SINGAPORE: Four Indonesian men were arrested early on Saturday (May 17) for entering Singapore illegally, the police and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Sunday.
The Police Coast Guard detected the four men, aged between 28 and 50, coming into Singapore from the sea using a small boat. They landed outside the fence line of Pulau Tekong.
Officers from the Police Coast Guard, the Gurkha Contingent, the Special Operations Command and K-9 Unit arrested the four men outside the protected areas of the island.
They were allegedly found without any travel documents, said the police and ICA.
A total of 2,700 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes and a fibre-glass boat, which was fitted with an outboard motor, were seized in the operation.
The four men will be charged in court on Monday with unlawful entry into Singapore. If convicted, they may be jailed for up to six months and given no fewer than three strokes of the cane.
The Police Coast Guard and Singapore Customs are handling investigations relating to the case.
Commander of the Police Coast Guard, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Ang Eng Seng said: “The joint operation with ICA exemplifies the collaborative efforts to safeguard Singapore territorial waters and Singapore’s sea borders against crime and security threats, including unauthorised entry into and departure from Singapore.
“Anyone who plays a part in such unlawful entry or departure from Singapore, such as ferrying the illegal immigrants to or from the place of arrival or departure, will face the full brunt of the law.”
