Review of security measures at Raffles Marina

WE REFER to Mr Francis Cheng's letter ("Breach raises serious questions"; last Saturday).

Crew and passengers arriving in Singapore by pleasure craft and yachts are required to seek immigration clearance at one of two gazetted immigration anchorages - either the Western Quarantine and Immigration Anchorage (WQIA) or the Changi General Purpose Anchorage (CGPA).

These two anchorages are operational round the clock. Crew and passengers are required to notify the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in advance and provide passenger and crew information by facsimile. ICA officers will then facilitate immigration clearance at the anchorages.

Alternatively, they may seek immigration clearance at Raffles Marina, which is a gazetted landing and departing point for pleasure craft and yachts, and operates from 9am to 5pm.

Crew and passengers on pleasure craft and yachts entering Singapore via Raffles Marina during the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine operating hours are required to inform Raffles Marina of their arrival in advance. Thereafter, Raffles Marina will notify the ICA, for officers to conduct immigration clearance at the vessel's expected arrival time. The same process applies for craft departing Singapore from Raffles Marina. Outside of the operating hours, they have to seek immigration clearance at WQIA or CGPA.

The ICA and Police Coast Guard work closely with other government agencies, such as the Republic of Singapore Navy and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, to safeguard our maritime security. Joint operations are conducted regularly to check on vessels. Persons who attempt to breach our border security will be dealt with severely under our laws.

Last year, 2,890 vessels were detected and deterred from entering Singapore's territorial waters. Most of them had strayed off course and complied with instructions when duly advised. Thirty-two people were arrested for entering Singapore waters illegally or attempting to land illegally by sea.

Under the law, all authorised landing/departing points must put in place the necessary security measures to maintain the integrity of our border security and prevent unauthorised entry into or out of Singapore from their premises.

The ICA and Singapore Police Force are working with Raffles Marina to review the security measures and identify areas for improvement.

Yap Neng Jye
Director, Corporate Relations Division
Ministry of Home Affairs
ST Forum, 10 Sep 2014

Breach raises serious questions

YESTERDAY'S article ("Custody battle: Mum sneaked into S'pore by boat to get son") raises several questions.

First, why was the mother able to sneak into Singapore undetected? What if it had been terrorists or refugees who exploited this channel to enter our country? A lack of vigilance poses serious risks to our security and damages our reputation as one of the world's safest cities.

Second, how could the breach have happened since Raffles Marina is not an authorised landing place between 5pm and 9am, which was when the woman sneaked in? Are there any immigration checkpoints at Raffles Marina?

Third, why was this breach not revealed to the public then, having come to light only in a court case?

Our Police Coast Guard is equipped with the technology and equipment to detect and arrest intruders, so it is puzzling that the woman entered Singapore without hindrance.

This incident is similar to the one in which a Malaysian sneaked into Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint earlier this year ("Malaysian drove through checkpoint without clearance"; Jan 22). Haven't our immigration authorities learnt their lesson?

The Home Affairs Ministry should give the public more information about the latest case, as well as reveal the measures taken to prevent a recurrence.

Francis Cheng
ST Forum, 6 Sep 2014

32 arrested last year for entering Singapore illegally by sea
Crew and passengers arriving in Singapore by pleasure craft and yachts are required to seek immigration clearance, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Monday.
Channel NewsAsia, 9 Sep 2014

Last year, 32 people were arrested for entering Singapore waters illegally or attempting to land illegally by sea, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement on Monday (Sep 8).

A total of 2,890 vessels were detected and deterred from entering Singapore’s territorial waters. Most of the vessels had strayed off course and complied with instructions when advised, the ministry said.

The MHA statement comes after three foreigners were sentenced to jail on Monday for entering Singapore illegally via Raffles Marina on a chartered vessel from Malaysia.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and Singapore Police Force are working with Raffles Marina to review its security measures and identify areas for improvement, an MHA spokesperson said.

“Under the law, all authorised landing and departure points must put in place the necessary security measures to maintain the integrity of our border security and prevent unauthorised entry into or out of Singapore from their premises,” the spokesperson said.

Crew and passengers arriving in Singapore by pleasure craft and yachts are required to seek immigration clearance at either the Western Quarantine and Immigration Anchorage or Changi General Purpose Anchorage. Both anchorages are operational around the clock. Immigration clearance at Raffles Marina is only available from 9am to 5pm.

Those who attempt to breach Singapore’s border security will be severely dealt with under the law, MHA said.

Mother who entered Singapore illegally to look for son given 10 weeks' jail
Her two accomplices - Adam Christopher Whittington and Todd Allan Wilson - were on Monday (Sep 8) sentenced to 16 weeks' and 10 weeks' jail, respectively.
By Leong Wai Kit, Channel NewsAsia, 8 Sep 2014

The mother who pleaded guilty to entering Singapore illegally via a chartered vessel from Malaysia was on Monday (Sep 8) sentenced to 10 weeks' jail.

The 30-year-old woman - whose name and nationality cannot be revealed to protect the identity of the boy - entered the country to take back her two-year-old son, of whom she had custody over as ruled by the English Court in January.

However, she entered the country illegally via a vessel from Langkawi because her husband had previously made police reports against her and she was afraid of being arrested on arrival. She pleaded guilty to illegal entry into Singapore last Thursday.

The woman told District Judge Liew Thiam Leng that she and her husband had agreed to let the latter's parents to take care of the boy for two months before sending him to the United Kingdom. But the boy remained in Singapore after the two months, despite the English Court's custody ruling.

The mother travelled to Singapore with two foreigners - Briton Adam Christopher Whittington, who runs the non-governmental organisation Child Abduction Recovery International, and Australian Todd Allan Wilson, who drove the vessel.

Whittington was sentenced to 16 weeks' jail, while Wilson was sentenced to 10 weeks' jail. The court gave the former a higher jail sentence for his active role in hatching the plan to recover the child, and for hurting the boy's grandparents.

Whittington had admitted earlier to "arm-locking" the boy's grandfather and hurting the neck of the boy's grandmother in a scuffle at their home.

TAKING THE LAW INTO THEIR HANDS

DJ Liew said he considered the pleas of the three, and concluded that they had taken the law into their own hands. The plan to take the boy from Singapore was premeditated and well planned, he stated.

The woman had contracted Child Abduction Recovery International in June this year. Whittington then contacted Wilson, and met him five days before the plan to take the boy was carried out.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ailene Chou said Whittington had entered Singapore to conduct reconnaissance, such as the layout of the grandparents' residence and their daily routine. He also researched the vessel route from Langkawi to Singapore, and found out that Raffles Marina Club had an armed guard only during the club's operating hours between 9am and 5pm. He also prepared supplies for the vessel, including a passport and diapers for the boy.

Whittington pleaded for a lighter sentence, saying his grandmother who brought him up passed away last Wednesday and he hoped to return home to pay his last respects. Wilson also apologised, and wanted to be home to take care of his two children.

The woman, too, apologised in court, saying she felt guilty for her actions.

"However, I want to see my son. I am exhausted. Every night, I can't sleep as I keep thinking of my son," she said. "If my son can speak, I'm sure he will say, 'Mummy, come pick me up'."

The jail sentences of the three will be backdated to Aug 21, when they were remanded.

SECURITY FOR RAFFLES MARINA UNDER REVIEW

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Home Affairs said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and Singapore Police Force are working with Raffles Marina to review its security measures and identify areas for improvement.

"Under the law, all authorised landing/departing points must put in place the necessary security measures to maintain the integrity of our border security and prevent unauthorised entry into or out of Singapore from their premises," the spokesperson said.

Crew and passengers arriving in Singapore by pleasure craft and yachts are required to seek immigration clearance at either the Western Quarantine and Immigration Anchorage, or Changi General Purpose Anchorage, which are open around the clock. Immigration clearance at Raffles Marina is only available from 9am to 5pm.