Two men jailed for smuggling rare birds

The Indonesians who tried to bring in 142 endangered birds without a permit were each sentenced to three months' jail and fined $5,000

By Elena Chong

TWO Indonesians were each jailed for three months and given the maximum fine of $5,000 on Tuesday for smuggling 142 endangered birds.

Edi, 50, pleaded guilty to intentionally helping Bujang, 43, a crew member on board a fishing vessel, to bring to Singapore a variety of endangered species without a permit.

They brought their illegal 'cargo' in at Jurong Fishing Port on May 9.

Bujang admitted to importing the birds here illegally.

They were worth about $37,000.

A prosecutor from the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said that its officers kept watch at the port on May 9 after a tip-off that a fishing vessel would be arriving with a large number of birds from Tanjong Pinang, Indonesia.

When KM Harapan Sentosa arrived that evening, the officers inspected the boat.

They questioned the vessel's master and its crew; Bujang confessed he had kept birds in the boxes on board the vessel.

In the boxes were the endangered birds - four hill mynahs, 90 Java sparrows, five purple-naped lories, 10 Citron cockatoos, two Moluccan cockatoos and 31 sulphur-crested cockatoos.

Bujang admitted bringing them here for another Indonesian named 'Han Seng', who had arranged for the birds to be placed on the vessel in Indonesia and to receive them when they arrived.

At about 1 am, 'Han Seng' arrived at the fishing port in a taxi and was arrested. Bujang identified the man, whose real name is Edi.

The prosecutor urged District Judge Victor Yeo to impose a stiff sentence on smugglers like Bujang and Edi who stood to gain huge profits as the birds were usually bought cheaply in Indonesia.

The stiff sentence would also discourage further smuggling and reinforce Singapore's image as a country committed fully to protecting endangered species, he said.

The pair could have been jailed for up to one year and fined up to $5,000 each for the offence.