Singapore to Ban Drones From Flying Over Its Borders

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Singapore will ban unmanned aircraft from carrying out cross-border flights starting from November 21, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the state police force announced in a joint statement on Monday.

"Any UA [unmanned aircraft] operator found operating a UA into or out of Singapore illegally will be liable to prosecution by the authorities. The offence carries a penalty of a fine of up to $50,000 [Singaporean dollars or $37,000], an imprisonment term of up to two years, or both," the statement, published on the official CAAS' website, read.

The statement added that the authorities would have a right to take down any unauthorized unmanned aircraft crossing the border.

"Such flights may pose a danger to public safety and security. Globally, we have seen cases of UAs disrupting airport operations, as well as being used for criminal activities, such as for smuggling, and to conduct terror attacks," the authorities added.

In 2020, unmanned aircraft were used for cross-border drug traffic, the authorities said.