A BOATMAN and the three illegal immigrants he was smuggling into
Singapore were arrested on Sunday when the boat they were in sank
during a high-speed police chase.
The unlit speedboat was detected by officers from the Police
Coast Guard (PCG) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority
(ICA) at about 9.30pm, headed for Pulau Ubin.
When the vessel entered Singapore waters, the PCG's special-task
squadron intercepted it. Despite repeated verbal warnings and the
firing of flares, the boatman refused to stop. He performed several
dangerous manoeuvres in an attempt to shake off his pursuers.
It was when he made a high-speed sharp turn that he lost control
of his boat, throwing him and his three passengers overboard. The
boat then sank.
The four people had to be plucked from the water by PCG
officers.
Apart from the 28-year-old Malaysian boatman, the others
arrested were Chinese nationals - a man and two women aged between
28 and 37. The trio did not have valid travel documents.