8-4-2024 (SINGAPORE) Despite receiving 25 strokes of the cane and four previous convictions over immigration offences, a 26-year-old Indonesian man, known as Brick, attempted to illegally enter Singapore for the fifth time. On April 8, he was sentenced to one-and-a-half years in jail and nine strokes of the cane.
Brick was apprehended by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers when he failed to provide evidence of his legal stay in Singapore and lacked travel documents. Using his fingerprints, ICA’s investigation branch traced him to a person with an adverse record under the name Brick.
In June 2023, Brick attempted to enter Singapore again, sailing undetected to the shoreline off Tuas from Batam in a sampan. He then swam to Singapore using an improvised floating device, abandoning the boat.
Brick pleaded guilty to two charges under the Immigration Act on April 8: entering Singapore without a valid pass and entering without written permission after being lawfully sent out of the country.
His history of immigration offences dates back to May 2017, with subsequent arrests in January 2018, July 2019, and November 2019. Each time, he received jail sentences ranging from six weeks to a year, accompanied by strokes of the cane.
Before being deported in July 2020, Brick was issued a notice stating he was banned from entering Singapore without prior written permission. Both the prosecutor and judge highlighted his repeated offending and sought increased sentencing, with the prosecutor advocating for the maximum jail term and additional caning.
In mitigation, Brick, through a Bahasa Indonesia interpreter, appealed for leniency, citing his family responsibilities and his mother’s illness, expressing deep remorse for his actions.
