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SINGAPORE – The Internal Security Department (ISD) had placed on its watchlist the Bangladeshi preacher who on National Day. But Amir Hamza still managed to enter Singapore on a passport and visa bearing a different name, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam told Parliament on Sept 9. And because it was his first visit to Singapore, his biometric data was not on the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) multi-modal biometric database. That would have flagged him for more stringent immigration and security checks due to him being on the watchlist, the minister added. Mr Shanmugam was responding to questions by six MPs in Parliament on Sept 9, regarding Amir Hamza’s visit here on Aug 9. The sermon Amir Hamza gave took place at the Lantana Lodge dormitory in Tech Park Crescent in Tuas. He suggested non-Muslims were kafirs (infidels), and held up extremists as exemplars of religious piety. Mr Shanmugam said that as a Bangladeshi national, Amir Hamza needed to apply for a visa that would have had his photograph along with that on his passport. These would be checked against any photo on the ISD’s watchlist by ICA. But Mr Shanmugam said that sometimes, the authorities might have only the names of people on the watchlist without photographs for ICA officers to cross-check against. It might be possible the photo on file might not be of good enough quality to match the photo, he added. Mr Shanmugam was responding to a question by Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh. He had asked if a photograph was required to be submitted by the preacher during his visa application, and if the photograph was cross-checked against that on the watchlist by ICA officers at Singapore’s entry checkpoints. Amir Hamza had been placed on the watchlist due to his past statements promoting religious intolerance, and his reported involvement in a pro-Al-Qaeda organisation in Bangladesh. The preacher was arrested by the Bangladeshi authorities in 2021 for terrorism activities, and for inciting violence through his sermons. He was released on bail in December 2023, according to news reports. Amir Hamza arrived in Singapore on National Day and left the next day. The police were alerted about the sermon on Aug 12. Mr Shanmugam said ICA introduced the multi-modal biometric system in July 2020. It captures the facial, iris and fingerprint images of first-time visitors to Singapore. This is usually the first opportunity for the agency to capture the biometric data of foreign visitors. The data allows ICA to better detect repeat visitors with multiple or impersonated identities, while its automated passport gates can detect forged passports. Mr Shanmugam revealed that since 2022, about 30 visitors with legitimate passports containing a different identity from ICA’s records were refused entry every month. This is out of a monthly total of some 2,500 visitors being denied entry into Singapore for various reasons. He said the sponsor for Amir Hamza’s visa application is related to the operator of the dormitory. Both are being investigated over their role in the incident. Possible offences include participation in an unlawful assembly under the Public Order Act, and the failure to obtain a Miscellaneous Work Pass required under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. The dormitory operator was also the organiser of the event where the preacher spoke. He is being investigated for several offences including under the Public Order Act, Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and Foreign Employee Dormitories Act, said Mr Shanmugam. He reiterated that the Public Order Act requires event organisers to apply for a police permit for public cause-based events, and applies to those involving religious teachings, regardless whether the event takes place within a dormitory or elsewhere. Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to $5,000 upon conviction under Section 16 of the Act.  The Foreign Employee Dormitories Act also imposes licence conditions that require operators to keep updated records of all non-residents. These include visitors or contractors who enter the living areas of dormitories. Foreigners who wish to speak at such public events that are religious, cause-based or political in nature must obtain a Miscellaneous Work Pass under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Anyone found guilty of violating Section 5 of the Act would be liable to be fined between $5,000 and $30,000, be jailed for up to 12 months, or both.