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Three Malaysians Jailed in Singapore for Child Trafficking

Three Malaysians were setenced to between four and 15 months in prison for child trafficking after they were caught trying to smuggle Sri Lankan children to London via Paris, news reports said on Saturday. The Malaysians were caught at Changi Airport on February 7 with the three children, aged 11, 14 and 15.

Shangar Shanmugam, 39, was sentenced on Friday to 15 months in jail while his sister, Patmavthi Shanmugam, 31, was jailed for 10 months, The Straits Times reported. Their friend, Vigiletchimi Suparayan, 61, was sentenced to four months in prison.

Shangar was promised 1,000 US dollars by a woman known to him as Naga to deliver the children to London, the court heard. Naga made three Malaysian passports with false names for the children at a Malaysian immigration office.

Shangar gave a cut of the money to his sister and asked her to pose as the mother of one of the children, the report said. He drove into Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint with the two women and three children and went to the airport.

The three Malaysians could have been jailed for up to four years each for the offence.
 

Adapted from: "Three Malaysians jailed in Singapore for child trafficking." The Earth Times. 12 April 2008.