Pulau Tekong Robbers Get Jail & Cane
Thursday, 8th July 2004
THE three armed robbers who set off a massive manhunt in March when they landed on Pulau Tekong, were all jailed for seven years on Thursday and ordered to be caned 12 strokes. Mohamad Hassan Awang (26-year old Malaysian), Moh Gunawan Hendro (25-year old Indonesia), and Herman, (23-year old Indonesian) have committed two robberies and fled Malaysia on 18 March 2004. They stole a motorised sampan and headed for Batam, Indonesia, but they were pursued by Malaysian police and that made them change course. They landed on Pulau Tekong, which is used for military training, at about 8.45am, split up and took cover in the forested area. Alerted by Malaysian police, more than 1,200 Singapore policemen and soldiers combed the island. They found Gunawan hiding in the bushes the very next day. A day later, Hassan and Herman were arrested.