Travellers, who are planning to visit Singapore from Malaysia must be prepared to wait much longer than usual at the Causeway and Second Link, as the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has tightened the security check process after a radioactive dispersal device (RDD) went missing in Malaysia, earlier this month.
Many people have experienced the increased security checks by ICA than the normal days. After the device, which is containing the radioactive isotope Iridium-192 disappeared in Malaysian soil on August 10, Singapore took the initiatives to avoid any kind of unexpected devastating incidents in the country, so the ICA officials were asked to conduct proper inspections at the checkpoints.
As per the reports, an ICA spokesperson said, they can assure the people that the authority is capable of detecting any kind of radioactive threats, as the officers are using equipment such as scanners, detectors to screen for radiation levels on cargo, vehicles and the travellers, who are entering Singapore.
Early reports stated that the 23kg RDD went missing from the back of a pick-up truck while it was transported to the Shah Alam from Seremban.
A 65-year-old Singaporean taxi driver, Haniff Mahbob, who drives across the Johor Straits daily said that the ICA officers are not only checking the boot of every car but also the spare tyre compartment.
In addition to that, another cabby said, ICA is checking each and every vehicle, which entering Singapore, more closely in the past two weeks. He also said that even the officers are using handheld devices to check vehicles and travellers at the checkpoint.
However, on Saturday morning, at around 6.40 am ICA posted on their Facebook page that heavy traffic was seen at Woodlands checkpoint due to the backflow of traffic from Malaysia.
