12-7-2024 (SINGAPORE) A Malaysian man’s attempt to smuggle two Indonesian men into Malaysia by speedboat took an unexpected turn when he mistakenly entered Singapore waters, leading to a high-speed pursuit by the Police Coast Guard (PCG) that culminated in his boat capsizing.
Afendy Awang, 42, had initially agreed to transport the two Indonesians from Batam to Malaysia for a fee of three million rupiah (S$250) after meeting an acquaintance known as “Ari” during a fishing trip off the coast of Pasir Puteh, Kelantan.
However, Afendy’s navigation went awry, and he ended up steering the speedboat towards what he thought was Pasir Puteh but turned out to be Singapore – a location nearly 670 kilometers away from his intended destination.
On April 25, around 5.30 am, a PCG officer spotted the unknown vessel in Singapore’s waters and dispatched a patrol craft to investigate. When confronted, Afendy attempted to flee by zig-zagging the speedboat through the sea, ignoring the PCG’s sirens and blinkers signaling him to stop.
The pursuit lasted for about 17 minutes before Afendy’s speedboat ultimately capsized after taking on too much water. Afendy, along with the two Indonesian men he was attempting to smuggle, were found by the PCG in the sea without life jackets and were subsequently arrested.
On July 12, Afendy was sentenced to 22 weeks in jail and three strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to charges under the Immigration Act and rash navigation that endangered human life. Two additional charges under the Act were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Intan Suhaily Abu Bakar emphasized the high level of culpability despite the low harm caused in this case, highlighting Afendy’s disregard for the PCG’s warnings and his reckless actions that put not only his own life but also the lives of the two Indonesians and other vessels in the vicinity at risk.
“The accused not only placed his life at risk, he also placed the lives of two individuals at risk of being injured or drowning,” DPP Intan stated. “There were other large vessels in the vicinity with people on board the vessels. Therefore, there is a higher potential of harm caused if the chase had resulted in a collision.”
Afendy, who appeared in court unrepresented, pleaded for leniency, citing his family responsibilities. The two Indonesians, identified as Muhli, 37, and Sanapiah, 32, had previously been dealt with in court and were each sentenced to six weeks in jail and three strokes of the cane for their involvement in the smuggling attempt.
