couldn't arrest me because I had used no vulgarities at the immigration officer. I repeated what I had said. But I said I was talking to my wife not to the immigration officer. There was little they could do, so they released me.

But it was a hairy few moments.

Thanks to all for replies so far, and Felix that does sound like a close one. I wish I would have told my Fiancé to call them all sorts of names, that would have been very gratifying. A few times Inspector Danny asked me if I was threatening him, as I was informing them I'd make sure all of his superiors and the web would know about this instance. I told him you can call it whatever you like, I'm informing you what I'm going to do. They really are a bunch of goons there with a lack of education. I faxed this post to all their departments listed here: http://www.customs.gov.sg/mis/con/ and emailed their "Service manager".

Quality Service Manager

Tel: 1800 253 3866

Email: [email protected]

And now I'm content to make this post and send the faxes every year on my birthday. Everyone feel free to contact Singapore service manager here [email protected]

[wimpy]

I just sent them an email outlining why we are cancelling our planned vacation to Singapore, and will be spending our tourist dollars elsewhere. Turkeys. Think I may send one to their tourist board as well - if they have one.

[wimpy]

They do. And here it is. https://app.stb.gov.sg/asp/mis/cont.asp

[QED]

"I'm an American", "She is sexy"

Could you tell us your respective ages, maybe that will shed more light on the circumstances

[COXYATCITY]

Gutted for you mate. <deleted>> them ,I was planning to go with my wife,Not now though you have told what happened to you. I am sure there are many other places in asia which will be very happy to have our money

[steppenwolf108]

Did travel several times with a hot smoking sexy young Thai girl who was proud in showing her body, making all heads turning at the airports in KL, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau: never got any problem.

And trust me, I looked more the part of the elder brother/almost dad while walking with her [the famous walk of fame].

Are you sure there was nothing else behind the detention of your Thai girlfriend? I saw several times, cases of fake passports [not your girl of course], name changed and other weird stuff done by Thai ladies...someone used a similar name on a fake passport, perhaps?

I was once travelling to the Hong Kong Jewelry Fair with a PR holding Colombian passport...we got taken to the interrogation room because Colombia is one of the Country on the black list for thieves visiting the jewelry fair...it did make sense, nothing to argue, just a regular and polite check....the Colombian PR was little mad but she kept quiet.

I actually find the Singapore Immigration one of the most efficient and polite in the Region...this said by a farang from the old continent....

[balo]

Maybe if you had been polite to them even after what happened they would let her in?

Just a thought.

[Benjie]

Are you sure your fiancee hasn't been perhaps has expelled/blacklisted from Singapore previously. Not sure what the US Visa has to do with anything.

[MJo]

They reject loads of Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese ladies every day and for a reason. They all well organized and polite but firm and quite strict rules and laws are enforced.

Perhaps a case of mistaken identity or your GF has history in their books that came up now.

Its not that long ago when they still refused entry for all males having long hair...

It's still ok and safe destination and loads to do. I would not put my plans on-hold based on one bad experience reported in internet where full details are not known.

[reefsurfah]

Wow, this sucks. Now, I'm going to make sure that I won't fly to Singapore unless for work. Seems arbitrary on who they let in and not surprised they do some profiling. Thanks for the heads up and all the best..

[Ulysses G.]

I'm sorry about your problem and I do not blame you for being angry, but I LOVE the place (for a few days) and have never had a problem in many, many visits. However, after reading your post, I would not bring a Thai girl there.

[maccaroni man]

when i lived in bali i did my visa runs to singapore it was a well timed day trip, pass through customs, exit and catch the first bird back but if i missed the flight i would run my cost up considerably. so i am at the point of entry desk and the officer is checking , double, and triple checking my passport?! I ask whats the problem, he says passport old, it wasnt so old as it had dropped in the sea and was smeared, so i said yep i am getting a new one but right now i just need to make this visa run so i can get one from my embassy back in bali. I can see that he is seriously considering not letting me in, i show him my return ticket to bali in a few hrs and begin to raise my voice, up steps a guy with his hand on his pistol! i point at him and laugh to try and take the edge off and they let me pass with a stern warning, get new passport. the only other time i have had guns on me for raising my voice was in mexico city i guess speaks volums about singapore.

[FritsSikkink]

@maccaroni man

It isn't too smart to raise youre voice at a goverment official in any country

[harrry]

If your wife is just a little bit pregnant when you get there there is no way Singapore will let you in. Caused me no end of problems 35 years ago when my ex wife and I were booked on a ship out of there. Probably why she is my ex wife. But then they at least were polite,.

[angiud]

This is one of the several problems happening in a dictatorship

[singa-traz]

Would be interesting to get the other side of the story and get the version of Inspector's Danny.

Singapore Immigration must have some reasons to deny her entry to the country, including mistaken identity, etc ...

[PhilHarries]

Sorry, but there's something missing here. I've travelled to Singapore with a Thai woman, not my wife and with no visas for anyplace, and had no problem. My current Vietnamese friend has been there with no problem.

ASEAN member countries nationals need no visas.

I do know Malaysia gives incoming Filippino ladies a grilling sometimes but seldom a refusal.

Anyhow, sorry to hear of your problems but there are better places to visit than the island shopping mall.

[IMA_FARANG]

I've been to Singapore twice with my Thai girlfriend and once with her and her family (3 children). That was some year ago but I've never run into any problems with Singapore immigration and customs. The only small problem i did have was with a hotel on Orchard Road when i asked for two rooms...one with an extra bed for the 3 children and one with a double bed for me and my Thai girlfriend. (I didn't say girlfriend, but when I asked for a room with a double bed the clerk asked if the Thai woman was really my wife). I said yes she was. I'm sure he knew I was lying, but I just stood there and looked him in the eye, and he backed down. If he had been stupid enpugh to ask if I intended to have sex with her, I would have said, yes, certainly, and that why we wanted the d--n double bed...and quickly too, you pompous little tw-t. But the desk clerk didn't have the b-lls to csrry on with the questioning, just got me the room with the double bed I requested.

But usually Singapore immigration is polite to a fault...and they do have a supervisor to which you can complain (politely) of anything you feel they have done to give offense to you or your companion. In fact Singapore government officials are usually happy to explain why they take there actions...but you can not expect them to tolerate you being rude or abusive to them. I'm not saying you did, but usually in Singapore there is always someone whose job is to listen and judge customer complaints...and you are far more likely to get a fair hearing than you ever would be in Thailand to your complaint.

I'm sorry you and your Thai fiancee got such a bad time in Singapore. As I said before, I've taken my Thai girlfriend and her family to Singapore before for visits...all with Thai passports....and never had a problem with Singapore immigration. I admit however, that was 20 years ago now. (At the time I was in my mid 30's, my Thai G/F was about 26 to 28 years old on those trips). Just for the record...she was a bargirl then...but her working name in the bar as she was known by the other girls at the time translated as "the Lady" because of the way she carried herself and acted. Maybe it was just because she was never ashamed of herself or her job...she just carried herself like she was in charge and wouldn't take any cr-p off anyone. Maybe that why neither Thai or Singaporean immigration ever bothered her then?

Edited August 14, 2010 by IMA_FARANG

[Rinrada]

This is one of the several problems happening in a dictatorship

Maybe not quite however..

In the 2006 Singapore general election, the PAP won 82 of the 84 elected seats in the Parliament of Singapore while receiving 66.6% of total votes cast.[2]

PAP is old "Lung" Lees outfit

their symbol reminds me of another political party....thinking...too mutt...

[jackspratt]

Thanks to all for replies so far, and Felix that does sound like a close one. I wish I would have told my Fiancé to call them all sorts of names, that would have been very gratifying. A few times Inspector Danny asked me if I was threatening him, as I was informing them I'd make sure all of his superiors and the web would know about this instance. I told him you can call it whatever you like, I'm informing you what I'm going to do. They really are a bunch of goons there with a lack of education. I faxed this post to all their departments listed here: http://www.customs.gov.sg/mis/con/ and emailed their "Service manager".

Quality Service Manager

Tel: 1800 253 3866

Email: [email protected]

And now I'm content to make this post and send the faxes every year on my birthday. Everyone feel free to contact Singapore service manager here [email protected]

I question whether Singapore Customs is likely to pass on complaining emails meant for the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.

[oakweb]

I too remember no problems the other two times I went to Singapore with my fiancé, very nice custom officials. But the attitude I saw being given out at the desk, and also what the AirAsia employee had told us was an increase in Thai's being returned, this makes me believe that this is something that is happening now and is a new situation. The European girl being given a hard time about the old passport, and the other Thais my girlfriend met that from what they said also never had any problem in the country or visiting before. It makes me think that this issue is just a growing problem at the Airport, bad management, or some policy gone awry. We have friends that live there that say there are never these problems at the Bus border crossings.

Why doesn't Singapore do the VISA process like all the other places do? Why wait for the traveler to go all the way there, and then refuse them? It's just stupid, and the fact they do it with large numbers of travelers every day makes me angry. The fact they profile Thai girls like they do, also makes me angry. It's amazing to me that customs does not care that a Farang traveler to Singapore is not sufficient enough to guarantee a Thai girl into the country.

@Benjie never arrested, never a problem, remember we visited there twice before no problem. USA Visas are the most difficult to get in the world for Thai nationals. And usually once you have a USA Visa, getting other

VISAs are easier.

@QED I'm 45 and my fiancé is 32.

@balo I have no idea if they would let her in if I was of cooler head, but they can kiss my ass anyways and I hope the next Farang they take on with a Thai girlfriend they will think twice before interrogating them.

Good news on my side is even though the reservation I made through American Express said 100% non refundable for the room, after speaking with a Supervisor I was given a full refund.

I started my phone call to them by saying, "My fiancé was refused entry into Singapore since she was too sexy". They were quite accommodating. Makes me think they have seen this problem as well.

I appreciate all the feedback and posts about this, it makes me feel that we are a rather large community now. It's not my first time traveling with a Thai girl. I married my first Thai wife almost 16 years ago. 16 years ago there just were not that many guys with Thai wives/girlfriends as there are now.

[rgs2001uk]

"This lady working the Customs desk, does a look at

her, then she proceeds to say "Come with me". I immediately step in and ask what the problem is, she

sternly says "Back in line". I stated, "No, she's traveling with me and I'm not going back in line. I'm going

wherever she's going".

"They can't throw me in jail for being pissed"

" I was thinking surely this is going to be resolved, I'm

an American"

You have to laugh, try that shit at JFK.

Well done Singapore.

[FritsSikkink]

You are probably the victem of the number of Thai working girls in Singapore

[eeconomist]

This is one of the several problems happening in a dictatorship

Going by your logic, does that mean if someone is banned from entering US means US is ruled by dictatorship?

[surangw]

IMHO

singapore and its citizens have a waaaay higher opinion of themselves than the rest of the world

[trogers]

Singapore has all along been known as a police state since it was formed in the 60s.

The recent case of a local photo-journalist being handcuffed by the police while doing his job in taking photos of a 50-year flood is a good illustration of how the Singapore police force have been trained to 'serve' the public.

If they will do such an act to their taxpayers, would not worse be possibly done to visitors?

See - http://forums.asiaone.com/showthread.php?t=31438