Originally Posted by
yosithezet
So the Singapore government isn't really concerned with what one may feel is trivial or silly. Sudafed is a controlled substance in some SE Asia countries because it can be used to make meth. It can be bought over the counter in the airside Changi pharmacies, but they record your personal details and keep track of how much/often you are buying. There are laws and regulations and they are what they are. Abide by them and you won't have an issue. Don't abide by them... well Fredrik74 already mentioned that death is an option. This isn't an idle threat of death. Here is the public information of the judicial executions and the offenses:
https://data.gov.sg/dataset/judicial...7-85c9fea5e3db
It is no longer mandatory though, the courts have some discretion.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...enalty-8369356
How much time do you have before your trip?
If you PM me an email address I will be happy to send you a PDF of the page you can't seem to get to load and also the attached PDFs which would need to be filled out. Or you could email
[email protected].
I agree it would be unfortunate for you to have to skip Singapore, but note that you will also not want to transit the airport without these precautions as they do random arrivals security checks into the shared airside transit where you put your bags through scanners and go through metal detectors just like outbound security at the airport. I've gone through this a number of times this past year. Note that this Aussie kid was merely transiting the airport.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Tuong_Nguyen
While it all sounds grim, note that all you need to do is understand the situation and follow the rules.
Oh I believe you, what I’m saying or suggesting rather is in practice things might be a lot different. I do not know, nor do I really want to take the chance but my gut tells me it’s very different in practice. They are looking for legitimate drug traffickers carrying large amounts that are obvious for distribution. Not some old guy with 6-7 prescribed pill bottles. The UAE also has very similar laws regarding codeine and opiates, but I entered and left that country with no problems. They too, just like China and just like Singapore, scan your entire bag when you enter the country.
Also, FWIW, I’ve gone through SIN security numerous times on connections either on SQ or on EK and never once had a problem. If a security screener sees a bunch of organic material in bottles they don’t pull it aside. This is universal everywhere I’ve gone through security, just saying.
And P.S. the pseudoephedrine buying OTC, and your info being recorded is done in the US too.