Indonesian ambassador to Singapore Suryopratomo has expressed scepticism over the baby trafficking ring that was recently busted.
Earlier this week, Indonesian authorities detained 12 suspects, and rescued six infants — five of whom were allegedly bound for Singapore.
Speaking to Indonesian news magazine Tempo, Suryopratomo brought up Singapore’s strict immigration checks to explain his doubts.
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In short text messages sent to Tempo, Suryopratomo claimed it was “unlikely” that the infants were trafficked into Singapore.
“Entering Singapore is difficult,” he explained.
Elaborating on his stance, the ambassador said that obtaining a Singaporean passport is a tedious process.
Suryopratomo also expressed doubts about the authenticity of any Singaporean passports that Indonesian authorities had allegedly seized.
Even if the passports were valid, Suryopratomo said that Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers will also likely question the perpetrators about the babies’ parents.
When asked if he was aware of the alleged baby trafficking case, the ambassador replied plainly:
I don’t know.
According to the director of West Java’s general crime investigation Mr Surawan, a suspect has admitted to trafficking 24 babies, 15 of whom have been brought to Singapore.
Also read: Baby trafficking ring allegedly sold 15 babies to S’pore buyers, 12 suspects detained
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