Burma 1984

A rapid transfer was made to an air-conditioned express which left Kuala Lumpur Station at 7:30am – we had just half an hour to get the whole group out of one train, across the station, and into the correct carriage of another train. 

Today’s journey was marred by the disclosure some minutes after leaving Kuala Lumpur that another student had left his passport, cash, traveller’s cheques and identification on the overnight train that we had just left.  A message was passed to the station master at the first station we came to, but this was to no avail and upon arrival at Johor Bahru (the exit station from Malaysia into Singapore), the student was informed that he would have to return to Kuala Lumpur to complete Police reports and arrange replacement travel documents.  (It won’t surprise you that on all subsequent school study tours I have led across national borders, I have kept and carried the students’ passports – lesson learned!).

Given that we were so close to Singapore – we could see it across the Causeway – and I refused to allow a return trip to Kuala Lumpur, and the student waited with the parent who was travelling with us at Johor Bahru while the rest of the group entered Singapore.  The other teacher then informed the Australian High Commission of the situation, and after several hours of negotiations, the parent and the student were allowed to walk across the Causeway into Singapore. The student and the parent then spent the next day completing Police reports and arranging alternative travel documents

Friday

11 May 1984

Day 17

Butterworth to Singapore

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