Monday 13 April 2015

[Straits Times] Measures to safeguard S'pore from terror attacks

WE THANK Mr Rajasegaran Ramasamy for his letter ("No room for complacency amid terrorist threat"; April 3) and assure him that the Singapore Government takes the threat of terrorism seriously.

The Home Team has put in place firm measures to safeguard Singapore from terrorist attacks.

These include securing of our borders, maintaining regular intelligence exchanges with our international counterparts, and responding swiftly and effectively to threats, including through preventive detention under the Internal Security Act.

The Home Team will continue to work with stakeholders, like community and religious organisations, to deal with the terrorism threat and prevent an attack from occurring in Singapore.

Members of the public play an important role in our counter-terrorism efforts.

They can do their part by being alert to suspicious activities and by promptly alerting the police if they are aware that someone they know has been radicalised.

This is especially important for the early detection of individuals who are radicalised but do not belong to a terrorist organisation.

It is usually the people who are close to such "lone wolves" who will first notice something is amiss with them.

As we have seen in incidents overseas where attacks occurred even with heightened security, there is no guarantee that a terrorist attack will never take place here.

If, in spite of our best efforts, an attack does occur here, the Government will spare no efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent further attacks.

It would be just as important, however, that Singaporeans stand resolutely as one people in the aftermath of an attack.

Terrorists seek to divide communities and strike fear in innocent people.

By responding calmly and staying cohesive as a society, Singapore can prevail over the terrorists and thwart their attempts to divide our society.

Sunny Lee

Director, Media Relations

Ministry of Home Affairs