THE article ("Japan marks two decades since major Kobe quake"; Jan 18) made me recall my experience related to the Kobe earthquake of 1995.
When the earthquake struck, I was in Singapore while my Japanese wife and then three-month-old daughter were in Kobe.
They survived the disaster even though their house was partially destroyed.
Frantically, my wife sought to return to Singapore with our daughter, but we had yet to apply for a passport for our newborn.
My wife went to the immigration office in Kobe, but there was a surge of passport applications because of the quake and the waiting period was three months.
Desperate, I went to the immigration department in Singapore, not expecting much since my baby was not with me and a new passport would take weeks to be processed at that time.
I explained my plight to an officer, who referred me to his superior. I recall that a Miss Chua asked me a few questions, then issued a temporary travel document for my daughter on the spot.
With it, I was able to bring my daughter here.
Today, my daughter is 20 years old, and I will always be grateful to the immigration officers here for being so understanding.
This year, as Singapore celebrates its 50th birthday, I would like to say a big "thank you" to the immigration department and the country for going the extra mile to assist a citizen when it mattered.
Jeffrey Shimada Koh
When the earthquake struck, I was in Singapore while my Japanese wife and then three-month-old daughter were in Kobe.
They survived the disaster even though their house was partially destroyed.
Frantically, my wife sought to return to Singapore with our daughter, but we had yet to apply for a passport for our newborn.
My wife went to the immigration office in Kobe, but there was a surge of passport applications because of the quake and the waiting period was three months.
Desperate, I went to the immigration department in Singapore, not expecting much since my baby was not with me and a new passport would take weeks to be processed at that time.
I explained my plight to an officer, who referred me to his superior. I recall that a Miss Chua asked me a few questions, then issued a temporary travel document for my daughter on the spot.
With it, I was able to bring my daughter here.
Today, my daughter is 20 years old, and I will always be grateful to the immigration officers here for being so understanding.
This year, as Singapore celebrates its 50th birthday, I would like to say a big "thank you" to the immigration department and the country for going the extra mile to assist a citizen when it mattered.
Jeffrey Shimada Koh
