Counter-terrorism in Singapore

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Counter-terrorism in Singapore is a series of measures implemented in Singapore aiming to detect and prevent potential terrorism acts and to minimize damages should they occur. These measures involve all levels of society including defence, internal security, borders and infrastructure security, civil defence, medical readiness as well as psychological preparedness. Singapore also actively participate in the international effort on counter-terrorism. However, it ought to be noted that terrorisim has not occured in Singapore since 1991. However, this has managed to create many jobs for the people in Singapore.

1 Timeline
2 Arrest of Jemaah Islamiah members
3 Homeland security
4 Counter terrorist specialised units
5 Exercise Northstar V
6 Social cohesion
7 References
8 See also
9 External links
- 9.1 Articles
- 9.2 News articles

[edit] Timeline

See also: Timeline of Singaporean history

These are the events related to terrorism and counter-terrorism in Singapore. Also listed are major terrorist incidents in the world and in Southeast Asia that have influenced counter-terrorism policies in Singapore.

1965 March 10 - MacDonald House bombing by Indonesian saboteurs killed 3 people, during the konfrontasi period
1984 - Concept of Total Defence is introduced.
1990 May - The elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) is formed
1991 March 26 - Four Pakistanis hijack Singapore Airlines Flight 117 and demand the release of Pakistan People's Party members from Pakistani jails.
1991 March 27 - Members of the Singapore Special Operations Force storm into Singapore Airlines Flight 117, killing all hijackers and freeing all passengers and crew members.
2001 December 9 - 15 militants of Jemaah Islamiyah are arrested for the Singapore embassies attack plot [1]
2002 August - Singapore arrests another 21 members of Jemaah Islamiyah.
2002 October 12 - Bali car bombing by Jemaah Islamiah kills 202 people in the Indonesian island.
2003 January 17 - Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group conducts Exercise Diamond Shield to demonstrate chemical and biological defence capability.
2003 March - Chemical Verification Laboratory is certified by Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as a designated laboratory for the testing of chemical warfare agents
2003 August 11 - Hambali, leader of Jemaah Islamiah, is arrested in Thailand.
2003 August 14 - Air Marshal Unit is formed to counter terrorism threats against civil aviation [2]
2003 October 1 - The first Special Rescue Battalion of the Singapore Civil Defence Force is formed [3]
2004 February 27 - Superferry 14 is bombed in the Philippines by Abu Sayyaf, killing 116.
2004 March 11 - Coordinated bombing of commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, kills 191 people and injures more than 1,500.
2004 March 21 - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi leads UMNO to a resounding victory in the General Elections, checking the advance of Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) that aims to establish Malaysia as an Islamist theocratic country.
2004 May 6 - Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong delivers a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. titled "Beyond Madrid: Winning Against Terrorism". [4]
2005 July 7 - London suicide bombings on one double-decker bus and three London Underground trains, killing 55+ people and injuring over 700.
2005 August 15 - The newly established Police MRT Unit begins operational patrols on the Mass Rapid Transit network to enhance the security of Singapore's public transport
2005 August 15 - Singapore hosts a multi-national maritime interdiction exercise, codename Exercise Deep Sabre as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative.
2005 August 25 - French investigating magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière singles out Singapore along with Tokyo and Sydney as potential terrorism targets of the Al-Qaeda. [5] Ministry of Home Affairs later denied receiving any specific information on imminent terrorist threat.[6]
2005 October 1 - A series of explosions kills at least 23 in resort areas of Jimbaran Beach and Kuta in Bali, Indonesia.
2005 November 21-25 - Singapore hosts the Regional Special Forces Counter-Terrorism Conference.
2006 January 8 - Exercise Northstar V, a large scale civil defence exercise, is held in Singapore.

[edit] Arrest of Jemaah Islamiah members

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

After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, an informant told the Singaporean Internal Security Department about Muhammad Aslam Yar Ali Khan, a Singaporean of Pakistani descent who was a member of a group partnered with Al-Qaida. He was placed under surveillance, and he left for Pakistan on October 4. The man was captured by Afghan Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan. His interrogation led investigators to the Singapore cell.

The arrests of 13 people began on December 9, 2001. Soon after that, a video found in an abandoned house in Kabul, Afghanistan showed a narrator in Singapore that was describing about how bombs could be hidden to attack Americans. Investigators found similar tapes at the residences of the arrested men. In all, 33 men were arrested in relation to this plot. [7]

In August 2002, Singapore arrested another 21 members of Jemaah Islamiyah, demolishing the JI cell in Singapore. Arrests were also made in Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. As of 11 November 2005, 36 alleged members of the JI or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were being detained under the Internal Security Act ^[8].

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. [9] 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. [10]

[edit] Homeland security

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

On August 15, 2005, the newly established Police MRT Unit begins operational patrols on the Mass Rapid Transit network to protect the public transport system. Special forces from Special Operations Command (SOC) and the Gurkha Contingent (GC) have also been deployed to complement other police officers on patrol. The Police Coast Guard (PCG) stepped up its effort to check ferries and other vessels in Singapore territorial waters.

On October 26, 2005, Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for Security and Defence S Jayakumar announces that Singapore is 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. [11]

[edit] Counter terrorist specialised units

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

[edit] Exercise Northstar V

Main article: Exercise Northstar V

In January 2006, a large scale emergency preparedness exercise, codenamed Exercise Northstar V, was conducted. 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 and one bus interchange. There were 500 mock casualties suffering from "injuries" caused by the "explosions" as well as chemical agents. ^[12]

[edit] Social cohesion

One of the aims of Jemaah Islamiyah is to exploit race and religion issues to create instablity in the region and to stir up conflict between Singapore and Malaysia. Following the arrests of JI members, then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong held dialogues with the leaders of the Muslim community which makes up 15 per cent of Singapore population. Details of the investigations were shared to explain that the arrests were not targeted against the Singapore Muslim community or Islam. In schools and workplaces, inter racial confidence circles were formed to promote better inter racial and inter religious understanding between the different communities.

Islamic scholars and counselors in Singapore participated in the rehabilitation of the detained JI members, hence giving the Muslim community a role in the ideological aspect of the fight against terrorism. Singapore's housing and education policies continue to ensure that the Muslim community in Singapore is well integrated with other communities in schools, housing estates and the workplace.

Group representation constituency were introduced in 1988 to ensure minority communities are represented in the Parliament of Singapore. In the Cabinet, Yaacob Ibrahim holds a position called Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs who looks into issues pertaining to the Muslim community. This would also ensure that Muslim sentiments are heard at the highest level of government.