3 Malaysian Men Arrested for Illegally Entering Singapore Waters; Coast Guard Officer Injured in Chase

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) announced on Saturday, April 19, that the Police Coast Guard had detained three males for unlawfully entering Singaporean territorial waters.

According to the SPF, coast guard officials were patrolling the waters at Pulau Sarimbun, an island off the northwest coast of Singapore, when they saw an unidentified sampan at approximately 2:05 pm on Friday, April 18.

The sampan fled in the direction of Malaysia as the cops got close.

The sampan then engaged in "dangerous maneuvers" while the officers pursued it, according to SPF.

Two men went overboard during the pursuit, which happened in Singaporean territorial seas, but they managed to get back on the sampan.

The police further said that before the sampan was stopped, it collided with the Coast Guard vessel twice. During the pursuit, a Coast Guard officer was slightly hurt.

The three men, who range in age from 28 to 47, are citizens of Malaysia. They were taken into custody for unauthorized entrance while on the Sampan. The authorities have also confiscated their sampan.

Investigations will also be conducted into the 28-year-old boatman's reckless navigation and disregard for a valid stop order.

Investigations by the police are still ongoing.