Batam, A Return To

Spending my last week "in Singapore" at Batam. Some things change and some things stay the same.

ICA changed the layout if immigration at Habourfront. Batam Centre's immigration has not changed. It even looks as if the same people are manning the

Biggest change, and a minor shock to me, was that there's no more gambling in Batam; no more casinos, no more jackpot halls and no more even the popular "bolla" ping-pong balls. According to hengky, it was stopped even before I left for Hobart, before this year's Chinese New Year.

The social impact of gambling facilities, I think, was minimal as the clientele was almost exclusively Singaporean/Malaysians. Say what you want about vice, but gambling must have provided hundreds if not thousands of jobs in Batam. It's not a nice job but it's something you can feed your children on.

I wonder how many of the bolla girls have turned to positution instead.

Leaving on Sunday afternoon, I cannot help but think that the cessation of casinos, in the sense of social impact, helps Singapore and Singaporeans more than it helps Batam.