extracted from straits times forum.
ABOUT four months ago, I went to Yew Tee Industrial Park. Two
foreign workers approached me with a large pink plastic bag and
asked me if I wanted to buy some cigarettes - duty unpaid, I am
sure, at the offer price of $4. I declined politely.
I called 999 and described the incident to the police operator.
However, when I mentioned the contraband cigarettes, she said:
'Contraband cigarettes? Sorry, this not police case. You need to
call ICA.' She then gave me the number of the Immigration &
Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
The same thing happened with the ICA, where I was told this was a
case for the Customs & Excise Department (CED) and given the
CED hotline number.
I left my details on the CED hotline answering machine, but no one
has called me back.
Meanwhile, the situation in Yew Tee Industrial Park has grown
worse, with cigarette sellers emboldened to stand on the side of
the road.
But my real concern is that I was pushed around from one agency to
another. Perhaps a simple solution is a one-stop number to report
any crime.
Terence Ho Ching Ming
