"Communal harmony is key in fighting terrorism," said DPM Wong in his reply to questions from Members of Parliament at the Committee Of Supply debate on 5 Feb.
05 February 2009
Ministry Of Home Affairs Committee Of Supply Debate 2009 - Speech By DPM Wong Kan Seng – Security & Counter Terrorism, 05 February 2009
Dr Teo Ho Pin is right that terrorism is indeed a serious threat. The key terrorism threat continues to be posed by Al Qaeda and its associated groups, including Jemaah Islamiyah and many other militant groups in our region. We are also concerned about self-radicalised individuals who may operate singly or in small groups to carry out their violent beliefs.
Arresting Militancy
2. Many Islamist militant groups associate themselves with Al Qaeda and its use of violence to achieve political goals. As long as extremism is taught by radical preachers and schools or is spread via the Internet, Al Qaeda’s appeal will persist. So even if Al Qaeda is dismantled, its ideas could potentially continue to inspire militant groups and individuals the world over. Concerted efforts have to be made to arrest jihadist militancy.
3. As Dr Teo rightly pointed out, how Guantanamo Bay detainees are managed when it is closed, will bear serious security implications for many countries. In Jan 2009, Al Qaeda in Yemen issued an online statement identifying its new deputy leader as Said Ali al-Shihri. Said was released in 2007 from Guantanamo Bay. Now he has gone back to jihadist terrorism. The same may be expected if other detainees are released from Guantanamo Bay, such as Hambali, Al Qaeda’s link to JI, and Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the 11 Sep attacks. I agree with Dr Teo that it would be useful if there is a mechanism to track the movement of detainees. However, this is up to the Obama Administration which is studying how Guantanamo Bay can be closed. Our security agencies will monitor developments and keep in close touch with our foreign counterparts.
4. Mr Hri Kumar has asked what steps the Home Team has taken to ensure coastal security in light of the terrorist attack in Mumbai. Border security is a major preoccupation of the Home Team. Security at the air and land checkpoints has been significantly enhanced. However, Singapore is an island and maritime security remains our most challenging domain. For normal shipping, the International Maritime Organisation already requires ships above 500 gross weight tonne to install equipment to comply with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. For smaller craft operating in our shores, operated by Singaporeans or craft from regional countries, they are already required to install the HARTS which is the Harbour Craft Transponder System. Many of these are already installed on these smaller crafts and MPA can track their movements. However, we need to constantly be on the guard against intrusions by sea. We must treat smugglers as a security threat. If one can smuggle contraband such as duty unpaid cigarettes into Singapore, one can smuggle dangerous items into Singapore. The Police Coast Guard and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore make use of technology to detect intrusions into our waters. These agencies use advance radar, electro-optics and transponder systems to monitor vessels in our waters. The reality is that zero intrusions can only be achieved if we impose a complete lock-down of Singapore and we know that that cannot be done because we are an open economy. The best we can do is to deter, detect and intercept infiltrations through timely intelligence, effective border control and swift enforcement action. We will continue to study how we can further enhance our operational capabilities to deter and neutralise such infiltrations.
5. Our security agencies will continue to work closely with their regional counterparts to arrest JI operatives and fugitives. In so doing, we reduce the chance that they could infiltrate Singapore to mount attacks. New JI operatives and cells have continued to sprout and these need to be identified early and disrupted.
6. Dr Teo has asked about the search for Mas Selamat. We have no credible information on Mas Selamat’s whereabouts to share at this point in time. But let me assure Dr Teo that we have not slackened in our search. Whether Mas Selamat is in Singapore or he has fled our country, we will hunt him down as we did before. I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of this House and also members of the public for the support they have shown to Home Team officers over the past year. They have worked tirelessly in difficult conditions, and made tremendous sacrifices. It means a lot to them to know that the public are behind them.
7. Dr Teo also asked about the number of detainees currently detained in the Whitley Road Detention Centre. There are currently 20 persons under ISD’s detention for terrorist activities.
Counteracting the Ideological Discourse
8. Communal harmony is key in fighting terrorism. We have widened outreach beyond the traditional grassroots sector under the Community Engagement Programme (CEP) to involve religious groups, Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs), schools, workplaces, media and the arts.
9. The mass media plays an important role too. Ms Indranee Rajah correctly points out that responsible media reporting is important in the event of a terrorist attack. We can learn a lesson not only in the Mumbai attacks but also in the London bombings in Jul 2005. Incident sites have to be cordoned off to prevent disruption by media or others when the security agencies respond to the situation.
10. When a terrorist incident happens, facts will at best be sketchy. Yet the media and the public will be clamouring for information. It is therefore important that the government communicates regularly to the public and the media to calm public anxiety and restore public confidence. Such information has to be well coordinated. The Police must also sieve through and ensure that information given to the media does not unwittingly aid perpetrators.
11. Responsible media reporting is crucial in a crisis. Speculative and irresponsible reporting can lead to mistrust and animosities between communities. This is especially so in a multi-racial and multi-religious society like ours. Since Jul 2006, the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts has created a Media Emergency Forum to provide a regular platform for open and frank exchange of views between our domestic media and the Government on crisis issues and crisis management. This on-going engagement is an important pillar to ensure that in a crisis we can count on the media to report responsibly.
12. We must also not let up on our efforts to counteract the Al Qaeda and JI ideology. Leading JI observer, Ms Sidney Jones believes that there are about 40 Islamist schools associated with JI scattered across Indonesia that continue to teach members' children. If these children are radicalised, they will grow up to form the new rungs of the JI leadership, or become ready JI operatives for terrorist attacks. Sidney Jones is not alone in her views, as the US National Intelligence Council came to the same conclusion too.
13. To guard against radicalisation, especially among the young, seminars for students on the threat of terrorist ideology have been organised by community groups such as the Malay Youth Literary Association and the Inter-Agency Aftercare Group comprising Taman Bacaan, Yayasan Mendaki, the Association of Muslim Professionals and Khadijah Mosque. In addition, the Religious Rehabilitation Group continues to educate the community about the dangers of terrorist ideas through public forums, media interviews and articles, as well as on its website. The Internal Security Department has also been working with the Ministry of Education and various educational institutions to bring counter-terrorism messages to educators and students.
14. On the issue of emergency preparedness, I agree with Ms Ellen Lee that we should work towards a well-prepared Singapore that is ready to respond to any civil emergency or natural disaster. But we should never think that we have arrived and that Singapore is ready for any emergency. This is because preparedness is not an end-state. It is always "work in progress". The Government has created a crisis management system designed to respond to a wide variety of hazards both natural and man-made that could affect our country on a national scale. However, a timely and effective response requires the preparedness of the public and private sector domain owners. In most major disasters, it is the people on site who make the most critical difference in terms of saving lives or mitigating the damage. In the case of the Singapore Flyer, a matter raised by Mr Hri Kumar, the SCDF was at hand and ready to assist even as the Flyer management activated its contingency plans. A fire had destroyed the Flyer’s backup system and such a scenario was unforeseen. The Flyer management has since rectified this and installed additional safeguards.
15. In training our people on emergency preparedness, we should maximise our resources and concentrate our efforts on training leaders rather than just the masses. This is a practical approach which will pay good dividends given that the public in general do not feel the urgency to learn about emergency preparedness until the crisis is upon them. When key people in charge know what to do, they can help the rest of their co-workers and community to respond appropriately in an emergency. This is a lesson from the Mumbai attacks in Nov 2008 where quick thinking hotel staff helped steer innocent people from the path of the attackers and saved many lives.
16. In constituency response plans, CEP community leaders are looking into incorporating the psycho-social aspect and being vigilant in maintaining communal harmony. Grassroots Organisations in Ang Mo Kio and Yio Chu Kang have good response plans and they have been certified as CEP Ready. I encourage other Grassroots Advisors to do likewise and achieve CEP Ready certification for their constituencies.
Dual Citizenship
17. Let me now turn to Dr Lam Pin Min’s question on dual citizenship. To survive and prosper as a nation, Singapore needs to compete with other countries for human capital. We must continue to ensure that Singapore remains an attractive place in all aspects, not only as an immigration destination for other nationalities, but also as a best home for our own people.
18. There are many countries which recognise dual citizenship and there are others considering this option like Dr Lam mentioned, perhaps believing that this is a way of retaining and attracting talent. They have to decide what is best for them, in the context of their political, social and historical development.
19. For Singapore, we are a young nation and we are still in the process of forging our national identity. Citizenship is and should be for us a badge of commitment, for those who are born here, and also for those who come from overseas and make this their home. A commitment to this country and a willingness to defend its sovereignty is first and foremost what we are about as a nation.
20. I do not think that allowing dual citizenship is the right course for us at this point in time. However, we will keep our options open and review this position in future if necessary.
The Straits Times - JI continues to pose terror threat: DPM
06 February 2009
But regional security agencies cooperating to defuse threat, he adds
By Zakir Hussain
NEW Jemaah Islamiah (JI) operatives and cells continue to sprout in the region and need to be identified early and disrupted, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said yesterday.
He said security agencies here would continue working closely with their regional counterparts to arrest JI members, and thus reduce the chances of them infiltrating Singapore to mount attacks.
'The key terrorism threat continues to be posed by Al-Qaeda and its associated groups, including JI and many other militant groups in our region,' he said.
'We are also concerned about self-radicalised individuals who may operate singly or in small groups to carry out their violent beliefs.'
Many Islamist militant groups identified with Al-Qaeda and its use of violence to achieve political goals, and therefore 'concerted efforts' had to be made to stem such militancy, he added.
Mr Wong, who is also the Home Affairs Minister, was giving an update on security threats that Singapore faces, including potential risks arising from plans by the United States to close its Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
Dr Teo Ho Pin (Bukit Panjang) asked if there was a way for the Government to be informed of the status and movement of South-east Asian detainees who might pose security threats to Singapore.
Last month, US President Barack Obama directed that the detention camp in Cuba be shut down within a year.
Around the same time, Al-Qaeda in Yemen issued an online statement identifying its new deputy leader as Said Ali al-Shihri, who, as Mr Wong noted, was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2007.
'The same may be expected if other detainees are released, such as Hambali, Al- Qaeda's link to JI; and Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks,' he said.
A mechanism to track detainees' movements would be 'useful', but this was up to the Obama administration, he said.
'Our security agencies will monitor developments and keep in close touch with our foreign counterparts.'
Also detained at Guantanamo are Malaysian JI members Mohd Farik Amin and Nazir Lep, who are wanted in Malaysia.
Both men are said to be lieutenants of Hambali, an Indonesian national. All three were captured in Thailand in 2003.
Mr Wong also said there should be no let-up in efforts to counteract Al-Qaeda and JI.
He noted that Ms Sidney Jones, a leading specialist on the JI, believes that about 40 Islamist schools associated with the group are scattered across Indonesia and continue to teach members' children.
'If these children are radicalised, they will grow up to form the new rungs of the JI leadership, or become ready JI operatives for terrorist attacks,' he said.
US National Intelligence Council has reached the same conclusion, he said.
To guard against radicalisation, Muslim community groups here have organised seminars for students on the threat of terrorist ideology, noted Mr Wong.
The Religious Rehabilitation Group - Islamic leaders who counsel JI detainees - is also educating the community about the dangers of terrorist ideas through forums, the media and a website.
The Internal Security Department (ISD) is working with the Education Ministry and schools to bring counter-terrorism messages to teachers and students.
Dr Teo also asked Mr Wong for an update on efforts to arrest JI leader Mas Selamat Kastari, who escaped from detention here on Feb 27 last year and is still at large despite a nationwide manhunt and the offer of a $1 million reward.
'We have no credible information on Mas Selamat's whereabouts to share at this point in time,' said Mr Wong.
'But let me assure Dr Teo that we have not slackened in our search.
'Whether Mas Selamat is in Singapore or he has fled our country, we will hunt him down as we did before.'
Thanking MPs and the public for supporting Home Team officers over the past year as they tracked the fugitive, he said: 'It means a lot to them to know that the public is behind them.'
Dr Teo also asked for an update on the number of detainees at the Whitley Road Detention Centre. Mr Wong said there are now 20 persons under the ISD's detention for terrorist activities.
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TODAY - Is Mas Selamat still on the radar?
06 February 2009
Is Mas Selamat still on the radar?
Friday • February 6, 2009
WITH the economy on most Singaporeans’ minds, one Member of Parliament questioned if terrorism was still on their radar.
"I noticed that many Singaporeans have forgotten about Mas Selamat (Kastari), and our Community Engagement Programme with regards to terrorism has slackened," said Dr Teo Ho Pin.
Almost a year to the Feb 27 escape of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader, the MP noted that many of the wanted posters had been removed from notice boards and public places.
"It is a worrying sign as we may be facing an increased terrorist threat," said Dr Teo, who asked the Home Affairs Minister for an update on the search for Mas Selamat.
Mr Wong Kan Seng replied that Dr Teo was "right that terrorism is still a serious threat", and Singapore’s security agencies would continue to work closely with their regional counterparts to arrest JI operatives and fugitives and reduce the chance that they could infiltrate Singapore to mount attacks.
His ministry had "no credible information on Mas Selamat’s whereabouts" for now, but the search has not slackened. "Whether Mas Selamat is in Singapore or he has fled our country, we will hunt him down as we did before," he said.
Mr Wong also said in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, Singapore will continue to study how to enhance its operational capabilities to deter and neutralise infiltrations from the sea. LEONG WEE KEAT
