3-11-2023 (SINGAPORE) A 34-year-old Indonesian man, Muhammad Izal, who had previously been deported and banned from entering Singapore for immigration offenses, managed to illegally return to the country by swimming from Malaysia with a trash bag used as a flotation device.
Izal was apprehended once again and was sentenced on Thursday (Nov 2) to 15 months of imprisonment and seven strokes of the cane. He pleaded guilty to charges of entering Singapore without a valid pass and entering Singapore without permission, despite being deported in May 2022.
According to court documents, Izal had faced charges for immigration offenses on four previous occasions in Singapore. His most recent offense was in August 2021 when he entered Singapore without a valid pass after being removed from the country. He was convicted in September 2021 and received a one-year jail sentence and six strokes of the cane.
Following his release from prison in April 2022, Izal was referred to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for repatriation. Prior to his deportation on May 28, 2022, Izal was issued a written notice stating that he was banned from entering Singapore and required written permission from the Controller of Immigration to enter or reside in the country. Failure to comply would result in prosecution and a jail term of one to three years.
Despite acknowledging the notice and being deported to Indonesia, Izal made the decision to return to Singapore illegally to seek employment. He took a ferry from Batam, Indonesia, to Stulang Laut in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. After spending two nights there, he swam towards Singapore’s Pulau Ubin island, utilizing a black trash bag as a makeshift flotation device.
Upon reaching Pulau Ubin, Izal rested for a brief period before continuing his swim towards Changi Beach. He managed to enter Singapore undetected and remained illegally in the country for approximately 10 months until October 23 of this year.
Izal’s illegal presence in Singapore came to an end when he was arrested by ICA officers on Woodlands Road. As he could not provide any evidence of legal stay, his fingerprints were traced to his previous adverse record under the name Muhammad Izal.
During the mitigation hearing, Izal expressed remorse and cited his children and sick parents as reasons for his actions.
