Yearender: Singapore takes vigorous anti-terror measures without hurt to Muslims

Being a consistent supporter of the US war against terror, Singapore gave high priority to its anti-terror program in the past year. It took a series of vigorous measures to fight terrorism, but cautiously avoided hurt to the Muslims in the country.

PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ATTACKS

Singapore has considered itself a possible target of terrorist attacks ever since the "9.11" attacks on the United States in 2001. In the past year it took a series of measures to get it prepared for possible terror attacks.

As one of the anti-terror measures, it deployed special police forces nationwide to patrol, especially at land and sea checkpoints; key installations; commercial and entertainment places and residential districts; Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations and trains as well as bus terminals to maintain social security and order.

A new National Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS) under the Prime Minister's Office was set up to handle unconventional attacks or threats.

Iris recognition machines, radiographic equipment and crash barriers were installed at land checkpoints to enhance cargo screening and the security clearance of motorcyclists and vehicles.

Vehicles carrying hazardous materials have been monitored round- the-clock by the Singapore Civil Defense Force since July 1 this year while those bound for the Central Business District must undergo checks at entry points beginning Oct. 1.

Singapore is also a proactive advocator of the biometric passport, believing that it can play a significant role in strengthening border security.

While businesses were demanded to take precautionary security measures, closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) were installed and security guards deployed at every school across the country from the end of last year.

The authorities also planned to set up explosive detection dog teams at MRT stations to carry out surprise checks and install CCTVs at bus interchanges.

MODERATE ANTI-TERROR APPROACH TOWARDS MUSLIMS

As most terrorists claimed to act in the name of Islam, Singapore has adopted a moderate anti-terrorism approach towards Muslims in the country and the world as a whole.

Domestically, the government on the one hand took actions against the threat from the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an al Qaeda- affiliated militant group active in Southeast Asia, and on the other, reassured the Muslim community that it was targeting the terrorists instead of the Muslim community at large. The government emphasized, as it always does, the importance of maintaining harmony of the multi-racial, multi-religious society.

Internationally, Singapore advised the anti-terrorism coalition led by the United States to resort to "soft power" in realizing its anti-terror goal.

"On land or at sea, our collective response to the terrorists must be resolute and implacable. But we can not defeat terrorism through military operations alone," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said to the US-ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Council when he visited the United States in July this year.

He suggested that the United States should reach out to moderate, mainstream Muslims who form the vast majority of the Muslims in the world with the right policies.

At the Shangri-la dialogue held in Singapore in June, he also said: "The US needs to make more use of its 'soft power' to win over international opinion, correct misperceptions, and build trust and credibility, especially in the Muslim world. In the long- term, this is vital if the US is to prevail over terrorism, and to maintain its position of global leadership."

ENHANCED ANTI-TERROR AWARENESS

While reiterating that there is no specific intelligence which suggests any imminent attack on the city state, the government urged all Singaporeans to enhance anti-terror awareness and spare no efforts to support the government efforts to fight against terrorism.

Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng announced in September that Singapore would designate September as the Homefront Security Month to enhance the people's vigilance against terrorism and preparedness for emergencies.

Singaporeans are encouraged to act as the eyes and ears of the security agencies, the arms and legs of the emergency response agencies, as well as the hearts and minds of the country.

For this purpose, the government initiated several dialogues on national security with students and their parents, hoteliers and grassroots leaders, and launched programs to encourage the private sector to share the counter-terrorism responsibility with the government.

The Civil Defense Emergency Handbook was revised in April, and anti-terrorism pamphlets were issued to taxi drivers to tell them how to react when detecting anything suspicious.

ANTI-TERROR EXERCISE FOR RESIDENTS

To make the Singaporeans well prepared for terrorist attacks, an anti-terror exercise involving some 1,000 people including residents, tenants and officers was conducted at a shopping mall in the city on June 19.

"The population must be prepared to recover from any such incident," said Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean at the spot of the exercise.

The government might feel gratified to see that 88 percent of the people surveyed in a poll in July thought the security measures taken by the government were adequate and 74 percent felt safe living in the country.

However, the poll, conducted after the first London blasts in July, showed that only 46 percent of them were familiar with emergency procedures and 38 percent of them would leave the task of safeguarding the society to security agencies.

Source: Xinhua