MYANMAR MAN JAILED FOR POSSESSING FORGED PASSPORTS, UNHCR CARDS

MELAKA, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- A Myanmar national was today sentenced to 13 years and seven months’ jail by the Magistrate’s Court here after he pleaded guilty to 17 charges, including having in his possession forged passports and fake United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards last year.

Magistrate Sharda Shienha Mohd Suleiman handed down the sentence to 53-year-old San Lwin, a document forgery syndicate agent, and ordered it to run concurrently from the date of his arrest on Nov 8, 2025.

The man was charged with eight counts of possessing documents, knowing them to be forged, and intending that they be fraudulently or dishonestly used as genuine, under Section 474 of the Penal Code read together with Section 466, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years and a fine upon conviction.

He was also accused of three counts of possessing a passport or internal travel document that had been forged, altered, or tampered with, under Section 12(1)(a) of the Passport Act 1966, which provides for a maximum five-year jail term or RM10,000 fine if convicted.

San Lwin also faced five charges of unlawfully possessing a passport or travel document issued to someone else, under Section 12(1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966, which provides for a maximum of five years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to RM10,000 upon conviction.

The man was also charged with dishonestly using a forged UNHCR card as genuine, under Section 471 of the Penal Code read together with Section 465, which carries a maximum of two years’ jail or a fine if found guilty.

All the offences were committed at an apartment in Taman Malim Jaya here on Nov 8, 2025.

During the same proceedings, a Myanmar married couple, Zaw Naing, 31, and Khin Saw Wai, 26, both San Lwin’s clients, were sentenced to six and eight months’ imprisonment, respectively, for possessing a fake passport and travel document at the same location and on the same date.

Meanwhile, another Myanmar man, Muhammad Nur Hairul Boshar, 18, was fined RM5,000, in default six months’ imprisonment, after he pleaded guilty to using a fake UNHCR card, also at the same location and on the same date.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Syaza Nur Sharif earlier urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence, taking into account the threat to national sovereignty posed by the growing activities of immigrant syndicates.

San Lwin, Zaw Naing, and Khin Saw Wai were unrepresented, while counsel Shahrul Affandi appeared for Muhammad Nur Hairul.

--BERNAMA