Counter-terrorism in Singapore explained

Counter-terrorism in Singapore is a series of detection and prevention measures to minimize the damage caused by terrorism. These measures involve the participation of all levels of society, including defence, internal security, border and infrastructure security, civil defense, and gives special focus on areas such as medical readiness and psychological preparedness.

Strategy

Singapore's main counter-terrorism strategy includes cooperation with regional and international partners to achieve a transnational landscape of security. Singapore is instrumental in the passage of international initiatives such as the landmark United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 which established the legal basis for international action against terrorism.[1] It is also at the forefront of the Southeast Asian counter-terrorism efforts[2] and a United States partner in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) that aims to combat the illicit trade and spread of weapons of mass destruction.[3]

In recent years, Singapore's counter-terrorism initiatives have created political criticism from the country's Muslim population.[4] This was particularly pronounced when Singapore joined the international community's call for Iraq's disarmament, which eventually led to the American invasion of the country.

Timeline

See also: Timeline of Singaporean history.

These are the events related to terrorism and counter-terrorism in Singapore.

1970s

On 31 January 1974, four armed men from the terrorist groups Japanese Red Army and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine attacked the Shell oil refinery complex on Pulau Bukom and later hijacked the ferryboat Laju and took its five crew members hostage. The crisis was resolved after the Singapore government exchanged the hostages with four commandos from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and eight other local government officials and was led by S. R. Nathan, Director of the Security and Intelligence Division (SID) at the Ministry of Defence, and provided the terrorists safe passage to the Middle East.[5] [6]

The incident was Singapore's first encounter with international terrorism. It also directly contributed to the beginning of the establishment of full-time National Service for the country's police force in 1975, one year after the incident, referred to as Police National Service (PNS), which was aimed at, initially, raising a sizeable source of manpower for the police in the event of another terrorist incident on vital installations and the provision of protection and security for the latter against the former.[7]

1980s

Total Defence was officially proclaimed as Singapore's overarching defence strategy on 22 January 1984 with five elements: military, civil, economic, social, and psychological.[8] [9]

1990s

2000s

2010s

In 2019, digital defence was added as the sixth element of Total Defence, with the government highlighting increasing threats in the cybersphere.[26]

2020s

Arrest of Jemaah Islamiyah members

The main terrorist threat to Singapore is from Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which has links to al-Qaeda and Abu Sayyaf. Jemaah Islamiyah is known to have carried out the Bali bombing in 2002, which killed 202 people, as well as the Jakarta bombing in 2004 outside the Australian embassy, killing 11 people.

After the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, an informant revealed information to the Singapore Internal Security Department regarding Muhammad Aslam Yar Ali Khan, a Singaporean of Pakistani descent, who was a member of a group partnered with Al-Qaeda. Muhammad Aslam Yar Ali Khan was placed under surveillance by Singapore Internal Security Department, after which he left for Pakistan on 4 October. This man was captured by Afghan Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan. His interrogation led investigators to more Jemaah Islamiyah members in Singapore.

On 9 December 2001, 13 suspects were arrested. Soon after that, a video found in an abandoned house in Kabul, Afghanistan showed a narrator in Singapore describing how to attack Americans using explosives. Investigators found similar tapes at the residences of the arrested men. In all, 33 men were arrested in relation to this plot.[33]

In August 2002, another 21 members of Jemaah Islamiyah were arrested, demolishing JI's Singaporean cell. Arrests were also made in Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. As of 11 November 2005, 36 alleged members of JI or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were being detained under the Internal Security Act.[34]

However, Singapore believes that Jemaah Islamiyah remains active in Southeast Asia and is recruiting new members.

On 25 August 2005, French investigating magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière singled out Singapore along with Tokyo and Sydney as potential terrorism targets of the Al-Qaeda. http://news.ft.com/cms/s/33cb0c4c-15a8-11da-8085-00000e2511c8.html The Ministry of Home Affairs later responded that it had not received any specific information on imminent terrorist threat against Singapore, but added that security measures have been taken to strengthen security at borders, key infrastructure and iconic buildings.[35]

Homeland security

The Singapore Police Force has in recent years enhanced security at various locations in the country.

On 15 August 2005, the newly established Public Transport Security Command began operational patrols on the Mass Rapid Transit network to protect the public transportation system. Personnel from the Special Operations Command (SOC) and the Gurkha Contingent (GC) have also been deployed to complement other police officers on patrol. In addition, the Police Coast Guard (PCG) stepped up its effort to inspect ferries and other vessels in Singapore territorial waters.

On 26 October 2005, Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for Security and Defence S Jayakumar announced that Singapore was developing an early warning system, called the risk assessment and horizon scanning, to identify and assess new emerging threats to national security. The system, developed by the National Security Coordination Secretariat, will be put in place by mid-2007.[36]

Counter terrorist specialised units

At the forefront in the fight against terrorism are specialised military, law enforcement, and civil defence units, namely:

Additional power to military

In May 2007, the parliament passed an amendment to the SAF Act, giving additional powers to the Singapore Armed Forces. A select group of about 2,000 SAF personnel will be trained to perform security operations in designated areas. These personnel, identified by a Military Security identification card, will be able to search, detain and use reasonable force against terror suspects.[37]

Exercise Northstar V

On 8 January 2006, a large scale emergency preparedness exercise was conducted. Codenamed Exercise Northstar V, it involved 22 agencies and 2,000 emergency personnel. An additional 3,400 commuters also participated in the exercise. The exercise involved a simulated terrorist bomb attack on four MRT stations (Raffles Place, Dhoby Ghaut, Toa Payoh and Marina Bay) and one bus interchange (Toa Payoh). There were 500 mock casualties suffering from "injuries" caused by the "explosions" as well as chemical agents. The exercise is the largest civil emergency exercise ever staged in the country.[38]

Conduct of the exercise

The exercise started at 6:25 am local time on 8 January 2006, a Sunday, and lasted about three hours. To avoid public panic, announcements were made at the affected train stations as well as on television and radio, just before the exercise began. Prominent signages were also displayed.

Mock explosive devices, such as thunderflashes were detonated near-simultaneously in subway trains and station platforms at four MRT stations (Dhoby Ghaut, Toa Payoh, Raffles Place and Marina Bay) and in a double decker bus at Toa Payoh Bus Interchange. A chemical agent attack was then simulated at Dhoby Ghaut at 6:45 am. An undetonated mock bomb was also placed at the Raffles Place. About 3,400 commuters who were on board the subway trains were evacuated during the drill. Services at 13 MRT stations were temporarily disrupted and roads within the vicinity were also closed to traffic. Shuttle buses were used to ferry commuters affected by the exercise.

Thunderflashes, smoke generators, and fire simulators were used to simulate the explosion and 500 simulated casualties were deployed to test emergency rescuers at the scene. These mock casualties carried tags to provide paramedics information on the extent of their injuries and this includes injuries related to bomb blasts, such as open wounds and burns. There were also some with injuries related to chemical agents. Dummy mannequins were also used to simulate casualties. 7 hospitals and 2 polyclinics were also involved in the drill as they received the mock casualties. In two hospitals, Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, healthcare workers donned decontamination suits as they prepared to treat victims of chemical agents suspected to be sarin gas.[39]

Officers from the London Metropolitan Police and the British Transport Police, including Chief Constable Ian Johnston, were present to observe the exercise and to provide feedback to the authorities.[40]

Social cohesion

Following the crackdown on the local Jemaah Islamiyah cell, then-Deputy-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong held dialogues with the leaders of the Muslim community. Details of the investigation were shared to explain that the arrests were not targeted at the Singapore Muslim community, or Islam. In schools and workplaces, inter-racial confidence circles were formed to promote inter-racial and inter-religious understanding between the different racial and religious communities, while Islamic scholars and counselors in Singapore participated in the rehabilitation of the detained JI members.

See also

External links

Notes and References

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  2. Book: Singapore: Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook . International Business Publications . 2008 . 978-1433062520 . Washington, D.C. . 152.
  3. Book: Handbook Of Terrorism In The Asia-pacific. Rohan. Gunaratna. Yee. Kam Stefanie. Imperial college Press. 2016. 9781783269952. London. 19.
  4. Book: Amitav, Acharya. Singapore's Foreign Policy: The Search for Regional Order. World Scientific. 2008. 9789812708595. New Jersey. 90.
  5. Book: Squire . Thomas A. . Always a Commando : the life of Singapore army pioneer Clarence Tan . 2019 . 978-9814779319 . 242–253.
  6. News: 8 Oct 1985 . Ship Hijackings Are A Rare Occurrence, Often Complicated With AM-Ship Hijack, Bjt . Associated Press .
  7. Web site: Laju hijacking . Infopedia.
  8. News: 22 January 1984 . Total Defence . Singapore Monitor . 22 April 2021.
  9. News: Wai . Ronnie . Chew . Lillian . Jacob . Paul . 22 January 1984 . Total Defence – What it means . The Straits Times . 22 April 2021.
  10. Web site: News@Home . 27 August 2005 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050728090201/http://www2.mha.gov.sg/mha/detailed.jsp?artid=667&type=4&root=0&parent=0&cat=0&mode=arc . 28 July 2005 . dead .
  11. Web site: Singapore passes law allowing air marshals on SIA, Silk Air. www.singapore-window.org.
  12. Web site: Milestones . 27 August 2005 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050828152115/http://www.scdf.gov.sg/html/abtus/abt09_milestones_2003-2004.html . 28 August 2005 . dead .
  13. Web site: Beyond Madrid: Winning Against Terrorism - Council on Foreign Relations. https://web.archive.org/web/20080208042729/http://www.cfr.org/publication.html?id=7004. dead. 8 February 2008. 8 February 2008.
  14. Web site: FT.com / World / Asia-Pacific - Al-Qaeda 'preparing to attack' Asian city. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050905202512/http://news.ft.com/cms/s/33cb0c4c-15a8-11da-8085-00000e2511c8.html . 5 September 2005 .
  15. Web site: Channelnewsasia.com. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20051126230528/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/165133/1/.html . 26 November 2005 .
  16. News: Orchard MRT targeted . The Straits Times . Singapore . 19 May 2010 .
  17. News: If you see a car smoking, what will you do?. 19 October 2012. MyPaper. 10 November 2010.
  18. Web site: Singapore leaders send condolence letters to French counterparts following Paris attacks. Channel News Asia. 14 November 2015. 15 November 2015. 16 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151116111530/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-leaders-send/2260788.html. dead.
  19. News: Ngau. Kai Yan. Exercise Heartbeat in pictures: Simulated terror drill at the heart of Singapore. 25 November 2015. 25 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151125192305/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/exercise-heartbeat-in/2271306.html. dead.
  20. Web site: EXERCISE HEARTBEAT 2015. SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE. 25 November 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151126063427/http://www.police.gov.sg/mic/2015/11/20151115_others_exercise_heartbeat.html. 26 November 2015. dmy-all.
  21. Web site: The Straits Times – Paris attacks give Home Team exercise new significance. Government of Singapore. Singapore Press Holdings. 25 November 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151126044522/http://www.gov.sg/news/content/the-straits-times-paris-attacks-give-home-team-exercise-new-significance. 26 November 2015. dmy-all.
  22. Web site: New SAF unit to boost Singapore's response to terror attacks. 1 July 2016. 1 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160701133831/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-saf-unit-to-boost/2917980.html. dead.
  23. Web site: Plot to hit Singapore's Marina Bay with rocket from Batam foiled. CNA. 20 July 2018. 20 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180720135624/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/plot-to-hit-singapore-s-marina-bay-with-rocket-from-batam-foiled-7869776. dead.
  24. Web site: S'pore stages its biggest anti-terror exercise. Danson CheongChina. Correspondent. 18 October 2016. The Straits Times.
  25. Web site: Simulated attacks at multiple locations test Singapore's counter-terrorism response. 19 October 2016. 19 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161019163925/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/simulated-attacks-at-multiple-locations-test-singapore-s-counter/3213928.html. dead.
  26. News: Baharudin . Hariz . 15 February 2019 . Digital defence to be sixth pillar of Total Defence . The Straits Times . 22 April 2021.
  27. News: Lim . Min Zhang . 16-year old Singaporean detained under ISA for planning terror attacks on two mosques . 27 January 2021 . . 27 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210127112850/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/16-year-old-detained-under-isa-for-planning-terrorist-attacks-at-two-mosques-in-singapore . 27 January 2021. live.
  28. News: Mahmud . Aqil Haziq . 16-year-old Singaporean detained under ISA after planning to attack Muslims at 2 mosques . 27 January 2021 . . 27 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210127222628/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/16-year-old-singaporean-detained-isa-planned-attack-2-mosques-14052400 . 27 January 2021. live.
  29. News: Baharuddin . Hariz . Singaporean youth detained under ISA for planning knife attack on Jews leaving synagogue . 11 March 2021 . . 10 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210310153031/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singaporean-youth-detained-under-isa-for-planning-knife-attack-on-jews-leaving-synagogue . 10 March 2021. live.
  30. News: Jaipragas . Bhavan . Singapore detains man who plotted knife attack on Jews; considers tighter security at places of worship . 11 March 2021 . . 10 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210310114048/https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3124875/singapore-detains-man-who-plotted-knife-attack-jews-considers . 10 March 2021. live.
  31. News: Iau . Jean . Self-radicalised S’porean, 16, who identified as white supremacist, given restriction order under ISA . 27 January 2024 . . 24 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240127041051/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/self-radicalised-s-porean-16-who-identified-as-white-supremacist-given-restriction-order-under-isa . 27 January 2024.
  32. News: Wong . Pei Ting . Sun . David . Self-radicalised S’porean teen, 14, and ex-public servant, 33, given ISA restriction orders . 16 July 2024 . . 16 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240716033707/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/self-radicalised-s-porean-teen-14-and-ex-public-servant-33-given-isa-restriction-orders . 16 July 2024.
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  34. News: Islamic militant detained in Singapore under Internal Security Act – govt . https://web.archive.org/web/20071013124954/http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/afx/2005/11/11/afx2331703.html . dead . 13 October 2007 . AFX News Limited . 11 November 2005 .
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  36. Web site: Singapore sets up new centre to enhance risk assessment capability . 23 February 2011 . . 28 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110628191609/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/264941/1/.html . dead .
  37. News: SAF given new powers to deal with changed security landscape . 21 May 2007 . Channel NewsAsia . Asha Popatlal . 22 May 2007 . 23 May 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070523055227/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/277507/1/.html . dead .
  38. News: Twenty-two agencies in Exercise Northstar V ready for action . https://web.archive.org/web/20071001043739/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/186433/1/.html . Channel NewsAsia. 3 January 2006 . 1 October 2007.
  39. http://www.scdf.gov.sg/General/News/News_Releases/2006/newsrel_080106.html Official news release: Multi-agency Civil Emergency Exercise
  40. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/187146/1/.html Official news release: British Transport Police observe Exercise NorthStar V