Typically, when you want to enter a country, you have to get a visa, take a flight there, and show your passport before being allowed entry.
Even if you were travelling across the border to Johor Bahru or vice versa, you’d have to flash your passport.
One group of men have found a way to bypass this process, however, by simply swimming across the ocean into Singapore.
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Unfortunately for them, this isn’t exactly permitted by the laws here.
5 Men Arrested for Unlawful Entry to S’pore By Swimming into Tuas
At about 4.45am yesterday morning (24 June), the Police Coast Guard surveillance system detected some unusual activity in the waters off Tuas.
5 figures were seen swimming in the waters.
At some point, they reached the shore and began walking stealthily through a forested area.
Given that not many large creatures in the sea can walk on two legs, it’s safe to say that the 5 figures spotted were humans.
WATCH: Five suspects swimming towards the shore of Lube Park Jetty in Tuas, as seen in footage from the Police Coast Guard's surveillance system. The men were arrested for unlawful entry
(Video: Singapore Police Force) pic.twitter.com/Ubj7zPCMMg— CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) June 24, 2021
Once the surveillance system detected the 5 men, officers from the Police Coast Guard, Jurong Police Division, Gurkha Contingent, and Special Operations Command were deployed.
The 5 men, aged between 21 and 38, were all arrested for allegedly entering Singapore illegally and were referred to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority for investigation.
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The authorities believe they were swimming towards the shore of Lube Park Jetty.
If convicted of unlawful entry into Singapore, the men could face a jail term of up to six months and at least three strokes of the cane.
Similar cases of alleged illegal entry have been reported in recent months.
26YO Indonesian Who Was Arrested For Entering Singapore Illegally Tests Positive For COVID-19
On 17 June, 7 imported COVID-19 cases were reported, one of whom is a 26-year-old Indonesian man who is asymptomatic.
Unlike the other imported cases, however, this man had entered Singapore waters from Indonesia without valid documentation, according to the Ministry of Health.
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He was subsequently arrested by the Singapore Police Force’s Police Coast Guard, and later tested positive for COVID-19.
He had been isolated until he was conveyed to the hospital, when his result came back positive on 16 Jun.
63YO Indonesian Fined For Using Fake Passport
Over two weeks ago, another man from Indonesia was fined S$14,000, having pleaded guilty in April to four out of 15 charges under the Immigration Act.
The 63-year-old had repeatedly travelled to Singapore between 2017 and 2018 using a fake passport bearing another person’s name.
For producing a false document to an immigration officer, however, the man could have been jailed for up to two years.
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Featured Image: Twitter (CNA)
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
