Six Indonesian men were sentenced on Jan 26 after attempting to illegally re-enter Singapore by sea, despite having been repatriated previously for immigration offences. The men, aged between 23 and 29, were arrested in December 2025 after their motorised sampan was spotted by the Police Coast Guard in waters off Tanah Merah.
According to CNA, the group was discovered at around 12.40am on Dec 21, after authorities were alerted to the presence of a suspicious boat. When officers moved in, the man steering the vessel attempted to escape by manoeuvring the sampan between anchored ships. The boat later became flooded and sank. Police Coast Guard officers rescued all six men before the sampan went completely under.
Sampan Bought Online, Journey Began in Batam
Court proceedings revealed that one of the men, Asrarudin, had travelled to Batam in November 2025 and shared with an acquaintance that he wanted to enter Singapore illegally for work. He later met Hardi, Ismaun, M Amrin and Muamar Imran, and also brought in his friend, Brick.
The group bought a wooden sampan through Facebook for 15 million rupiah, which is about S$1,136. On Dec 20, 2025, they gathered at around 6pm at a beach in Batam’s Sekupang district before setting off for Singapore. Their journey took longer than expected due to sea conditions and because Asrarudin, who was in charge of steering the boat, had no prior experience operating a vessel.
Prior Immigration Offences and Guilty Pleas
Investigations later found that all six men had been previously repatriated from Singapore between 2022 and 2025 for immigration offences. To re-enter Singapore legally, each of them was required to obtain approval from the Controller of Immigration. They had also acknowledged their ban notices at the time of their removal.
Despite this, the men attempted to return without permission. All six pleaded guilty to two charges each, which were illegally entering Singapore and unlawfully returning after removal.
Jail Terms and Caning Ordered
The court sentenced the men to jail terms ranging from one year to one year and nine months. They were also ordered to receive between four and 10 strokes of the cane.
Brick, who had five prior immigration-related convictions, received the heaviest sentence. He was jailed for one year and nine months and given 10 strokes of the cane.
