(Singapore, 13th) — A Singaporean man who went on the run to Malaysia in the 1990s to evade national service used four fake Malaysian passports to enter and exit Singapore 876 times over five years. On Friday (11th), he was sentenced to 8 months and 18 weeks’ jail.
Lianhe Wanbao reported that the accused, Luo Rongqing (60, transliteration), faced a total of 12 charges under the Immigration Act. On the 11th, he pleaded guilty to five of them, with the rest considered during sentencing.
As early as the early 1990s, the accused left for Malaysia with his Singapore passport to avoid national service. He stayed there and did not return to Singapore.
The accused’s Singapore passport expired on June 12, 2000.
In 2006, as the accused’s mother’s health deteriorated, he wished to visit relatives in Singapore but was afraid authorities would arrest him for failing to complete national service.
He therefore chose not to use his Singapore identity to enter, and paid someone RM45,000 in Kuala Lumpur for a Malaysian passport.
Although the passport bore his photo, the personal particulars had been altered to show “Zhang Baoyan”, with a date of birth of November 1, 1966.
He later obtained three more Malaysian passports in 2008, 2009, and 2010 by the same method, paying RM10,000 for each.
The accused first used the initial passport to enter Singapore on August 7, 2006, and subsequently used the four passports frequently to cross between Singapore and Malaysia, with the final entry being on May 2, 2011, using the fourth passport.
Investigations showed he used the four Malaysian passports to enter and exit Singapore a total of 876 times. Between March and May 2011, he also made false statements to immigration officers, claiming his details were correct and that he had never used other names to enter Singapore.
Authorities discovered he had multiple identities, started an investigation in September 2023, and arrested him on August 28 last year.
The prosecution said the accused had deliberately fled Singapore to avoid national service and concealed his identity to evade detection by the authorities.
Lianhe Wanbao reported that the accused, Luo Rongqing (60, transliteration), faced a total of 12 charges under the Immigration Act. On the 11th, he pleaded guilty to five of them, with the rest considered during sentencing.
As early as the early 1990s, the accused left for Malaysia with his Singapore passport to avoid national service. He stayed there and did not return to Singapore.
The accused’s Singapore passport expired on June 12, 2000.
In 2006, as the accused’s mother’s health deteriorated, he wished to visit relatives in Singapore but was afraid authorities would arrest him for failing to complete national service.
He therefore chose not to use his Singapore identity to enter, and paid someone RM45,000 in Kuala Lumpur for a Malaysian passport.
Although the passport bore his photo, the personal particulars had been altered to show “Zhang Baoyan”, with a date of birth of November 1, 1966.
He later obtained three more Malaysian passports in 2008, 2009, and 2010 by the same method, paying RM10,000 for each.
The accused first used the initial passport to enter Singapore on August 7, 2006, and subsequently used the four passports frequently to cross between Singapore and Malaysia, with the final entry being on May 2, 2011, using the fourth passport.
Investigations showed he used the four Malaysian passports to enter and exit Singapore a total of 876 times. Between March and May 2011, he also made false statements to immigration officers, claiming his details were correct and that he had never used other names to enter Singapore.
Authorities discovered he had multiple identities, started an investigation in September 2023, and arrested him on August 28 last year.
The prosecution said the accused had deliberately fled Singapore to avoid national service and concealed his identity to evade detection by the authorities.