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Two held over swim
Two men have been arrested for allegedly trying to leave Singapore illegally by swimming across the kilometre-wide Johor Strait to Malaysia, police said today.Hummm The two men, aged 18 and 28, were arrested late yesterday after coast guard patrol vessels pulled them out of the water for trying to leave the city-state by ``unauthorised means,ââ said a statement posted on the Singapore police Web site. Both men claim to be Malaysians, it said. It was not immediately clear why the men, who used plastic drinking bottles and a piece of styrofoam as floats, were trying to leave Singapore. Most people try to sneak into Singapore looking for work. Police have been on alert for possible terrorists since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Singapore is one of Washingtonâs closest Asian allies and supported the US-led war in Iraq. Theyâve been very active jugging the bad guys. Illegal workers flock to the wealthy South-East Asian nation in search of jobs mostly shunned by locals in the construction and services industries. Last month, police arrested 11 foreigners, mostly from Burma, who used makeshift floats or life jackets given to them by smugglers in neighbouring Johor, Malaysia. Yup, anyone trying to swim out of Singapore raises eyebrows. Posted by: Steve 2004-01-05 |
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