Photographer fined S$15,000 after flying drone which captured parts of SAFTI, Pasir Laba Camp

Photographer fined S$15,000 after flying drone which captured parts of SAFTI, Pasir Laba Camp Prayut Rittichaipornkul was taking photographs and videos of a company for marketing and decided to employ his drone for better quality footage. SINGAPORE: A freelance photographer was fined S$15,000 (US$12,000) on Friday (Jun 12) after flying a drone without the required permits and recording footage that included protected military areas in Western Singapore. Prayut Rittichaipornkul, a 32-year-old Thai national, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Air Navigation Act and Air Navigation (101 - Unmanned Aircraft Operations) Regulations. Another five charges of a similar nature were taken into consideration for sentencing. Prayut, who is based in Bangkok, works as a freelance photographer for various companies. While in Thailand in 2025, he bought a DJI Mavic 4 Pro drone for commercial assignments and personal use. Before March this year, the Thailand office of C&R Interiors engaged Prayut's photography services. C&R Interiors, a Singapore-registered company, also has offices in Thailand and Malaysia. Its Singapore office is at 20 Joo Koon Crescent, near Pasir Laba Camp and SAFTI Military Institute, which are both listed as protected areas. In March, Prayut was invited by an employee of C&R Interiors to attend the opening ceremony of the company's Malaysia office. Prayut decided to visit Singapore before heading to Kuala Lumpur. He arrived in Singapore on Apr 20 and visited the Singapore office the next day at the employee's invitation. The employee asked him to assist with taking photographs and videos of the Singapore office for use in marketing materials in Thailand. Prayut initially used a handheld camera, but decided to deploy his drone because he was dissatisfied with the quality of the footage and photographs. At about 8.20am on Apr 21, 2026, he began operating the drone at the Singapore office. The flight lasted about 26 minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 1,505 feet above mean sea level, or about 459m. He did not have the unmanned aircraft operator permit and Class 1 activity permit required to operate the drone in the course of his business. During the flight, the drone crossed into the protected areas comprising Pasir Laba Camp and SAFTI Military Institute. Prayut used the drone to record videos of the area surrounding the Singapore office, including the protected areas. He did not have a permit authorising him to record videos of the protected areas with the drone. At about 8.23am, the Republic of Singapore Air Force detected an unidentified drone flying into the protected areas and alerted the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). CAAS traced the drone to Prayut's location at C&R Interiors' Singapore office. Police officers were also dispatched to the location. The drone was seized and found to contain at least 18 video recordings. Three of the recordings had captured parts of the protected areas. Deputy Public Prosecutor Johan Tay called for a fine of S$15,000, which was imposed by the court. For operating an unmanned aircraft for business without a permit, a person may be fined up to S$50,000, or jailed for up to two years, or both. A person who operates an unmanned aircraft over a protected area without a permit may face the same maximum penalty.