DONT EVER CARRY THESE ITEMS WHEN YOU TRAVEL

Yesterday only I  came to know of a case from a friend of mine which is very scary. One of his friends was traveling to UK via Dubai . Unfortunately he was carrying a packet of Khas Khas which is a commonly used spice in some Indian curries and sweets. Khas Khas is also known as poppy seed which can be sprouted to grow narcotics (afeem etc.). 
This innocent person did not know that recently the laws in UAE and other Gulf countries have been revised and carrying Khas Khas is punishable with minimum 20 years of imprisonment or even worse with death penalty . Currently, the person is in a jail in Dubai for the last two weeks. His friends are frantically trying hard for his release but are finding that this has become a very very serious case. Lawyers are asking huge fees amounting to AED 100,000 even to appear in the court to plead for his innocence. 
Please forward this email to all you know specially in India . They should know the seriousness of this matter and should never ever carry even minutest quantities of the following items when traveling to Gulf

countries:

 
1. Khas Khas whether raw, roasted or cooked.   ( Also known as poppy seed)
2. Paan 
3. Beetle nut (supari and its products, e.g. Paan Parag etc.)
The penalties are very severe and it could destroy the life of an innocent person. 

MALAYSIA IS BECOMING A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE SO BE VERY VERY CAREFUL

Just be aware of your surroundings where we heard stories about robberies and so.

This is one of them. Read and be aware.
Three Saturdays ago, my brother Wooi Chi, who runs an insurance agency business from the 
1^st floor of a shop office in SS15 Subang Jaya, was alone in the office browsing through his emails. 
At about 11 am, he heard a buzz at the magnetic-controlled door and the person looked like a courier man peering through the glass door. 
Since there was no other staff around, he got up and strode to the door and pressed the button to open the door. 
Next thing he knew, two Indonesian men burst in and one of them with a parang started chopping him on the head. 
He fell backwards and as the blood oozes out from his open wounds he lapsed into semi-consciousness.

   
They rifled through his office, took away his iPhone, iPad, notebook and his wallet. 
It was over in about 5 minutes. And the blighters bolted.
With adrenalin pumping through his body he managed to stagger down a flight of stairs, wobbled another 7 shops away 
and sought help from BP Lab. 
They administered first- aid and summoned an ambulance from Subang Hospital . 
Thank God for Good Samaritan at BP Lab and adroitness of the surgeon at the hospital, and after 104 stitches on the head, he survived. 
The attack was unprovoked, cold-blooded and brutal.
This seems to be the latest technique used by robbers and snatch thieves: 
To prevent victim from resisting or fight back, they clobber the victim first.
The irony of the story is that my brother, who is also a lay pastor, feeds and provides shelter to the homeless, ex-drug addicts, ex-prostitutes (some of them are Indonesians) along Jalan Chow Kit and Tiong Nam in KL. 
Over the weekend I goggled “ How to avoid being mugged “ and “ Delay and Defence “ and checked with friends in the police force how best to survive in this concrete jungle of ours, where you are a prey and the predators are lurking out there.
They are two main areas I would like to focus on, namely: when you arrive early or work late in the office and when you are walking to and from your car. 
Here are the 4 Ds tips to survive: Delay, Detection, Deterrence and Defence
When You Are in the Office
Lock the main door or your room door (Delay)
Remember where are all the fire alarm and panic buttons located (Deterrence)
Practice on the fire alarm and panic button (Deterrence)
Look at the CCTV before leaving the office (Detection)
Ask questions before opening the main door (Detection)
Keep an umbrella next to you (Defence)
When You Are Walking To and From your Car
Walk with your colleagues (Deterrence)
Don’t use your mobile phone and be alert (Detection)
Don’t walk, but strode to and from your car (Deterrence)
Look around before getting into or out of your car (Detection)
Bring along an umbrella or tennis racquet (Defence)
When you get into the car, the first thing to do is to lock your car (Delay)
Carry a pepper spray in your hand, not in your handbag (Defence)