By Hedy Khoo

TNP

WHAT was to be a business trip turned into a hellish nightmare for a Singaporean marketing director.

He was interrogated, handcuffed, chained at the feet, and even spent some time in a prison facility.

He was detained in a holding cell, slept in a prison bed and also ordered to work in the jail.

It was Mr Ronald Wong Yoke Kheong's first trip to the United States.

His flight landed in Houston at 8.30pm (local time) on 4 May. He saw two police officers at the plane's exit door, checking each passenger's passport as they disembarked.

The 49-year-old marketing director, a seasoned traveller said: 'I thought it was just a routine check. But the two officers stopped me after checking my passport. They took me aside, and said they wanted to speak to me.

NOT WORRIED

'I still wasn't worried because I thought they just wanted to ask a few more questions before letting me go.'

He did feel the glare of other passengers as he was led away by the two officers.

'The officers didn't even allow me to collect my luggage at the belt.'

Mr Wong had to hand over the luggage collection slip to the officers while he was escorted to an office.

He had left Singapore on 4 May, a Sunday, on an early morning flight to participate in a trade exhibition in Houston from 5 to 8 May. After that, he was scheduled to go to New Orleans, and Canada, and was to return only on 17 May.

Mr Wong said he travelled regularly for work, about three times a month, to various countries, including China, Japan, India and the Middle East.

But these were usually short trips which lasted five days at most.

On the US trip, some of his clients had been on the same flight as him.

At the Houston airport, Mr Wong was taken to a room with glass windows, It had only a table and a few chairs. He noticed that the officers outside were all armed.

'I was still not worried, as I knew Ididn't commit any crime.'

But alarm bells started to go off in his head when an officer ordered him to remove all items from his pockets.

'I was allowed to wear my watch, but I had to hand over my handphone, my wallet and check-in lugagge,' he said. The only exception was the cash in his wallet. He had about USD$7,500 ($10,250) as well as some Singapore money.

Mr Wong was then taken into a room next door, where he would spend the next 19 hours under interrogation.

'I asked to make a call to my company and wife to inform them, butthe officers didn't allow me to,' hesaid.

'They started to ask me a number of questions. I gave my answers readily as I knew I was speaking the truth.'

Mr Wong said he was questioned about the purpose of his visits to all the countries reflected in his passport, where he stayed in those countries, whom he met on his business trips, and if he had bank accounts in these countries.

'They repeated the questions over and over. It was exhausting, but I answered all their questions,' he said.

Mr Wong, who said he could be hot-tempered at times, remained calm throughout the interrogation process.

'I didn't allow myself to lose my patience. I told myself that I was in foreign territory and it was best to co-operate and not antagonise the local authorities,' he added.

He said he was questioned by at least three shifts of officers who worked in pairs.

'I felt like a piece of meat in the microwave,' said Mr Wong of his being grilled.

He said he was not given any food, but was allowed to drink from a water cooler and to go to the toilet. But his every movement was watched.

Mr Wong said at one point, an officer who introduced himself as a CIA officer also questioned him for about four hours.

After 19 hours of being questioned and going without food, the worst was yet to come.

'The next day at about 3pm, two prison officers came and wanted to handcuff me and shackle my ankles,' he said. 'I asked them why, but they said it was the standard procedure.'

The handcuffs and leg cuffs were chained together.

'It was very humiliating to be treated like a convict. The leg cuffs hurt and I had to walk like Frankenstein since my movements were restricted,' Mr Wong recounted.

'I couldn't even hold up my hands to scratch my nose.'

STAYED CALM

But he told himself to stay calm, and hoped his colleagues in the Houston office would look for him when he didn't show up for the exhibition.

He said he usually called his wife and secretary to keep them informed of his whereabouts when he travelled.

He was put in a van and taken to a prison, where he was told to change into a blue prison uniform. He had to hand over all his possessions, and was put in a holding cell with four benches with about 20 other people.

That was when he started to feel a real sense of fear.

'I was starving, I didn't know what was going on. I started to think maybe I would end up there forever, for a reason I didn't even know,' he said.

He said he was there for about 12hours before he was taken to another cell with nearly 60 other prisoners, where he was given a bed.

At one point, he was ordered to work with the other prisoners on some chores, but he refused.

'In all my travelling experience in the past 20 years, I have never been in such a situation. I wondered if it was a case of mistaken identity,' he said.

He counted the minutes as the time passed agonisingly by in the cell.

After another 24 hours, he was given back his clothes and taken back to the detention room at the airport.

'The questioning continued. And my requests to make phone calls were denied,' he said.

The hours wore on and Mr Wong grew more weary and despondent.

Finally there was a glimpse of hope when he was told the Singapore Embassy wanted to speak with him.

'I was relieved that someone knew about my plight, and I asked the embassy official to inform my wife.'

The embassy official asked if he was all right and how he had been treated.

At about 10pm, three days after his ordeal began, Mr Wong was told he was to be deported. No reason was given to Mr Wong for his detention.

His belongings were returned to him, and he was escorted by two police officers to his seat on the plane, which was scheduled to depart at 11.45pm (local time).

'It was very humiliating to be escorted onto the plane with the other passengers staring. I wasn't even allowed to hold my own passport,' he said.

But he was finally allowed to call his wife.

GRATEFUL

'I just focused on having my freedom back and going home,' he said. 'I was thankful the Singapore Embassy helped secure my release so quickly.'

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman confirmed a Singaporean was detained at the Houston Airport and that the Singapore Embassy in Washington had provided the necessary consular assistance.

But Mr Wong's ordeal did not end when the plane took off from Houston.

When he was in transit in Moscow, he was escorted from the plane by two Russian police officers and kept under watch. He was later also escorted onto the Singapore-bound plane.

He finally arrived in Singapore on 8May. He was escorted by two Singapore police officers after he got off the plane. After he cleared immigration, he met his wife who was at the airport.

Until today, Mr Wong does not know why he was detained. He said he has written to the US embassy here for an explanation.

***

Harold and Kumar ... documentary version? lulz.

mr wong is not going to be the first and last person to be victimised by the US custom officers. there was an Arabian US citizen being victimised too... same case as mr wong ... always travel here and there... just because he traveled to the middle east a few times .. he was held as a suspect of terrorist. and he was put in jail for months incommunicado. and he was captured by a FBI agent just because there was this stupid stewardess thought she spotted a terrorist sitting in business class and immediately she reported to FBI...

after this arabian guy was cleared ... the airline and FBI refused to apologize to him and he's planning to sue them.
» renaye on 2008-05-20 09:56:43

this Mr Wong should sue too. its outragous how the US customs are treating travellers on the pretext of terrorism.
» merrick on 2008-05-21 06:49:26

merrick: There's no clue of whatsoever that this undesired incident was caused by the US side for being overly paranoid about terrorism.
And there was no explanation or whatsoever on why and what was mr wong was being suspected of.

Mr wong pretty much can't do anything about it either. Except for sending out an letter asking for explanations, which he probably won't get any decent reply from it.
He might be caught for what we call "confidential reasons" and the US side is not and must not be oblige to answer his questions.

Yes, it might be true that mistake was being made on US part. But at the same time, those officers are just doing their job, taking precautions.

What's truly fucked up about this case was not the fact that mr wong was caught and thrown into jail just because of a "mistake"
It's that both side cannot do anything about it. And that's fucked.
» L-Lawliet on 2008-05-21 07:29:30

I am an American But I am inraged by this
But do remember how my nation was affected by terrorism. I know he was detained because of the possibility of him being a terrorist. We as Americans have the right to never be searched without warrant. Poor Mr. Wong does not have that right.

Customs and Homeland security are getting out of control I will admit. I am apalled at Mr. Wongs treatment, I am sure he was prolly innocent of terroristic activity.
» jacyhenry on 2008-05-23 09:25:01

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