Fugitive From 2002 Caught at Changi and Sentenced for Using False Indonesian Passport

Overview

• He was arrested at Changi Airport on March 7, 2026 after failing automated immigration clearance while using an Indonesian passport in the name Ken Srona.
• On Tuesday the courts convicted Tan Khi Wie, 58, of multiple Immigration Act and Penal Code offences and sentenced him to 14 months and three weeks in jail.
• The court said the new sentence will start only after he serves the 18‑month term handed down in August 2002 for a cheating conviction.
• Investigations show Tan fled Singapore illegally on a fishing boat between August 2002 and January 2003, later living in Jakarta, and that he re-entered Singapore several times between 2011 and 2016 using false Indonesian passports and false arrival declarations.
• The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority credits multimodal biometrics deployed since July 2020 for the detection, noting 223 cases of travellers using multiple identities in 2025 and plans to add AI checks for fingerprints and documents to strengthen border screening.