Five arrested trying to swim to Singapore

SINGAPORE, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Five men believed to be Myanmar nationals have been arrested for attempting to swim into Singapore.

The men, aged between 18 and 49, were fished out of the waters near Kranji late Sunday night. They were swimming with the aid of inflated black trash bags, ChannelNewsAsia reported. They apparently were headed to Singapore to seek employment.

The five were due to be charged with unlawful entry in court Tuesday. If convicted, they could be jailed for up to six months, given at least three strokes of the cane, and fined up to $3,500.

So far, 111 illegal immigrants have been arrested for trying to enter Singapore by sea this year.