SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A man was charged in court on March 18 over allegedly harbouring 10 women for prostitution purposes in Singapore, and absconding to Thailand despite being on bail.
Philip Ong Zhihe, 40, is accused of harbouring the 10 women from April to October 2024 while having reason to believe they had entered Singapore for the purposes of prostitution.
According to charge sheets, Ong allegedly harboured them in Geylang and in Minbu Road in Balestier. There is a gag order in place to protect the identities of the women.
Ong was one of 17 individuals arrested on Oct 21, 2024, over alleged vice-related and illegal drug activities during islandwide operations. Ong was then charged in court and released on court bail, with his passport impounded.
However, Ong did not attend his court mention on Dec 12, 2024, and an arrest warrant was issued against him.
Investigations revealed that he had absconded from Singapore through illegal means of departure, said the police.
“Through the Criminal Investigation Department’s investigations and collaboration with the Royal Thai Police, the man was located in the Chonburi province in Thailand,” added the police.
He was arrested by the Royal Thai Police in Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province during a transnational operation conducted jointly by Singapore and Thailand on Feb 24, 2026.
Investigations revealed that while in Thailand, Ong was suspected to have continued operating vice activities in Singapore.
On the day Ong was arrested, three women aged between 25 and 38 were also nabbed in the vicinity of River Valley Road and Geylang Lorong 32 over suspected involvement in vice-related offences.
Investigations against these women are ongoing, said the police.
Ong’s case will be heard in court again on March 25.
Those who knowingly live wholly or in part on the earnings of the prostitution of another person can be jailed for up to seven years and fined up to $100,000.
If convicted of illegal departure, an offender can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $2,000, or both.
Those who abscond or break the conditions of bail can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. -- The Straits Times/ANN
