go thru customs cannot carry watergun

[Sialoquent]

 

[Sialoquent]

'Wish someone had told me this before': Family detained at Changi Airport over kids' toy water guns after Thailand trip​

Lalitha Rajah and her family were stopped at customs at Changi Airport for bringing two toy water guns back.
PHOTO: Screengrab/Instagram/Lalitha Rajah
PUBLISHED ONJUNE 06, 2024 12:15 PM
By BHAVYA RAWAT

www.asiaone.com

A family of four attempted to bring a splash of fun back from their holiday, only to have cold water poured on them when they returned to Singapore.
In a video posted on Instagram on May 29, Singaporean Lalitha Rajah said they were detained by the airport police after two toy water guns were found in their luggage.
Rajah, her Australian husband and their two children had flew back about two weeks ago, after a holiday in Thailand where they partook in the Songkran water festival that celebrates the Thai New Year.
The couple had brought the toy water guns that they used in the festivities back to Singapore so their kids could keep them as mementos.
However, just as they were exiting customs at Changi Airport, the family was asked to turn back and have their bags scanned again.
"They opened up all our bags, looking for [the] toy water guns," Rajah recounted.
Each of the toy guns is attached to a plastic backpack, which could be filled up like a tank to feed water into the gun via a plastic pipe, she said.
Rajah added that her husband was taken to a room and detained for about an hour, where he saw a few other people who had brought similar toys back from their trips.
Before he was released, he was asked to sign a document by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), acknowledging that he brought controlled items into the country. Rajah said the toys were then seized by the police.
She added that she posted about the incident to warn others who may not be aware of the laws regarding toy guns and save them the same hassle her family went through.
"I wish someone had told me this beforehand, it would've saved us a lot of time and upset children," she wrote.
Some netizens expressed shock at Rajah's experience and said they were also not aware of such laws.
One netizen commented: "No way! I can't comprehend this! So to be clear, they seized the 'dangerous' guns?"
Another one wrote: "Wow, thanks. Never knew about this."
AsiaOne has reached out to Rajah for more information.
According to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) website, an import licence or authorisation from SPF's licensing division is needed to bring toy or replica guns into Singapore as they are controlled items.
An advisory issued by the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department and the SPF in March 2021 also listed toy and replica guns, including water guns, as controlled items.
The approval can be in the form of an import licence, permit, authorisation, or approval letter from the PLRD or SPF.

 

[Truthspeak]

Singapore is a police state.

 

[Sialoquent]

i actually threw away a catapult I bought in bangkok because i was told by my housemate that it cannot be brought I to Singapore too...

 

[millim6868]

Cos many of them scared ,cos do too many evil things n are sinned, so sg controlled as Don wan these to come into sg, cos these ppl fo too many jiaj ark things,

 

[bobby]

Liddat every man cannot enter SG ?