Research Report no. 3 – October 2011 – p.46
“Show money”
1
Alliance Anti-Trafic
100 / 82
100 / 82 S$ 250 / 203
Total Total
From US$ 243 – 446
Fig. 27: Cost of going to Johor Bahru to obtain a new 30-day pass.
Going to Johor Bahru is a quick but risky and expensive method of extending one’s stay in Singapore compared to the 30-day Social Visit Pass extension. Entertainers can also go to Thailand or Indonesia, for instance the island of Batam in Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago, which is only one hour by ferry and S$ 35 (US$ 29) for a round-trip ticket. What has been said for Johor Bahru in relation to issues of crossing the border and passing Singaporean immigration prevails for re-entry from Batam. Despite this, for the duration of the study none of the informants traveled to Indonesia, preferring to go to Johor Bahru instead.35 However one entertainer, Nhi aged 32, did go on a cruise in Thailand for a week, stating it is easier to return to Singapore by sea because “coming by boat, they have to let the girls in, the girls cannot go back. Where could they go back if they were rejected? To the sea? They have to let the girls enter Singapore.” The boarding house manager described a final scenario to facilitate re-entry to Singapore. Here, the Singaporean sponsor can be sent to Vietnam, to then return with the entertainer to Singapore together, again creating the impression of a legitimate couple at Changi airport. This case has not been observed in the investigation, however, following my return to HCMC post investigations, I was asked twice by an entertainer from the boarding house to escort her from Vietnam back to Singapore. If a sponsor is willing both in Vietnam or Singapore, and if the migrant entertainer has the means to pay for transportation and fees, this option is worth consideration. Performing Artist Work Permit (“Working card”) A third way to extend the stay in Singapore is to apply for a Performing Artist Work Permit. Vietnamese entertainers call this method the “working card” (thê làm viêc). The MOM states on its website that; “Since 2008, this visa is required by foreigners who wish to take up a short-term professional assignment in Singapore as an artist performing at nightclubs, lounges, pubs, karaoke clubs or other similar entertainment outlets. The maximum duration of this work permit is six months. Sponsoring companies must have a valid Public Entertainment License, and the application follows the standard procedures of work permits.”36 None of the informants in the study worked within this legal framework, however this finding cannot be generalized to all Vietnamese entertainers working in Singapore, as systematic surveys were not conducted in Joo Chiat, Geylang and Jalan Sultan karaoke lounges employing formally or informally However, when I was leaving for a weekend with a European friend visiting the island of Batam, the boarding house manager insisted that we traveled with two of his “daughters,” our housemates, at their expense. She wanted us to “sponsor” their re-entry or to behave like couples with the entertainers at the immigration border checkpoints at the Singapore Cruise Center. I refused the proposition, but this again shows that the option is viable if a sponsor is easily available. 36 Quote from MOM website (http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/passes-visas/work-permitartiste/before-you-apply/Pages/default.aspx#requirements, accessed 20 July 2011). 35