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Migrant ring leader jailed

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Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
April 16, 2009
Migrant ring leader jailed <!--10 min-->
<!-- headline one : start --> <!-- headline one : end --> <!-- Author --> <!-- show image if available --> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr></tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold">By Esther Tan </td></tr> <tr valign="bottom"> <td width="330">
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Salam was the mastermind behind the smuggling Mat Gajah, or Elephant Guy, which had been operating out of Johor for the past eight years. -- PHOTO: GUANG MING DAILY
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THE leader of a human smuggling syndicate Salam Awang, 62, was sentenced to six years' jail on Wednesday after he was convicted of five charges of engaging in a conspiracy to convey illegal immigrants from Malaysia to Singapore. His 28-year-old son, also implicated in the smuggling, died last month while allegedly ferrying illegal immigrants to Singapore.
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LANDING POINTS IN CASES LINKED TO SALAM AWANG
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HUMAN SMUGGLING BY NUMBERS
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In sentencing him, District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan said that he had taken into account that Salam could not be caned because of his age. His sentence will be backdated to April 11. The court heard on Tuesday that Salam was the mastermind behind the smuggling syndicate Mat Gajah, or Elephant Guy, which had been operating out of Johor for the past eight years.

Foreigners who wanted to enter Singapore illegally would contact Salam personally or through their agents. The trip across the straits cost between $2,000 and $2,500 per person. After receiving payment, he would arrange temporary lodging and food for them until he had hired boat operators and lookouts to smuggle them into Singapore.

On March 14, Salam's son, P. Ramlee, died after the speedboat he was on collided with a Singapore Police Coast Guard (PCG) vessel. A statement by the Singapore Police revealed that Ramlee and another accomplice Khamis Mohammad, 50, ignored warnings by PCG boats and engaged in a 'series of reckless manoeuvres to evade capture', resulting in the collision. Ramlee was found unconscious with severe head injuries on the boat after the crash and was taken to shore, where paramedics pronounced him dead.

Salam and his wife claimed in earlier news reports that the Singapore authorities had not given them a full account of the incident or explained how their son died. The couple also claimed that their son and Khamis were only fishing that day. But the Singapore Police refuted the claims. Police said they gave chase after seeing the speedboat drop off several illegal immigrants near the Singapore shoreline, near Punggol. The speedboat ignored flares fired into the sky and commands given over loudhailers for it to stop. It then collided into one of the PCG boats while trying to escape.
 
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