Latest checkpoint breach: Man charged

Latest checkpoint breach: Man charged

SINGAPORE - The Malaysian man who was arrested on Monday for attempting to enter Singapore without proper immigration clearance was yesterday charged in court and remanded for psychiatric assessment.

Mohd Sani Mohamad Salleh was charged with attempting to enter Singapore without a valid pass, and sent to the Institute of Mental Health for two weeks. His case will be mentioned in court again on May 7.

The 33-year-old is accused of attempting to drive out of the Woodlands Checkpoint at about 10.45am on Monday, after being directed for further checks when he failed to produce his travel document at the arrival counter.

If convicted, he faces up to six months' imprisonment and at least three strokes of the cane.

This is the fourth such case this year. The last two attempts were stopped by officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and police officers after the arrival car zone was locked down.

The earlier two cases eventually led to arrests, but not before a five-hour manhunt followed in one, and a three-day search in the other.

Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean updated Parliament on enhanced security measures introduced at the Woodlands Checkpoint, which include tighter coordination with police and the deployment of mobile crash barriers.

There are also plans to use tracking vehicles to stop cars from escaping if they manage to get past the barriers, while the installation of more closed-circuit television cameras is being expedited.

This article was published on April 24 in The Straits Times.

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