White Card Is a MUST Again for Singaporeans Entering Malaysia
Jun 1, 2008 Around the Word, Singapore
Most of us have known that, starting Jan this year not long before Chinese New Year, the White Card system was scrapped to facilitate Singaporeans entering Malaysia. The JB custam immigration officer will just stamp on Singapore passport. However, it seems that the JB immigration office made a U-turn 2 days back. No official announcement was made to alert potential Singaporean visitors, and created a big mess at JB custom. There was even info that the white card is running out of stock.
I couldn’t find any announcement on Immigration Department of Malaysia website. Neither could I find any relevant news reports from Malaysia local newspaper online. I only saw someone asking about this 3 days ago in a Malaysia forum but nobody could provide answer. Then it was confirmed yesterday, on Singapore HWZ forum. The only news report I could find is the one from Sinchew, the Chinese newspaper from Malaysia. Singapore local tabloid Shin Min Daily News also had a report on this.
What a timing huh? Why now? After ICJ decided Pulau Batu Puteh belongs to Singapore and after the 50km petrol ban.
News report on Sinchew:
新加坡‧入境突須填白卡‧新山關卡大混亂
Relevant threads on HWZ:
MY Immigration card, Need or not?
After ‘toying’ with the 50km petrol sale ban
Tags: JB custom, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, petrol, Pulau Batu Puteh, Singapore, white card
PAS Encik Helped My Colleague Settled His Traffic Summon in JB
May 30, 2008 Around the Word, Fun
I was surprised to hear from my colleague that an Encik from PAS actually helped him to settled his RM300 traffic summon gotten in JB. This is how the story goes…
How he gotten the summon?
On 19th May, Vesak Day in Singapore, 4 of us, including my this colleague, K, and me, went to Malacca for a 1 day trip. K was the driver, driving his Singapore-registered car. K is a SPR from Malaysia.
We enjoyed our trip in Malacca very much. The food, the people were just great. It was about 9pm when we exited from North South Highway, arriving at Johor Bahru. We were expecting that it would be traffic jam but did not realize that it was so jialat. The traffic was very very slow after we just past Tampoi Giant. It was basically crawling at the Econ Shopping Mall building. When we reached the current Danga City Mall (last time deserted one), K received an SMS from his friend who just drove past Singapore custom. The friend said he had been stuck in the jam for 4 hours! We were stunt upon hearing that. So, we decided not to waste our time in the jam, but find our way out of it 1st.
We made an illegal U-turn at point A. Then we towards point B direction, only to find that it was a dead end. Basically we were trapped between the Jalan Tun Abdul Razak and railway. Many vehicles were in the same situation like us also. K decided to try his luck and drove in reversed direction towards Danga City Mall. In the dark, from somewhere under the shade, 2 traffic policemen suddenly came out and stopped us, together with a few other vehicles. We fell into the trap set-up… The TP did not ask for money but just K’s license, and issued a summon straightaway. RM300! Upon asked by K, the TP said that the jam already started at 3pm in the afternoon. I wonder how many summons they had issued since afternoon.
We were at fault. That’s for sure. But we were really unhappy with the way being set up.
How K get contacted by PAS encik
K was very unhappy. After we were back in Singapore, K sent out a few emails to Malaysia local newspapers and opposition parties to complaint about this incident. Of cause the letter wasn’t published on newspapers. However, he gotten an email from a gmail account. The person was saying that he could help K, and left K a handphone number. K called, and a meet-up was arranged during the past weekend.
Whom K saw was a very friendly and kind looking Malay elder encik with a songkok. The encik told K that he could help K to talk to the TP officer, but K must keep quiet all the time. So they went to the TP office together. The encik at first talked to the young lady on duty for about 45 minutes, and he basically talked about everything. Then the lady let them go in to talk to another officer. The officer seemed a high rank one. Then encik talked to him with another 30 minutes. Finally, the officer told encik that he would settle the summon.
When they came out from the room, the lady went in. Then came out again and said the summon had been discounted to RM100! Not a bad deal huh?
K paid up, and gotten his receipt. The encik later told him that he must keep the receipt. If in the future same thing happens again, then he can use the receipt to appeal.
All the while, the encik only told K that he is from PAS. He never mentioned his name, nor he mentioned his rank or anything. He just ask K to spread the words, if K’s friends experience anything in JB and need help, let him know. Maybe he, or PAS can help.
Wow, learnt something this time……
Tags: food, JB, Johor Bahru, Malacca, Malaysia, PAS, shopping, traffic police
