Foreign talent's contributions to Singapore

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S’pore-based Malaysian military contractor ‘Fat Leonard’ who bribed US Navy officers given 15 years’ jail​

Leonard Francis pleaded guilty in 2015 to offering bribes to naval officers to steer work to his shipyards in Asia-Pacific ports. PHOTO: AFP

Nov 06, 2024

LOS ANGELES - Leonard Francis, the Malaysian military contractor known as “Fat Leonard”, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Nov 5 for his role in the US Navy’s worst-ever corruption scandal.
Francis, 60, was also ordered to pay US$20 million (S$26.4 million) in restitution to the US Navy by a federal judge in San Diego and to forfeit US$35 million in ill-gotten gains, said the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of California in a statement.
Francis, who ran a military contracting company, Glenn Defence Marine Asia, out of Singapore, was arrested in 2013.
He pleaded guilty in 2015 to offering bribes to naval officers to steer work to his shipyards in Asia-Pacific ports, then overcharging the navy to the tune of US$35 million.
According to court documents, Francis handed out more than US$500,000 in cash bribes and provided prostitutes, first-class travel, luxury hotel stays and lavish meals to naval officers, along with expensive gifts such as designer handbags and watches.
Francis had been scheduled to be sentenced in September 2022, but he cut off a GPS ankle bracelet he was wearing while under house arrest and fled to Venezuela.
He was returned to the United States from Venezuela in December 2023 in a prisoner swop between the two countries.

As part of a plea agreement, Francis provided government investigators with detailed information which led to the conviction of a number of high-ranking US Navy officers. AFP

 

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Jail, caning for man who raped masseuse after refusing to leave Geylang massage parlour​

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

Nov 11, 2024

SINGAPORE - A construction worker who did not have money to pay for a massage refused to leave a Geylang parlour when told to do so, and turned violent to get the masseuse to submit to him.
He straddled the woman across her chest, choked her with both his hands and slapped her multiple times before he forced her to perform a sex act on him.
On Nov 11, Prodhan Sajib, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi national, was sentenced to 10 years in jail and six strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to raping the 32-year-old victim, a Chinese national.
Two other charges – a second count of rape and a count of criminal trespass – were taken into consideration in sentencing.
The offences took place on the morning of May 18, 2022.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Maximilian Chew told the High Court that at about 7.35am that day, Sajib arrived for work at a construction site in Geylang but left shortly after to buy some groceries.
At about 7.55am, the victim was sleeping in the massage parlour when she heard the doorbell. She saw Sajib standing outside and opened the glass door to let him in.

After Sajib indicated that he wanted a massage, the masseuse told him how much it would cost, but he did not have enough cash in his wallet to pay for it.
He then took out his bank card and gestured to the victim to swipe the card on the payment machine.
However, he refused to hand over his card, so the woman told him to leave. But Sajib refused to do so and locked the glass door instead.

He lifted the victim onto his shoulder and threw her on the massage bed located farthest away from the door, as she struggled and shouted for help.
He then straddled her and tried to strangle her, before pressing a towel over her face to stop her from shouting.
After a while, he removed the towel and placed his finger to his lips to gesture to the victim to keep quiet. He also made a swiping gesture across his neck, and made a stabbing motion.
DPP Chew said the victim became quiet as she was fearful that the man would kill her if she kept shouting.
While Sajib was undressing the victim, she pushed him away and made a run for it, but he caught up with her.
He pinned her to the floor, choked her and repeatedly slapped her, before he forced her to perform oral sex on him.

After the rape, the victim tried to run out of the shop, but Sajib pulled her back in.
She held on to the leg of one of the massage beds and grabbed her mobile phone, which was on the bed. When Sajib saw this, he tussled with her for the phone.
The woman eventually broke free and ran out of the shop with her phone.
As she stood outside trying to call for help, Sajib came out of the shop and continued trying to snatch the phone from her.
After failing to grab her phone, Sajib opened the door and gestured to the victim to return to the shop.
She hurried back into the shop and closed the door, and Sajib left the scene.
The victim made a police report in the early hours of May 19, 2022.
Later that day, the police arrested Sajib at his workplace, after identifying him from surveillance video footage.
While he was remanded in custody, Sajib told a psychiatrist that he had been taking sex enhancement medication for about two months prior to the incident.
DPP April Phang sought 10 to 11 years’ jail and eight strokes of the cane, highlighting that the use of excessive violence to commit the rape was an aggravating factor.

 

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Jail for man who molested 5 women, targeting 4 of them while out on bail​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Nov 11, 2024

SINGAPORE – A man molested a woman while she was waiting to enter the National Stadium for pop star Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in March, and was arrested after the victim alerted a security officer.
While out on bail, Sameh Mohamed Kamal Farg went to a fast-food restaurant on May 12 and molested two more women. Eight days later, he outraged his fourth victim’s modesty on an MRT train.
The Egyptian national was charged in court in June and was again out on bail when he molested a fifth woman in August.
On Nov 11, Sameh, 44, was sentenced to seven months and two weeks’ jail after he pleaded guilty to three molestation charges. Two other charges were considered during sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Claire Poh told the court that the first victim, 23, had joined a queue at the National Stadium at around 6pm on March 8 to watch the concert by American singer Swift.
Sameh, who was in the vicinity, decided to join the queue despite not having a ticket for the event. He then stood behind the first victim and molested her.
DPP Poh said: “When (she) turned around to confront the accused, he ran to a tree and hid behind it.
.
“The first victim managed to approach a tourist who had filmed the accused standing close to the victim. She then asked the tourist to ‘airdrop’ the video on the tourist’s phone to her phone.”
The first victim told a security officer about what had happened when the concert ended, and the police arrested Sameh the next day.
While out on bail, he went to a fast-food restaurant in Marina Gardens Drive on May 12 and molested his second victim, 29, while she was queueing to order food at a kiosk.
After that, he molested his third victim, also 29, at the same eatery.
The second victim alerted the police on May 13 and officers managed to identify Sameh through footage from a CCTV camera.
The offender was travelling on a crowded MRT train on May 20 when he molested his fourth victim, 30, who lodged a police report the next day.
Court documents did not disclose what happened next, but Sameh was charged in court on June 5 before he was released on bail 21 days later.
Instead of keeping out of trouble, he reoffended yet again and molested his fifth victim on Aug 9 during the National Day celebrations in the Marina Bay area.
She alerted a security officer and Sameh was arrested soon after.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Over 7 months’ jail for nursing home worker who molested male colleague​

Nadine Chua

Nov 11, 2024

SINGAPORE – A healthcare assistant working at a nursing home was sentenced to seven months and two weeks’ jail on Nov 11 for molesting his male colleague.
The Filipino, 30, pleaded guilty to one charge of using criminal force to molest the victim.
The offender and the nursing home cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identity of the 24-year-old victim.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Caleb Looi said the offender’s role as a healthcare assistant was to change diapers, feed, shower and provide medication to residents of the nursing home.
Investigations revealed that before the incident in October, the pair had a drinking session with other colleagues.
There, the offender confessed to the victim that he had fantasised about him and found him “cute”, to which the victim replied that he liked women.
On Oct 27 at around 3am, after drinking alcohol with several colleagues, the offender returned to his dormitory, where the victim also lived.

At around 5am, while the lights of the dormitory were off, he walked to the victim, who was asleep on his bed, and molested him over his boxers.
The prosecutor said the offender then attempted to reach beneath the boxers when the victim woke up and shouted.
The offender withdrew his hand, ran out of the dormitory room and hid.
Feeling unclean, the victim took two showers, and he reported the incident to his supervisor. The offender was arrested that same day.
Arguing for eight months’ jail, DPP Looi said the victim was asleep and was therefore vulnerable when the offence was committed.
“It is unclear how long the touching incident was, but the touch could not have been fleeting as it was sufficient to rouse the victim from his sleep,” the prosecutor added.
In mitigation, the offender, who was unrepresented, teared up as he apologised for his actions and pleaded for a light sentence.
For using criminal force to outrage the modesty of a person, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined, caned, or given any combination of such punishments.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Singapore judge chides lawyer for convoluted mitigation filled with grammatical errors​

District Judge Lim said he had checked and confirmed with Mr Shanker that he himself had drafted the mitigation. PHOTO: PIXABAY

Samuel Devaraj

Nov 19, 2024

SINGAPORE - A judge chided a criminal lawyer for the poor quality of a written mitigation plea the latter submitted to the court on behalf of a client who admitted to a cheating charge.
In a judgment dated Nov 11, District Judge Lim Tse Haw said he told Mr A. Revi Shanker that his mitigation was “so convoluted and verbose” and filled with grammatical errors, that he had difficulty understanding what the lawyer was trying to submit.
The judge said: “Lawyers and prosecutors would do well to prepare their written submissions in plain English and (an) easy-to-read manner. This would save much valuable judicial time in reading and understanding the submissions.”
In order to understand the mitigation, he asked Mr Shanker to make an oral presentation in court.
Mr Shanker’s client Jeremy Francis Cruez was sentenced to six months’ jail in October. The 60-year-old Sri Lankan national had admitted to cheating his former company, Major’s Pest Management Services.
The prosecution had asked for a jail term of between 14 and 16 months, while Mr Shanker asked for a fine.

While both sides appealed the sentence, court records show that Cruez has since discontinued his appeal.

As a fumigation manager, Cruez was responsible for ensuring that the supplies required for fumigation works were obtained.
Between April 13, 2017 and Oct 22, 2019, he submitted fake or forged invoices to his company for fumigation-related supplies from six suppliers, seeking a total of $190,455.60. The amount was to be paid in cash.
In fact, Cruez had bought the supplies from other sources and marked up the prices in the fake or forged invoices by 5 per cent. He had intended to pocket the difference.

When he was questioned by the company’s managing director why the suppliers required cash payment, he explained that they had been paid in cash under Major’s previous managing director.
He provided e-mails from the suppliers who purportedly requested for payment in cash or for the cheque to be made out to a person called Myrna, who was stated to be an “executive in charge of accounts” in the e-mails. However, Myrna was his close friend who was working as a domestic helper.
Believing the ruse, the company disbursed $190,455.60 as payment for the supplies to either Cruez or Myrna.
In the judgment, District Judge Lim highlighted the first paragraph of Mr Shanker’s mitigation, which comprised a single sentence of 176 words.
In the paragraph, among many other points, Mr Shanker said his client had to “live at the mercy of friends and relatives whose assistance is only, not unexpectedly, thinning away such that his queues for food (breakfast, lunch and dinner) on a daily basis at religious place of worship and other organisations have become more frequent”.
District Judge Lim said he had checked and confirmed with Mr Shanker that he himself had drafted the mitigation.
To avoid any misunderstanding of the mitigation, the judge asked the lawyer to summarise orally at a hearing on Oct 22, 2024, what he was trying to submit.
Mr Shanker said during the hearing that Cruez was not qualifying his plea of guilt.
He added that his client had offered to make full restitution to Major’s Pest Management Services of the sum of $12,953.73, which was Cruez’s personal gains from the offence. But the offer was declined by the pest control company.
While rejecting the defence’s submission for a fine, District Judge Lim said the prosecution’s submission for 14 to 16 month’s jail was manifestly excessive.
“Had the accused pocketed the entire sum of $190,455.60 and left the company in a lurch by not carrying out any of the fumigation works, then perhaps a sentence of 14 to 16 months’ imprisonment as sought for by the prosecution would be appropriate,” he said.

The first paragraph of the mitigation plea that District Judge Lim Tse Haw deemed convoluted and verbose. PHOTO: COURT DOCUMENTS

 

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Jail for man who came to Singapore to collect more than $427k from 2 scam victims​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Nov 18, 2024

SINGAPORE – A Malaysian man helped a transnational crime syndicate to collect money from two Singaporean scam victims who were cheated of $501,151 in total.

From this amount, Garald Lim Chuen Wen collected $427,151 from the pair.

The court heard that his sole purpose for coming to Singapore was to collect the money in exchange for a financial reward.

According to Lim, he received around RM10,000 (S$3,000) as “commissions”.

On Nov 18, the 26-year-old man was sentenced to three years and nine months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to three counts of handling the benefits of criminal conduct involving $125,000 in total.

Four other charges, including those linked to the remaining amount, were considered during sentencing. Lim has not made any restitution.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Gabriel Lee told the court that in 2023, one of Lim’s friends introduced him to a job opportunity with a China-based group known as “OpenPay”.

As part of the job, he had to travel from his Kuala Lumpur home to Singapore and collect money from OpenPay’s clients late at night.

OpenPay’s representatives would directly liaise with the clients and inform him when and where to meet them.

Lim was told to wear a long-sleeved shirt when meeting the clients to convey a “professional image”.


He was also expected to convert the clients’ monies to cryptocurrency stablecoin Tether (USDT).

After that, he had to transfer 99 per cent of the USDT received to OpenPay’s cryptocurrency wallet, allowing the group to have access to the funds outside Singapore.

Lim managed to find a cryptocurrency moneychanger in Singapore and he then received the remaining 1 per cent of the USDT as a reward for his contribution.

The cryptocurrency moneychanger would transfer this sum to Lim’s cryptocurrency wallet, the court heard.

The DPP said: “The accused stated that he believed OpenPay to be in the business of operating unregulated online casinos and gambling websites.

“The accused added that he believed the money he was assisting OpenPay to collect was likely to be from illegal means.”

One of the victims, a 49-year-old woman, was cheated of $363,000.

She told investigators that she had befriended a person known as “Henry An” on March 19, 2024, via instant messaging platform WeChat.

“Henry An” then told her about an “investment opportunity” for which she had to download an application called GSDNE from the Apple Store.

He also told her that she could fund her GSDNE investment account by either making transfers via PayNow to various bank accounts or by meeting a “GSDNE employee” and passing the money to that person.

The woman funded her GSDNE investment account with $70,000 via PayNow, and handed over another $293,000 through the second method.

The “GSDNE employee” turned out to be Lim, stated court documents.

She passed him the $293,000 on four separate occasions in April 2024. Each transaction involved between $50,000 and $100,000.

The woman alerted the police on April 28. Court documents did not disclose what spurred her to do so.

On May 2, Lim travelled from Malaysia to Canberra Link near Sembawang Road to collect money from her. He was arrested later that day.
More On This Topic
Duo who sold WhatsApp accounts to scammers nabbed; over 6,800 SIM cards, 15 phones seized
Jail for woman who let her firm’s bank account receive scam benefits totalling over $1m
Meanwhile, the second victim, a 62-year-old woman, who was cheated of $138,151, told investigators that she befriended someone via WeChat in March 2024.

This unknown person also told her about an “investment opportunity” with GSDNE and she agreed to be part of it.

She funded her GSDNE investment account with $4,000 via PayNow. She also passed the remaining $134,151 to Lim over three occasions in April and May, with each transaction involving between $25,000 and $59,151.

She lodged a police report on May 9.

On Nov 18, defence lawyers Josephus Tan and Cory Wong from Invictus Law Corporation pleaded for Lim to be given up to two years and two months’ jail.

They added: “In fact, we stand to be corrected that Garald was the only person arrested for this part of the case and his cooperation all along has thus been key to solving the case.”

The lawyers also stressed that Lim had been cooperative with the authorities.

 

[Leckmichamarsch]

cooper

Jail for man who came to Singapore to collect more than $427k from 2 scam victims​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Nov 18, 2024

SINGAPORE – A Malaysian man helped a transnational crime syndicate to collect money from two Singaporean scam victims who were cheated of $501,151 in total.

From this amount, Garald Lim Chuen Wen collected $427,151 from the pair.

The court heard that his sole purpose for coming to Singapore was to collect the money in exchange for a financial reward.

According to Lim, he received around RM10,000 (S$3,000) as “commissions”.

On Nov 18, the 26-year-old man was sentenced to three years and nine months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to three counts of handling the benefits of criminal conduct involving $125,000 in total.

Four other charges, including those linked to the remaining amount, were considered during sentencing. Lim has not made any restitution.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Gabriel Lee told the court that in 2023, one of Lim’s friends introduced him to a job opportunity with a China-based group known as “OpenPay”.

As part of the job, he had to travel from his Kuala Lumpur home to Singapore and collect money from OpenPay’s clients late at night.

OpenPay’s representatives would directly liaise with the clients and inform him when and where to meet them.

Lim was told to wear a long-sleeved shirt when meeting the clients to convey a “professional image”.


He was also expected to convert the clients’ monies to cryptocurrency stablecoin Tether (USDT).

After that, he had to transfer 99 per cent of the USDT received to OpenPay’s cryptocurrency wallet, allowing the group to have access to the funds outside Singapore.

Lim managed to find a cryptocurrency moneychanger in Singapore and he then received the remaining 1 per cent of the USDT as a reward for his contribution.

The cryptocurrency moneychanger would transfer this sum to Lim’s cryptocurrency wallet, the court heard.

The DPP said: “The accused stated that he believed OpenPay to be in the business of operating unregulated online casinos and gambling websites.

“The accused added that he believed the money he was assisting OpenPay to collect was likely to be from illegal means.”

One of the victims, a 49-year-old woman, was cheated of $363,000.

She told investigators that she had befriended a person known as “Henry An” on March 19, 2024, via instant messaging platform WeChat.

“Henry An” then told her about an “investment opportunity” for which she had to download an application called GSDNE from the Apple Store.

He also told her that she could fund her GSDNE investment account by either making transfers via PayNow to various bank accounts or by meeting a “GSDNE employee” and passing the money to that person.

The woman funded her GSDNE investment account with $70,000 via PayNow, and handed over another $293,000 through the second method.

The “GSDNE employee” turned out to be Lim, stated court documents.

She passed him the $293,000 on four separate occasions in April 2024. Each transaction involved between $50,000 and $100,000.

The woman alerted the police on April 28. Court documents did not disclose what spurred her to do so.

On May 2, Lim travelled from Malaysia to Canberra Link near Sembawang Road to collect money from her. He was arrested later that day.
More On This Topic
Duo who sold WhatsApp accounts to scammers nabbed; over 6,800 SIM cards, 15 phones seized
Jail for woman who let her firm’s bank account receive scam benefits totalling over $1m
Meanwhile, the second victim, a 62-year-old woman, who was cheated of $138,151, told investigators that she befriended someone via WeChat in March 2024.

This unknown person also told her about an “investment opportunity” with GSDNE and she agreed to be part of it.

She funded her GSDNE investment account with $4,000 via PayNow. She also passed the remaining $134,151 to Lim over three occasions in April and May, with each transaction involving between $25,000 and $59,151.

She lodged a police report on May 9.

On Nov 18, defence lawyers Josephus Tan and Cory Wong from Invictus Law Corporation pleaded for Lim to be given up to two years and two months’ jail.

They added: “In fact, we stand to be corrected that Garald was the only person arrested for this part of the case and his cooperation all along has thus been key to solving the case.”

The lawyers also stressed that Lim had been cooperative with the authorities.

cooperation does not exonerate his heinous crime

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for man who lured around 50 women, teens for photo shoots and filmed intimate videos of them​

Min Thein Kyaw committed the offences from 2011 to 2020.ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Jan 17, 2025

SINGAPORE – A man who lured around 50 women and teenage girls for photo shoots after promising to pay them went on to record intimate videos of the victims.

Some of the videos, which included those showing sexual acts, were taken without the victims’ consent.

Min Thein Kyaw, who was working for a software firm at the time of the offences and was not a professional photographer, committed them from 2011 to 2020.

The victims were then between 15 and 25 years old. Separately, he also sent sexual text messages to a 12-year-old girl despite knowing that she was a primary school pupil at the time.

On Jan 17, the 46-year-old Singaporean, who is a married man, was sentenced to four years, three months and 14 weeks’ jail.

Min, who pleaded guilty to 19 charges for offences that include insulting a woman’s modesty and making obscene films, was also ordered to receive two strokes of the cane.

Fifty-six other charges were considered during his sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Melissa Heng told the court that Min began photographing female models in either 2009 or 2010.

He posted advertisements on online platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, looking for models for photo shoots.

He would also occasionally contact women and teenage girls via these platforms to ask if they were interested in being photographed. He told some of them that they would take part in lingerie photo shoots.

Once a woman or teenager accepted his offer, Min would arrange to secure a location for such sessions. The places included his home and a studio he rented in Serangoon Road.

Min then took advantage of his victims’ naivety to slowly push the boundaries of their photo shoot agreements.

He used a camera that could take both photos and videos. He also had his mobile phone with him during the sessions.

During some of these sessions, he would touch the models’ bodies, including their private parts, purportedly as part of the session. He even sexually penetrated some of the victims.

Min took intimate videos, some of them without consent, of the victims, one of whom was just 16 years old.

The girl had joined a Facebook group for freelance photographers and models some time in 2015, and put up a post stating that she was looking for a photographer to take her pictures for a portfolio.

Min messaged her on Dec 5 that year, and they went to a rented studio for a photo shoot.

She undressed at his request, and Min then blindfolded the teenager before engaging in sexual acts with her.

He used his mobile phone to record 12 videos of the encounter.

DPP Heng said: “Her face was visible in most of the videos, although the blindfold partially obscured part of her face. The accused did not ask (her) permission before recording videos.”

The victim, who is now 25, was unaware that Min was filming her. He later paid her around $250 for the photo shoot.

Another victim was 15 years old when she agreed to do a photo shoot with him in 2016.

On Nov 2 that year, the secondary school student wore her class T-shirt and school skirt to the session held at a multi-storey carpark near Kallang MRT station.

DPP Heng said the victim, now 23, was aware that it was going to be a “sexy” photo shoot.

During the session, she stripped from the waist downwards and Min performed an obscene act on her.

He made two obscene films of the minor before paying her an undisclosed amount of money.

Separately, Min also sent a 12-year-old sexual text messages in July 2020.

He committed this offence after the girl, who is now 16, accepted his request to follow her on Instagram.

One of Min’s many victims eventually alerted the police about him on Aug 12, 2020.

He was arrested the next day and the authorities seized his electronic devices, including two hard disk drives, on which were found nearly 800 obscene films.

On Jan 17, defence lawyer Johannes Hadi asked for Min to be given two years, eight months and 14 weeks’ jail, and two strokes of the cane.

He told the court that his client is remorseful and sorry for what he had done.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Indonesia arrests Chinese national wanted by China over money laundering charges​

Yan Zhenxing, a Chinese national and Singapore permanent resident, was in Batam for a holiday when he was detained by Indonesian authorities.

Indonesian immigration officers escort Chinese national Yan Zhenxing during a press conference in Jakarta, on Dec 5, 2024. (Photo: AP/Achmad Ibrahim)
05 Dec 2024

JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities have arrested a Chinese national sought by Beijing for allegedly helping transfer and laundering almost US$18 million from a criminal online gambling group in China, officials said on Thursday (Dec 5).

Yan Zhenxing was detained on Monday by immigration officers at a cross-border ferry terminal in Batam.

Yuldi Yusman, the Director of Immigration Supervision and Enforcement, said Yan was arrested following an Interpol red notice for him. The notices request law enforcement agencies worldwide to detain or arrest a suspect wanted by a specific country.

Yusman said Yan, a permanent resident of Singapore, was arriving in Batam for a holiday with his family when he was detained.

Indonesian authorities brought the suspect, wearing a detainee’s orange shirt and a face mask, to a news conference on Thursday in the capital of Jakarta.

The suspect did not make any statements and was not asked any questions.

Yusman said that Yan was named as a suspect by police in China’s Inner Mongolia region who allege he was involved in transferring and laundering more than 130 million yuan (US$17.9 million) from a criminal online gambling group.

He said Yan was handed to Indonesia’s National Central Bureau Interpol in Jakarta on Thursday and a decision to deport or extradite him to China will take some time.

The Singapore Police Force and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said in response to CNA's queries that Yan is not currently under any investigation.

"He was not implicated nor investigated in the S$3 billion money laundering case," they added on Dec 7, referring to one of Singapore's largest money laundering probes.

Singapore authorities had not received any request for assistance from the Chinese authorities.

"At the point when Yan was granted PR (permanent residency), there was no Interpol Red Notice against him," they added.

Indonesian immigration officers escort Chinese national Yan Zhenxing during a press conference in Jakarta, on Dec 5, 2024. (Photo: AP/Achmad Ibrahim)
The arrest came just two months after immigration officers on the tourist island of Bali arrested a Chinese suspect sought by Beijing who allegedly helped to run investment scams that brought in over US$14 billion from clients in China.

“We are committed to protecting Indonesia’s territory from the arrival of foreign nationals who are not useful and threaten national stability,” Yusman said.

Indonesia, an archipelago nation on the crossroads between Asia and the South Pacific, is attractive to local, regional and global organised crime because of its geographical location.

Last month, authorities in Bali arrested Hector Aldwin Pantollana, a Filipino fugitive accused of helping scam over US$67 million out of clients in the Philippines.

Another Filipino, Alice Guo, a fugitive former mayor accused of having links to Chinese criminal syndicates, was arrested near Jakarta in September. She has since been deported to the Philippines.

In June, Chaowalit Thongduang, one of Thailand’s most wanted fugitives, was escorted back to Thailand on a Thai air force plane after being arrested in Bali following months on the run over allegations he was involved in several killings and drug trafficking.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Singapore deports Iranian woman, Malaysian PR spouse after declaring them national security threats​

MHA said the woman has had her long-term visit pass cancelled and her husband had his permanent resident status revoked.PHOTO: ST FILE

Kolette Lim
Feb 10, 2025

SINGAPORE – An Iranian woman and her Malaysian husband will be deported and banned from entering Singapore after they were found to be engaging in activities that posed a threat to Singapore’s security.

Ms Parvane Heidaridehkordi, 38, has had her long-term visit pass cancelled and her husband, Mr Soo Thean Ling, 65, had his permanent resident status revoked, said the Ministry of Home Affairs in a statement on Feb 10.

MHA said Ms Parvane was involved in the operations of a Singapore-registered travel agency that had sponsored visa applications by terrorism-linked foreigners seeking to enter Singapore.

Investigations found that the travel agency was a front for an operation directed by a foreigner based overseas. The travel agency has since been deregistered.

Mr Soo had tried to register a company to undertake travel agency business in Singapore on two occasions after the authorities had started investigations into the above-mentioned travel agency.

Mr Soo intended for Ms Parvane to operate these businesses, which would “likely have facilitated Parvane’s continued involvement in supporting the entry of terrorism-linked individuals” into Singapore, MHA said.

Both company registration applications filed by Mr Soo were rejected on national security grounds.


Ms Parvane was declared a prohibited immigrant because she took part in activities that threatened Singapore’s national security. Mr Soo was also declared a prohibited immigrant because he is her family member, said MHA.

“Foreigners in Singapore found to be engaging in activities which pose security risks are liable to have their immigration facilities revoked, and be deported,” said MHA.

 

[True Believer]

The most noticeable contributions by foreigners is to prematurely end the career of S'porean PMEs and help us transition to underemployment as gig workers.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for domestic helper who repeatedly abused elderly man with dementia​

Thant Zin Oo was sentenced to 12 months’ and 4 weeks’ jail after he admitted to three counts of voluntarily causing hurt.ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Christine Tan
Feb 11, 2025

SINGAPORE – Feeling frustrated while taking care of an elderly man with dementia, a domestic helper repeatedly manhandled and hit him on multiple occasions.

The victim, who has Alzheimer’s disease, is unable to accurately remember the abuse, let alone complain about it.

The prosecution said Myanmar national Thant Zin Oo, 36, had “acted with impunity” and might have thought he could get away with it due to the victim’s condition.

On Feb 11, Thant Zin Oo was sentenced to 12 months’ and four weeks’ jail after he admitted to three counts of voluntarily causing hurt. Two similar charges were taken into consideration.

In sentencing, District Judge Salina Ishak said that given Singapore’s ageing population, many families engage domestic helpers to help care for older members.

Noting that Thant Zin Oo’s actions would cause serious public disquiet, Judge Ishak said: “There is a compelling reason to send a strong deterrent signal that such abuse of trust will not be tolerated by our courts.”

Deputy Public Prosecutor Teo Lu Jia said the victim was 82 at the time of the incidents from February to March 2024, and lived in a Housing Board unit with other
As he had difficulties with daily living activities, his son had hired Thant Zin Oo to care for his father about 5½ years before the recorded abuse took place.

He was tasked to take care of the elderly man, including changing his diapers, showering and helping him to move around, and shared a room with him.

The victim’s son and daughter visited their father about once a week to buy him food and supplies.

In 2023, the victim’s son noticed bruises on his father’s body, while his daughter observed that there were times where Thant Zin Oo played games on his mobile phone and did not attend to the victim.

That year, one of the unit’s tenants told the victim’s son that the helper often shouted at the victim.

The victim’s children then decided to install a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera in the flat in August 2023.

In March 2024, they started to feel that something was wrong and decided to examine the CCTV recordings more closely. Court documents did not state exactly what prompted them to do so.

To their shock, they found out that Thant Zin Oo had abused their father on at least five occasions within a month.

CCTV footage played in court of an incident on Feb 22, 2024, showed the helper hitting the elderly man forcefully on his head while the latter was struggling to get up from his chair.

Thant Zin Oo then lifted the victim and threw him on the bed, causing the victim to hit his head against the wall.

DPP Teo said: “The victim reached out his hand towards (Thant Zin Oo) for help as his neck was tilted awkwardly, but the accused just stared at the victim without rendering any help and proceeded to walk away.”

While the victim struggled on the bed, Thant Zin Oo forcefully pulled him up and smacked his head again, before changing the elderly man’s shirt.

He then manhandled and swung the victim from a sitting to lying position, causing the elderly man’s head to hit the bed frame hard.

After discovering the abuse, the victim’s family members took him to Tan Tock Seng Hospital in April 2024. A hospital staff member made a police report.

The victim was admitted to hospital for two weeks and eventually discharged and moved into a nursing home.

Lawyer U. Sudharshanraj Naidu said his client’s actions were a “negative manifestation of caregiver burden”.

He said his client did not intend to cause suffering, and added: “(He) had lost his patience caring for an individual that is difficult to take care of.”

In response, DPP Teo said the family sent Thant Zin Oo for courses to equip him to care for the victim, and offered to sit with the elderly man or monitor him closely on CCTV if the helper needed to leave the house.

“As such, this was not a case where (he) was left with no guidance or no support in caring for the victim,” said DPP Teo, adding that caregiver fatigue cannot be an excuse for abuse.

The prosecutor further noted that the family celebrated the helper’s birthdays, and gave him presents and red packets for Christmas and Chinese New Year.

After Thant Zin Oo was charged, the victim’s son wrote a positive testimonial for him, arranged for his wife to stand bail, and helped him to obtain pro bono legal assistance.

DPP Teo said it appears that the victim’s son has forgiven the helper and called the son’s actions “heartening and commendable”, but noted that forgiveness is a private matter and should not influence the sentence.

 

[True Believer]

The population of cobras has increased by 600,000 in S'pore in the past decade.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

TikTok live streamer did sex act at HDB void deck while husband was a lookout; both jailed​

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan participated in a challenge to perform sex acts in public while skimpily dressed, while her husband Adrian Ching Kah Siang acted as a lookout.ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Christine Tan
Feb 20, 2025

SINGAPORE - A skimpily dressed woman performed a sex act at a Housing Board void deck in Boon Lay, in response to a challenge from viewers of her TikTok live streaming.

Her husband sat beside her and acted as a lookout to ensure no one would interrupt.

On Feb 20, Adrian Ching Kah Siang, 36, and his Vietnamese wife Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, 31, were each jailed for three weeks.

Lan admitted to one charge of doing an obscene act. Ching, a Singaporean, admitted to abetting the act. One similar charge each was taken into consideration for their sentencing.

District Judge Jasvender Kaur said that Lan’s act was highly offensive, and she was satisfied that the threshold for jail was crossed.

Those who commit any obscene act in a public place can be jailed for up to three months, fined, or both.

Ching asked for a gag order to be imposed on the couple’s identities so as to not cause further emotional damage to his mother. “It also protects my wife’s dignity,” he said.

The judge said no.

Lan, who entered Singapore under a social visit pass that has since expired, live-streams regularly on TikTok and Vietnamese gaming app MMlive.

On Sept 27, 2024, from 11.30am to 2.30pm, she was live-streaming at the void deck of Block 266 Boon Lay Drive.

At around 1.30pm, she participated in a challenge to perform sex acts in public while skimpily dressed, in exchange for money in the form of gifts sent by her viewers.

Lan, who was clad in a translucent dress that showed her nude body, posed and danced in front of a mobile phone.

A man who lives in the HDB block witnessed Lan’s acts and informed his wife, who subsequently called the police.

To capture video evidence of the acts, the male witness and his wife went together to the second floor of the HDB block.

By the time they arrived at the second floor, Lan had changed into a kimono that barely covered her body. She then performed the sex act.

Police soon arrived at the scene and arrested her.

Lan initially told police she was only “dancing in a sexy way” and claimed she revealed “only a bit”, despite the fact that she was almost nude, the prosecution said.

She admitted to the obscene act only when confronted with video evidence.

Ching also denied everything when questioned by the police and said they had been “fully clothed”. He also said his wife’s sex act should not be considered an obscene act.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Esther Lim said Lan did the act in a public and highly visible area, and during a time with high human traffic, including children who were returning home from school.

Said the prosecutor: “As Nguyen was seated in full view of the public within a residential area, each person returning home would be forced to walk past her and be exposed to her obscene act.”

Standing side by side in the dock, the couple pleaded for leniency. They were not represented by a lawyer.

“From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely apologise to the court and the people of Singapore,” said Ching, adding that they were remorseful.

He said media reports about their case had brought stress to his family members and affected his career.

Speaking through an interpreter, Lan said she has to support her 13-year-old daughter in Vietnam and is in financial difficulty.

She is currently in Singapore on a special pass for the purpose of investigation.

 

[True Believer]

Who forced open S'pore's legs to allow these foreigners to enter?