Cootie-Monster Neutral Newbie September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 Is it one look very manly or the other one look very girly? Malaysian enters Singapore using wife's passport By Nicholas Yong A MALAYSIAN man cleared Malaysian and Singaporean immigration checks and entered Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint last Wednesday using his wife's passport by mistake. Mr Lee Hong Keow, 58, an engineer and permanent resident here for almost three decades, only discovered his error two days later, when his wife could not leave Johor Baru to join him here. His wife, a 55-year-old Malaysian and also a Singapore PR, was unaware of the mix-up until she was stopped by Malaysian officers for using her husband's passport. The couple's adult daughter, who works here, then took her mother's passport to Johor Baru so that she could come to Singapore. They brought back Mr Lee's passport. The father of two told The Straits Times that the mix-up occurred as he had changed his passport cover recently and the new one looked like his wife's. With homes in both countries, he crosses the Causeway by car up to twice a week. He said this was the first time such an incident had happened to him. As he had already cleared the Malaysian passport check, Mr Lee did not suspect anything was amiss when he arrived at Singapore checkpoint. 'You usually have to wind down your window and they will call out your name, but the officer did not. She just scanned and cleared my passport and gave it back to me, and I drove off,' he said. He said that after his wife told him what had happened, it did not occur to him to report the incident to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). 'I thought it was just a random error.' Responding to questions from The Straits Times, an ICA spokesman said yesterday that the incident was an operational lapse by an individual officer. 'We take a serious view of such an operational lapse. A thorough investigation is currently under way and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against the officer.' She added: 'The ICA officer who granted Mr Lee the immigration clearance had failed to conduct a proper face-to-face verification of the traveller against the passport produced. This should not have happened.' ICA said about 340,000 people pass through Woodlands Checkpoint daily and its officers detect about five cases a day of people carrying the wrong documents. In January last year, a 73-year-old woman with mild dementia went missing while on a family holiday in Genting Highlands. She managed to make it back home here without her passport or bus ticket. In 2008, a 61-year-old retiree who took his son's passport by mistake cleared all immigration checks and flew off from Changi Airport's Budget Terminal to Vietnam before realising his mistake. Link ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman888 Moderator September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 the custom officer gets tire stamping hundreds of passports Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coupe07 Neutral Newbie September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 its an "honest mistake" by the ICA... lets move on.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albeniz Turbocharged September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 In January last year, a 73-year-old woman with mild dementia went missing while on a family holiday in Genting Highlands. She managed to make it back home here without her passport or bus ticket. Even a "73-year-old woman with mild dementia" could cross the custom without her passport? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkingidiot 1st Gear September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 hmm.. just 1 officer make a mistake and some one can pass thru just the immigration just like that? SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE! That points to a system fault - poor planning and implementation of security policy. That points to the boss of ICA, for not having considered such a situation. Heads should roll at the top also, not make just this one pathetic officer the sole scapegoat. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cootie-Monster Neutral Newbie September 9, 2010 Author Share September 9, 2010 The article forgot to mention that Mas Selamat, Ah Took and One Eyed Dragon also made it across the Causeway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman888 Moderator September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 my friend came to visit me 25 years ago by train (teenage time) and he realised that he has forgotten to bring his passport, manage to 'siam' through the custom. Reach my house and call his mum to send him the passport..... upon received the passport 3 days later, he went back to the railway station, sneak back into the line and present his passport to the custom...... so he manage to get through for in and out Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palmer 1st Gear September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 Like that also can despite so many lessons learnt not too long ago. Really cmi. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackyv Turbocharged September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 The article forgot to mention that Mas Selamat, Ah Took and One Eyed Dragon also made it across the Causeway. aiyoh, already ask u all to move on, why brought it up again??.... malu past u know... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferraricalifornia 1st Gear September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 how the heck can one pass through our customs, be it land, air or sea without a passport??? it's noticeable leah.... especially the absence of it.... [laugh] but it goes to show, they're paid according to how fast they chop chop passports.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackyv Turbocharged September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 how the heck can one pass through our customs, be it land, air or sea without a passport??? it's noticeable leah.... especially the absence of it.... [laugh] but it goes to show, they're paid according to how fast they chop chop passports.... when we want someone to speed up some action, we say "chop chop"...now i know where the origin of this word come from.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferraricalifornia 1st Gear September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 oh yah.... [laugh] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben5266 Supercharged September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 Siao liao. To those who is going to Malaysia for Hari Raya holiday, have a good trip and be patient in the jam. The immigration is going to take very long for each car. Anyway, SELAMAT HARI RAYA PAUSA TO all muslim friends here! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferraricalifornia 1st Gear September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 good luck in entering Malaysia.... haha.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben5266 Supercharged September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 good luck in entering Malaysia.... haha.... No No. Should be Good luck in leaving Singapore and returning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnut Clutched September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 Ah, when the Immigration officers count passports and call out each name individually, they will be accused of wasting time and causing jams .... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferraricalifornia 1st Gear September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 just implant a chip in all of us, (like dogs and cats) then as we go through a toll, the sensors will detect us.... don't even need to stop.... LOL.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civic2000 Supercharged September 9, 2010 Share September 9, 2010 The ICA officer who endorsed the passport in this case can kiss bye-bye to all his bonuses, in particular the PB. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In NowRelated Discussions
Related Discussions
Using blower to dry car
Using blower to dry car
The world’s most powerful passports
The world’s most powerful passports
What’s the process to renew Myanmar helper’s passport
What’s the process to renew Myanmar helper’s passport
Cost of new SG citizenship
Cost of new SG citizenship
Passport-free clearance to be rolled out at all Singapore checkpoints from 2024
Passport-free clearance to be rolled out at all Singapore checkpoints from 2024
Husband Catch Wife Adultery
Husband Catch Wife Adultery
Getting a foreign wife
Getting a foreign wife
Singapore Passport Renewal 2020
Singapore Passport Renewal 2020