Singaporeans, Still Going to JB to get Robbed

ShutterBug SG

With so much daylight-robbery going on over the causeway, why do Singaporeans still risk life and limb going over there just because things are cheap? No, shopping there is NOT cheap anymore - it can cost you more than your money; your life.

==================================================
Shhh... give me your wallets, phones
Man, claiming he has gang nearby, confronts 3 NS buddies in crowded JB mall. Then...
By Zubaidah Nazeer

April 11, 2006

FOR the three friends who had completed their national service last December, it was a regular trip to Johor Baru on Saturday.

Their agenda: Shopping and seafood dinner.

It turned out be anything but.

They were robbed of more than $900 worth of valuables by a man. Apart from cash, the lost their handphones and a watch.

--CHUA PUAY HOE
All this within an hour of crossing the Causeway.

Worse, it happened in broad daylight and in a crowded shopping mall.

Mr Vincent Tan (left), 21, recounted his experience to The New Paper.

After arriving in JB at 2pm that day, they headed for the City Square mall - a short distance from the Causeway - to check out sports gear and shorts.

They were there for barely 20 minutes when trouble came their way.

Mr Tan, who is now awaiting admission to a polytechnic, said he and his two NS buddies got off the escalator on the second floor of the mall and walked towards the shops.

STOPPED IN FRONT OF THEM
A man suddenly stopped in front of them, causing Mr Tan to dodge him.

Mr Tan said: 'It was strange because he was not doing anything but just stopped purposely. So I just felt my pockets to see if my wallet and handphone were still there.'

Nothing was missing, so they moved on.

Then they stopped in front of a Watsons outlet to look over the railing at an IT fair below.

The same man they had earlier dodged reappeared.

'The man asked me for RM12 ($5). He did not look like a beggar, but we decided to just give it to him,' Mr Tan said.

He said the man was in his mid-30s to 40s and was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans.

He then demanded they hand over all their cash.

Mr Tan recounted: 'The man told me, 'Take out your wallet and quietly give it to me. If you're looking for trouble, I got a gang here... a lot of fighters. You can scream, you can shout, but I've got back-up.'

'We looked at each other, but we did not know what to do. So we gave him our wallets. We took out the money we had just changed and some Singapore dollars.'

It totalled more than $250.

But it was not over yet.

The man calmly told them to remove the SIM cards from their handphones and give him their phones, Mr Tan claimed.

They estimated that their handphones were worth about $600.

Then he allegedly threatened them again, saying: 'You can scream if you want, go ahead. But I can't promise you'll be okay after this.'

Then the man asked for Mr Tan's Seiko watch.

Mr Tan said: 'It was a cheap watch, maybe worth $80, but what would he want with it? Then he threatened us again and I thought, what the heck, money and things we can earn back, but safety is more important.'

Said software tester John Yap, 20: 'I was getting very frustrated, but we couldn't do anything. We tried looking around to signal people for help, but they passed us without looking. What if we screamed and no one bothered?'

Besides, Mr Yap could not run far because of a thigh surgery he had undergone eight months ago.

THREE MEN TO ONE

IT technician KY Ng, 20, added: 'Three of us could have held him down, sure no problem. But what happens if his gang members are around, like he said? At that time, we cared more for our lives.'

So the three gave in to the man.

After that, the man told them to return to Singapore.

The three claimed that the man threatened them again, saying that if they lodged a police report, they may not be able to return safely.

So they made their way back to the Causeway.

Said Mr Ng: 'All the while we were looking behind us. Even though we didn't see the man, who knows if there were others from his gang watching us?'

When they reached Singapore, they went to the nearest police post hoping to lodge a report.

Said Mr Tan: 'They advised us to file the report in JB because that is where the crime happened. They told us we can still lodge a report in Singapore but they would still need to contact JB police to help.'

A police spokesman confirmed that the three had approached the Bukit Panjang North NPP but did not make a report eventually.

Mr Tan said: 'We thought about it and decided not to because we don't think we'll get anything back anyway.'

Will they return to JB?

'I don't think so. We were all cautious, but we still 'kena' (got hit in Malay),' said Mr Tan.

'When you're in a foreign country, it's even more scary because you don't know where to look for help.

'Sure, I've been reading reports about people getting robbed in JB, but I didn't think it would happen to me on that Saturday. This incident is very 'suay' (unlucky in Hokkien).'

Mr Ng added: 'I won't go back there, not for a long time.'

Thailand_Hero SG

go malaysia for wat??

singapore got everything + safety and security

that guy who kena rob really ballsless

sbst275 SG

The reports on SPH is totally biased

Their own ppl also gets robbed

antoh SG

they are so heng

dragg SG

its obvious the robbers are scared too. they were just testing water asking for one thing after another.

but i wouldnt say the 3 singaporeans have no guts. people react differently under unusual circumstances.

i will be afraid too if i were them.

the Bear SG

for those who say the 3 NS boys are gutless, think about it..

what's a seiko watch and some money? the other alternative could be them floating down the straits of johor...

btw, when i used to work at woodlands, violent assaults in robbery of singaporeans was a daily affair..

hiphop2009 SG

haix~~..............

ShutterBug SG

Very simple; DON'T go to JB.

Stop shopping there until they can actually Police the place.

Otherwise, Singaporeans who go there to shop, are actually risking their lives - not just valuables and money.

And for those who are stubborn, and complacent, GOOD LUCK!

the Bear SG

oh.. btw, most of the victims of assault, make police reports in order to leave malaysia.. they have no illusions of the cops there actually go catch the robbers...

sgdiehard SG

if the papers report also the malaysians getting robbed, that will make JB a even more dangerous place to go. Mr. Green

elindra SG

Have stopped going to JB for ages.
You really don't want to go there when your friends from JB don't even want to go back to their hometown coz they don't feel safe Surprised

KumSioJui SG

I think there is a conspiracy going on to target sporean visitors, in the past yes there were few isolated incidents of robbery but ever since badawi came to office this lawlessness has increased dramatically.

I wonder if there is a political agenda against the badawi administration. Robbing singaporeans and forcing our government to preassure the malaysian government to act and eventually our media gets to know and starts to portray an ugly picture of malaysia.

If the increase of robbery incidents in johore is due to the work of criminal gangs, have you heard anything about other tourists apart from singaporeans getting mugged or carjacked?

I certainly have not.

And I have spoken to some malaysian friends, according to them there is a consensus over there that only singaporean visitors are deliberately being targetted.

BillyBong SG

There is some possible truth to your views.

The Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore wrote into the ST Forum recently to refute wild claims of singaporeans being singled out and targeted for car thefts and robberies. He cited that the on average, the figure came to no more than 1%, indicating that the majority victims were Johor-ians.

He also commented that he was personally mystified over the alleged 'blowing-up' of articles and reports by SPH that highlighted the plight of a minority group of singaporeans who have had the misfortune of suffering from petty theft or being robbed at knife-point.

He reiterated that Johor was still relatively safe, that the police was taking appropriate action and preventive measures and Singaporeans should not be too easily swayed by exaggrated newspaper reports.

the Bear SG

if it's 1%, then there are about 100 or more terrible or violent crimes a day... coz it was an average of 1 per day

scary isn't it?

BillyBong SG

It's difficult to measure the degree of safety if one hasn't personally visited the place.

I'm not a frequent regular to Johor, but those of my friends who go in for business and meals regularly have said it's perfectly safe. Of course, you refrain from driving your expensive SUVs and mercedes/BMW-models in and dress simply to lower your odds of encountering trouble.

And 100 cases of violent crime a day is rather exaggerated, even for Johor. Cool

browniebaobao SG

I'm going tmr leh! Shocked Confused

Archie_boy SG

I drove up to JB a couple of times in the last few years. I kanna "rob" everytime I meet their traffic police. Out of 6 trips, I kanna "rob" on 4 trips. The other two trips is because I did not meet their traffic cop.

They can accuse you of traffic offences even though you did not commit any. On one occassion, the cop accused me of not securing my safety belt when right infront of him my belt was strapped. WTF! Twisted Evil

king108 SG

Laughing Already tell you all to pay higher toll fee so that the security can improve. Many go against. Now that they are considering lowing again..how to be good.
Cheap thing is no good.

Like Singapore collected $20, security so good is an very good example.

dragg SG

it is actually not about how many cases or the percentage.

the important thing is where the crime is committed.

BrUtUs SG

some go there for food and golf so they dun care until face danger…