Singaporean jailed for nothing while entering the States

[Cthulhu]

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!

[Hamburger]

even IDN minister kana lock up there let alone a stink's peasant

[Cthulhu]

just seems scary; that's all...

[Minzmaster]

You are nuts! One Sillyporean slighly mistreated, the whole island kowpeh kowbu! Newpaper write write write up a fantastic story!

 

But every darn day, foreigners kena from Sillypore's Immigration and Customs, you don't even utter a word... You people don't know nuts about Human Rights, just know how to complain when you see your own kind get a little mistreatment.

[Fortress]

It shows the dual sides of the US.

[Maxus-MIFA9]

US intel group got wrong information that Middle East Terrorist disguise as SG chinese.....

 

 

[Gearoil]

What dual sides?...you mean double faces?

 

Come on lah!..you can't believe all you read in the press.....maybe this farker Sinkie was 'unco-operative' withn the white skin over there to begin with and then he blah..blah..blah..and complain...

 

Afterall, the Sinkie is No.1 world Class in complaining!

[Tunge]

wow this is really ridiculous man! the USA think they most powerful conuntry in the world can just bully anyine n get away with it, somemore s'pore small country how to argue man...

 

so sad really sympathise with the guy who had to go thru that terrible ordeal man....

[Cthulhu]

Dun laugh bro... I myself almost kena this kinda sh!t! Tho not as serious...

[Nine_eleven]

ridiculous.

 

they've benn on paranoid mode since 2001.

 

there are alot of americans with small town thinking.

 

thinking that the whole world wants a piece of them, while that may be true for some, a bigger number of people just want to live their lives normally.

 

what goes around comes around. wait till americans try going through chinese customs...

[Cthulhu]

Yeah man!

[Rayleigh]

May I ask if you have ever travel to US? If you dun, I would suggest you better keep quiet. I been to US many times and certainly I do have the phobia. Why? Cos their system is humiliating, they are like king and they treat you like dirt. Have you ever got your wallet ransack inform of every pair of eyes? Has Singapore or Malaysia or European customs ever ransack your stuff in a barbarian manner? I do not expect anything from them but at least treat us as humans.

Edited June 6, 2008 by Rayleigh

[Mzrmazda3]

That is sure a nightmare for our fellow Singaporean

 

Really cannot imagine the mental stress which he is going through

 

I think Bee Cxck needs to give a satisfactory explaination to this fellow Singapo Nan

[Cthulhu]

Bro, we read Newpaper with 50% face value. We don't believe everything BUT I tell you, the States' immigration officers can really give you a hard time! They can be really b@st@rds at times.

[Cthulhu]

"wait till americans try going through chinese customs"

 

LOL

[Scion]

yah, maybe he's very kuai lan...

 

but yet again, US always think they are the world police...

 

anyway good thing they din throw him into Fox River

[Cthulhu]

serious bro, i don't think the bee kok people will give a hoot to what happened...

[Cthulhu]

May I ask if you have ever travel to US? If you dun, I would suggest you better keep quiet. I been to US many times and certainly I do have the phobia. Why? Cos their system is humiliating, they are like king and they treat you like dirt. Have you ever got your wallet ransack inform of every pair of eyes? Has Singapore or Malaysia or European customs ever ransack your stuff in a barbarian manner? I do not expect anything from them but at least treat us as humans.

 

Well said brother! I can't put it in a better way! At least I know some other bros here have the same phobia as me.