Thursday, February 11, 2010

Seeking for help using your knowledge.

Good day mate!



I know at this time I should write something about our activities and our life but this had been disturbing us since September 2009. WE ARE INNOCENT about giving SGD$1300 to the Canadian!



Since then, we had been writing snail mails to each other. I wrote a letter to them, sent it in registered post, about 1 month later, they reply my mail to my Singapore address. I have to ask my sis to scan and email me which that I would have the reply at least 4-6 weeks after I sent a letter. Now, the below was the second letter I sent to them:


Dear Madam,

REQUEST FOR REVIEW ON SEIZURE NUMBER 8081-09-0021, REFERENCE NUMBER CS - 57569

I would like to thank you for your letter dated on October 20, 2009, being sent to my Singapore address which I had read and fully understand.

Agreeing to the Customs Act, I had believed the CBSA has understood the facts and had applied the law correctly.

There were few reasons that had misled me of failure to report to the customs at that time:

1) The custom office does not seem to be open for business at the time of travel.
a) Buildings around were deserted and isolated, so as the custom office.
b) There wasn’t anyone manning the customs and there wasn’t any obstruction.

2) There wasn’t any signage and formalities when I was exiting the country (Canada, Stewart), entering onto another country (USA, Hyder), that I had not known of it was an international boundary.

3) The road structure:
a) the road structure of Stewart Port seems that riding into the custom lane was optional as the main road from Hyder (USA) leads straight to Steward (Canada), neglecting the custom lane. The custom lane was built at the right side of the road, as if it was only for special needs or voluntary. (refer to picture number 1, page 3 of 4) As a tourist in the area, I would definitely use the unavoidable main road at that situation.
b) I noticed that the roads on other custom office of Canada had made the road users to drive/ride into the custom lane, making it mandatory and unavoidable. (Refer to picture number 2) To add on, there were big and understandable signage and instructions for road users to report to the custom and immigration. (Refer to picture number 3)
4) Officer 14365 mentioned that the siren was turned on twice but we would had hear it if we were not wearing our helmets and earplugs.


Considering the above 4 main points, I would request for your leniency on the penalty given.

I have no intention of not reporting to the customs.

Yours sincerely,

Goh Mia Chun



picture 1

picture 2



picture 3

Then after on 20 December 2009, they replied and sent letter to my Singapore address which I received it 1 week ago. At this point of the ‘fight’, I do not understand what they meant. I tried to explain to them that the terrain had misled me but they insist that what they did was correct.

Secondly, did they mentioned that they are considering to be lenient to me or what they meant was to close this case if I do not submit anymore letter to them to explain myself?

Read the letter from them below:

If you can't read this letter, right click on it and save it to your computer.

We can’t afford engage any lawyer to fight for us because the lawyer fee would be more than the fine they took from us on the day of incident. The Singapore to Canada diplomat or the Singapore Ministry of foreign affairs cannot do anything even they were being informed about what had happened. Diplomats are diplomats, they built relationship. Their citizen was being ‘set in their trap’ or being punished innocently in other country and what they (Singapore to Canada diplomats or Ministry of foreign affair) did was to observe only. We have nobody around us now to seek for help except through this blog.

This Lunar New Year, you are happily sitting with your family. It’s the 3rd time that we had missed it. We just need a little help from you.

Help? How can you help?


1) Explain to me what do they (the Canadian) meant on their letter.

2) Help me to write a letter back to them because my reasoning skills and command of English is not up to their standard. Help us get back the money that we had paid in order to get Hope Too back which they had seized.

Your help is really greatly appreciated.
the chinese version is below, translated by http://sg.babelfish.yahoo.com
大家好! 我此时我应该写某事关于我们的活动和我们的生活的知道,但是这干扰我们从2009年9月。 我们是无辜的关于给SGD$1300加拿大人! 从那以后,我们是文字特慢邮件互相。 我给他们写一封信,送它在登记的岗位,大约以后1个月,他们回复我的邮件我的新加坡地址。 我必须请求我的姐姐扫描和给我发电子邮件哪些那我将有回复至少4-6个星期,在我送了一封信之后。 现在,下面是我送到他们的第二个字母:
感谢您在2009年10月的您的信20日,被送到我读了的我的新加坡地址和充分地了解。 赞成风俗行动,我相信CBSA了解事实和恰当地运用了法律。 有误引了我疏忽那时向风俗报告的少量原因:
1) 海关不似乎营业在旅行之时。
a) 大厦离开了并且被隔绝了,至于海关。
b) 没有供以人员风俗的任何人,并且没有所有阻碍。
2) 没有所有标志,并且形式,当我退出国家(加拿大,斯图尔特),输入在另一个国家(美国, Hyder)上,我不知道它是国际边界。
3) 路结构:
a) 斯图尔特口岸路结构似乎乘坐入习惯车道是任意的,当从Hyder (美国)的主路导致直接管家(加拿大),忽略习惯车道。 习惯车道被修造了在路的右边,好象它仅为特别需要或义务。 (参见图片第1)作为一个游人在区域,我明确地将使用难免的主路在那个情况。
b) 我注意在加拿大其他海关的路使道路使用者驾驶或乘坐入习惯车道,使它必须和难免。 (参见图片第2)增加,有道路使用者的大和可理解的标志和指示能向风俗和移民报告。 (参见图片第3)
4) 官员14365提及警报器两次起动了,但是我们会有听见它,如果我们没有佩带我们的盔甲和耳塞。 就上面4个要点而论,我会请求您的在指定的惩罚的宽大。 我无意不向风俗报告。 敬上,
然后以后在2009年12月20日,他们送了一封信到我接受它1个星期前的我的新加坡房子。 这时`fight',我不了解什么他们意味。 我设法解释到他们地形误引了我,但是他们坚持,什么他们是正确的。 第二,他们提及他们认为宽大对我或什么他们意味是关闭这个案件,如果我不再递交信件给他们解释自己? 如下读从他们的信: . . . . . 我们不可能买得起订婚任何律师为我们战斗,因为律师费比他们从我们采取在事件的那天的罚款是更多。 加拿大外交官或新加坡外交部的新加坡不可能做什么甚而他们被通知关于发生什么。 外交人士是外交人士,他们建立了关系。 他们的公民是在他们的陷井设置的`或被惩罚无辜地在其他国家和什么他们(加拿大外交官或外交部的新加坡)是只观察。
我们现在有没人在寻找的我们附近为除了通过这个博克的帮助。 这个新年,您愉快地坐与您的家庭。 它是第3次我们错过了它。 我们需要从您的一点帮助。
帮助? 您怎么可帮助?
1) 解释给我什么在他们的信件他们(加拿大人)意味。
2) 因为英语我的推理技能和命令不是由他们的标准决定,帮助我写信回到他们。 帮助我们让回到我们付为了取回希望太他们占领了的钱。
您的帮助真正地很大地感谢。

1 comment:

contrarian said...

Based on the latest letter, it seems that you have appealed to the Minister to make a decision on your case. The current status of this case seems to be that:
1. You have been accused of not reporting to customs, and thus contravened Canadian law
2. You have made an appeal against the original enforcement decision, and put forward your case for leniency
3. This case is now with the Minister
4. The Minister will now make a decision based on the papers from both CBSA and your past letters. If you have anything more to say in your defence, you need to write to the CBSA Adjudicator.

If you have already said all you wanted to say, just wait for the Minister to decide.

There is a separate point on asking for your permission to disclose this case to the MFA Singapore. I cannot tell what this is about because you haven't shown the original letter asking for this. It is difficult to pick something up in the middle as readers cannot see the exchange of letters before this.