SINGAPORE: The death of a Bangladeshi migrant worker who was killed in an accident while travelling in the back of a lorry in Tuas last December has raised concerns among Members of Parliament.
Melvin Yong, Member of Parliament for Radin Mas SMC, filed a Parliamentary question on 7 January to Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat regarding the incident at Tuas South on 15 December 2024.
The accident involved a lorry transporting workers, which resulted in one fatality and two injuries.
In response, Chee confirmed that the Traffic Police had begun investigating the incident.
Preliminary Investigations Reveal Lorry Was Carrying Heavy Metal Box and Three Workers in Rear Deck During Accident
He explained that preliminary investigations revealed that the lorry was carrying one heavy metal box and three workers in the rear deck when the accident occurred.
The driver is being investigated for causing death by negligent act under Section 304A of the Penal Code (1871).
Upon the completion of the Police investigations, the findings will be presented during the Coroner’s Inquiry.
However, Chee stated that, as investigations are ongoing, the Traffic Police are unable to comment further at this time.
He added, “The Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders to improve the safety of all road users.”
The worker, Shohag Mohammad, 40, who was among three workers travelling in the back of the lorry, died in the accident.
Shohag was pronounced dead at the scene due to “multiple injuries.”
According to state media The Straits Times, records show that Shohag had been trained as a shipyard worker and had attended safety courses conducted by Singaporean firms as far back as 2008.
Shohag left behind his wife, a six-year-old daughter, his mother, who is in her late 70s, and four other family members in Munshiganj district, about an hour from Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city.
The police had previously stated that the lorry driver, aged 41, was arrested for causing death by careless driving, an offence which carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail and a S$10,000 fine.
TWC2 Criticises Singapore for Being “Virtually the Only First-World Country” Using Lorries to Transport Migrant Workers
In a Facebook post, Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), a non-profit organisation advocating for the equitable treatment of migrant workers in Singapore, condemned the authorities for their reluctance to regulate the transportation of foreign workers in unsecured open vehicles.
TWC2 criticised Singapore for being “virtually the only first-world country that continues to ferry migrant workers by lorry,” adding that even Dubai and Qatar, known internationally for poor treatment of migrant workers, had stopped this practice more than a decade ago.
“In fact, the conversations they are now having are no longer about the safety of transportation via lorries, but rather the discomfort of using non-air-conditioned buses!” they said.
NMP Razwana Begum Questions Legality of Transporting Foreign Workers in Unsecured Open Vehicles
Last week, Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Associate Professor Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim also criticised the continued legality of transporting migrant workers in unsecured open vehicles without seatbelts.
Speaking during the debate on the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, Razwana raised the ongoing issue, pointing out that it has been repeatedly discussed in Parliament and that advocacy groups have long called for a ban on the practice.
“I remain puzzled as to why it is still legal to transport multiple foreign workers in open vehicles without seatbelts, while all other drivers and passengers on Singaporean roads are required to wear seatbelts at all times,” she remarked.
However, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of National Development, declined to address Razwana’s concerns.
Instead, he referred her to a response provided by the Ministry of Transport in July 2023 on the matter.
“Given that these issues are not the focus of this Bill, we invite the Member to file a separate Parliamentary question on this matter,” he replied.
In July 2023, a similar adjournment motion filed by ruling PAP MP Louis Ng, which sought to ban the practice of ferrying workers on lorries, was rejected by the government.
At the time, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor acknowledged that “it would be ideal” not to transport workers in lorries.
However, she cited familiar challenges, such as a lack of licensed drivers and an insufficient number of private buses, as reasons why the practice continued—challenges that, critics argue, should have been resolved years ago.
