Singapore will be barring entry of a Bangladeshi national — who entered the city state in August — for life, for preaching extremist views during a sermon to migrant workers from the South Asian nation. The development was confirmed by Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, in parliament on September 9.
The man, identified as Amir Hamza, used a fake name but a valid passport to enter Singapore on August 9, 2024, as per reports.
Shanmugam made the revelation while answering questions from parliamentarians regarding the country’s border security.
It was reported previously that the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) was investigation Hamza, who gave a sermon to migrant workers at a dormitory on August 9. Authorities were informed about the activity on August 12, two days after Hamza left Singapore on August 10.
As per reports, while Singapore knew about the person and his radical views, his passport was valid and the Internal Security Department did not possess his biometrics to prevent his entry.
“If he tries to come again, regardless of what other passport he uses, he will be picked up because we now have his biometrics,” Shanmugam said, as quoted by Mothership.
Hamza, who also goes by the name Hamza Md Amir, is an influential figure within the Ansar al-Islam, a terrorist outfit operating in Bangladesh. He was arrested by the previous government, run by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in 2021 for purported terror links and activities.
In his August 9 sermon, Hamza reportedly told the workers that Hasina and her government were oppressors. The Awami League government was ousted on August 5, following a mass uprising against them. Sheikh Hasina, who was forced to tender her resignation abruptly on August 5, fled her country. She is reportedly in India currently.
On the slipup, the lawmaker said, “It is not possible nor practicable to subject every visitor to stringent, detailed checks and interviews. No country has a comprehensive database of every criminal or person of security concern across the world. Certainly, Singapore does not have such a database.”
Shanmugam also answered to a question from Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh, who wanted to know if the authorities had received a photograph of Hamza during his visa application.
“It depends on the type of photograph that is submitted and the quality of the photograph. It may not always pick up against the database that we have,” Shanmugam replied. “I think the member also assumes that in our database, there will be photographs of all those who are listed in the watchlist. As I said, no country in the world has such a comprehensive set of data on all potential persons who might have to be excluded.”
Shanmugam also informed his colleagues in the Parliament that authorities hadn’t made any arrests yet and that the investigation was still ongoing.
Investigators are also looking at the activity of the dormitory operator, who allowed the sermon to take place inside the premises.
