3 August 2006 – Two SBS Transit Bus Captains were honoured by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Wong Kan Seng, today for playing a vital role in the arrest of an illegal immigrant at the Woodlands Checkpoint.

On 9 October 2005, Mohd Ali Bin Maiden, 30, noticed something odd as he was driving behind BC Tiew Eng Lee’s bus at the Johor Bahru checkpoint. A man had crawled under the carriage of his colleague’s bus and seemed to be hiding there. He decided to alert BC Tiew once the two buses arrived at the Woodlands checkpoint. Both men then went to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers there and told them what BC Mohd Ali had seen. A check of the undercarriage of the Service 170 bus showed that a Myanmar national had been clinging on the chassis for dear life. He was immediately arrested.

Today, both Bus Captains received special commendation plaques at the Home Team National Day Observance Ceremony.

BC Mohd Ali, who has been with SBS Transit for more than three years, said: “I knew something was wrong when I saw the man crawl under the bus. But I did not want to create panic so I made sure that the passengers onboard BC Tiew’s bus had all alighted before I approached him and told him what I saw.”

Equally quick thinking was BC Tiew, who knew straightaway that someone was trying to sneak into Singapore illegally.

As a result of the incident, both men have become more alert as they make their daily rounds across the Causeway.

BC Tiew, who has been a Bus Captain for over 14 years, said: “We crossed the Causeway daily and never know what is carried in our buses. This incident has led me to be much more vigilant while on the job.”

Besides receiving the Minister’s Award for Public Spiritedness (ICA) from Minister Wong today, both men had also been commended by the Commander of Woodlands Command, ICA at an earlier ceremony.

SBS Transit Executive Director, Mr Ong Boon Leong, said: “I am very proud of BC Mohd Ali and BC Tiew. They witnessed a crime and they acted selflessly – all the while taking care to not endanger the lives of their commuters. This is how they were taught to react and they reacted flawlessly.”