YET another forest brothel has been discovered, this time off Lim Chu Kang Lane 3.

Located 60m from the main road, the vice den is well-hidden, like most forest brothels.

Under a huge, discoloured tent and in mosquito-infested conditions, foreign women wait at night to be chosen by men - presumably foreign workers in the Lim Chu Kang area - looking for cheap sex, eye witnesses said.

And this is not the only vice den there.

About 40m away is another one, said to be run by women.

Foreign workers The New Paper on Sunday spoke to said there are more such dens around Lim Chu Kang and Kranji, where many construction and engineering companies are located.

Forested areas appear to be hot zones for prostitution, gambling and other illegal activities.

Syndicates usually set up shop near foreign worker hostels or worksites.

At $20 for 'one round', brothel operators are counting on 'volume' to make a killing, said one construction worker, who gave his name only as Babu.

Babu added: 'It's a secret that not many Singaporeans know about. But it's all harmless (entertainment) and it does not disturb any Singaporean.'

Another worker, from an engineering firm in Kranji Crescent, said: 'If one (forest brothel) is raided, there are others we can visit in Kranji. I can't tell you where they are, but they are close to our dorms.

'After work, we're too tired to go to the red light district in Geylang. It's too far.'

We first learned about the Lim Chu Kang Lane 3 den from a civil servant working in the area.

The man, who did not want to be named, said he came across four girls on 3 Oct. They ran when they saw him.

'I was surprised that there was a hidden compound in the forest. The place looked cosy, but the floor was littered with used condoms and trash,' he said.

There were signs that the frightened women had returned to the site. When this reporter visited the camp on Wednesday, damp female undergarments and dirty mattresses had been left to dry, while vegetables were soaking in a small pot of water on the ground.

Yet, the compound was empty.

Large boots alongside small slippers suggested there were men staying there too.

Clothes were neatly kept in drawers or hung under a tent big enough for at least 10 people.

It could be that the inhabitants scurried away after two stray dogs started barking at this reporter.

Two nights earlier, we saw bicycles parked near the entrance of the den, while seven men loitered on the main road.

We were told the women seldom ventured out of the compound as they were guarded by foreign men.

About 3km away, along a canal at Kranji Loop, the sex workers seemed more independent - free to move about without being accompanied bypimps.

One witness, who gave his name only as Muthu, said that every evening, women in groups of three can be seen walking into the forest there.

The women carry packets of food and drinks to last them through the night.

They normally alight at the nearest bus stop and walk the rest of the way towards two dens on opposite banks of the canal.

At one of the dens, a table with a fluorescent lamp is manned by a mamasan, who collects payment from customers.

Said Mr Muthu, an Indian national living in a dorm at Kranji Way: 'I don't like the women because they are all 'Ali Babas' (street slang for cheats).

'The men who visit the prostitutes also give foreign workers a bad name. We don't think about sex all the time.'

The police had raided the area a few times, yet new women would 'take over', he said.

Mr Muthu described the prostitutes as women in their 40s, who wore tight tops and shorts.

Said Mr Muthu: 'These woman are not soft. If police come, they will swim or jump into the water to avoid capture.

'They are strong because they can 'tahan' (endure in Malay) the conditions in the forest.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on October 19, 2008.