One moment, a Malaysian man was drinking beer with his buddies in Johor, Malaysia, and the next moment, he found himself arrested in Singapore at Tuas checkpoint! In his drunken stupor and without any valid travel documents, he had somehow managed to drive his blue Malaysian-registered car out of Malaysia and was about to enter Singapore through Tuas checkpoint when he was stopped by the enforcement officers stationed there.

2 On 25 Jan 06 at about 2155 hours, enforcement officers at Tuas checkpoint stopped a blue car at the Arrival Lorry Complex. A drunken Malaysian Indian man was at the wheel and he did not have any valid travel documents with him. He was immediately arrested and his vehicle seized. When questioned, the 44-year-old man could not recall how he managed to leave Malaysia without being stopped. He claimed that he did not have any intention of coming to Singapore, as he is a bankrupt in Malaysia and had not been issued with any travel documents recently. Two Indian passports were found in his car. The driver explained that the passports belonged to his clients and were meant for him to process their employment in Malaysia.

3 As our country's first line of defence against terrorist threats, ICA has a duty to ensure the security and safety of Singapore. We take a serious view of attempts by foreigners to enter or depart from Singapore illegally without valid travel documents. We have stepped up our security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and contraband items. ICA will continue to remain vigilant, including and especially during the peak periods, as would-be offenders may take advantage of the peak period to try their luck in bringing unlawful goods and persons into Singapore.