by Elena Chong
TWO Malaysian men who tried to smuggle in more than 1,000 birds from across the Causeway without a licence were each jailed for one month on Wednesday.
Lee Sung, 45, and Ho Kwee Ping, 56, pleaded guilty to importing 140 mata puteh birds and 1,000 munia birds from Malaysia at Woodlands Checkpoint at about 4.25am on Tuesday.
The court heard that Lee came in first on a motorcycle and produced a cargo clearance permit for a consignment of 5,000 grasshoppers and 5,000 crickets to Northern Aquarium.
While checking, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers found six crates of live birds and heard chirping sounds.
The birds were found hidden below the consignment of crickets. Five minutes later, Lee's accomplice, Ho, came on another motorcycle and was arrested.
Both men could have been fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for up to 12 months each.
What do the authority do to the birds?