16. Examination of persons entering Singapore, etc.
Feedback & supportAny importer and any person entering Singapore shall, if he is required to do so by a controller or any authorised officer —
importer
“importer”, in relation to any article, includes any person who, whether as owner, consignee, agent or broker, is in possession of, or is in any way entitled to the custody or control of, the article;
declare whether or not he has imported or has in his possession any publication; and
produce the publication for examination.
A controller or an authorised officer may —
controller
“controller” means a person appointed under section 18(1) by the Minister to be a controller;
examine or search any person entering Singapore or any article which an importer has imported or a person entering Singapore has in his possession for the purpose of ascertaining whether the importer or person has imported or has in his possession an obscene or objectionable publication; and
detain any such publication produced or found upon the examination or search as the controller or authorised officer believes on reasonable grounds to be obscene or objectionable.
Any publication detained under subsection (2)(b) may be detained for so long as it is necessary to institute proceedings for an offence under this Act or, where no such proceedings are instituted within 3 months of the seizure, the controller or authorised officer —
publication
“publication” means any of the following other than a film:(a)any book, magazine or periodical, whether in manuscript or final form;(b)any sound recording;(c)any picture or drawing, whether made by computer graphics or otherwise howsoever;(d)any photograph, photographic negative, photographic plate or photographic slide;(e)any paper, model, sculpture, tape, disc, article or thing —(i)that has printed or impressed upon it any word, statement, sign or representation; or(ii)on which is recorded or stored for immediate or future retrieval any information that, by the use of any computer or other electronic device, is capable of being reproduced or shown as any picture, photograph, word, statement, sign or representation,and includes a copy of any publication;
may return the article or publication to the person from whom it was seized; or
if the publication is obscene or objectionable, or returning the article or publication is not reasonably practicable, may —
subject to section 20, destroy or cause to be destroyed the article or publication; or
order the publication to be exported forthwith from Singapore.
Any person who fails to comply with any requirement made by a controller or an authorised officer under subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable —
in the case of a person entering Singapore, to a fine not exceeding $1,000; or
in the case of an importer, to a fine not exceeding $5,000.