Brothers among 5 convicted for illegally hiring workers at Geylang Serai Ramadan bazaar, pasar malam
Three brothers were among five Singaporeans convicted for illegally employing foreigners to run stalls at a bazaar and night markets.
Two of the brothers did not provide proper lodging to six foreigners that they had illegally hired as stall assistants at Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar, which resulted in some workers sleeping on the floor at the stalls they worked at after they closed shop, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a media statement on Jan 5.
The illicit activity of the brothers – Ker Eng Kiat and Ker Eng Hock – was first noticed when the MOM officers inspected the bazaar on April 4, 2023.
Investigations revealed that the brothers had illegally hired six workers on social visit passes as stall assistants whose duties included preparing and selling food products as well as collecting cash.
Eng Kiat, 52, was sentenced on Jan 4 to one month of jail and fined $23,000 for illegally employing five Indonesians without valid work passes. He had previously been convicted for the same offence more than a decade ago in 2013.
His brother Eng Hock, 53, was sentenced on Sept 7, 2023 to a fine of $6,000 for illegally employing a worker without a valid work pass.
Separately, their younger brother Ker Yong Sen, 41, was convicted for conspiring with another Singaporean, Tan Hoe Soon, 70, to hire two foreign workers without valid work passes at an Ang Mo Kio pasar malam, the ministry said.
Both men had rented a food stall at the night market from March to April 2023, and the workers had been hired as food stall assistants.
The foreign workers were also on social visit passes and were not provided proper lodging.
Tan and Yong Sen were sentenced in September 2023 to a fine of $8,500 each.
A third case involved Sao Wei Loon, 47, who was found to have illegally hired 11 foreign workers to run food stalls at a pasar malam outside Hillion Mall in Bukit Panjang in October 2022.
Sao was sentenced on Oct 3, 2023 to two months of jail and fined $45,000 for illegally employing these workers, who were on social visit passes.
All 19 foreign workers employed by the five Singaporeans have been barred from working here, said MOM.
Those who employ foreign workers without a valid work pass can be fined up to $30,000, jailed for a maximum of 12 months, or both.
Members of the public who are aware of suspicious employment activities, or who know of persons or employers who illegally employ foreign workers, should report the matter to MOM at 64385122 or mom_fmmd@mom.gov.sg.
The ministry said: “All information will be kept strictly confidential.”
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