2 Singaporeans arrested for leaving Malaysia illegally via land checkpoints, Singapore News
The men, who are in their 20s and 30s, were detained by the Malaysian Immigration Department and are now under investigation, reported The Star on Friday (Aug 1).
In the first incident, a Singaporean man allegedly entered Johor Bahru on motorcycle without having his passport stamped and was caught while trying to exit Malaysia.
While he claimed he had taken the wrong route, investigations suggest he had entered the country using an unmanned motorcycle lane at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigrations and Quarantine Complex in Johor.
The second case involved two men, a Singaporean and an Indian National, who were travelling by motorcycle.
Both were stopped after it was found that they had no entry records in the system.
All three men are being investigated under Section 6(1)(C) of Malaysia's Immigration Act for entering the country without valid documentation.
If convicted, the men face up to RM10,000 (S$3,000) in fines, a maximum of five years' jail, and up to six strokes of the cane.
A police source confirmed that police reports have been filed in connection with both incidents.
The Malaysian Immigration Department has carried out special operations to clamp down on Malaysians and Singaporeans attempting to bypass passport checks at both BSI and the Second Link.
An official said foreigners must learn that it is an offence to enter or exit Malaysia without presenting their passports and issued a warning to the thousands of motorcyclists using the land routes between Malaysia and Singapore to not resort to shortcuts.
The immigration department also cited previous cases, where Malaysian motorcyclists rushing to work faced stiff penalties for failing to scan their passports.
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melissateo@asiaone.com
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