China national jailed for acting as a lookout for two PRC overstayers engaged in vice activities

Singapore — Feng Xiaoming was the caretaker of a residence in Jurong West when he not only let two women stay there but acted as a lookout for the women who were engaged in vice activities.

All three are from China. The women, Dong Yang and Xie Xiying, had overstayed their visas and Feng, 34, who was here on a work pass, helped them to dodge detection until he was arrested and jailed.

He was sentenced to seven months in jail for harbouring the two women whose entry visas had expired for one to two months, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said on Wednesday in a press release.

The police and ICA found the two women at the unit in Jurong West on Aug 21, 2019, when they mounted an operation on the residence. The women were not jailed, but they were sternly warned for overstaying.

Further, checks resulted in Feng the caretaker being arrested on Jun 16, 2020, for allowing the women to stay in the unit.

“He would conduct repairs on faults in the said unit and provided internet access to the occupants,” said ICA.

“Feng was aware that the women staying at the unit had been engaging in vice activities and had helped them avoid detection by the authorities by acting as a look-out.”

Feng did not check the validity of Dong’s immigration pass while she was a tenant. This meant he had harboured an immigration offender under the Immigration Act, said ICA.

“The ICA takes a firm stance against any person who harbours immigration offenders. Those who wish to rent their premises must exercise due diligence in checking the status of their prospective foreign tenants to ensure that their status in Singapore is legal.”

People who plan to lease out their premises must make the following checks:
• Check the tenant’s original immigration or work pass
• Cross-check the information of their pass with their original passport
• Verify the validity of their pass by checking the issuing authority, such as the Ministry of Manpower for work passes and ICA for immigration passes

If they are caught failing to carry out all these checks, or knowingly harbouring overstayers or illegal immigrants, they can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to S$6,000.

Those found guilty of negligently harbouring overstayers, such as conducting only two of the three due diligence checks, can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to S$6,000. /TISG

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