Several Singaporeans found themselves turned back from Batam immigration yesterday after possibly flouting new rules.
Miss Ann Fernandez and two friends were among a group of eight who were turned back from the Batam Centre Ferry Terminal after taking the 9.40am ferry there.
The 33-year-old tutor said they were waiting to clear Indonesian immigration when an officer made them, along with another woman, stand in a separate line. Their travel documents were also taken away, she said.
The women said a senior immigration officer made an announcement to the entire hall and gestured at a sign which portrayed a finger on the lips.
“It wasn’t until much later that another officer came out of a room and asked us to follow him,” she said. “He also handed our passports to a worker from the ferry service operator.”
They were taken to the departure point, where there were another four Singaporeans who had apparently been picked out earlier for either talking or using their mobile phones.
Miss Fernandez said immigration officers could have at least told the group what they had done wrong. They found out more details only after they returned to Singapore.
A previous report in Chinese evening daily, Shin Min Daily News, quoted ferry operator Wave Master Holidays Club saying that about 50 Singaporeans are turned back every week.
I congratulate you and your government for the generous recognitions of the pioneer generations, however, I would also like to bring to your attention on some issues which have been bugging the minds of fellow Singaporeans, I hope you would spend sometimes thinking about it
When I was doing business in Indonesia they called me as ’ orang Singpore’ there were some Chinese and Indian Singaporean, they all were also called ‘ orang Singapore’ not ‘orang Cina Singapore‘ or ’ orang India Singapore’ although it is different here in Singapore we are segregated into different racial groups for whatever reasons are
It is the same in Taiwan, although we rarely seen Malay Singaporean in Taiwan and we all know why
In USA they have progressed from treating the black people as slaves to their current social status as equals, during the world war two, it is amazing that the black people who were treated as second class citizens where they were not allowed to go to certain school, swimming pool restaurants and so on, but when they were drafted into the army they would fight for the country, now even the President of the USA is a Black man, how amazing !!
After fifty years we have come a long way as citizens of Singapore but yet we were still being treated like a second class citizen, we were prevented into certain area in the Army installations, not to mention the Air force and the Navy, it is ironic that the government would accept foreigners to even work as a police officers but are still suspicious of the Malays who has been born and bred here
T he question is how do you know that the people you would employed as police officers are not extremist from Xinjiang or Southern part of Philippine or rapist from India ? And how do you know that they would not bring their culture of corruptions into this country?
Although during the Japanese occupation the Malays were the one’s fighting hand in hand with the British Soldiers against the Japanese invasions
With the current immigration policy where foreigners from other Asian countries readily admitted to Singapore except for the Malay stocks, they would come with a minimum of a diploma or a degree, whereby due to high unemployment of a lower paying job held by the Malays due to your current policy of not allowing the Malays to work in the defense sectors where, thousands of jobs could be offered to us with a reasonably paying salary, as a result our kids were not able to compete on a level playing field with all other races, not even with the new immigrants, because their fathers would be either out of job or holding a lower paying job, as a result there are 70% of our kids are in the ITE instead of the institute of the higher learning !
As a result of your government suspicions on the Malays, the sentiments had transpired into the private sectors too, because the people running the defense sectors would eventually being released into private sectors and the suspicions continues
Of course you will have some Malays in certain places just to show that you are truly practicing what you preach, a meritocratic system of government, however don’t you know that the world is getting smaller with the existence of internet media and the people around the world would not be bluff anymore ?
My estimation is that this vicious cycle would continue and we would remain as the Pariahs of Singapore for a very long time
There are so many Malay MPs in parliament, however none of them have the guts to tell our three Prime Minister about what they should not do for the well being of our country, they should have told our Prime Ministers ? racial segregation is bad for the country, politics of the sixties are not relevant anymore to Singapore, we have come a long way, we speak the same lingo in which we called Singlish, we have grown to accept ever y body’s habit and culture
For economic viability the defense sector should remove their suspicions against the Malays, are we not your true blue Singaporean brothers and sisters ?
The Malays are not known to be a business man, but we are a good and well discipline employees, and has been proven time and again Malay soldiers and police officers don’t back out on their duty to protect their country
I see the defense sectors as a good job opportunity and an opportunity to protect our beautiful country
I have some Filipino friends who spoke Singlish like us, some PRCs nurses who speak with the word ‘lah’, my doctor from India spoke with the word ‘lah’ too these are all genuine people who genuinely wanted to live and build our country together with us, and we have accepted them, if we can accept these people why cant the PAP accept us and remove all their suspicions ?
Shaykh Ahmad Muhammad Saad Ash-Shafi’ie Al-Azhari Al-HasaniUstaz Muhammad Zahid Mohd Zin
Public Lecture & Discussion From Gaza to Syria: Managing Spirituality Amidst Tribulations A Special Fundraiser for Gaza Emergency Relief Speakers (1) Shaykh Ahmad Saad Al-Azhari (2) Ustaz Muhammad Zahid Mohd Zin
Date: Friday 22 August 2014Time: 7.45 pmVenue: UE Convention Centre [map]2 Changi Business Park Ave 1Singapore 486015(Next to Expo MRT & Changi City Point) SynopsisThis lecture & discussion program aims to address the spiritual issues faced by Muslims, especially in the current tide of tribulations faced by Muslims in Gaza, Syria, and so on. The program will discuss spiritual approaches for Muslims when faced with tribulations. It aims to address the following questions:
How can we reconcile the oppression and tribulation of the Muslim Ummah with the Divine Mercy and Divine Decree?
What can Muslims do to help the people of Gaza or Syria and other oppressed communities?
Allah instructed believers who are facing tribulations to be firm and remember Allah frequently and strengthen the internal tapestry of the community. How can we maintain this steadfastness in the midst of manifest trouble as can be seen in places like Iraq, Syria and Gaza?
How should Muslims react when faced with calls of jihad, confrontation and adversity?
How can spiritual empowerment be the way forward?
About the Speakers
Shaykh Ahmad Muhammad Saad Ash-Shafi’ie Al-Azhari Al-Hasani was born into a family of scholars whose lineage goes back to the Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayh wa sallam) in the northern Egyptian governorate of Monofiyyah. He completed the memorisation of the Holy Qur’an at the age of ten and studied basic Arabic and Islamic sciences before enrolling into Al-Azhar system of schools where he spent almost 17 years of his life graduating with a B.A. Honours in Islamic Studies in English. Alongside with his academic studies, he studied traditional Islamic sciences at the hands of senior scholars and specialists in Egypt, the most notable of whom is his late father Shaykh Muhammad Saad and the Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Ali Gom’ah. He completed the memorisation of the Holy Qur’an at the age of ten, and went to memorise Riyad As-Salihin of Imam An-Nawawi at the age of 15 and Al-alfiyyah of Ibn Malik at the age of 13 and committed to memory thousands of lines of poetry and prose. He has also memorised texts on logic, tajwid, aqidah, morphology, rhetoric and many other sciences. He has toured the world as an Imam, speaker and lecturer; he visited Canada, USA, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden and currently lives in London, United Kingdom. He is the Founder and Director of the Ihsan Institute for Arabic & Islamic Studies (UK) [website], and was the former Imam of North London Central Mosque. [more]
Ustaz Muhd Zahid Zin completed his early Islamic studies at Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah Singapore. He then went to further his studies at the famous Abou Nour Institute in Damascus, Syria. He was the Imam Executive at Masjid Muhajirin for 2 years. He is currently the Head of Programmes For Muslim With Disabilities at Badan Agama Dan Pelajaran Radin Mas or Radin Mas Association of Religious Education (BAPA). Beyond teaching, he also serves as the Naib Kadi and an active motivational speaker, having been invited by various local Muslim organizations, including SimplyIslam, PERGAS, PPIS, Darul Arqam and Jamiyah. Ustaz Zahid is also member of a local Qasidah group, Madeehul Mustafa.
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This is PTE Faris Nabil, a Fast Craft Seaman from 191 Squadron. It is his very first participation in the National Day Parade, and he is excited and nervous about being in the parade marching contingent.
“We have been rehearsing almost every Saturday since April. Some of the rehearsals took place during Ramadan, during which I have to fast. It wasn’t easy during that period of time, but my friends and trainers’ support helped me through it. There are also many uncles and aunties in the marching contingent who were also fasting. Seeing how they persevered through the practices was a motivation for me to perform well too.”
