Five Singaporeans, including three brothers, found guilty of illegally hiring foreign workers at Pasar Malam bazaar

SINGAPORE — Five Singaporeans, including three brothers, have been found guilty under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990 (EFMA) in a crackdown on illegal employment practices. The five illegally employed foreign workers without valid work permits to work at temporary trade fairs such as bazaars and pasar malam.

Those involved included brothers Khel Eng Kiat, 52, and Khel Eng Hock, 53, who filed a complaint with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Friday (5 January). Their involvement was highlighted in a media release.

Eng Kiat was previously convicted of similar charges in 2013 and was sentenced to prison on Thursday (January 4) for hiring five foreign workers without valid work permits. He was sentenced to one month and a $23,000 fine. En Hock was fined $6,000 on September 7, 2023 for illegally hiring one foreign worker without a valid work pass.

In a separate case, Tan Ho Sung, 70, and Eng Kiat and Eng Hock’s younger brother Kah Yong Seng, 41, arrested two foreign workers without valid work permits. He was convicted of participating in a conspiracy to employ

Mr Tan and Mr Young Sen were each fined $8,500 on September 14 and 19, 2023. The fifth person, Mr. Thao Wei Long, 47, was sentenced to two months in prison and a fine of $4 on October 3, 2023, for illegally hiring 11 foreign workers without valid work permits. He was sentenced and sentenced to $5,000, the department announced.

Exploitation and inappropriate accommodation revealed at temporary fair

MOM revealed that these individuals rented stalls at various temporary trade fairs such as Geylang Serai Bazaar and Ang Mo Kio Pasar Malam from October 2022 to April 2023. .

As a result of the investigation, it was found that foreign workers were mainly employed using social visit passes and were assigned tasks such as food preparation, sales, and cash collection without having a valid work pass. found.

These workers were also deprived of proper accommodation, with some left sleeping on the floor of the stalls where they worked. All 19 foreign workers involved in these incidents have been banned from working in Singapore due to their employers’ misconduct.

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Under EFMA, hiring foreign workers without a valid work permit is punishable by a fine of between $5,000 and $30,000 and imprisonment for up to 12 months. Repeat offenders face harsher penalties, including a fine of at least $10,000 (up to $30,000) and imprisonment for at least one month and up to 12 months.

MOM urges the public to report suspicious employment activities and EFMA violations. Reports can be made to MOM (6438 5122 or mom_fmmd@mom.gov.sg) and will be kept strictly confidential.

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