ICA’s New Automated Lanes Can Now Clear Travellers Using Wheelchairs and Family Groups of Up to Four Persons

               As part of ICA’s New Clearance Concept (NCC) to make automated immigration clearance the norm at the checkpoints, ICA has introduced a new automated lane – the Special Assistance Lane (SAL) – at selected passenger halls in Changi Airport. The SAL will enable travellers using wheelchairs and family groups of up to four persons (e.g. parents with young children) to enjoy the convenience of automated immigration clearance. Singapore is the first country in the world to introduce an automated lane that allows multiple travellers to perform self-immigration clearance as a group.

2.            Currently, travellers using wheelchairs and family groups will need to proceed to the manual counters for immigration clearance. With the SAL, such travellers can now use automated lanes and perform immigration self-clearance with their primary biometric identifiers (iris and facial). ICA officers will be at hand to assist travellers who require assistance while using the SAL. The SAL is currently available to Singapore residents (Singapore citizens, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders), and will be extended to eligible foreign visitors from March 2023.

Design-Thinking and Trials Conducted to Construct the SAL

3.            To ensure the SAL is well designed to meet the needs of travellers using wheelchairs as well as family groups, ICA worked with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) to conduct design-thinking workshops and virtual reality simulations. Physical sessions were also conducted with persons of reduced mobility to identify potential challenges that such travellers may face when using the SAL. This included the width of the lane as well as the placement and angles of the passport and biometric scanners. Feedback from the sessions was factored into the final design of the SAL to ensure that it is user-friendly, and intuitive for travellers.

4.            Trials were also conducted with HTX to determine the optimal placement of cameras and biometric scanners in the SAL, to accurately detect the number of travellers as well as ensure that the biometrics of each traveller can be clearly captured. ICA will continue to refine the SAL and user experience based on travellers’ feedback.

Making Automated Immigration Clearance the Norm

5.            The SAL provides travellers using wheelchairs and family groups the convenience of automated immigration clearance. As more travellers clear through automated lanes, ICA officers can be redeployed to take on enhanced job roles and focus more on border security functions such as profiling, assessment, and investigation work.

6.            Superintendent Tan Kah Wee, Head of New Clearance Concept Office, ICA, said, “The SAL is a new initiative that allows travellers who require wheelchairs and family groups to also enjoy the smooth and seamless convenience of self-clearance using automated lanes. ICA is now one step closer to realising the NCC, where automated clearance will be the norm.”

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
16 DECEMBER 2022

Currently, SALs are available at the Terminal 1 Departure Hall as well as the Terminal 2 Arrival and Departure Halls. ICA will progressively install SALs at the other Changi Airport terminals, as well as the passenger halls at the land and sea checkpoints.

Children below 6 years old will need to be assisted by ICA officers at the SAL.

Fingerprints will be used as a secondary biometric identifier for travellers who are unsuccessful in their iris and facial scans.

The eligibility criteria for usage of automated lanes by foreign visitors can be found on ICA’s website.

A petition calling for justice for the cat that was thrown down from the 22nd floor of a HDB building in Boon Lay was started by a netizen.

The petition on Change.org has since garnered more than 33,000 signatures from supporters.

The netizen, Nadya Im, said in the description of the petition: “Cat killer in Boon Lay. Brought old docile community cat up to the 22nd floor and threw it to its death. In the original video that has since been deleted, a loud bang was heard shortly after the cat was flung over. What kind of monsters are we living with???”

Netizens’ comments

• Lock him up and throw away the key, what a disgusting excuse of a human being. 10-years-old so what? Murder is murder.
• The person doing this is a murderer no matter the age. First they start with animals then they have will no conscience towards fellow human beings. Don’t let this slide
• That kitty deserves justice and I hope this kid gets the help he needs or more senseless violence will continue. His parents should answer for how this kid is so disturbed at such a young age
• The poor cat does NOT deserve such a tragic death. This is wrong.
• i’m not sure if this child is acting out because he needs attention, but what’s next for him after his torture of animals? but we need to show that this behavior is simply not socially or morally acceptable and that any form of animal cruelty will not be tolerated!
• We need tighter laws on animal cruelty no matter if the perpetrators are children or adults. From his furtive behaviour, this kid obviously is VERY much aware of his actions. No I don’t care if he is a child. He is obviously old enough to know better. There are consequences to your actions and he needs to know this.

AVS investigating

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA Singapore) has since reported the boy’s murderous actions to the authorities.

The Cat Welfare Society (CWS) has also helped the cat’s former caregivers to file a report with the Animal Veterinary Service (AVS), and AVS has also said that they are investigating as well.

Group director of the AVS, Jessica Kwok, has appealed to the public not to speculate on the case details and let the investigations into the incident run its course.

She added that they do not condone the mistreatment of animals.

Boy not arrested or taken into custody yet

Speaking to The Straits Times, CWS board member Rifdi Rafiuddin said that the police have already spoken to the boy in the distressing video.

Members of SPCA have also visited the family of the boy, according to SPCA executive director Aarthi Sankar.

ST also reported yesterday (16 December) that the boy has yet to be arrested by the police or taken in to custody.

A resident who was none too pleased about their neighbour screaming while watching the world cup, left a note to “seek understanding” from the latter.

The neighbour had apparently been screaming while watching Argentina play Croatia, and the notice said that “Argentina won 3 goals against Croatia and you screamed 3 times.”

Here is what the notice said

To Our Lovely Neighbour at #09-09

I know now is World Cup Season and it is coming to the end soon.

But I hope we can seek your corpation to lower your voice and screaming down when the match starts at 3am in the morning. Argentina won 3 goals against Croatia and you screamed 3 times.

We need to work on the following days.

We seek for your understanding and thank you very much.

Hope Argentina will win the world cup.

From your Neighbours

Singapore Customs arrests two men and seizes more than 4,600 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes

Singapore Customs arrested two male Chinese nationals aged 44 and 47, and seized 4,696 cartons and 16 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes in an operation on 8 December 2022.

Case information

During the operation conducted in the vicinity of Mandai Link, Singapore Customs officers observed the driver of a truck handing over black trash bags to another man in the rear compartment of the truck. Officers moved in to conduct checks and uncovered 1,657 cartons and eight packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed inside
two pallets of wall partition boards in the truck. Both men were arrested.

Officers conducted follow-up checks at an industrial unit in Loyang Way and uncovered another four pallets of wall partition boards for which 3,039 cartons and eight packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were concealed in a similar manner. The driver had allegedly collected the two pallets of wall partition boards seized at Mandai Link
from the industrial unit at Loyang Way earlier in the day.

The duty-unpaid cigarettes and the truck were seized in the operation. The total duty and Goods and Services tax (GST) evaded amounted to about $397,160 and $31,610 respectively. Court proceedings are ongoing against one of the men and investigations are ongoing for the driver.

Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act. Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years. Vehicles used in the commission of such offences are liable to be forfeited.

Members of public with information on smuggling activities or evasion of duty or GST can call the Singapore Customs hotline on 1800-2330000 or email [email protected] to report these illegal activities.

Singapore Customs
13 December 2022