Driving in Malaysia - please read

Friend of mine just got his window smashed and pouch taken from under front passenger seat. Must have been watched because he always puts it there just before getting out of the car. Taman sentosa area.

mathieu.liong wrote:

Friend of mine just got his window smashed and pouch taken from under front passenger seat. Must have been watched because he always puts it there just before getting out of the car. Taman sentosa area.

Oh dear. One place I often try to avoid is taman sentosa area

Hi all;

I've been living in JB for the last 3 years and i drive a red plate sg car. Luckily for me nothing adverse have happened so far.

I agree with most of the others here, take precautions and avoid the hotspots where possible. If you can't find a good, brightly lit, safe parking spot, then maybe you want to reconsider eating there. Keep a 'weapon' of some kind within easy reach for peace of mind. I keep a medium sized foldable umbrella with a wooden handle. Most important of all, your car is your best weapon. Most of these thief/robbers are chicken shit and opportunistic and only dare take action when they feel it is an easy job. They are just drug addicts desperate for their next fix.

Do not present them an easy opportunity and a show of force like ramming them or loud honking/flashing or waving a weapon may scare them. The moment you show them you are not easy meat, they will think twice and give up to look for some other easy meat.

For that Ponderosa case.. i think there maybe more than meet the eyes, your friend probably offended some local gangsters. Sounds more like a kidnapping/hit rather than a common robbery.

Being in convoy helps, if you are alone in car, follow another car traveling in same direction.

Peter..

Maybe the robbers think you are police with your Red Plate...

Think keep a low profile, drive to destination and minding own business...
when I went up JB golf, always encounter fellow sg talking out a loud saying "wah lao here so cheap lah, food cannot make it but cheap ok lah can eat lah" in club house and eating place then talk like big bosses owning dunno how assets in JB and SG lah....

I always travelled in groups of 2 cars of at least 1 car with 4 pax in car. Alone will make sure that the door is locked. Go to play golf, come back along the way eat and go back already.

simon1982 wrote:

Think keep a low profile, drive to destination and minding own business...
when I went up JB golf, always encounter fellow sg talking out a loud saying "wah lao here so cheap lah, food cannot make it but cheap ok lah can eat lah" in club house and eating place then talk like big bosses owning dunno how assets in JB and SG lah....

I always travelled in groups of 2 cars of at least 1 car with 4 pax in car. Alone will make sure that the door is locked. Go to play golf, come back along the way eat and go back already.

+10

Gosh..Thanks for reminding

Guess its really heng suay. Had a friend who was real real lucky. He forgot to off his engine and his car was running all the time when we were away for about an hour only to come back to realise it. Luckily the car was still there.

xert wrote:

Guess its really heng suay. Had a friend who was real real lucky. He forgot to off his engine and his car was running all the time when we were away for about an hour only to come back to realise it. Luckily the car was still there.

Sound familiar....

Does sound a bit scary, especially for ladies. Try to come back to singapore before night?? Would that be better?

The gentlemen who commented having a wedge close by sounded funny ... but its no joke! Friend I know from Malaysia carries a short baseball bat tucked below the drivers seat. Last line of defence!

chihheng wrote:

The gentlemen who commented having a wedge close by sounded funny ... but its no joke! Friend I know from Malaysia carries a short baseball bat tucked below the drivers seat. Last line of defence!

Don't put a baseball bat in your car without a baseball or glove. My wife's colleague had a bat in his car, got caught when re-entering SG. Kena invited to room for interview and bat conficated.

Thank for updating

Scare dun go.. Juz play in sg

If u scare than buy on steering lock very legal
and good self defence tool kit!

Place steering lock next to your car seat and umbrellas.

@iron eagle, hmmmm......a good idea that I didn't think of. Will buy one when I drive in more often. Thanks, bro.

You're most welcome!

iron eagle wrote:

If u scare than buy on steering lock very legal
and good self defence tool kit!

Place steering lock next to your car seat and umbrellas.

yeah! some steering lock like the one my dad uses shaped exactly like baseball bat and equally heavy.

Derrickc wrote:

chihheng wrote:

The gentlemen who commented having a wedge close by sounded funny ... but its no joke! Friend I know from Malaysia carries a short baseball bat tucked below the drivers seat. Last line of defence!

Don't put a baseball bat in your car without a baseball or glove. My wife's colleague had a bat in his car, got caught when re-entering SG. Kena invited to room for interview and bat conficated.

This really pisses me off.

Our car is private property and unless it is an illegal weapon like a firearm - what right do they have confiscating it? I'd have asked for that officer(s) name and ID number and made a formal complaint.

Swerve wrote:

Derrickc wrote:

chihheng wrote:

The gentlemen who commented having a wedge close by sounded funny ... but its no joke! Friend I know from Malaysia carries a short baseball bat tucked below the drivers seat. Last line of defence!

Don't put a baseball bat in your car without a baseball or glove. My wife's colleague had a bat in his car, got caught when re-entering SG. Kena invited to room for interview and bat conficated.

This really pisses me off.

Our car is private property and unless it is an illegal weapon like a firearm - what right do they have confiscating it? I'd have asked for that officer(s) name and ID number and made a formal complaint.

Can a baseball bat not be used as a weapon? I guess it is less likely to be used as a weapon where there is a glove or ball lying close by. Of course, not everyone would agree with that.

Derrickc wrote:

chihheng wrote:

The gentlemen who commented having a wedge close by sounded funny ... but its no joke! Friend I know from Malaysia carries a short baseball bat tucked below the drivers seat. Last line of defence!

Don't put a baseball bat in your car without a baseball or glove. My wife's colleague had a bat in his car, got caught when re-entering SG. Kena invited to room for interview and bat conficated.

I find that hard to believe (unless the baseball bat had nails and spikes at the end and/or was drenched in blood). Carrying a baseball bat is not an offence. It's no different from carrying a loose wedge in the car. Of course, using it as a weapon is an offence so your wife's colleague may have used it in a threatening manner with the customs officer which triggered this mess.

The question is "Why are you carrying a baseball bat in your car?" If it is to play baseball, then it is not an offence. But if it is for self defence, then the bat becomes a weapon and therefore, an offence. Thats why you should throw in a baseball and glove to give the impression you are a baseball player. You do not carry a whole bag of golf clubs for self defence but if its just one piece of 7 iron....then it depends on how you answer when asked.

Gofnut wrote:

The question is "Why are you carrying a baseball bat in your car?" If it is to play baseball, then it is not an offence. But if it is for self defence, then the bat becomes a weapon and therefore, an offence. Thats why you should throw in a baseball and glove to give the impression you are a baseball player. You do not carry a whole bag of golf clubs for self defence but if its just one piece of 7 iron....then it depends on how you answer when asked.

So, if the guy (when asked by the customs officer) said that he uses the bat for self defence... then there's little else we can say now, is there?

Technospaz wrote:

Gofnut wrote:

The question is "Why are you carrying a baseball bat in your car?" If it is to play baseball, then it is not an offence. But if it is for self defence, then the bat becomes a weapon and therefore, an offence. Thats why you should throw in a baseball and glove to give the impression you are a baseball player. You do not carry a whole bag of golf clubs for self defence but if its just one piece of 7 iron....then it depends on how you answer when asked.

So, if the guy (when asked by the customs officer) said that he uses the bat for self defence... then there's little else we can say now, is there?

The offence carries a mandatory custodial sentence. No place for speculation. Look up offensive weapon under the singapore statute, please.

goGoffy wrote:

Technospaz wrote:

Gofnut wrote:

The question is "Why are you carrying a baseball bat in your car?" If it is to play baseball, then it is not an offence. But if it is for self defence, then the bat becomes a weapon and therefore, an offence. Thats why you should throw in a baseball and glove to give the impression you are a baseball player. You do not carry a whole bag of golf clubs for self defence but if its just one piece of 7 iron....then it depends on how you answer when asked.

So, if the guy (when asked by the customs officer) said that he uses the bat for self defence... then there's little else we can say now, is there?

The offence carries a mandatory custodial sentence. No place for speculation. Look up offensive weapon under the singapore statute, please.

What I meant was that if he openly admitted to using the bat as a weapon of self defense, then there's not much else to discuss, right?