SINGAPORE: A 21-year-old man was sentenced to six weeks' jail and four strokes of the cane for trying to illegally enter Singapore on a sampan.

The man, named by authorities as Erpendi, was arrested together with a 16-year-old boy, the police and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a joint news release on Wednesday (Feb 20).



The pair were discovered at sea on the wooden craft off East Coast Park, heading towards Singapore, at around 10.45pm on Feb 10.

They were intercepted and arrested by the Police Coast Guard for unlawful entry into Singapore under the Immigration Act.

The teenager was given a stern warning in lieu of prosecution, the police and ICA said.

Under the Immigration Act, those found guilty of unlawful entry into Singapore face a jail term of up to six months and a minimum of three strokes of the cane.





"Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore’s security," the police and ICA said.

"We will continue to conduct security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints and our maritime border to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contraband."

