Humans Aren't Cargo

The following letter was published in The New Paper on 21 May 2009. Make travelling safer for everyone alike AS A Singaporean I must strongly voice my anger and disgust at the sad news that four more workers have been killed in a road accident, 'More deaths to come at back of other lorries?' (The New Paper, 19 May). I feel the pain and anguish of the workers who met with this unfortunate accident. My deepest sympathies to their families who have lost their fathers, sons, brothers or uncles. The question is: Do we allow our own children and office workers to travel to schools and offices in open top buses? Do we allow our people to travel in trains without doors? Do we want to be transported to our destinations like animals? Are these foreign workers treated shabbily because they are less worthy and dispensable? Will we take action only if it involves our own valuable citizens? The idea of travelling in receptacles without roofs is seen only in roller-coaster rides or other spee...

The following article was published in the New Paper on 23 May 2009. Saving money by keeping them safe 23 May 2009 The New Paper Some construction firms feel workers keep healthy and safe travelling in buses IT'S COMMON to see construction workers travel to work in open-air lorries in Singapore, but these batch of workers are different. They travel to and from their worksite in Clementi in an air-conditioned bus hired by their company, Straits Construction. And the company has been doing so since 2002. Said Mr Alex Lim, 35, a human resource consultant with Straits Construction: 'We could choose to ferry them by lorry, but in Singapore, we are likely to meet with rain 50per cent of the time. Then most of them will get theflu or catch a cold. 'What's the point if we save money but get lower productivity?' The workers, mostly in their 20s, are grateful. While their compatriots have to brave the weather and face the danger of accidents and falling off the lorry,the men ...

The New Paper ran this article on 26 May 2009: Lorry load of trouble Foreign workers speak about perils of being 'back-seat' passengers By Ho Lian-Yi Alarming: (Top) Workers are squeezed with equipment. (Below) Crowded together in a lorry without handles to grasp or shelter to protect them from rain. (Below) Workers sit among piles of broken branches. TNP Pictures: Jonathan Choo It's common to hear Singaporeans gripe about having to be packed like sardines on trains and buses during peak hours. But take a look at these pictures - and see how foreign workers are being transported daily. They put up with bumpy rides and battle the elements. Worse, it is dangerous. Four workers were killed last Monday after the lorry that was carrying them crashed into a trailer at Tuas. We spoke to a few foreign workers to find out what it's like to travel on the back of a lorry. Mr Arman, 29, a Bangladeshi, told The New Paper that he gets to sit in the front of the lorry these days - one...

The following letter was published in the New Paper on 23 May 2009. S'pore drivers can be selfish & reckless too I WOULD like to comment on the statements by Mr Elangovan and Mr Rehmat Kiwon in the article 'It's the fault of foreign drivers' (The New Paper, 20 May). I am from Scotland and I have been living here for the last two years. I think their comments against foreign drivers are rather offensive. As foreigners here, we do know how to drive, and also follow the same rules while we are on the road. From my experience, I think driving in Singapore is scary. Some Singaporean drivers are selfish, they show no courtesy at all on the roads. When I signal to the left or right to go to the next junction, they should let me go, but unfortunately they speed up and pass my car. This could lead to an accident if I am not cautious while making the turn. Courtesy does not cost anything, but unfortunately this is not the case. My opinion about driving in Singapore is suppor...

The following radio program was broadcast on ABC Radio Australia on 22 May 2009. To listen, click here . Foreign workers lives at risk in Singapore Updated May 22, 2009 Apart from doing the tough jobs that nobody wants, foreign workers in Singapore also face danger getting to and from work. The transportation of foreign workers, mainly in the construction and manufacturing sectors, has long been a controversial area. This is because of safety issues, as they are ferried about on the trays of pick-up trucks. Presenter: Sen Lam Speaker: Bharati Jagdish at Radio 938-LIVE in Singapore

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 20 May 2009. Ferrying workers safely By Teh Joo Lin 20 May 2009 A good solution has to be found quickly so more lives are not lost IT'S happened again. On Monday, three foreign workers sitting in the back of a lorry died after it crashed into the back of a trailer. A fourth man in the front seat also died. How many more must lose their lives before a solution to ferrying workers is found? It took less than six months for the public outcry over the death of an eight-year-old boy last April to lead to action: minibuses must have seat belts installed. Now, 6,400 small buses are being fitted with safety harnesses. It was Singapore-style efficiency at work. But the authorities seem to be in a bind on the issue of ferrying workers - usually foreigners - in the backs of lorries. There are many more of these workers than students and any solution will have to satisfy more interest groups. Last year, an average of four workers a we...

The following article was published in The New Paper on 21 May 2009. It's the fault of foreign drivers By Amanda Yong 21 May 2009 The New Paper Our readers claim these drivers are reckless and cause many accidents BLAME it on the drivers. They weave in and out of lanes, ignore traffic rules and have no regard for road safety. Or so claim an overwhelming majority of readers who called or wrote in reacting to yesterday's report on an accident that killed four foreign workers on Gul Road early Monday morning. The readers' bone of contention: Foreign drivers - and whether more needs to be done to ensure that they are qualified to drive on Singapore roads. In the accident, a lorry driven by a foreign worker rammed into a parked trailer. Three of the four who died, along with five others who were injured, were riding in the back of the lorry. The workers - including the driver - were from India and Bangladesh. The problem lies with foreign drivers at the wheel of lorries transpor...

The following article was published in the New Paper on 20 May 2009. MORE DEATHS TO COME AT BACK OF OTHER LORRIES? Four killed at Tuas as lorry carrying foreign workers crashes into trailer May 20, 2009 The Electric New Paper Reproduced photo caption: HORRIFIC: A worker sitting at the back of the lorry was said to have hit against the roof and his blood dripped onto the road. PICTURES: LIANHE WANBAO, SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS Reproduced photo caption: DANGEROUS: Three of the dead workers were at the back of the lorry, stained with blood. Reproduced photo caption: Grief-stricken foreign workers waiting for news at the hospital. IN THE worst accident this year, four foreign workers were killed after the lorry they were in crashed into the back of a stationary trailer in Tuas early yesterday. It was not the first time that lives had been lost in accidents involving lorries carrying foreign workers in the cargo decks. And yesterday's accident prompted MP Halimah Yacob to call it a tragedy...

The following letter was published in TODAY on 20 May 2009. WORKER TRANSPORT It’s time for change Letter from Isabel Vadivu Govind I REFER to “Tragedy at Gul Road” (May 19) in which four foreign workers died. Concerns about transporting workers in the backs of lorries have been raised. I understand that the Land Transport Authorities said in March last year that it was setting up a work group with the Ministry of Manpower to review this. More than a year and about 200 injuries and six deaths later, things do not seem to have changed. Cost, I believe, is the reason why we need a “work group” to discuss what is obvious should be done. Yes, it will be more expensive to humanely transport workers. But this is part of our ethical responsibility as a receiving country of foreign labour. The present practice of transporting such workers is unsafe, inhumane and does not treat people with respect or dignity. It is disturbing that as a developed nation we allow this. Furthermore, doing so is a s...

The following blog post was published by UK Telegraph reporter, Ben Bland, as part his Asia File series, on 20 May 2009. To access it, click here . The Unacceptable Cost of Cheap Labour By Ben Bland, The Asia File First thing in the morning and late at night, Singapore's tree-lined highways are full of lorries and trucks carrying a vital cargo: the migrant workers from Bangladesh and India who are the backbone of the Lion City's economic miracle. Crammed into the rear deck, the only protection they have from the scorching sun and the perpetual downpours is a bit of plastic sheeting. But the weather is the least of their worries. Before sunrise on Monday morning, four workers from India and Bangladesh set off from their humble quarters for the shipyard where they were employed. But none of them arrived at work after the lorry they were travelling in hit the back of a larger truck parked by the roadside and they were killed in the collision. One of the victims had been travelling...

"We have rules for safety belts to be fitted inside cars and worn by passengers but no protective measures like this exist for those who are forced to travel externally on a vehicle. It does not make sense at all in a civilised and developed society that this way of transporting workers is accepted. It is hazardous, and an accident waiting to happen as has been evidenced on many occasions. These conditions are inhumane. I am in favour of humane treatment and consistent standards for all workers regardless of their class. I support a ban on such methods of transport which are a common sight on Singapore roads. The sooner the ban can be introduced, the sooner more lives will be saved." Welfare Officer, 35, Singaporean

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 19 May 2009. ACCIDENT IN TUAS 4 die after lorry hits trailer Six others hurt; trailer driver was asleep in parked vehicle at the time By Teh Joo Lin & Jalelah Abu Baker May 19, 2009 Reproduced photo caption:The brother-in law (right) of one of the deceased, Pitchaiah Govindaraj, 31, grieving outside the Emergency Department at NUH. -- ST PHOTO: STEPHANIE YEOW Reproduced photo caption:Rescuers had to use a hydraulic cutter and two winches to free the body of the front-seat passenger. The lorry was ferrying a group of workers to their workplace at a shipyard at the end of Gul Road at the time.-- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG HE HAD stopped his trailer at the side of the road for forty winks, and was just drifting off when the 12m-long vehicle wobbled. Mr Shukor Ayub thought nothing of it, but seconds later, a man appeared at his window, rapping furiously. Startled awake, he climbed out, and saw carnage. A lorry ferrying 10 foreign ...