#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Singapore Forum >  >  Singapore Law - Myths & Facts

## dirtydog

*Find Singapore a "Fine" City?*


Singapore's reputation as the cleanest, safest city In the world usually goes hand-in-hand with the fact that it is also the "finest" city out there. Yes, it is a beautiful place to be, but in this case, we are talking about the now-legendary list of penalties that both residents and visitors alike can incur for not obeying the laws—however obscure some of them may be. We are here to confirm the dos and don'ts, as well as dispel some of the more outrageous myths out there: 

*Jail for jaywalking?* — FALSE! Though not far from the truth jaywalking and a number of other "petty" crimes that are not illegal in other countries (spitting, littering, smoking in public places, eating in the MRT) can incur penalties from S$500-S$1,000 for first-time offenders. Some of these may seem harsh, but hey, they all contribute to making Singapore the fine city that it is. 

*Death for drugs?* —TRUE Only to a certain extent though—the laws differ depending on the quantity and type of drug. Some violations will result in caning and a jail sentence, while possession of the harder stuff (especially with the intention of dealing) can indeed lead to a hanging. So remember—dont do drugs, they can be seriously bad for your health.

*Fined for farting?* — FALSE! One of the funnier ones we nave heard. No, you won't get penalised for letting one go, but you will find that the police will quickly lose their sense of toilet humour if you are caught forgetting to flush, or even urinating in a lift—both of which can incur fines. Its fairly simple really; be considerate and hygienic, and if you really need to pass some gas—keep it secret, keep it silent, keep it safe. 

*Grabbed for gum?* — FALSE! Probably the most famous law out here, made the more so by the way it has been exaggerated or perhaps even distorted        	 over time. The reality of it is that the importation and distribution of chewing gum is indeed illegal, but the act of chewing itself is not. Gum for therapeutic or medicinal use is allowed. So if you're a smoker in need of his gum, take heart!

From Singapore Tourism Board.

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## slimboyfat

There are plain clothes cops who will catch you for throwing a cigarette butt on the floor though. My friend recently got an on the spot fine of $200, and saying that there was no dustbin nearby didn't get him off this one.

Another one is smoking duty free cigs. Singapore duty paid fags have a marking on them so you can't even get away with using a cigarette box for your illegal cigarettes. There are also plain clothes cops enforcing this.

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## dirtydog

Added a nice couple of joyful videos to make the post better  :Smile:

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## genghis61

and no durians on the MRT - appears to be as a public service rather than a fine offence? 
None of the signs we saw had an amount mentioned (March 2010)

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## Chairman Mao

> Another one is smoking duty free cigs. Singapore duty paid fags have a marking on them so you can't even get away with using a cigarette box for your illegal cigarettes. There are also plain clothes cops enforcing this.


How does that work? 

When duty is paid they take every single cig out out of every single box and mark it??

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## slimboyfat

I guess the manufacturers have to put the marking on to enable them to sell in Singapore

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## Chairman Mao

Or they get Thai immigrants to do it for 3c p/h.

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## slimboyfat

> Or they get Thai immigrants to do it for 3c p/h.


Possibly. but I would use Bangladeshis. They are cheaper, more reliable and less likely to kill each other after a few beers.

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## Fondles

Yeah fuckers and their cigarettes, ive done dozens of trips to Sing in the past 2 years and always took my smokes from here, last time I went they scanned my suitcase and pinched me for the carton I had in there.

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## slimboyfat

> Yeah fuckers and their cigarettes, ive done dozens of trips to Sing in the past 2 years and always took my smokes from here, last time I went they scanned my suitcase and pinched me for the carton I had in there.


$200 fine for a pack of 20 isnt it?

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## Butterfly

so if you are a tourist, you can't bring your own cigarettes ?

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## slimboyfat

> so if you are a tourist, you can't bring your own cigarettes ?


officially no, but they will let you off with an open packet. So you can bring in 19 cigs without worry!

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## BigBaBoo

:Smile:  
*Grabbed for gum?* — FALSE! Probably the most famous law out here, made the more so by the way it has been exaggerated or perhaps even distorted over time. The reality of it is that the importation and distribution of chewing gum is indeed illegal, but the act of chewing itself is not. Gum for therapeutic or medicinal use is allowed. So if you're a smoker in need of his gum, take heart!

------------------

True, and I haven't been to Singapore for some years now.
But I still remember the No Gum signs they used to have on the subway. Officially the reason you weren't supposed to chew gum on the subway was that if you discarded it the gum would get into the tracks for the doors to the train, the doors wouldn't close properly and the train was programed not to move unless the doors were closed properly for safety reasons.
And I also remember the "No Durians Allowed In This Hotel" signs in certain hotels in Singapore...but that was the hotel policy, not a government one.
I once took my Thai girlfriend to Singapore for a visit. When we got a single room I remember being asked by the girl at the reservation desk in the hotel, "Sir, are you really married to this woman?". I lied right to her face and said yes. She didn't challenge it and registered us as Mr. and Mrs. (my name).
On another trip to Singapore part of my luggage was left behind (by the airline) in Bangkok. A few hours later it was delivered to the hotel which I chose by the airline. They brought it to my room. Apparently they found me by landing card where I listed the hotel I would stay in. That was an official Singapore government form.
That's Singapore
 :mid:

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## Norton

For many, good this is not the case in Thailand.

"Corporal punishment (including the rattan cane) may be imposed for  crimes including drug offences, rape, rioting, extortion, *visa offences*  and vandalism."

Travel Advice for Singapore - Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

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## dirtydog

I think it would be pretty good for Thailand, the Thai immigration could do a weekly round up of the old gits who are late on their 90 day reporting, transport them to Lumpini stadium, obviously charge them for this, then televise the rattan cane canning, say 10 whacks perday late, it would be the number 1 tv show in Thailand  :Smile:

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## Fondles

> Originally Posted by Fondles
> 
> 
> Yeah fuckers and their cigarettes, ive done dozens of trips to Sing in the past 2 years and always took my smokes from here, last time I went they scanned my suitcase and pinched me for the carton I had in there.
> 
> 
> $200 fine for a pack of 20 isnt it?


Nah, they gave me the option of paying the taxes, was about $70.00 from memory or for $4.00 I could leave them there and collect on my way back out.

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## Jools

This information about Singapore only strengthens my view that the world would be a much better place without this bright, shining shithole of a country.

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## slimboyfat

On the plus side, Marmite is not banned, is available in all supermarkets and provision shops, and is very popular with the locals.

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## slimboyfat

> This information about Singapore only strengthens my view that the world would be a much better place without this bright, shining shithole of a country.


horses for courses. or buffalo in your case

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## Looper

> and no durians on the MRT - appears to be as a public service rather than a fine offence? 
> None of the signs we saw had an amount mentioned (March 2010)


Those signs are still up on the MRT I saw last time.

But these signs have been taken down as of October 2007  :Smile:

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## TizMe

> *Jail for jaywalking?* — FALSE! Though not far from the truth jaywalking and a number of other "petty" crimes that are not illegal in other countries (spitting, littering, smoking in public places, eating in the MRT) can incur penalties from S$500-S$1,000 for first-time offenders. Some of these may seem harsh, but hey, they all contribute to making Singapore the fine city that it is.


I've been fined for crossing the highway instead of using the overhead walkway.
It was only SGD20 for a first of fence though.

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## BobR

^ Singapore is a regrettable success story in that they proved even highly educated and affluent people can be forced to helplessly live in a police state. I much prefer freedom to safety or excessive order.  They really need political change.

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## TizMe

I have as much freedom here as I need or want.

What additional freedom would you want? 
Something like the freedom to get shot by a pissed up Thai because he thought that you disrespected him?
Stabbed to death for a 7,000 baht gold chain?
Or is it the freedom to be extorted by someone in uniform because they know that because you are white that you must be rich for the pickings?
Or is it the freedom to have your family wiped out because a fucked up country cant manage to keep any of the pissed drivers off the road?

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## norfolkc

TizMe agree 100% was based there for 20 years never had any problems for a police state as some people say always found them very polite people even when they a giving you a ticket for speeding on the expressway's

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## Toadman

Just saw this thread and thought it was interesting said above from BigBaBoo that he was asked if his TGF and him were indeed married.  Back in June of this year I had my TGF come down to Singapore to visit me while I was on business and the hotel I stay at, Peninsula Excelsior didn't even bat an eye on it.  I didn't think Singaporeans really cared, as compared to Vietnam.  But I also heard that Vietnam was if you were there with a Vietnamise girl and not from a different nationality.

Now my poor TGF got a bit of a grilling questions from immigration because this was her first time here on her passport and she is Thai.  I asked a bit around and heard that the trend is for Thai girls to save up, come down for a weekend "work jaunt" and go back up north.

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## TizMe

Yeah, Thai, Filipino, & Vietnamese girls are regularly hassled by the emigration department (and rightfully so) as many of the girls come down and are granted a 30 day stay based on tourism, but are for sale (rent) at Orchard Towers every night during their stay.

I told my (mid forties) wife that she should be flattered when she was detained for a few hours by immigration dept.  

Strangely, she didn't see it that way.  :Very Happy:

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## BobR

^ And you see nothing wrong with that? The goon who detained her for no other reason than her race should have been fired and she should have received a large settlement for her humiliation.  
Enjoy your police state.

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## TizMe

Not at all.

She was detained because her passport and stamps matched that of the profile of thousands of other (usually younger) women that frequently come to Singapore to work illegally in prostitution.

They arrive on 30 day stamp on arrival, and then leave just to return again again soon after.

Thats something that my Mrs had also been doing (not the prostitution part..) visiting me every month for about 4 years.

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## Toadman

> Not at all.
> 
> She was detained because her passport and stamps matched that of the profile of thousands of other (usually younger) women that frequently come to Singapore to work illegally in prostitution.
> 
> They arrive on 30 day stamp on arrival, and then leave just to return again again soon after.
> 
> Thats something that my Mrs had also been doing (not the prostitution part..) visiting me every month for about 4 years.


Actually much nicer to Thais than the us government.  To see the hoops and jumps Thais ( or Chinese ) have to go through is stupid.  I have a Chinese customer who was sending engineers to the USA for training.  And this young 20 something Chinese female engineer they denied her visa even with her company sponsoring her.  If they are under 40 and not married....

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## Ronin

Something I rarely see mentioned is the history of Singapore (although there doesn't seem to be many books available).  The reason many of the laws, particularly those concerning drugs are so draconian is look back around 20 or 30 years ago the country was an under developed hole with the docklands area being rife with prostitution and opium smoking dens (and most likely the rest of the country).  The authorities were concerned that the triads might move and take control, hence the deterrents put in place.  However, some would argue that the present Singapore government is hypocritical given it's trade agreements with most notably Burma one of the most prolific producers of drugs.

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## bangkokbonecollector

> Not at all.
> 
> She was detained because her passport and stamps matched that of the profile of thousands of other (usually younger) women that frequently come to Singapore to work illegally in prostitution.
> 
> They arrive on 30 day stamp on arrival, and then leave just to return again again soon after.
> 
> Thats something that my Mrs had also been doing (not the prostitution part..) visiting me every month for about 4 years.


I have tried for years to figure out what your gif is saying ??? any clue yourself ??? looks like mongo bitch

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## bangkokbonecollector

> Something I rarely see mentioned is the history of Singapore (although there doesn't seem to be many books available).  The reason many of the laws, particularly those concerning drugs are so draconian is look back around 20 or 30 years ago the country was an under developed hole with the docklands area being rife with prostitution and opium smoking dens (and most likely the rest of the country).  The authorities were concerned that the triads might move and take control, hence the deterrents put in place.  However, some would argue that the present Singapore government is hypocritical given it's trade agreements with most notably Burma one of the most prolific producers of drugs.


I believe it was more that nothing was getting done as everyone was canned off their faces on smack. triad worries sounds cooler though agreed  :Smile:

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## Kambreezh

I was stopped without driving license in Sg at night at roadblocks. Saying "it is at home and I can go get it" worked all the time and any ID was sufficient.

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## JayZee

> 30 years ago the country was an under developed hole


First visited 40 years ago - 'twas very seedy and truly wonderful to a young man in his early 20's.  Dubai was a seedy smuggling port then too, and equally wonderful ...

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## Chuckycheese

I've been to Singapore more than a dozen times and have jay walked in the downtown area many, many times. I've done it in front of cops but only when others were doing it, as well. Never had a problem or seen a problem.

Kuala Lumpur is a different story. I got nabbed there once and the cop was incredibly pissed. He let me go without a fine but considering how angry he was, I felt pretty lucky.

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## donald36

Good luck Singapore 

An Island of order amidst a chaotic Asia 

It serves a purpose to show total freedom versus total order--here it looks like we will  get total order without any of the benefits of living in an orderly society  

Freedom is great drink and drive pay your way out of any problem behave any way you want but maybe when some drunk Hiso walks away from killing one of your loved ones freedom and corruption will take on a different slant

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## VocalNeal

> Freedom is great drink and drive pay your way out of any problem behave any way you want


Yes you have that right. Great here innit.!

If you want order relocate to the US/UK/Australia/Switzerland. 

I like Indonesia, even less order than here! OK Sumatra but... and it is less populated.

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## Chuckycheese

In addition to the jaywalking myth, Singapore has the reputation of being super-clean. Many areas are but there are lots of places where trash abounds. Little India used to be really trashy although it's cleaner now than it was many years ago.

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## beppi

Singapore is NOT a place to break any rules - better to remember that!

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## harrybarracuda

What about ecigs?

If you declare them, how do they calculate the duty?

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## slimboyfat

> What about ecigs?
> 
> If you declare them, how do they calculate the duty?


Prohibition on Certain Products | HSA | Health Sciences Authority

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## harrybarracuda

> Originally Posted by Butterfly
> 
> 
> so if you are a tourist, you can't bring your own cigarettes ?
> 
> 
> officially no, but they will let you off with an open packet. So you can bring in 19 cigs without worry!


What about electronic cigarettes?

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## Ronin

> Originally Posted by slimboyfat
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Butterfly
> ...


This is contained within the link provided by Slimboyfat, but whether or not they regard e-cigarettes as smokeless I couldn't tell you; 

*    vi)        Smokeless cigars, smokeless cigarillos or smokeless cigarettes;*

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## slimboyfat

"In Singapore, vaporisers such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), e-pipes, e-cigars and the like are prohibited under Section 16 of the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act."

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## harrybarracuda

Best keep it to my hotel room then.

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