In May 2021, a daring and illegal immigration attempt unfolded in the waters surrounding Singapore. Yudi Muhita, a 41-year-old Indonesian man, embarked on a perilous journey from Batam, Indonesia, to Singapore via a speedboat.
He was ultimately arrested last week on 10 October and was jailed for 18 months and given 10 strokes of the cane on Tuesday, after pleading guilty to one count of illegally entering Singapore and another count of entering Singapore after being lawfully sent out from the country, according to The Straits Times.
Court documents did not specify his activities during his time in Singapore.
Previously caught for similar offence
He was previously convicted for the same offence, having been jailed 6 months and given 10 strokes of the cane back in 2016 for illegally entering Singapore, as well as another jail term of one year for re-entering Singapore after being removed, before being deported after his jail term and banned from coming back on 31 December 2016.
He was informed that he required prior written permission from the Controller of Immigration to return to Singapore, and failure to do so would result in his being prosecuted under the law.
However, he planned to come back to Singapore a few years later to look for work, and in early May 2021, he put his plans to action.
The Perilous Voyage
Yudi Muhita’s journey commenced in Batam, Indonesia, where he set out on a speedboat headed for Singapore, then as he neared the shoreline in Changi, he disembarked from the speedboat and proceeded to swim towards the Singaporean shore and entered the country illegally.
Yudi’s luck ran out more than two years later, on October 10, 2023, when he was apprehended by police officers at Kranji MRT station.
The reason for his arrest was simple yet compelling—he could not produce any evidence to show that he was legally staying in Singapore.
Appearing in court on Tuesday, Yudi pleaded for leniency. He presented himself as the sole breadwinner for his family, emphasizing his responsibility towards his two children who were still young.