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Cloudy Consequences: Singapore's Penalties For Vaping And Other No-Nos
The month of December 2023 recorded a total of 1,656 cases connected to e-vaporisers. In an enforcement action on 21 Dec at Tuas Checkpoint, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found 25 e-vaporisers under a car's seats.
Plus, in a joint effort aimed to curb vaping in Singapore, the Health Sciences Authority and ICA discovered 177 individuals with e-vaporisers during a four-day operation in late December at Changi Airport. Of these, 61 were fined, while others avoided penalties by declaring and disposing of the items.
Heightened measures by the authorities, including increased enforcement in schools and higher learning institutes, are being implemented, with additional operations planned at land and sea checkpoints.
In case you didn't know, vaping has been illegal in Singapore since 2018, and according to Section 16 of the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act 1993, any person who possesses and/or uses imitation tobacco products, including vaping, can be fined up to $2,000.
Here are some other acts you might not know are banned in Singapore:
Anyhow flying a kite
Kite flying may be a popular activity at Marina Barrage and our parks, but did you know that you can get into trouble for flying kites in the wrong place?
According to Section 64 of the Air Navigation Order, kite flying is forbidden within 5 km of any aerodrome (read: airports), including our military airbases. This is because aerial activities in the restricted areas can pose a danger to aircraft.
What’s the penalty: First conviction, $20,000; second or subsequent conviction, $40,000.
Where does it say so: Section 80 of the Air Navigation Order
Feeding wild animals
This should (hopefully) be common sense, but do NOT feed any wild animals you see across the island, such as wild boars, monkeys, and, yes, even otters. In fact, you should probably refrain from approaching them in the first place; they may look cute (or ugly-cute, in the case of wild boars), but they can be dangerous.
What’s the penalty: First conviction, $2,000; second conviction, $4,000; third or subsequent conviction, $10,000.
Where does it say so: Section 5A of the Wildlife Act 1965
Being naked at home (in view of others)
What do you mean I can't take off my clothes in my own house?! Well, if you want to walk around stark naked, make sure that your curtains are drawn and nobody can see you. If you're visible to your neighbours, random passersby or the public in general, you'll be considered guilty of "public" indecency.
What’s the penalty: Offenders can be fined up to $2,000 and/or jailed for up to 3 months.
Where does it say so: Section 27A of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act 1906
Mooching Wi-Fi
Think you can "borrow" your neighbours' wifi to save money? Think again. Wi-fi piggybacking is not only illegal, it's also harshly punished. How harshly? You can be jailed for it – with the potential jail sentence being 12 times as long as the sentence you'd receive for walking around stark naked. Yikes!
What’s the penalty: First conviction, $10,000 and/or jail term of up to 3 years; second or subsequent conviction, $20,000 and/or jail term of up to 5 years.
Where does it say so: Section 6 of the Computer Misuse Act 1993
Speaking of illegal acts, did you know there's a surprising list of things that are forbidden in HDB flats? Better make sure you don't flout these rules either!
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