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The Electric New Paper :

They strut in UNDIES in JUNGLE

Police arrest 12 men & 12 women in vice raid in Woodlands

THEY would strut their stuff in their underwear every night, never mind the mosquitoes, never mind that they were in the middle of a forested area.

23 September 2007

THEY would strut their stuff in their underwear every night, never mind the mosquitoes, never mind that they were in the middle of a forested area.

And the girls were bold - the den where they paraded is close to Woodlands Avenue 9, and just 30m from the nearest brightly-lit HDB blocks.

The spot is also next to a foreign workers' hostel, in a concealed wooded area.

A small muddy path leads up from Woodlands Avenue 9, where a detour to the left leads straight to the vice den.

According to residents in the area, the den was in operation for at least six months.

Until Thursday, when it all came to a dramatic end.

Around 10.45 pm, the police conducted a raid and rounded up 12men and 12 women for various offences.

The New Paper was alerted to the vice den by a reader, who wanted to be known only as Mohamad.

CURIOUS

He had seen people gathering in the area. Curious, he followed them and was surprised at what he saw.

Said Mohamad, 18, a student: 'It was dark, but I could still see the outline of the women in just their underwear.

'I saw about 15 to 20 of them (women). I was surprised that this type of action was taking place just beside a busy road.'

The women were clearly waiting patiently for customers, he said.

A week later, he and a friend, Ali, saw the women again.

Said Ali, who is also an 18-year-old student: 'The sexily-dressed foreign women would call out, 'Darling, I be your girlfriend... $20 only. Come, come'.'

Nearby was a small area - the size of an HDB room - with wooden poles holding up sheets of canvas offering privacy for men engaging the women's sexual services.

There were five such makeshift enclosures in the area.

The New Paper visited the area and found out that from the 8th storey of Block877 on Woodlands Avenue 9, the entrance of the sex den could be clearly seen in the day.

It was believed that the women didn't live there.

One resident from Block 876 said that in the last three months, he had noticed the women in the mornings and evenings.

Mr William Lau, 43, said that when he saw the women, they would usually be carrying plastic bags of takeaway food.

Mr Lau, a construction supervisor who has been in the business for 25 years, said most workers' hostels do not allow women on the premises, so they 'set up shop' in forested areas near by.

There would usually be gambling and drinking, and often Singaporeans would join in the gambling, placing big bets, according to him.

Said Mr Lau: 'As long as the workers or the brothel owners know how to keep their activities away from my estate, I don't mind what they're doing.

'As a father, I'm worried about the vice activities crossing into our estate. But working with foreigners, I also understand that they need an outlet.'

At Blocks 877 and 876 there is evidence that some of the fun spilled into the estate.

Groups of men drink and leave their empty liquor bottles behind.

The women leaving the forested den at night also got cat calls from foreign workers below the blocks.

Each night, the action would start around 10pm. It got busy during the weekends.

Sometimes, taxis would drop local-looking men at the foot of the path.

From the hostel's lights, you could tell that there was a slow stream of men going in.

You could also hear laughter and conversation in a foreign language.

Concerned residents like MadamRathi, who lives directly opposite the vice den in Block 876, are relieved by Thursday's raid.

Said Madam Rathi, 28: 'It's disturbing to know that what separates a quiet neighbourhood from sexual activities is just a road.

'I don't want my children to be influenced by any of the activities or worse, be a victim of molest or rape by somebody who visits the prostitutes.'

Another resident, who gave her name only as Julia, said: 'I have always tried to avoid the area when I jog. It's dark and I imagine that somebody can just jump on me from the shadows.'

Julia, 20, added that students from Republic Polytechnic should be warned about the den, as it is barely 300m from the campus.

Julia said: 'Most students board the bus in front of the polytechnic. But I have seen a few female students who take the sidewalk beside the den. They should walk on the side of the HDB estate to avoid any surprises.'

Police have conducted six other major operations in the wooded areas of Woodlands and Lim Chu Kang in the last three years.

In all, 96 people were arrested for immigration offences.

The police say they will continue their patrols and operations in these areas, and will also liaise closely with the local community to keep the situation in check.

Previous vice bust just about 400m away

On 14 May 2004, The New Paper reported that 34 foreigners were arrested in a police raid at Woodlands Industrial Park E2. A few months later, the forest there was bulldozed to discourage vice activities. That area (see map) is 400m from the current den.

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