SINGAPORE, July 12 — A speedboat master tried to illegally transport two men from Batam, Indonesia to Malaysia for three million Indonesian rupiah (RM870). However, as he approached a landmass he initially thought was Malaysia, he realised he had entered Singapore territorial waters.
Afendy Awang, a 42-year-old Malaysian, was sentenced to 22 weeks’ jail and three strokes of the cane on Friday (July 12) after pleading guilty to two charges under the Immigration Act and one charge of the rash navigation of a vessel.
The two Indonesian men who were passengers in Afendy’s failed transport attempt, Muhli, 37, and Sanapiah, 32, have been convicted and sentenced. TODAY is seeking further details on their sentence.
On April 23 this year at about 9pm, Afendy was fishing in the sea off a place identified as Pasir Puteh, when he met an Indonesian friend identified as Ari.
Court documents did not offer more information about Pasir Puteh but it appears to refer to Kampung Pasir Puteh near Pasir Gudang in Johor, which is just to the north-west of Pulau Ubin. A town of a similar name in Kelantan does not appear to be involved.
Afendy knew that Ari illegally transports Indonesians from Batam to Malaysia and the pair spent time together at a discotheque in Batam and at Ari’s home.
Two days later at about 4am, Afendy told Ari that he was heading back to Pasir Puteh and his friend said that there were two persons who wanted to enter Malaysia illegally.
Ari offered to pay Afendy three million rupiah to take the two men to Malaysia on his speedboat and he accepted.
Sanapiah and Muhli boarded Afendy’s speedboat and he set off in the direction shown by Ari.
After some time, he saw a landmass that he thought was Pasir Puteh, but on closer inspection, he realised that he had entered Singapore waters.
Tried to evade capture
At around 5.15am on April 25, a special constable on duty at the Police Coast Guard detected two unknown craft about 1.2 nautical miles inside Singapore territorial waters.
A Police Coast Guard patrol craft was dispatched to investigate and soon sighted Afendy’s vessel. The police vessels immediately pursued his speedboat with their blinker on and siren sounding.
Upon catching sight of the authorities, Afendy tried to flee by steering out of Singapore's waters. He refused to stop his speedboat and instead steered towards the direction of Changi Naval Base.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Intan Suhaily Abu Bakar said that to evade capture, Afendy manoeuvred his speed boat “dangerously” in a zig-zag manner in a chase that lasted for about 17 minutes.
Around 10 minutes into the chase, a second Police Coast Guard vessel was dispatched to assist in intercepting Afendy’s vessel, which eventually took on water and capsized.
The three men on the boat, who were all not wearing life jackets, were spotted in the sea and eventually picked up by the authorities.
After apprehending the men, Police Coast Guard officers found that Afendy did not possess any travel documents and he was arrested.
He also did not have any movement records indicating that he had lawfully entered Singapore through any gazetted entry point.
DPP Intan sought a total sentence of between about six months and 8.5 months and three strokes of the cane for the speedboat master’s offences.
She highlighted that the chase duration was long and ended only when Afendy’s speedboat capsized, resulting in the three men falling in the sea.
As no one on board was wearing life jackets, Afendy had placed his own life and those of his two passengers at risk by engaging in a chase with the police coast guard, DPP Intan added.
For the rash navigation of a vessel, Afendy could have been jailed for up to one year or fined up to S$5,000, or both.
Anyone who attempts to enter Singapore without a valid entry permit can be jailed for up to six months and must receive not less than three strokes of the cane.
Those who fail to stop, proceed to immigration or departure anchorage when ordered to do so can be jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$2,000, or both. — TODAY
