Barely two weeks after nabbing immigration offenders who had attempted to enter Singapore illegally at Woodlands checkpoint, ICA officers arrested another 22 year-old male Malaysian for trying to smuggle four immigration offenders hiding in the boot of his car out of Singapore.

2 The driver was stopped for a thorough check at Woodlands Checkpoint near midnight on 3 Jun 2004. An alert ICA officer observed that the car's rear suspension was much lower than usual despite not having any passenger in the car. Upon opening the boot, our officers detected three females and one male hiding inside.

3 Preliminary investigations revealed that the immigration offenders are Thai nationals and had overstayed when their Social Visit Passes had expired. They claimed to have paid S$800 each for the arrangement to depart illegally.

4 ICA 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 5 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
4 Jun 2004