A risky sea crossing for work
Jamaludin Taipabu spent almost a year living under the radar in Singapore after swimming ashore from a small boat at night. The 49 year old Indonesian told the court he came to earn money for his family. He has now been sentenced to six weeks in jail and three strokes of the cane for illegal entry, after pleading guilty to entering without a lawfully issued pass under the Immigration Act.
He began the journey in Batam, a city only a short ride across the Singapore Strait. Late one night in September last year, he met a friend known as Azwar on a beach, paid five million rupiah, and boarded a speedboat. He crouched for about one and a half hours as the boat headed toward Singapore. When told they had reached Singapore waters, he jumped overboard and swam using an improvised float until he reached an unknown shoreline.
For close to eleven months he stayed out of sight. He took odd jobs and, on some occasions, sold contraband cigarettes to make cash. He was eventually arrested in the Woodlands area near Sungei Kadut by officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. He could not show any travel document or evidence of lawful stay, and there were no movement records of a legal arrival. His fingerprints matched records in his name.
In court he spoke through an interpreter, said he was remorseful and asked for leniency. The court noted that illegal entry is a jailable offence. Sentences can reach up to six months imprisonment, and male offenders are subject to at least three cane strokes under Singapore law. He received six weeks in jail and the minimum of three strokes.
This case again underlines how small boats and even swimmers exploit the narrow strait between Batam and Singapore. The route is dangerous. Night crossings involve busy shipping lanes, unpredictable currents and low visibility. The small craft that ferry migrants often drop passengers in open water to avoid patrols.
From arrest in Woodlands to a conviction in court
Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority detained Jamaludin during an enforcement check in the Sungei Kadut industrial zone near Woodlands. He did not have a passport or any document showing permission to be in Singapore. There were no movement records indicating a lawful entry through a checkpoint.
Prosecutors charged him with one count under the Immigration Act for entering without a valid pass. He admitted the charge. In mitigation he cited family hardship and asked for a lighter sentence. The court imposed six weeks imprisonment and three cane strokes, consistent with the minimum caning requirement that applies to adult male offenders for illegal entry.
In a written statement, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority reiterated its stance on illegal entry and pointed to the law that criminalises entry without a valid pass.
“ICA takes a firm stance against individuals who enter Singapore illegally. Any person who enters Singapore without possession of a valid pass issued to him or her shall be guilty of an offence.”
Female offenders are not caned under Singapore law. The authority states that female offenders for illegal entry may be fined up to six thousand Singapore dollars. Courts may also consider jail where appropriate.
How Singapore polices its coastline
Singapore guards a busy and compact coastline with layered enforcement. The Police Coast Guard (PCG) patrols territorial waters and works with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on sea based interdictions. Officers use fast boats and coordinated surveillance to detect small craft that attempt to slip past control points.
A past joint operation shows how quickly these cases can unfold. In the early hours of 1 October 2010, a Police Coast Guard surveillance operator spotted a suspicious craft off Senoko. The craft sped toward Singapore, off loaded three women on the shoreline, and tried to flee. A Special Task Squadron interceptor gave chase, seized the boat and arrested a thirty four year old Indonesian boatman. On land, officers arrested the three women, who were found without valid travel documents.
The boatman faced charges for unlawful entry and for conveying prohibited immigrants. The authorities said the Home Team remains alert to such syndicates and that any intrusion will be dealt with firmly.
The jump and swim tactic
Smugglers sometimes instruct passengers to jump into the sea before reaching land. A swimmer on a makeshift float creates a smaller radar and visual profile than a boat running right to shore. The tactic also lets a boat turn back quickly toward foreign waters, leaving the passenger to stagger to land without a landing craft to trace.
Patrols and surveillance
To counter these methods, the Police Coast Guard deploys patrol craft in high traffic zones and works with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to watch shorelines near industrial areas and sparse beaches. Sensors, radar and coastal cameras support these patrols. The combination of sea and land teams raises the chance that swimmers, as well as boat operators, will be caught.
Why some still try the sea route
Many of those who attempt the crossing do so for work. Batam is close to Singapore, and wages across the strait are higher. Several cases show how small sums paid to facilitators can set these journeys in motion. Jamaludin told investigators he paid five million rupiah to his friend Azwar for passage. In another recent case, an offender said he paid six million rupiah to a boatman before jumping overboard and swimming to Changi.
These sums can look manageable to someone in debt or with a family to support. The reality is harsh. Small boats move at night, passengers hide crouched near the hull, and a mid sea swim carries risks from currents and passing ships. On arrival, migrants without documents live with the constant risk of arrest. Some pick up odd jobs, and some enter black markets such as contraband cigarette sales to survive, which exposes them to further enforcement.
Sentences in similar cases
Courts in Singapore have handed down stiffer sentences where the facts warrant them, especially for repeat offenders or where there are added offences. In December 2023, a man named Nordin, who drove a speedboat from Batam and landed near Tanah Merah Coast Road, was jailed for one year and caned five times. He had prior immigration offences, and the judge said the punishment had to reflect his escalation in criminal conduct.
In another case, a man who had been deported in 2022 paid a boatman six million rupiah in December 2023, jumped off a sampan partway and swam to the Changi shoreline to seek work. He received four months in jail and five cane strokes after pleading guilty to entering without a valid pass, with an additional charge for illegal return taken into consideration.
There have also been sharp penalties for serial offenders. One Indonesian man, aged twenty six, was sentenced to one and a half years in jail and nine cane strokes after swimming in from a sampan off Tuas for the fifth time. He had previously received multiple jail terms and twenty five strokes of the cane across earlier cases, and the ban on his re entry had been in force since mid 2020.
Boat operators face serious consequences too. A Malaysian speedboat master who tried to ferry two Indonesians to Malaysia ended up inside Singapore waters by mistake near dawn. When the Police Coast Guard moved in, he tried to flee at speed, steering in a zig zag path. The chase lasted about seventeen minutes before the boat took on water and capsized. He was jailed for twenty two weeks and caned three times for offences that included illegal entry and rash navigation. The two passengers each received six weeks in jail and three cane strokes.
The legal picture
Illegal entry into Singapore is an offence under the Immigration Act. A person convicted of entering without a valid pass faces up to six months in jail. Male offenders are subject to at least three cane strokes. Female offenders may be fined up to six thousand dollars, since caning does not apply to women under Singapore law.
The law also targets those who help others enter unlawfully. Conveying prohibited immigrants by sea is a separate offence that can bring heavy penalties. Those who fail to stop when ordered by the Police Coast Guard, or who navigate a vessel in a manner that endangers life, may face prosecution under other statutes, with the court able to impose jail, fines or both.
Customs offences can arise if offenders handle illegal cigarettes or other untaxed goods once inside the country. Investigations in individual cases determine whether such charges are filed. In Jamaludin’s case, the charge before the court was illegal entry, to which he pleaded guilty.
Safer choices for job seekers
People who want to work in Singapore should use legal channels. Employers must apply for valid work passes, and job seekers should verify offers and check that any agent is licensed in their home country. The Ministry of Manpower provides tools to verify the validity of a work pass. A legal entry with proper documentation protects a worker from exploitation and avoids the serious penalties that follow an unlawful route.
Migrants can also seek help from official employment offices or accredited agencies in Indonesia to find legitimate opportunities. It is far safer, and it avoids paying intermediaries who may abandon passengers at sea or leave them stranded without documents in a foreign country.
Key Points
- Indonesian national Jamaludin Taipabu, 49, swam into Singapore from a speedboat after leaving Batam to seek work.
- He lived in Singapore for about eleven months, doing odd jobs and selling contraband cigarettes before his arrest near Sungei Kadut.
- He pleaded guilty to entering without a valid pass and received six weeks in jail and three cane strokes.
- ICA said it takes a firm stance against illegal entry and reminded the public that entering without a valid pass is an offence.
- Male offenders convicted of illegal entry face a minimum of three cane strokes. Female offenders may be fined up to six thousand dollars.
- Enforcement at sea involves the Police Coast Guard and ICA, which use patrols and surveillance to intercept small craft and swimmers.
- Similar cases show heavier sentences for repeat offenders and for boat operators who smuggle passengers or flee from patrols.
- The sums paid to facilitators in recent cases ranged from five to six million rupiah, pointing to small but tempting fees for high risk trips.
- Authorities urge the use of legal work channels and valid passes instead of dangerous sea crossings.
