SINGAPORE: Nine foreigners will be deported and barred from re-entering Singapore for illegal touting activities at Changi Airport.
The individuals, aged between 30 and 48, approached travellers of the same nationality to help transport gold and mobile phones back to their home countries.
The travellers were promised a cash reward for handing over the items to counterparts at their destinations, said the police, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Changi Airport Group in a joint statement on Sunday (March 30).
The genders and nationalities of the nine were not disclosed in the statement, nor when they would be deported.
The foreigners were investigated after a joint operation by the four organisations on March 22.
Eight of them had their work permits or S Passes revoked by MOM, while one had his short-term visit pass cancelled by ICA.
According to the MOM website, work permits are issued to the likes of migrant workers, foreign domestic helpers and performing artistes, while S Passes are issued to skilled workers who earn at least $3,150 a month.
A short-term visit pass is issued at the point of entry to those eligible for entry and short-term stay in Singapore as a tourist, for social visit, or medical treatment, according to the ICA website.
Foreigners on work passes are allowed to work only in the occupation, and for the employer, as approved for their work pass, the organisations said in the joint statement. They are not allowed to operate or participate in any other business.
Those on short-term visit passes are not allowed to perform any paid and unpaid work in Singapore during their stay here.
“The Singapore authorities would also like to remind travellers to avoid carrying goods on behalf of strangers, as doing so may expose them to security risks, or arrest and prosecution for involvement in illicit activities,” the joint statement said.
In a seperate incident in October 2024, a man was sentenced to six days’ jail for entering Changi Airport despite a ban and for asking a stranger to transport gold. - The Straits Times/ANN
