Iranian-Malaysian couple deemed a threat to national security to be deported & barred from re-entering Singapore

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Monday (Feb 10) the cancellation of the long-term visit pass of an Iranian woman, as well as the entry and re-entry permits of her Malaysian husband, a Singapore permanent resident.

The Controller of Immigration has found that the activities of the woman, 38-year-old Parvane Heidaridehkordi, are prejudicial to Singapore’s security. Her 65-year-old husband, Soo Thean Ling, was correspondingly declared a Prohibited Immigrant, as a member of her family.

“Parvane is a Prohibited Immigrant under Section 8(1) of the Immigration Act (IA), as it was determined by the Minister that she was an undesirable immigrant pursuant to Section 8(3)(k) of the IA,” the MHA said.

The Iranian national had worked with a Singapore-registered travel agency which had sponsored terrorism-linked foreigners’ visa applications to enter the city-state. Investigations revealed that the travel agency was a front for an operation directed by a foreigner based overseas, and it has since been deregistered.

The MHA said that after that travel agency came under investigation, Parvane’s husband, Soo, attempted on two occasions to register a company to enter the travel business in Singapore. He intended for his wife to operate the new travel agency, possibly to help others linked to terrorism enter Singapore.

However, the two company registration applications filed by Soo were rejected on national security grounds.

“Foreigners in Singapore found to be engaging in activities which pose security risks are liable to have their immigration facilities revoked and be deported. Both Parvane and Soo’s immigration facilities have been revoked. They will be deported and barred from re-entering Singapore,” said the MHA.

The ministry also issued a separate press release on Tuesday (Feb 11), which gave an overview of Singapore’s safety and security situation last year. It noted that Singapore placed second in a ranking of 140 countries in the Law and Order Index in Gallup’s 2024 Global Safety Report. According to the press release, Singaporeans have a high level of trust in the police — 97 per cent of the respondents positively rated the city-state’s general safety and security. /TISG

Read also: Singaporean teens dealt with under ISA for terrorism-related activities