http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,194598,00.html?
No passport for you for 10 years
Ex-convict surprised to get ban after release
By Arul John
March 04, 2009
HE thought he could travel again after his release from jail.
But Peter Tan, 43, was surprised to learn that his passport had been cancelled. In addition, he is banned from owning a Singapore passport for 10years.
He is confused because the judge who had sentenced him had ordered his old passport to be returned to him. But when he went to collect it after his release from jail, it had been invalidated.
Tan was convicted on 19 Dec 2007 of four criminal offences, including cheating, criminal intimidation and making a false statutory declaration to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) that he had misplaced his Singapore passport.
He told The New Paper that he had made the false declaration after his old passport was damaged in a washing machine.
He needed to visit Indonesia urgently, as his wife was running a cafe in Tanjung Pinang on Bintan island.
He claimed that if he had waited for a replacement for his damaged passport, it would have taken several weeks.
After lying to the ICA, he received a new passport within a few days.
After sentencing Tan to 21 months' jail, District Judge Liew Thiam Leng ordered that Tan's old passport be returned to him and his new passport be given to police for disposal. Tan was released from jail on 16Jan this year.
Banned
On 23 Jan, he went to ICA to collect his passport and found that he had been banned from owning one for 10 years.
When he told the officer about the court order, he claimed he was told that ICA had cancelled both passports and he had to write to ICA to seek permission if he wanted to travel overseas in future.
Tan was told that he could appeal in writing against the decision.
'I was surprised that the court order was not followed, and that such rulings could be made and my passport could be cancelled without my knowledge,' he said.
Last month, an ICA spokesman told The New Paper that Tan's old passport was invalidated when he was issued the new one, as with ICA's standing practice.
The spokesman said Tan was served a notice stating that his passport had been cancelled when he visited ICA on 23 Jan, but he refused to acknowledge it.
The police repeatedly tried to return Tan's invalidated old passport to him but he refused to accept it as he felt it should not have been cancelled.
On 16 Feb, Tan finally took back his old passport from Tanglin Police Division.
Appeal
He wrote to ICA two days later to appeal against the ban, and also to ask for permission to visit Indonesia.
Tan said he called ICA yesterday and learnt that his appeal against the ban and request for the trip had been turned down.
He said: 'My wife has been running the cafe since I went to jail but I am afraid the business may go under since I have not been around.
'I have already served my sentence for my crimes, so why should I be banned as well?'
He said it was hard for his wife to visit him in Singapore and he might have to divorce her if he is unable to visit her in Indonesia.
The ICA spokesman said the issuance of passports to Singaporeans is a privilege, and ICA will take action against those who obtain replacement passports through fraudulent means or by false representation of facts on lost or damaged passports.
She said: 'Under the Passports Act, the Controller of Immigration may refuse or cancel a Singapore passport when fraudulent means were employed to obtain the passport. The persons concerned may be denied passport facilities for a period of time.'
Lawyer A P Thirumurthy said Judge Liew's order was in accordance with the sentencing guidelines for Tan's offences, but the Controller of Immigration has the authority to impose more restrictions because of his passport offence.
He said Tan could appeal to the Controller if he felt he was unfairly treated.
Lawyer Tan Kay Bin said ICA could cancel Tan's old passport, despite the court order, as a passport was a travel permit which the Government could cancel as it saw fit.
No passport for you for 10 years
Ex-convict surprised to get ban after release
By Arul John
March 04, 2009
HE thought he could travel again after his release from jail.
But Peter Tan, 43, was surprised to learn that his passport had been cancelled. In addition, he is banned from owning a Singapore passport for 10years.
He is confused because the judge who had sentenced him had ordered his old passport to be returned to him. But when he went to collect it after his release from jail, it had been invalidated.
Tan was convicted on 19 Dec 2007 of four criminal offences, including cheating, criminal intimidation and making a false statutory declaration to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) that he had misplaced his Singapore passport.
He told The New Paper that he had made the false declaration after his old passport was damaged in a washing machine.
He needed to visit Indonesia urgently, as his wife was running a cafe in Tanjung Pinang on Bintan island.
He claimed that if he had waited for a replacement for his damaged passport, it would have taken several weeks.
After lying to the ICA, he received a new passport within a few days.
After sentencing Tan to 21 months' jail, District Judge Liew Thiam Leng ordered that Tan's old passport be returned to him and his new passport be given to police for disposal. Tan was released from jail on 16Jan this year.
Banned
On 23 Jan, he went to ICA to collect his passport and found that he had been banned from owning one for 10 years.
When he told the officer about the court order, he claimed he was told that ICA had cancelled both passports and he had to write to ICA to seek permission if he wanted to travel overseas in future.
Tan was told that he could appeal in writing against the decision.
'I was surprised that the court order was not followed, and that such rulings could be made and my passport could be cancelled without my knowledge,' he said.
Last month, an ICA spokesman told The New Paper that Tan's old passport was invalidated when he was issued the new one, as with ICA's standing practice.
The spokesman said Tan was served a notice stating that his passport had been cancelled when he visited ICA on 23 Jan, but he refused to acknowledge it.
The police repeatedly tried to return Tan's invalidated old passport to him but he refused to accept it as he felt it should not have been cancelled.
On 16 Feb, Tan finally took back his old passport from Tanglin Police Division.
Appeal
He wrote to ICA two days later to appeal against the ban, and also to ask for permission to visit Indonesia.
Tan said he called ICA yesterday and learnt that his appeal against the ban and request for the trip had been turned down.
He said: 'My wife has been running the cafe since I went to jail but I am afraid the business may go under since I have not been around.
'I have already served my sentence for my crimes, so why should I be banned as well?'
He said it was hard for his wife to visit him in Singapore and he might have to divorce her if he is unable to visit her in Indonesia.
The ICA spokesman said the issuance of passports to Singaporeans is a privilege, and ICA will take action against those who obtain replacement passports through fraudulent means or by false representation of facts on lost or damaged passports.
She said: 'Under the Passports Act, the Controller of Immigration may refuse or cancel a Singapore passport when fraudulent means were employed to obtain the passport. The persons concerned may be denied passport facilities for a period of time.'
Lawyer A P Thirumurthy said Judge Liew's order was in accordance with the sentencing guidelines for Tan's offences, but the Controller of Immigration has the authority to impose more restrictions because of his passport offence.
He said Tan could appeal to the Controller if he felt he was unfairly treated.
Lawyer Tan Kay Bin said ICA could cancel Tan's old passport, despite the court order, as a passport was a travel permit which the Government could cancel as it saw fit.
