My Husband is still not back from Mumbai. Since I've had a few days of peace and quite I took the opportunity to get a lot of my stories typed up and published.
My New Years Eve, 2006, Count down to 2007.
NYE is always spent at the Hotel, All major Holidays are, When we host huge parties GM & Wife can't exactly take a rain check and be a no show can we?
NYE 2007 was no different, We had a 1000 balloon drop happen at the stroke of midnight and partied the night away to an 8 piece local band who did covers of Black Eyed Peas, Rihana (ella, ella, ella) and other current chart toppers.
1st Jan 2007 was the last night the band was scheduled to play, After a very successful NYE party the night before, GM (husband) and I really let our hair down. drinks were flowing & a great time was had by all. The night ended for us around 4 o'clock in the morning.
8:00 am the phone rings, it's the The F&B Manager (I'll call him Chen), whom Say's "Police are here, They need to verify GM's work permit" we are both nursing nasty hangovers so Husband (GM) queries whether or not he has to do this straight away. Chen says he'll find out and ends the call.
8:10 am Phone rings, Chen again, speaking to GM "Um, The Police would like to see a copy of your work permit and visa" Hung over Cranky GM snaps "they have no authority or jurisdiction over my work permit & visa, if there is an issue with it get an immigration officer to contact me" and hangs up.
8:30 am Phone Rings, Chen again, speaking to GM "The Police have left, One of the engineering guys as well as the chief engineer have been arrested, The police have requested you to the police station to assist with their enquiries"
GM then gets out of bed, showers & dresses and is off to sort this mess out (with a pounding headache & an empty belly) he is accompanies by "Beth" The HR manager whom also holds a law degree ....
At the police station GM learns what prompted the current events.
Police: At 6am this morning police witnessed a member of your staff (the engineering guy) tampering with a fire hydrant. A hose was connected to the hydrant and run off water was seen to be collected and deposited into the fish pond.
Beth is handed a pen & paper then asked to draw the company org chart. Naturally GM sits at the top of the chart.
Police show GM the handwritten org chart and advise he is being help on suspicion of theft of water! as he is the boss of this organization he is the man responsible. (Gotta love the corrupt police in South East Asia)
The Chief engineer tries to explain to the police that as there is no fire department in the area and the Hotel has a volunteer fire fighting team on staff to service the hotel and immediate area (which is basically vacant land & small village). The Engineering guy was servicing the Hydrant and instead of wasting the run off water he was recycling it into the fish pond. Why at 6am? Well the resort was running at 100% occupancy and the task was performed early before the breakfast rush.
Police don't care for explanations at this stage, They're quite smug and happy with themselves in the knowledge they have cracked this huge organized crime syndicate.
Now mind you this is all taking place at a snails pace, The police are taking smoke breaks every 15 mins and 2 finger typing the statements into the computer.
GM gets impatient and snaps at the police about their incompetence (BIG MISTAKE)
Police man decides its lunch time and heads out, I get a phone call from GM to say he's ok & doesn't know how long he'll be.
5pm rolls by, Nnother phone call from GM to me "Police have gone for dinner, no new updates, should be finished when the police get back"
Midnight I fall asleep alone.
6am next day, I call the Hotel 2IC for an update, Beth had had left the station that night so we had no further developments to report but the 2IC is a local and assures me GM will be ok.
My New Years Eve, 2006, Count down to 2007.
NYE is always spent at the Hotel, All major Holidays are, When we host huge parties GM & Wife can't exactly take a rain check and be a no show can we?
NYE 2007 was no different, We had a 1000 balloon drop happen at the stroke of midnight and partied the night away to an 8 piece local band who did covers of Black Eyed Peas, Rihana (ella, ella, ella) and other current chart toppers.
1st Jan 2007 was the last night the band was scheduled to play, After a very successful NYE party the night before, GM (husband) and I really let our hair down. drinks were flowing & a great time was had by all. The night ended for us around 4 o'clock in the morning.
8:00 am the phone rings, it's the The F&B Manager (I'll call him Chen), whom Say's "Police are here, They need to verify GM's work permit" we are both nursing nasty hangovers so Husband (GM) queries whether or not he has to do this straight away. Chen says he'll find out and ends the call.
8:10 am Phone rings, Chen again, speaking to GM "Um, The Police would like to see a copy of your work permit and visa" Hung over Cranky GM snaps "they have no authority or jurisdiction over my work permit & visa, if there is an issue with it get an immigration officer to contact me" and hangs up.
8:30 am Phone Rings, Chen again, speaking to GM "The Police have left, One of the engineering guys as well as the chief engineer have been arrested, The police have requested you to the police station to assist with their enquiries"
GM then gets out of bed, showers & dresses and is off to sort this mess out (with a pounding headache & an empty belly) he is accompanies by "Beth" The HR manager whom also holds a law degree ....
At the police station GM learns what prompted the current events.
Police: At 6am this morning police witnessed a member of your staff (the engineering guy) tampering with a fire hydrant. A hose was connected to the hydrant and run off water was seen to be collected and deposited into the fish pond.
Beth is handed a pen & paper then asked to draw the company org chart. Naturally GM sits at the top of the chart.
Police show GM the handwritten org chart and advise he is being help on suspicion of theft of water! as he is the boss of this organization he is the man responsible. (Gotta love the corrupt police in South East Asia)
The Chief engineer tries to explain to the police that as there is no fire department in the area and the Hotel has a volunteer fire fighting team on staff to service the hotel and immediate area (which is basically vacant land & small village). The Engineering guy was servicing the Hydrant and instead of wasting the run off water he was recycling it into the fish pond. Why at 6am? Well the resort was running at 100% occupancy and the task was performed early before the breakfast rush.
Police don't care for explanations at this stage, They're quite smug and happy with themselves in the knowledge they have cracked this huge organized crime syndicate.
Now mind you this is all taking place at a snails pace, The police are taking smoke breaks every 15 mins and 2 finger typing the statements into the computer.
GM gets impatient and snaps at the police about their incompetence (BIG MISTAKE)
Police man decides its lunch time and heads out, I get a phone call from GM to say he's ok & doesn't know how long he'll be.
5pm rolls by, Nnother phone call from GM to me "Police have gone for dinner, no new updates, should be finished when the police get back"
Midnight I fall asleep alone.
6am next day, I call the Hotel 2IC for an update, Beth had had left the station that night so we had no further developments to report but the 2IC is a local and assures me GM will be ok.
I'm advised the police are just after money and this is a common occurrence here. I'm also advised GM has started a hunger strike (lol, I actually found humour in this and thought "way to go with the non violent resistance, hun").
So the 2IC advises Beth was on her way back to the station via the hotel, So I get the Exec Chef to make some sandwiches for hubby & gather a change of clothes for him also, I ask if I can go with Beth to the station but am told No, as I may be roped into this mess and as I am "white" the bribe money will go up dramatically because as we all know "White Westerners are millionaires" (This is a common misconception with many S.E Asians)
Off Beth goes while I wait at home, Back at the station when 24 hours lapse from the time the initial report was taken in strolls the police man and goes straight for the sandwiches packed for GM. (Legally Police can hold suspects for 24 hours with out formal arrest & Damn it I should of requested ham sandwishes !) After the Police have had the morning snack intended for GM They are now ready to negotiate.
In steps Beth (Law degree holder) to begin negotiations. Initially the asking price to secure GM's release is $100,000 SGD (Yup, one hundred thousand Singapore dollars)
During negotiations the Police explain the situation like this "Pay or we charge him with theft, he could sit in jail for months before the courts even think of setting a date for the hearing" (And S.E Asian prisons are BAD! read a book titled "The Damage Done" for an honest insight into it)
Negotiations go back and forth until eventually a $50,000 SGD payment is settled upon.
By this stage the hotel owners, owners rep, GM's regional manager and the head office are all well aware of the situation.
Beth heads off to the bank and is met by the owners rep who authorises the withdrawal of funds from the owners bank account.
The money is then delivered in a brown paper bag and my fugitive husband is set free !!!!!
He showers, eats, then sleeps till the next morning. I question him about his hunger strike, he advises the cell at the station was filthy, with roaches and lizards running around every where.
He was offered food but was served sludge with half a rat in it. So the hunger strike wasn't a form of non violent protest after all.
So the 2IC advises Beth was on her way back to the station via the hotel, So I get the Exec Chef to make some sandwiches for hubby & gather a change of clothes for him also, I ask if I can go with Beth to the station but am told No, as I may be roped into this mess and as I am "white" the bribe money will go up dramatically because as we all know "White Westerners are millionaires" (This is a common misconception with many S.E Asians)
Off Beth goes while I wait at home, Back at the station when 24 hours lapse from the time the initial report was taken in strolls the police man and goes straight for the sandwiches packed for GM. (Legally Police can hold suspects for 24 hours with out formal arrest & Damn it I should of requested ham sandwishes !) After the Police have had the morning snack intended for GM They are now ready to negotiate.
In steps Beth (Law degree holder) to begin negotiations. Initially the asking price to secure GM's release is $100,000 SGD (Yup, one hundred thousand Singapore dollars)
During negotiations the Police explain the situation like this "Pay or we charge him with theft, he could sit in jail for months before the courts even think of setting a date for the hearing" (And S.E Asian prisons are BAD! read a book titled "The Damage Done" for an honest insight into it)
Negotiations go back and forth until eventually a $50,000 SGD payment is settled upon.
By this stage the hotel owners, owners rep, GM's regional manager and the head office are all well aware of the situation.
Beth heads off to the bank and is met by the owners rep who authorises the withdrawal of funds from the owners bank account.
The money is then delivered in a brown paper bag and my fugitive husband is set free !!!!!
He showers, eats, then sleeps till the next morning. I question him about his hunger strike, he advises the cell at the station was filthy, with roaches and lizards running around every where.
He was offered food but was served sludge with half a rat in it. So the hunger strike wasn't a form of non violent protest after all.
The only good thing to come out of this ordeal was Beth, we always thought she was as dumb as a box of hammers and was on the verge of being fired but she shone through this ordeal and managed to hold onto her job.
Also just want to add, corruption exists on all levels but NEVER have I experienced it like this. This was not corruption rather Extortion.
P.S This did not take place in Singapore, The Singapore sums I mention are the equivalents of the currency here.
* Hmmm, No pictures of this drama to post so here is one of me taken in March. I was building sand castles, you can see them in the background, lol - I'm tired, need to sleep now.
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