Family with toy water guns detained at Changi Airport
It's always a good idea to do your research before travelling.
A family of four were unprepared when they were stopped by police at Changi Airport after two toy water guns were found in their luggage.
Ms Lalitha Rajah shared in an Instagram post that her family, including her husband and two young children, recently travelled to Thailand where they participated in the Songkran water festival to celebrate the Thai New Year.
The family decided to bring the toy water guns back to Singapore to keep as mementoes of their holiday.
However, after the family collected their luggage and were about to leave the airport, they were asked to turn back and scan their bags.
"They opened up all our bags, looking for toy water guns," said Ms Rajah.
Her husband was then taken to a room and detained for about an hour. He reportedly saw a few other people who had brought similar toys back from their trips.
Before he was released, he was asked to sign a document by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), acknowledging that he brought controlled items into the country.
The toys were subsequently seized by the police.
Ms Rajah said she wanted to share her experience to warn others who may not be aware of the law and save them the "hassle" they went through.
"I wish someone had told me this beforehand, it would've saved us a lot of time and upset children," she wrote.
Several netizens thanked Ms Rajah for sharing her experience as many of them were also unaware of such laws.
According to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority website, an import licence or authorisation from SPF's licensing division is needed to bring not just guns but toy or replica guns into Singapore as they are controlled items.
The approval can be in the form of an import licence or authorisation from the SPF's Licensing Division.
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