Passports unstamped??? Be careful if you are entering M'asia

Lately, a number of Singaporeans entering masia, are having unstamped passports. This has been making the newspaper headline and a check by Sunday Times poll revealed that the problem of Singaporean passports not being stamped by masian immigration officials as they enter the country is not that uncommon.

Of 108 Sporeans interviewed at the causeway, around 16percent - 17 in total - had experienced occasions when masian immigration officers failed to stamp their passports as they entered the country. Of those 17, 13 discovered in time and the other four only realised it when they were trying to exit masia.

This report has reminded me of a similar encounter last year. Somewhere in the middle of last year, I was heading to Masia (11pm) for a diving expedition. Upon arriving at the immigration booth (there wasn't a lot of people), I quickly handed over my passport, took it back and rushed through. Usually, I would check my passport but as I was in a rush, I didn't have time to check. Only when I board the bus than I realised that my passport was not stamp! I had to quickly rush back and was subsequently detained for an hour, being questioned!

Isn't it so f**king amusing, that you can jus walk up to the malaysian immigration booth, hand over your passport and being handed back, not stamp?

SO what the fork were they doing with the passport? Perhaps, they were admiring my not-that-bad looking face that they forgot to stamp my passport? OR maybe these immigration officers are from the blind association? (no disrespect to the blinds)

I realised that this was not just merely an accident! There is a TREND to it! And when there is a trend to it, I am just wondering, maybe they are doing this on purpose!

I frequent masia for diving expeditions and this incident has really left a sour note in me. Which is why I decided not to visit masia, at least for now. I am there to enjoy myself and yet I am subjected to such risk every now and than. From "Donating Kopi money" while driving to passport unstampled! It is so forking rubbish.

Surprisingly, they have never come out to clarify on why their immigration officers failed to stamp the passport (Not that I know of), obviously they are not apologetic at all !


If you still have to go Masia, for whatever reason. Do take care and REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR PASSPORTs!

Come on, Lets BASH Singapore!

First came the spat with Thailand, in regards to Thaksin visit to Singapore and had a unofficial meeting with DPM S.Jayakumar. Afterwhich, Thailand accused Singapore of spying on them through the telephone network. Then came with the controversial penalty, in which the Thai players walked off the pitch for 15mins.

Following up, old allegations from Johor's leaders that Singapore's land reclamation work is hurting them. It caused the massive floods in Johor, panic amongst their fisherman of losing their catch and Singapore's island is creeping closer each day. Never mind that in-depth studies have NEVER been commissioned by both sides and there is scarcely a grain of truth to the charges.

The finale blow, came from Indonesia, with their sudden annoucement of a ban export of sand to Singapore.


F**king Shitty BASTARDS!

Had Singapore not just sent a team from their air force to help in the search for a downed Indo plane? Had there not been a flurry of missions to indonesia, in wake of Tsunami and earthquakes? Had Singapore not help indonesia to tackle bird flue or develop special economic zones?

And with Johor's leaders "friendly remarks", I suggest Singaporeans to STAY away from Johor! One day, they might just suggest that we are invading their land!

Does the problem lies with Singapore hard headed approach to international relations? OR what I suspect is, whenever there is a crisis in these countries, their leaders often play the wild card of nationalism.

Think about it, isn't it easier to point a finger at that annoying successful know-it-all neighbor, rather than try to come out with answers to pressing questions.

Singapore's win at all cost mindset does not do Singapore any favor, because their neighbor's are more concern with saving face. And this is perhaps, Singapore unforgivable offence. Being richer and more successful than its neighbours, and not particularly apologetic about it.


Oh well, why should we?

Comments by "ORIGINAL THAI" football supporter

"Singapore is not an original team! The team is made up of foreigners. I want to be at the stadium for the final because I am proud to be a Thai. I want an original Thai team to beat this team of foreign recruits. Maybe they should not call this the Asean Football Championship. They should rename it as the World Cup because almost half the Singapore team came from other countries."

- Ma Wen Chang, a 56yr old Thai-Chinese businessman


I say, your brain is at the back of your arse! Stop being sore about lossing the first leg to us! Ain't your fore fathers from CHINA? So tell me, in what way do you consider yourself ORIGINAL? Pls do not indirectly INSULT yourself. It just makes you look silly!

Stop being narrow minded and discriminating. Just because they are of different skin colours and of different culture, they are no less Singaporeans?

We are a multi-ethnic squad but we are united.

On the 2006 French national soccer team, 17 of the 23 players were members of racial minorities, including many of the most prominent players. The team features players from the overseas dept and players who are themselves immigrants or the children of immigrants from former French colonial possessions. Among them, Zinédine Zidane, Franck Ribery, and Nicolas Anelka are Muslims; Zidane is the child of immigrants from Algeria; Lilian Thuram, William Gallas and Thierry Henry are all of Antillean origin, the first two coming from the overseas department of Guadeloupe and Henry the child of parents born in Guadeloupe and Martinique; Anelka's parents originate from Martinique; Florent Malouda was born in French Guiana; Patrick Vieira immigrated as a child from Senegal. Also, Éric Abidal was born in Martinique, Claude Makélélé from Zaire, and Louis Saha, Sylvain Wiltord, and Pascal Chimbonda having parents who hail from Guadeloupe.

There are, of course, many examples of countries playing with a ethnic diversity background.

This world will be a much better place, if peeple like Mr MA, can stop having caveman like mindset!

Indonesia BAN sand export to Singapore!

Indonesia has been exporting sand to Singapore for a very long time. Recently they have ban all sand export to Singapore. They gave environmental issue as the reason.

Is Indonesia REALLY so concern about its environment? Let us see some facts;

Environmental issues in Indonesia associated with human activities are forest degration (unregulated cutting, fires, smoke and haze, and erosion); water pollution from industrial waste and sewage; air pollution from motor vehicles and industry in urban areas, and generally from smoke and haze caused by forest fires; and threats to biodiversity and rare plant and animal species.


Air Pollution

Air pollution is perhaps Indonesia's most severe environmental problem. According to an official at the World Bank office in Jakarta, "air pollution imposes costs of at least $400 million on the Indonesian economy every year." It also has very a serious impact on public health. For example, inflammation of the respiratory tract, which is directly linked to air quality, was the sixth leading cause of death in Indonesia (after accidents, diarrhea, cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, and measles).

Motor vehicles are one of the chief sources of air pollution in Indonesia. Between 1995 and 2001, the number of vehicles in Indonesia grew from 12 million to almost 21 million. Many of these vehicles are motorcycles or scooters, which lack the catalytic converters required for cleaner emissions. Moreover, almost no motor vehicles in Indonesia use unleaded gasoline. Instead, the vast majority of these vehicles rely on either leaded gasoline or diesel fuel, leading to unhealthily high concentrations of airborne lead.

A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that over a third of the children examined had blood lead levels high enough to potentially adversely affect cognitive development.

Forest fires also contribute to Indonesian air pollution. Often these fires result from illegal logging of Indonesia's rain forests. During 1997 and 1998, the fires were especially severe. Nearly 10 million hectares burned, producing a haze that impacted all of Southeast Asia. The World Bank's Indonesia Environment Monitor, 2003 states that the costs of 1997-8 fires exceeded the combined legal liabilities assessed for the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Bhopal chemical disaster.


Water Pollution

Indonesia's water quality is deteriorating. One of the most serious problems is the lack of sewerage systems in urban areas. The Indonesia Environment Monitor notes that Indonesia ranks among the worst countries in Asia in sewerage and sanitation coverage. Few Indonesian cities possess even minimal sanitation systems. For example, according to a 2002 World Bank report, less than 3% of Jakarta's population is connected to a sewer system. The absence of an established sanitation network forces many households to rely upon private septic tanks or to dispose of their waste directly into rivers and canals. The commonality of the latter practice has led to significant contamination of Indonesia's surface and groundwater, as well as to repeated epidemics of gastrointestinal infections. As of 2001, an estimated 90% of Jakarta's shallow wells were polluted by domestic waste.

Indonesia's relative absence of controls on industrial emissions also has led to the degradation of water resources. The forthcoming report by Indonesia's State Minister for the Environment is reported to acknowledge that many factories continue to dump their liquid waste into rivers without treatment. A lack of regulations on agricultural chemicals has led to damage of water resources in Indonesia's farmlands. In large part because the growing numbers of artisanal and small-scale mines operate with little or no environmental precautions, Indonesia's mining sector is an increasingly large source of water pollution.

Indonesian coastal waters are highly polluted, especially in high traffic areas such as the Malacca and Lombok Straits, the major shipping pathway between Asia and the Middle East. Unsustainable fishing practices (e.g. blastfishing), industrial effluent, sewage, and agricultural discharges also have placed the ecosystems of Indonesia's reefs, the most biologically diverse in the world, in jeopardy. According to a 2002 report by the World Resources Institute, 86% of Indonesia's reef area (19,700 square miles) is at medium or high risk.




Somehow I have a feeling that the ban on exporting sand to Singapore is more of a political move.

It is so rubbish to think that, when our neughbours are in crisis, Singapore are often the first to offer any sort of help.

Our efforts will never be appreciated. A beautiful and huge country like indonesia... a pity that it is the idiots that is running the country.

Singapore to be BLAME for Johor floods???

Again, it is finger pointing by our neighbours! Some bloody brainless old man, by the name of Ghani Othman is seeking to pin the land reclamation on Pulau Tekong for causing Johor's worst floods in a century.

Has he done an in-depth study into this issue before making such a remark? What is his objective? Does he thinks that all malaysian are as brainless as he is?

It is so easy to blame Singapore, for everything. That is why Malaysia will always be trailing behind. Instead of finding a solution and fixing it, making it better. They opt for the easy way out, which is to blame small state Singapore.

The same goes for Thailand, Singapore has already informed Thailand about thaksin visit and whom he will be visiting prior 3 days to his arrival. They did not protest intially but what happen now? Why didn't they protest when Thaksin was in HK, UK, China?

I just got this little advice for these politicians. When your country is in a mess, do not blame others for it. It will be wiser to spend the time thinking for a solution!

BOO BOO THAILAND !

Asean Football Championship - Singapore 2 Thailand 1


Thailand national football players and coaches, YOU ARE A HUGE DISGRACE! You may not agree with the ref decision in awarding a penalty but come on, have a bit of sportmanship! To walkout of the game and to return back, makes a mockery out of the entire competition!

Then, seeing Thai coach Chanvit Phalajivin gestured to his players, urging them off the pitch, simply irks me! What kind of example, is he setting for the future of Thailand football players?

There is a second leg, so Thailand, why were you so afraid?

SO to the Thailand National Team,

Be more gracious. Stop acting like a group of school boys, threatening the ref by walking out of a game. The world is laughing at you!

Looking back at Arg vs Eng... where Maradona used his hand and punched the ball into the net. Did Eng walk out of the game? NO! They continued to play on. That should be the right spirit. Yes, no doubt they were incensed by the ref/linesman decision to give the goal but they understand that is part and parcel of football. You have to respect the ref decision. You may disagree but you got to respect the decision.

Football is a game played by men, not monkeys!