What started as a simple day trip to Johor Bahru turned into a harrowing week-long nightmare for Singaporean Atalia Chua. The 36-year-old found herself unexpectedly detained for seven days following a tense exchange with a Malaysian customs officer at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar checkpoint.
The trouble began when Chua's biometric scan failed twice, causing delays at the counter. There, she encountered an officer whom she described as "aggressive." A brief but heated argument ensued, leading to the confiscation of her passport. Matters escalated when Chua was pressured to delete a video she had taken of the officer during the altercation.
Chua took to TikTok to share her distressing experience, revealing that she was harassed and coerced into signing documents written in Malay, a language she could not understand. Despite her initial refusal, she eventually signed the forms after her brother persuaded her to do so in hopes of securing her release.
During her detention, Chua claimed she endured humiliating treatment, including being strip-searched and taunted by officers. She spent six nights in a cell, an experience she described as deeply unsettling. While the conditions were relatively clean and she was provided with basic food, Chua's frustration stemmed from being denied phone calls, leaving her unable to reassure her worried mother.
Chua was finally released after her brother, with assistance from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, intervened on her behalf. Despite her ordeal coming to an end, Chua remains angry and frustrated over the entire experience, particularly the lack of communication and the treatment she received during her detention.
What was meant to be a brief day trip across the border turned into a traumatic experience that Chua is unlikely to forget anytime soon.
