- Joined
- Aug 8, 2008
- Messages
- 3,619
- Points
- 48
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100611-221542.html
Sun, Jun 13, 2010
The Straits Times
Kidnap claims worry expat parents
By Melissa Kok
A TIDE of anxiety has washed over the expatriate community here, fed by a series of e-mail messages alleging that two or more young children were the target of kidnappers.
The messages contain warnings to parents to take the safety of their children seriously because of the two alleged incidents, and include outlandish details.
They claim, for instance, that Changi Airport had been shut down for three hours due to the kidnappings, and allege that details of the incidents have been kept out of the media because of censorship.
Read also:
» Two schools on alert for dodgy strangers
The e-mail messages have caused much consternation among expatriates: Advisories to parents have been flying fast and furiously, Internet forums are buzzing with such tales and warnings, and a letter to a Member of Parliament has also been sent.
The messages began making the rounds after an incident last week, in which the mother of a six-year-old British boy claimed that her son was approached by a young woman while he was waiting with the family's maid at a taxi stand at Turf City.
The woman allegedly tried to coax the boy to leave with her, but was warned off by the maid.
A report was made and police have confirmed they are looking into the incident.
Shortly after, the boy's mother sent an e-mail to warn other parents.
In it, she claimed that a similar incident had occurred near a condominium in the Mount Sinai area.
The news spread like wildfire among expatriates, turning into a hot discussion topic on online forums such as ExpatSingapore.
The tide of e-mail messages began building after Tanglin Trust School, where the six-year-old boy studies, sent out a safety advisory to parents on Monday.
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100611-221542/2.html
Around the same time, two concerned parents informed staff at Art Boot Camp, a centre at Turf City that offers art lessons to children, about the incident, prompting the school to advise its teachers to take extra precautions with their students.
Kindergarten and enrichment centre Swallows and Amazons followed suit, sending out two safety advisories to parents this week. It contained tips for parents, guardians and maids on what to do and how best to handle such situations.
The avalanche was touched off when other international schools, including the United World College of South East Asia, issued notices to students' parents at the start of the week, advising them to ensure that their children are supervised at all times.
As word got out, more international schools joined in: The Canadian International School issued one on Wednesday, while Avondale Grammar School said it would be including a safety advisory in its newsletter for parents today.
Soon, e-mail messages that claimed similar incidents had occurred in the River Valley and Aljunied areas began making the rounds.
Asked about the wave of notices, Ms Jackie Barkham, the director of Swallows and Amazons, said: 'It's a wake-up call that we can't be complacent; we live in a safe country, but there are incidents.
'We must teach children and teach people that look after the children what to do and be aware, because these things happen still.'
However, Avondale Grammar's headmaster, Mr Andrew Coote, added that it was important to ensure parents and schools respond in an appropriate way, as 'blowing things out of proportion can cause children greater anxiety'.
Referring to the kidnapping claims, he said: 'It can take on a degree of urban myth, and so we should be mindful of escalating unnecessary risk.'
Some expatriate parents who were contacted said they were sceptical that such incidents could happen in Singapore, but were taking extra care nonetheless.
Australian expatriate Erika Kent, 39, said she was concerned about the e-mail messages, and is now taking extra precautions with her five-year-old daughter Sienna.
She said she has told the girl about the dangers of talking to strangers.
She said: 'If the situation ever arises, they would understand never to go off with a stranger. But it's a fine balance, you want to make them aware of the danger without alarming them.'
When contacted, police advised parents to arrange for their children to be accompanied at all times.
It advised those who sense something amiss or spot anyone behaving suspiciously to call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000.
[email protected]
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
Sun, Jun 13, 2010
The Straits Times
Kidnap claims worry expat parents
By Melissa Kok
A TIDE of anxiety has washed over the expatriate community here, fed by a series of e-mail messages alleging that two or more young children were the target of kidnappers.
The messages contain warnings to parents to take the safety of their children seriously because of the two alleged incidents, and include outlandish details.
They claim, for instance, that Changi Airport had been shut down for three hours due to the kidnappings, and allege that details of the incidents have been kept out of the media because of censorship.
Read also:
» Two schools on alert for dodgy strangers
The e-mail messages have caused much consternation among expatriates: Advisories to parents have been flying fast and furiously, Internet forums are buzzing with such tales and warnings, and a letter to a Member of Parliament has also been sent.
The messages began making the rounds after an incident last week, in which the mother of a six-year-old British boy claimed that her son was approached by a young woman while he was waiting with the family's maid at a taxi stand at Turf City.
The woman allegedly tried to coax the boy to leave with her, but was warned off by the maid.
A report was made and police have confirmed they are looking into the incident.
Shortly after, the boy's mother sent an e-mail to warn other parents.
In it, she claimed that a similar incident had occurred near a condominium in the Mount Sinai area.
The news spread like wildfire among expatriates, turning into a hot discussion topic on online forums such as ExpatSingapore.
The tide of e-mail messages began building after Tanglin Trust School, where the six-year-old boy studies, sent out a safety advisory to parents on Monday.
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100611-221542/2.html
Around the same time, two concerned parents informed staff at Art Boot Camp, a centre at Turf City that offers art lessons to children, about the incident, prompting the school to advise its teachers to take extra precautions with their students.
Kindergarten and enrichment centre Swallows and Amazons followed suit, sending out two safety advisories to parents this week. It contained tips for parents, guardians and maids on what to do and how best to handle such situations.
The avalanche was touched off when other international schools, including the United World College of South East Asia, issued notices to students' parents at the start of the week, advising them to ensure that their children are supervised at all times.
As word got out, more international schools joined in: The Canadian International School issued one on Wednesday, while Avondale Grammar School said it would be including a safety advisory in its newsletter for parents today.
Soon, e-mail messages that claimed similar incidents had occurred in the River Valley and Aljunied areas began making the rounds.
Asked about the wave of notices, Ms Jackie Barkham, the director of Swallows and Amazons, said: 'It's a wake-up call that we can't be complacent; we live in a safe country, but there are incidents.
'We must teach children and teach people that look after the children what to do and be aware, because these things happen still.'
However, Avondale Grammar's headmaster, Mr Andrew Coote, added that it was important to ensure parents and schools respond in an appropriate way, as 'blowing things out of proportion can cause children greater anxiety'.
Referring to the kidnapping claims, he said: 'It can take on a degree of urban myth, and so we should be mindful of escalating unnecessary risk.'
Some expatriate parents who were contacted said they were sceptical that such incidents could happen in Singapore, but were taking extra care nonetheless.
Australian expatriate Erika Kent, 39, said she was concerned about the e-mail messages, and is now taking extra precautions with her five-year-old daughter Sienna.
She said she has told the girl about the dangers of talking to strangers.
She said: 'If the situation ever arises, they would understand never to go off with a stranger. But it's a fine balance, you want to make them aware of the danger without alarming them.'
When contacted, police advised parents to arrange for their children to be accompanied at all times.
It advised those who sense something amiss or spot anyone behaving suspiciously to call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000.
[email protected]
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
