24.—(1) Every person arriving by sea in Singapore shall appear before an immigration officer at such time and place as that officer may direct.
(2) The immigration officer, after such examination as he may consider necessary, shall inform any person whom he considers to be prohibited from entering Singapore under the provisions of this Act or any regulations or orders made thereunder of his finding, and the person, if still aboard the vessel, shall not disembark in Singapore or, if he has disembarked for the purposes of the examination, shall return forthwith to the vessel and remain thereon.
[38/93]
(3) The master, owner, agent or charterer of the vessel shall likewise forthwith be informed in writing by the immigration officer of his finding and the master, owner, agent or charterer shall not permit the person to disembark in Singapore, or, if the person has disembarked, whether for the purpose of examination or otherwise, shall be bound to re-embark him.
[38/93]
(4) Any person who —
(a)
refuses or neglects to appear before an immigration officer as required by subsection (1) or who leaves the place of examination without or otherwise than in accordance with the authorisation of that officer;
(b)
after being informed by an immigration officer that he is prohibited from entering Singapore, either disembarks in Singapore or refuses or neglects to return forthwith to his vessel, as the case may be; or
(c)
being the master, owner, agent or charterer of a vessel, permits any person to disembark in Singapore, or refuses to re-embark any person, after being informed by an immigration officer that the person is prohibited from entering Singapore or that the person has refused or neglected to appear before an immigration officer as required by subsection (1) or that he had left the place of examination without or otherwise than in accordance with the authorisation of that officer,
shall each be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $4,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
[53/2004 wef 15/01/2005]
[38/93]
(5) Where any person either disembarks in Singapore or refuses or neglects to return to his vessel in contravention of this section, an immigration officer may require that person to return to his vessel and may take such steps, including the use of force, as may be reasonably necessary to compel that person to return, and the master, owner, agent or charterer of the vessel shall be bound to re-embark that person and to remove him from Singapore.
[38/93]
(6) The master, owner, agent or charterer of a vessel may use such force as may be reasonably necessary to enable him to comply with subsections (3) and (5).