Alvin Tan’s holiday drive into Thailand turned into a nightmare.
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| PHOTO COURTESY OF ALVIN TAN |
It began as an innocent driving holiday to Phuket, Thailand, for Alvin Tan, 30, an associate manager with a property company, and some friends, on Nov. 27, 2010.
Tan had unwittingly carried a walkie-talkie across the Thai border, not realizing that radio devices may be illegal in foreign countries without a proper licence. He explains: “As we were driving up in a convoy, the walkie-talkie was an economic and reliable means of car-to-car communication.”
When the police stopped him, Tan’s first concern was the language barrier and the realization that the Thai police had their own way of doing things. Being unable to explain his situation, Tan realized he had an option to offer a bribe, but he didn’t want to as it was not the right thing to do. He called the Singapore embassy for help, but instead of things being cleared up, Tan was put in a police lock-up in Phuket.
“To be honest I was fearful. I didn’t know how long I would be locked up, or what would happen to me,” he recalls. In his desperation, this member of City Harvest Church took out his iPhone and started listening to the praise and worship songs in it. “I remembered one of Pastor Kong’s sermons about the power of praise and worship. I confessed aloud the promises of God, that no weapon formed against me would prosper. After doing so, I felt the peace of God in me.”
Tan was released on a bail of 100,000THB (S$4,211) the next day but told that he could not leave Phuket till his case had been heard before a judge. So Tan found himself left behind in Thailand, with his older sister who stayed back to be with him.
“It was scary being stranded in a foreign country,” he says. It was at his darkest and most solitary moment that Tan encountered God.
“I was fearful of the unknown and I didn’t know how long I was going to be stuck in Thailand. But all that changed when one morning when I went down on my knees in the hotel room and had a personal encounter with God. I felt reassured. After this experience, I knew that victory would come. I prayed and visualized myself driving from Thailand to Malaysia and back home into Singapore.”
One evening, they met a Thai tourist police volunteer, a Singaporean who had been in Thailand for 20 years. He introduced Tan to a businessman who ran a hotel. Upon Tan explaining his predicament to him, this man immediately called the relevant people who could provide assistance. One of them was the vice-governor of Phuket, and he called the judge whom Tan was to appear before, and explained his situation to him.
“Thanks to that vice-governor, they dropped the charges against me, and I only paid a fine of 18,000THB (S$758). I thank God for placing the right people into my situation, allowing me to meet them. It was through their influence that my case was expedited smoothly.”
Not only was Tan finally released on Jan. 8, the vice-governor arranged for him to be accompanied by a motorcade to help him get out of Thailand as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Tan is grateful for the support from his cell group leader, members and zone supervisor in CHC. “Throughout my ordeal, my leaders provided me with support, prayers and advice. For that I am absolutely thankful.”
Tan drove all the way non-stop from Thailand into Singapore. “I just wanted to get home. As I was driving at night it occurred to me that I had visualized exactly that moment of driving home. All I can say is, God is forever faithful and His promises always come to pass.”
