Two Indonesian men arrested for illegally entering Singapore by sea

Two Indonesian men, aged 36 and 33, were arrested for illegally entering Singapore by sea.

A Stomper alerted Stomp to the incident after spotting several police vehicles along Tanah Merah Coast Road on Nov 20 at about 7.35am.

The police said in a statement that the Police Coast Guard's (PCG) surveillance system detected an unknown fast-moving craft heading towards the shoreline of Tanah Merah Coast Road on Nov 19 at 11.58pm.

The craft veered away from the floating sea barriers deployed at the entrance of Tanah Merah Canal before landing at the coastline nearby.

Officers from the PCG, Bedok Police Division, the Gurkha Contingent, and the Special Operations Command responded immediately to successfully arrest the two men who disembarked from the craft within seven hours of detection.

The men were allegedly found without any valid travel documents.

A five-metre-long fibreglass sampan which was fitted with an outboard motor was seized as a case exhibit.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The two men will be charged in court on Nov 21 for unlawful entry into Singapore. The offence carries a jail term of up to six months and at least three strokes of the cane.

Commander of the Police Coast Guard, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Cheang Keng Keong said: "The officers' vigilance and excellent teamwork which resulted in the swift arrest are highly commendable.

"PCG will continue to take firm action against such offenders to safeguard our waters and sea borders against crime and security threats which includes unauthorised entry into and departure from Singapore."