An Indonesian man who illegally entered Singapore by speedboat was sentenced to one year in jail and five strokes of the cane on Dec. 4.
He had been hoping to find a job in Singapore.
What happened
According to The Straits Times, the man — who goes by one name, Nordin — piloted a speedboat from Batam, Indonesia in hopes of finding employment in Singapore.
In the early hours of Nov. 20, 2023, he landed on a shoreline close to Tanah Merah Coast Road and then fled to a nearby forested area on foot.
But his boat had already been spotted by a Police Coast Guard officer when it entered Singapore waters at around 11:50pm on Nov. 19.
He was arrested at 7:30am the next day after officers conducted a search of the area around Tanah Merah Coast Road.
No valid identification documents or a valid pass to enter Singapore were found on him.
Repeat offender
The court heard that this was not his first attempt to enter the country illegally.
He was previously found guilty of offences under the Immigration Act between 2015 and 2019.
For his offence, he was convicted of two charges under the Act.
ST reported that as he had previously been sent out of Singapore and was not allowed to enter the country without permission from the immigration authorities, he faced at least a year's jail.
District Judge Janet Wang noted that as Nordin is a repeat offender, his punishment must reflect the escalation in his criminal conduct.
Top image via Singapore Police Force and Google Maps