Macau woman charged over misuse of boarding pass in Changi Airport's transit area

Timothy Goh
The Straits Times
March 30, 2019

A 42-year-old woman from Macau was charged in court yesterday over allegedly misusing her boarding pass in the transit area of Changi Airport.

The police said on Thursday that the woman was arrested on Sept 12 last year after she entered the transit area to claim a goods and services tax (GST) refund with no intention to depart from Singapore.

Yesterday, Cheong Lai Lei was charged with failing to comply with directions in a protected place and providing false information to a public servant.

If found guilty of the former, she can be fined $1,000 or jailed for two years, or both.

Those convicted of providing false information to a public servant can be jailed for up to a year, fined up to $5,000, or both.

The police added that 11 people were arrested over the misuse of boarding passes in the first two months of this year.

The transit areas of Changi Airport are gazetted as protected places.

Passengers who enter these areas with a boarding pass should be there only for the purpose of travelling to their destinations, said the police.

As of Dec 18 last year, those who misuse their boarding passes to enter the transit areas and have no intention of proceeding to their destinations can be charged under the Infrastructure Protection Act.

Offenders may be fined up to $20,000 or jailed for up to two years, or both.