Oral Reply to Parliamentary Questions on\r\rBorder Security Measures in Relation to the Illegal Sermon by a Bangladeshi Preacher in Singapore on 9 August 2024

Questions:

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in light of the recent case of a foreign preacher delivering an illegal sermon in a dormitory in Tuas, what are the rules governing the use of foreign worker dormitories for events involving speakers or religious preachers.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in light of the case of a foreign preacher who entered Singapore using a passport with a different name, what are the lessons learnt to increase border security, including the usage of biometric data or other technological tools.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in view of the undetected entry of an extremist preacher on 9 August 2024 (a) how does the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) mitigate the risk of individuals using fraudulent documents to enter Singapore, especially with increased automation at immigration checkpoints; (b) beyond the use of biometrics, what other safeguards, such as equipping frontline personnel with lists of individuals of concern, are in place to identify dangerous individuals; and (c) what concrete steps will ICA take to enhance the detection of such individuals.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how effective are the measures deployed by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to detect and prevent undesirable travellers from entering Singapore by using a valid passport but with a different name; and (b) how prevalent have such attempts been made in the past three years.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Bangladeshi religious preacher who entered and delivered a sermon in Singapore on 9 August 2024 is on any watchlist in the possession of Home Team security agencies.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the investigation into the case of a Bangladeshi preacher giving illegal sermons at a dormitory in Tuas; (b) whether any person has been detained in relation to the said incident; and (c) how many times has the Bangladeshi preacher entered Singapore in the last ten years and how many times has he preached in Singapore.

Mr Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry will be taking steps to ensure that dormitory owners comply with all rules and regulations before permitting foreign speakers from conducting talks or programmes to migrant workers residing in their dormitories; (b) to date, how many cases of foreign visitors who have conducted an event without valid permits have been detected in foreign worker dormitories; and (c) what are some of the penalties in place to deal with the dormitory owners when such incidents occur.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1. Sir, with your permission, can I take together the questions relating to the case of this foreign preacher, Amir Hamza. The questions are from Mr Yip Hon Weng, Mr Neil Parekh, Mr Melvin Yong, Mr Ang Wei Neng, Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim and Mr Pritam Singh. My reply will also address a similar question raised by Mr Sharael Taha for the subsequent sitting.

2. Amir Hamza was invited by a dormitory operator. He came into Singapore on National Day 9 August 2024. He preached to a group to Bangladeshi migrant workers on the same day at a dormitory and he did so without a permit. That was unlawful. In his sermon, he made statements which were extremist and segregationist, and he left Singapore the next day on 10 August 2024.

Border Security Measures

3. Members have raised a number of questions whether Amir Hamza was on the watchlist of the security agencies, and more broadly, the way in which persons come through Singapore’s borders.

4. There are a number of steps taken at our borders, as many members will be aware. Nationals of some countries are required to apply for visas even before they come in. Bangladesh is one such country. Applications from those on our watchlist, or otherwise raises some questions, will usually be rejected.

5. All travellers are also required to submit an SG Arrival Card before arriving in Singapore. ICA uses that information, other information it receives, and information from advance passenger lists from airlines, including flight manifests, and other sources of information - they use that to conduct a pre-arrival risk assessment of the travellers.

6. When the traveller comes into Singapore, he or she is screened against a watchlist of persons even as they undergo immigration clearance. Those on the watchlist or identified to be of higher risk by ICA’s backend data analytics will be checked further. ICA officers also look out for persons whose reasons for appearing or visiting Singapore may appear dubious, or for other reasons would require further checking, and they might be required to undergo further checks.

7. In July 2020, we also introduced the Multi-Modal Biometric System. First-time visitors will have their facial, iris and fingerprint images captured at immigration clearance, and that allows us to better detect repeat visitors who may try and come in using multiple identities or impersonated identities. For foreign visitors, this is usually done on the first occasion they visit Singapore. Our automated gates are generally able to detect forged passports as well.

8. Since 2022, every month, about 30 visitors with legitimate passports, but containing a different identity from ICA’s records were detected and refused entry. In all, for various reasons, about 2,500 visitors are refused entry at our checkpoints every month.

9. Amir Hamza was on our watchlist. ISD had put him on the watchlist. That’s because he had made statements promoting religious intolerance and for a few other reasons. He applied for a visa to enter Singapore using a passport with a name that was different from what we had in our database, and therefore that other name was not on our watchlist. He used that passport on 9 August to come into Singapore. As this was his first visit to Singapore, we did not have his biometrics. If he tries to come back again, regardless of what other passport he uses, he will be picked up because we now have his biometrics.

10. Members have asked questions about the security at our borders. There are about 600,000 travellers everyday coming into Singapore, across all the checkpoints. Members will appreciate that we have developed a framework for picking up some people of concern, while allowing the vast majority to clear as quickly as possible. You need to strike a balance between security and facilitation at our borders. It is not possible nor practicable to subject every visitor to stringent, detailed checks and interviews. No country has a comprehensive database of every criminal or person of security concern across the world. Certainly, Singapore does not have such a database. So, in summary, in terms of persons coming in, the majority of persons who are perceived to have dubious reasons or purposes for coming into Singapore are picked up, either through the visa scheme or even without visas, through other information that we have at various levels. I’ve said about 2,500 are rejected every month, some of them with visas, some of them without visas.

11. But it is always possible that a small number will get through despite the several levels of checks. And members must also understand that the level of checks and our information gathering, varies depending on the type and extent of risk. ISD, together with foreign counterparts, will have a closer awareness of persons who may want to do us physical harm in Singapore, and I won’t go into the operational considerations. But there are a number of ways in which those persons would be picked up more easily. No system is foolproof but there are different levels of checks.

Events at Migrant Worker Dormitories

12. Members have also asked about the rules and regulations governing events at migrant worker dormitories, and the actions the Government has taken to ensure that dormitory operators comply.

13. The Public Order Act requires event organisers to apply for a Police permit for cause-based events that are open to the public. The speech at the dormitory would be one such event. This applies to events involving religious teachings, regardless whether the event takes place at a dormitory or elsewhere.

14. Specifically for foreign worker dormitories, the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act imposes licence conditions that require operators to keep updated records of all non-residents including visitors or contractors who enter the living areas of the dormitories.

15. Third, foreigners who wish to speak at public events that are religious, cause-based or political in nature are required to obtain a Miscellaneous Work Pass under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. MOM consults relevant agencies, including ISD, in its assessment when such applications are received.

16. In this case, investigations are ongoing, no arrests have yet been made. The offences that are being looked into include participation in an unlawful assembly under the Public Order Act, and not obtaining a Miscellaneous Work Permit required under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

17. The dormitory operator, who was also the event organiser, is being investigated for several offences including those under the Public Order Act, Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act.

18. Mr Neil Parekh asked how often such events occur within our migrant worker dormitories. I assume he means events without authorisation. Based on our records and assessment, this sort of events does not usually take place. It is very rare because somebody will have to be actively in breach of all these requirements. And of course, if we detect it, swift action will be taken.

19. We will continue to educate and remind our dormitory operators to ensure that they obtain the relevant approvals before conducting such activities in the dormitories. And of course, our best safeguard is a public that stays vigilant, report these sorts of individuals and activities to the agencies.

20. Thank you, Sir.