HK actor Kenny Bee complains about being 'treated like criminals' at Singapore airport

SINGAPORE - Veteran Hong Kong actor-singer Kenny Bee took to his microblog on Tuesday, complaining about being treated poorly at Singapore's Changi Airport.

Bee, 58, was in town to perform on a luxury cruiseliner, but his trip here with his family was apparently marred by an incident with an immigration officer upon arrival.

He flew in on Friday with his girlfriend, Fan Chiang, and seven-year-old daughter. They left yesterday.

Bee wrote in his microblog, complaining about a female immigration officer who 'made things difficult for him'.

He said her attitude and behaviour caused his family distress and fans who were around to feel embarassed for them.

Bee also wrote that the officer seemed to be taking out her personal frustrations on them and they were just the 'unlucky victims'.

His girlfriend, Fan - who seemed more agitated in her posts to her microblog account - went a step further, saying they were 'treated like criminals'.

She wrote: "The immigration department is the first point of contact for travellers to any country. In Singapore, we met with an unpleasant female officer, who treated not just us, but everyone as if they were criminals.

"I hope the Singapore immigration department will look into this and not let one bad apple spoil the whole basket."

This is not the first case where celebrities have complained about being ill-treated at Singapore's immigration checkpoints.

Just last month, sultry Hong Kong actress Shu Qi wrote on her microblog account that immigration officers in Singapore 'need to improve their attitude'.

Her post prompted one fan to reply that Singapore is all about giving fair treatment, and that if she's not happy, she should not come.

In response, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that all travellers are subjected to the same security regime at our checkpoints and are treated equally in the course of security checks.

A spokesperson said that investigations into Bee's complaints showed that his girlfriend did not complete and sign off on her embarkation/disembarkation (DE) card. The officer attending to her then asked her to fill in the missing information, while continuing to clear the rest of the travellers in the queue.

She added that ICA officers are constantly reminded to be professional and courteous when handling travellers

Source: AsiaOne