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Bikes torched at airport Last updated 26 Aug 2003 Back to D'Singapore Scene
The New Paper - 20 Feb 2003 Was motorbike at Changi torched? By Zaihan Mohd Yusof
Police officers also patrol the area regularly, making it one of the safest places here to park a vehicle. But Ms Rashidah Bugum, who has been parking her motorcycle at the Changi Airport Terminal 2 carpark since July last year, has found that things can go wrong there too. A fire at the two-wheeler lots in carpark B, early on Sunday morning, damaged her bike as well as a scooter parked next to it. Said Ms Rashidah, 24, a customer service employee at the airport: 'When there was an announcement over the public address system asking the owner of the motorcycle to report to the duty terminal manager, I thought it was because of my road tax. 'What I didn't expect was that my bike had exploded.' The police are investigating the cause of the fire, with the help of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), and they have not ruled out arson.
The gleaming gold paint of her $5,000 Daelim Chopper was charred. The bike's licence plate, seat and battery compartment had melted. The fire had also blackened the wall and ceiling of the parking lot. According to bike seller Ong Kim Hua, who owns Dirt Wheel Motor Trading, motorcycles can catch fire if petrol is leaking from the carburettor. But such instances are rare, said Mr Ong, 37. Ms Rashidah said she remembered turning off the fuel valve and ignition before heading for her office. That was at 1am on Sunday. A police spokesman said they received a call about the fire at 2.55am after airport staff members spotted it. At 3am, Ms Rashidah was shocked to see 10 policemen and five SCDF officers near her charred bike. 'The police asked me many questions that morning. They also asked whether I had any enemies. I'm a low profile person and I go out riding only with my close friends,' said Ms Rashidah who got her motorcycle licence last June. Looking at the remains of her bike, she said she felt sad. She said she had enjoyed riding the 125cc motorcycle with her friends, especially after work. She said she also felt sorry for the owner of the scooter parked nearby. 'Because of my bike, his scooter was also damaged,' she said. The owner of the scooter may still not know about the fire. The airport authorities left a note on it asking the owner to contact the investigating officer. Ms Rashidah believes the owner is a cabin crew member who left it there and is overseas. The police are appealing for other witnesses to call their hotline: 1-800-255-0000. The police said there has been one other case of fire involving parked motorcycles this year. In January, a motorcycle was damaged in a fire at Defu Lan. The police is still investigating.
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THE security post is only 50m away. And just
a stone's throw away, a security camera, which is mounted
on the wall, monitors traffic at the carpark.
When The New Paper visited the carpark
yesterday, Ms Rashidah's bike was still there.