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Ferry Tale' comes to an end for human smuggler
The 'ferry tale' has ended for Syaifur Rohman, an Indonesian man on 24 Jun 04 when he was charged in court for conveying illegal immigrants. The 28-year-old man, captain of a ferryboat that plied the Singapore-Batam route was caught by ICA officers for attempting to smuggle an illegal immigrant into Singapore.
2 On 15 Jun 04 at about 1910 hours, following a period of surveillance, ICA officers conducted a search onboard the ferryboat captained by Rohman after the ferry passengers had disembarked at Singapore Cruise Centre, Harbour Front. A thorough search of the vessel revealed a male Indonesian man hiding in a compartment beneath the vessel?s steering wheel. The 26-year-old Indonesian gave his name as Gunalan and admitted to our officers that he was trying to enter Singapore illegally. The captain and the illegal immigrant were placed under arrest and brought back to office for further investigation.
3 Preliminary investigations revealed that Rohman was paid S$300/- by an Indonesian man in Batam to convey Gunalan illegally into Singapore by boat. The plan was for the illegal immigrant to follow the ferry to Singapore Cruise Centre before going to Keppel Marina where he would be allowed to disembark while the ferry is being re-fuelled. Further investigations uncovered that Rohman had, in April this year, conveyed an illegal immigrant to Singapore from Batam.
4 Rohman was charged with 2 counts of conveying illegal immigrants into Singapore and sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment and given 6 strokes of the cane. The illegal immigrant Gunalan was sentenced to one-month imprisonment and four strokes of the cane.
5 Immigration & Checkpoints Authority takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to enter or depart from Singapore illegally. Security checks on passengers and vehicles at all checkpoints have been stepped up. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the smuggler faces a mandatory jail term of up to five years plus a minimum of 3 strokes of the cane. The penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
26 Jun 2004
2 On 15 Jun 04 at about 1910 hours, following a period of surveillance, ICA officers conducted a search onboard the ferryboat captained by Rohman after the ferry passengers had disembarked at Singapore Cruise Centre, Harbour Front. A thorough search of the vessel revealed a male Indonesian man hiding in a compartment beneath the vessel?s steering wheel. The 26-year-old Indonesian gave his name as Gunalan and admitted to our officers that he was trying to enter Singapore illegally. The captain and the illegal immigrant were placed under arrest and brought back to office for further investigation.
3 Preliminary investigations revealed that Rohman was paid S$300/- by an Indonesian man in Batam to convey Gunalan illegally into Singapore by boat. The plan was for the illegal immigrant to follow the ferry to Singapore Cruise Centre before going to Keppel Marina where he would be allowed to disembark while the ferry is being re-fuelled. Further investigations uncovered that Rohman had, in April this year, conveyed an illegal immigrant to Singapore from Batam.
4 Rohman was charged with 2 counts of conveying illegal immigrants into Singapore and sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment and given 6 strokes of the cane. The illegal immigrant Gunalan was sentenced to one-month imprisonment and four strokes of the cane.
5 Immigration & Checkpoints Authority takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to enter or depart from Singapore illegally. Security checks on passengers and vehicles at all checkpoints have been stepped up. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the smuggler faces a mandatory jail term of up to five years plus a minimum of 3 strokes of the cane. The penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
26 Jun 2004