Maid could have been charged, replies ICA

ST Online
3 Mar 2009

MADAM Ong Sok Eng, in her Online Forum letter, 'Blase attitude of airport staff' (Feb 23), said her Indonesian maid had 'bypassed the immigration counters in ignorance and failed to get her passport stamped' at Changi Airport on Feb 12 when she returned to Indonesia for a home visit.

The facts are as follows. Madam Patina was a passenger on flight MI 212, departing Singapore at 7.55am. After she was cleared through security screening, she lined up behind a group of travellers in the queue for immigration clearance at 7.12am. However, she subsequently decided to leave the queue.

She walked briskly past an immigration counter behind other passengers who were being cleared at the counter, without first presenting her passport for immigration clearance. Madam Ong, who saw this happening, then called Madam Patina on her cellphone and told her to return to the immigration counter. Madam Patina complied with her employer's instruction.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer on duty failed to spot Madam Patina walking past the counter as she was busy attending to other travellers during the morning peak period. The officer should have been more alert, and has been reprimanded for letting Madam Patina slip through.

Madam Patina, in not presenting her passport for exit clearance, has committed an offence under Section 5(A)(3) of the Immigration Act. A person, on conviction of this offence, can be fined up to $1,000 or imprisoned for a period not exceeding six months or both. Madam Patina knows the immigration clearance procedures as she had travelled out of Singapore at the airport before and presented her passport to the immigration authorities.
Based on the facts, it would have been possible for Madam Patina to have been charged and she would then have missed her flight. However, ICA exercised its discretion in not prosecuting her but warned her instead after an interview and allowed her to continue to catch her flight.

Chia Hui Keng (Ms)

Head, Public & Internal Communications Branch

Immigration & Checkpoints Authority

Blase attitude of airport staff

ST Online
23 Feb 2009

I WAS at Changi Airport on Feb 12 at 7am to send my Indonesian maid off, as she was returning to Indonesia on a home visit. After her passport and air ticket had been checked by the security officers, she bypassed the immigration counters in ignorance and failed to get her passport stamped.

Shocked and in a panic, I immediately notified the security officers at the entrance to the departure area, hoping to catch her before she boarded the plane.

To my dismay, the security officers ignored my request. Only after several attempts to reach her on her mobile phone was I able to tell her to return to the immigration counters and get her passport stamped.

Not only did she nearly miss her flight, but an immigration officer admonished her unduly for her carelessness.

This is a disappointing and serious display of blase attitude by immigration and security staff at Changi Airport.

Ong Sok Eng (Mdm)