Seagate workers could call relatives, say police

[Theotherhalf]

Seagate workers could call relatives, say police

Response comes in wake of Malaysian newspaper report which
also alleged that all the workers arrested in fake MC scam
were handcuffed

THE Singapore police have refuted claims made by a Malaysian
newspaper that it had refused to let a group of Malaysian
workers phone their relatives from the Ang Mo Kio police
station.

This was after they were arrested last week in connection
with the Seagate medical certificate scam.

Police spokesman ASP Ng Guat Heng told The Straits Times
last night: "The workers were allowed to call their
relatives after they were questioned by the police."

He also dismissed claims made by the New Straits Times (NST)
that police officers had handcuffed all the arrested workers
while they were being questioned at Ang Mo Kio police
station.

He said that an arrested person might be handcuffed if the
situation warranted it.

"In the Seagate case, only four workers were handcuffed," he
said. He added that such police procedures applied to all
suspects, regardless of their nationality.

The workers had told the NST that they were treated like
criminals by the police while under detention after their
company had them arrested.

The NST, which has published several reports on the former
Seagate workers over the past week, stated in its latest
article that the Johor Indian Business Association had hit
out at Seagate for treating these workers like "hardcore
criminals for allegedly forging medical certificates".

Its report said: "The association's president, Mr P.
Sivakumar, said the workers, mainly women aged between 18
and 49, had been ill-treated and scorned publicly over an
'internal matter' which could have been settled within the
company."

Mr Sivakumar was further quoted as saying: "It was wrong and
inhumane of Seagate to treat Malaysian workers this way when
they had served the company faithfully for many years."

Nearly 100 Malaysian workers from Seagate Technology were
dismissed by the company two weeks ago.

This was for allegedly using fake medical certificates, a
few of which date back to 1994.

The company dismissed the Malaysian workers after it made
checks last month with the Sultana Aminah Hospital in Johor
Baru, which had supposedly issued the certificates.

The company also reported the matter to the police.

The sacked workers were mostly women from Seagate's
production department who worked the graveyard 9 pm to 7 am
shift.

Some said they had paid up to M$40 (S$18) for a two- or
three-day MC.

Forty of the ex-employees were charged in court on
Wednesday. Ten of them admitted the offence and were fined,
while the remaining 30 are claiming trial.

[subir...@mail.sprint.com]

I believe that the Subject line should read more accurately. Thank you.

Subir De.

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