SINGAPORE: Authorities in Singapore have been unable to conclude whether any offences were committed in the country, after members of an Indonesian baby trafficking syndicate were jailed last month.
The ringleader of the syndicate in Indonesia admitted to trafficking at least 12 babies to Singapore, receiving between S$17,000 (US$13,250) and S$21,600 per child.
In response to CNA’s queries about investigations and arrests in Singapore, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday (Aug 7): “Based on information available to us thus far, we are presently unable to conclude that any offence has been committed in Singapore, or by Singaporeans or Singapore-based entities.
“We will not hesitate to take firm enforcement action against those who have broken our laws.”
The ministries said they will continue to work closely with the Indonesian authorities for information on each child and their biological parents.
“This information will help to inform the assessment of what is in the best interest of the child – a key consideration for the Singapore courts to eventually decide on each pending adoption application,” MSF and MHA added.
In January, the Singapore ministries said there had been “some delays” in the processing of citizenship applications for some children.
Authorities have been engaging the affected adoptive parents to explain the situation to them.
“We are keenly aware of the anxiety that this situation has caused to the adoptive parents, and are working closely across the relevant authorities to ensure that the cases are dealt with as expeditiously as we can, and to safeguard the welfare and interests of the children,” MSF and MHA said then.
Read the full article here
