[SUSPENDED: A signboard at the Night Safari yesterday announcing the postponement of the show by the Thumbuakar Tribe. ]

By Ng Tze Yong

THE tribal dance troupe that performed at the Night Safari was known for its exhilarating fire-eating shows.

But the shows have been suspended after the arrest of three of its members in a drug bust.

In an operation by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), a total of 13 arrests were made, with most taking place on the grounds of the Singapore Zoological Gardens, one of Singapore's most well-loved attractions.

The trail leading to the arrests began at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Sunday, when narcotics and immigration officers stopped a Singapore-registered taxi for a routine check at about 1am.

Inside the vehicle were three Malaysians from Thumbuakar Tribe, a performance group contracted by the Night Safari.

The trio had gone to Johor on their day off.

They were arrested and an assortment of drugs, including 50g of 'Ice', 50g of compressed cannabis and 10g of ketamine, was seized, said a CNB spokesman.

In a follow-up operation at about 3am that morning, CNB officers arrested three Singaporeans at the carpark of the zoo.

The trio - two men and one woman - are not zoo employees.

The operation continued on Monday, with a CNB raid at noon on a workers' dormitory on the zoo's premises resulting in the arrests of seven Malaysians.

Of the 13 arrested, two men were charged yesterday morning.

They are a 26-year-old Malaysian, who is facing charges of importation, and a 35-year-old Singaporean facing charges of trafficking.

Each faces a minimum sentence of five years' jail and five strokes of the cane.

The 11 others have either been sent to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre or are out on bail.

Investigations are ongoing, said CNB.

No more shows

In the meantime, the troupe's five nightly performances - a spectacular crowd-pleaser of tribal dances, blowpipe demonstrations and fire-eating acts - have been suspended.

At the Night Safari yesterday, a signboard informed visitors that the show has been postponed.

A similar notice on the Night Safari website informed visitors that the show has been suspended until further notice 'due to unforeseen circumstances'.

The Thumbuakar Tribe was introduced four years ago to add a cultural dimension to the Night Safari experience. It is marketed as tribal dancers hailing from the rainforests of Borneo.

Said troupe leader Rudolph Mindot: 'I am very angry and disappointed... Their behaviour is shameful and this should not have happened. They have put my innocent colleagues through a very difficult time.'

Added Ms Pauline Chua, assistant director of human resources at Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), the zoo's parent company:

'We are saddened by the incident as it was a complete breach of trust... WRS takes drug abuse seriously and does not tolerate such conduct. Any employee or contracted staff found guilty would have their services terminated immediately.'

This is the third high-profile incident in recent months to occur at the zoo.

Last November, cleaner Nordin Montong from Sarawak was killed by white tigers after he jumped into the enclosure for unknown reasons.

A month later, The New Paper published a report on a handphone video showing a Malaysian worker from Sun City Maintenance - the company Mr Nordin had worked for - being verbally abused and beaten up by his supervisor.

The report led to the Manpower Ministry opening investigations against Sun City for over-working its workers and making unauthorised salary deductions.

It also led to WRS announcing a slew of new measures to protect its foreign workers, among them more stringent background checks and dormitory inspections by WRS staff.

This article was first published in The New Paper.