Singapore to build more barriers to deter illegal landings

Singapore’s police coast guard will be erecting some 80 kilometers of land- and sea-based physical barriers around its shores in order to protect it from illegal landings like the incident at Raffles Marina in August.
 
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean said this in Parliament on Tuesday in response to a question over the illegal entry of two foreigners into Singapore through Raffles Marina on a private boat.
 
One of the passengers, a divorced British woman, subsequently tried to snatch her two-year-old son from his Singaporean grandparents.
 
Teo, who is also coordinating minister for national security, said Singapore’s coast line is currently close to 200km long, with some 180 wharves and jetties as entry points — many of which are within private premises like shipyards and marinas.
 
Where possible, he added, the authorities have put up physical structures to deter illegal landings at “vulnerable” areas. Right now, there are 63km of barriers around the country’s shores, and with the additional 80km added in future, a total of 143km out of Singapore’s 197km of coastline would  be in place to prevent illegal entry, he said.
 
“This allows our security agencies to focus their attention on areas and vessels that are more likely to pose a threat,” said Teo, who noted that these are not practical in places where sea traffic calls into Singapore through jetties and other landing places.
 
He also shared that 46 vessels were seized over the past three years for intruding into Singapore, while 144 people were arrested for entering our waters illegally or attempting to land illegally by sea. 49 of them were arrested last year alone.
 
Furthermore, DPM Teo said owners and occupiers of vessel landing points are also responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient security measures on their premises.