Tag: Internal Security Act

2 Self-Radicalised Singaporean Youths Arrested, Detained Under ISA

A Singaporean youth has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for terrorism-related activities since April this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Wednesday (May 27).

Additionally, another youth was arrested in May under the ISA for further investigations into the extent of his radicalisation.

The youth detained since April, M Arifil Azim Putra Norja’i, a 19-year-old post-secondary student, is the first known self-radicalised Singaporean to harbour the intention to carry out violent attacks in Singapore, said MHA.

Investigations showed that he had made plans to join the terrorist group, Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and that his radicalisation began around 2013 when he started viewing terrorist propaganda online, said MHA.

The ministry said Arifil then grew to support the radical ideology and violent tactics of ISIS, and befriended individuals online whom he thought could help him join the terrorist group. Arifil also actively surfed the Internet for information on travel routes to Syria so that he could engage in armed violence there, and had done research on making improvised explosive devices.

Arifil also revealed that if he was unable to join ISIS in Syria, he intended to carry out violent attacks in Singapore, said MHA. He had put “considerable thought” into how he would attack key facilities and assassinate Government leaders. If he was unable to carry out these plans, Arifil planned to carry out attacks in public places “in order to strike fear within our society”, using “easily available” weapons such as knives, added the ministry.

His intentions to carry out violent attacks were subsequently corroborated by several persons who said he had tried to recruit them to help carry out these plans, according to the MHA. Investigations showed that while these people did not fall prey to Arifil’s attempts to recruit them, they also did not alert the authorities about him, it added.

“Fortunately, another person who knew Arifil noticed the changes in him, and had brought him to the attention of the authorities, who were then able to investigate the matter and take action before he could carry out his violent attack plans in Singapore,” said MHA.

The ministry added that another radicalised Singaporean post-secondary youth, 17, was arrested in May under the ISA for further investigations into the extent of his radicalisation. His family was informed of his arrest, and will be kept informed of the outcome of the investigations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean said Singapore faces real threats from radicalisation, similar to other countries.

“Our community leaders have worked hard to counter radical ideology. And we should all, from all communities in Singapore, support one another. … All of us must play our part. If you know or suspect anyone who is becoming radicalised, please notify the authorities early,” Mr Teo said.

“You may be helping to save that person from harming himself and others. And our security agencies will do their utmost to detect and prevent any terrorist attacks.”

FAMILY, FRIENDS PLAY ROLE IN PREVENTING RADICALISATION

The ministry said the two young Singaporeans who have been radicalised demonstrate that youth in Singapore can become radicalised too, in particular through the internet.

The ministry said that family members, friends, colleagues and members of the public have an important role to play in protecting fellow Singaporeans from radicalisation and engaging in terrorist activities.

“This should be done early, so that Singaporeans at risk of becoming radicalised can be provided proper guidance, supervision and religious instruction, and be saved. Religious institutions and teachers also have an important role to play in engaging young Singaporeans when they have questions on religious matters, and steering them in the right direction,” said the MHA.

It added that anyone who knows or suspects that a person is radicalised should promptly call the ISD Counter-Terrorism Centre hotline 1800-2626-473 (1800-2626-ISD).

“This could save such individuals and allow them to be helped and counselled, so that they are prevented from engaging in violent activities that may cause harm to themselves and others,” said the MHA.

THREE JI MEMBERS RELEASED

The MHA also announced in a separate release that three Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members were released in February and May this year after they were “assessed to no longer pose a security threat that required preventive detention”.

The JI members are Sahrudin Mohd Sapian, Mohamed Rafee Abdul Rahman and Mohamed Rashid Zainal Abidin, it said.

Sahrudin and Rafee were JI members detained under the ISA in February 2012. They had undergone terrorist training in Afghanistan in 2000, and both men were released from detention and placed on Restriction Orders (RO) on Feb 24, 2014, said MHA.

The ministry added that Rashid, who was detained under the ISA in May 2006, was a JI member who had undergone terrorist training in south Philippines. He was released from detention and placed on RO on May 26, 2014.

Additionally, the ROs against four JI members and one self-radicalised individual were allowed to lapse between June 2014 and April 2015. The JI members were Ab Wahab Ahmad, Syed Ibrahim, Ibrahim Mohd Noor and Jahpar Osman, while the self-radicalised individual was Muhammad Thahir Shaik Dawood.

“All five men had been cooperative and responsive to rehabilitation efforts,” said MHA.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 27, 2015
Activists Dismay At Preservation of Sedition Act 1948 In Malaysia

Tasked to draft a replacement to the Sedition Act 1948, two members of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) today expressed surprise and dismay over Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s shock announcement that the controversial law will stay.

Noting that the announcement was made during the on-going Umno General Assembly today, NUCC member Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa also questioned the intent in breaking the pledge that has been made thrice publicly.

“I think this is, unfortunately, just to please the Umno delegates who are now having their yearly meeting,” the Parit Buntar MP said.

“If the intention was to please them, that is most unfortunate, because we are looking at the issue of Sedition Act from a substantive point, because standard of proof for this act is very low and does not address racial and religious incitement.”

The NUCC has been pushing for the law to be eliminated, contending that its ambit is too broad as it criminalises speech with an undefined “seditious tendency” and without need to prove intent.

Sharing his dismay was social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, who expressed surprise that the Act will not be replaced by the National Harmony Bills proposed by the NUCC.

As part of his administration’s raft of reforms, Najib had in 2012 pledged to do away with the Sedition Act and replace it with laws on national harmony. This was repeated twice more, most recently on September 5.

The NUCC was formed November 30 last year to establish a National Unity Blueprint and was tasked with, among others, to propose new legislation to replace the Sedition Act.

It later proposed three draft bills to replace the Sedition Act: The Racial, Religious and Hate Crimes bill, which outlaws hate speech; the National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill, which prohibits discrimination; and the National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission Bill, which details the functions of the commission that will inquire into complaints of discrimination.

Confusion over the drafts led to vicious attacks against the NUCC and the Bar Council that was roped in to help prepare the legislation, forcing Putrajaya to repeatedly deny that the proposals were the intended replacements for the Sedition Act.

Putrajaya later also began to convey that the repeal of the Act was not certain, hinting that it may be retained if the replacements are inferior.

At the 65th Umno General Assembly today, Najib removed all doubts when he declared that the Sedition Act 1948 will remain, after consultation with party leaders, NGOs and grassroots members.

He also announced that the Act will be strengthened with two extra provisions: One prohibiting insults against all religions, and the other prohibiting talks of Sabah and Sarawak seceding from Malaysia.

“I assumed he had thought long and hard before he said he would abolish it, and I’m hoping he gave the same amount of thought to this reversal of that decision,” Marina told Malay Mail Online.

“As with all laws, they mean nothing no matter what amendments are made if implementation is poor and prosecution is selective.”

Today, Mujahid also wondered aloud about the prime minister’s given reasons for the retention of the criticised law, pointing out that the Federal Constitution contains clear provisions protecting the Malays, Islam and the Malay rulers.

The PAS lawmaker criticised the possibility that the decision was made solely to convince Umno delegates at the convention of the party’s commitment to protect the Malay agenda.

“This is the wrong perception,” said the PAS MP. “The whole idea is, Umno is afraid of its own shadow and now they are trying to drag the whole country because they feel threatened and not the people, Islam or the Malay rulers.”

Up until the announcement today, Putrajaya has repeatedly insisted it will repeal the Sedition Act and sought to justify an accelerated use of the law against opposition politicians, activists, academics and even a journalist.

Defenders of the Sedition Act, primarily pro-establishment conservatives including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, contend that its removal will open the floodgates of attacks against the Bumiputera, Islam, and the Malay rulers in the absence of another pre-independence law that has since been repealed, the Internal Security Act.

Source: http://www.themalaymailonline.com

November 28, 2014
At Least Two Singaporeans Went to Syria to Join ISIS

SINGAPORE: The escalation of violence in Syria and Iraq over the last three months, as well as the expansion of the Islamic State (IS) threat beyond the two countries’ borders, have raised the security threat posed to Singapore. Two Ministers took turns to address concerns raised by Members of Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 7).

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean shared the Government’s assessment of the situation, while Foreign Affairs Minister, K Shanmugam said that countering the terrorism threat has to ultimately be “in the arena of ideas”.

COUNTERING EXTREMIST IDEOLOGY

Mr Shanmugam said as many as 15,000 people from about 80 countries could have joined IS and other radical groups fighting in Syria and Iraq. This is the largest mobilisation of foreign fighters since the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s – the conflict that ultimately created the Al Qaeda terrorist network.

This region is not immune to the threat, with many joining in the fight in Syria and Iraq, he said. To combat the threat, Mr Shanmugam raised three points.

Firstly, international solidarity and action will send a strong signal to the IS that the world has rejected its extremist agenda.

Secondly, IS in both Iraq and Syria must be dealt with as one entity. He said any overall strategy must include a political solution to end the conflict in Syria, and political will to develop an inclusive and tolerant government in Iraq.

Lastly, military force alone will not be enough. “Military force is necessary to blunt IS on the ground but missiles and rockets alone cannot and will not bring peace,” said Mr Shanmugam. “This brings me to my third point – the true fight has to be in the arena of ideas. We have to counter the extremist ideology which is used to recruit foreigners to terrorism and fuel their violent agenda.”

He added that the threat posed by IS was real and everyone must do their part to combat global terrorism.

THE THREAT TO SINGAPORE

Mr Teo elaborated on the threat of the IS closer to home. IS continues to actively recruit foreign fighters – including Southeast Asians – and its brutality is not confined to beheadings of Westerners, but also to the killing of other Muslims and minority communities in Syria and Iraq, Mr Teo told Parliament.

A United States-led coalition of more than 40 countries, including several Arab states, is now taking counter-action against IS, he added.

“We currently have no information of any specific threat to us resulting directly from beheadings of IS and the anti-IS strikes,” Mr Teo said. “However, our assessment remains that the expansion of the IS threat beyond Syria and Iraq has raised the threat not only to countries who are part of the US-led coalition but also to Singapore.”

As with the threat from Al-Qaeda, he said, “even if Singapore is not itself a target, foreign interests here may be targeted. This House may recall that Al Qaeda, working with the Jemaah Islamiyah Group, had planned to bomb the US and other embassies in Singapore in 2002”.

There are also reports that some Malaysians and Indonesians who have fought for IS have formed a militant group called Katibah Nusantara Lid Daulah Islamiyyah, or Malay Archipelago Unit for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

“If this group expands in Southeast Asia, it will pose a regional terrorism threat like the JI terrorist network, which had also aimed to set up a Southeast Asian Islamic Archipelago that encompassed Singapore, through the use of violence and terrorism,” Mr Teo said.

LOCAL SECURITY MEASURES IN PLACE

The DPM said Singapore’s security agencies are working with its security partners to monitor the situation in Syria and Iraq closely though the exchange of information, and will cooperate with them to counter the threat posed by foreign terrorists to Singapore.

There are also measures to prevent Singaporeans from getting involved in the violence there or from carrying out activities in support of IS, he said, such as co-sponsoring the UN Security Council resolution on foreign terrorist fighters.

“Any Singaporean who assists, supports, promotes or joins violent organisations like IS would have demonstrated a dangerous tendency to support the use of violence. Such a person poses a real threat to Singapore’s national security, and will be dealt with in accordance with our laws,” he said.

“Our approach will be carefully calibrated to the specifics of each case. Where necessary, the Internal Security Act (ISA) will be used in order to pre-empt and neutralise these terrorism threats to the security of our citizens and our country.”

In response to a question by Workers’ Party MP Low Thia Khiang, Mr Teo said that there are at least two known Singapore citizens who have gone to Syria to take part in the fight, though their exact whereabouts are unknown.

He added that authorities will continue to investigate anyone who expresses support for terrorism or an interest to pursue violence.

LOCAL COMMUNITY HAS PART TO PLAY

The Deputy Prime Minister also called on everyone to play a part in protecting Singapore against the terrorism threat. This includes alerting the authorities early to prevent family and friends from becoming radicalised.

There are also various community initiatives to counter IS’ radical rhetoric, he noted. The Religious Rehabilitation Group, for example, plans to produce online videos to debunk IS’ ideology to better reach out to Internet-savvy youths who are most at risk of being radicalised via social media, he said.

Mr Teo also mentioned a meeting was organised in July, with various community leaders, for them to understand what the Muslim community is doing to counter the threat.

“The threat is always there, but it’s something which we have to continue to work hard together, to bring people together, and help them understand the problem, and that our Muslim community is taking proactive and real steps to deal with this issue,” he said.

“All members of the public can also play their part by being alert to suspicious persons, objects and activities. A timely call to the authorities could well save many innocent lives. By working together, we can make Singapore a safer place for everyone,” Mr Teo added.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/rise-of-islamic-state/1401872.html

October 9, 2014
Film by Tan Pin Pin Will Not be Shown at Yale-NUS

Despite a national ban in Singapore, Yale-NUS is pressing ahead with its plans to show a film that has been deemed by the Singaporean government as a threat to the country’s security.

The film, “To Singapore, with Love” documents the lives of nine Singaporean exiles — among them trade unionists, communists and student leaders — and was slated to be shown at the National University of Singapore Museum at the end of the month. But earlier this month, Singapore’s Media Development Authority classified the film as NAR, or “Not allowed for all ratings,” claiming that it unfairly suggested that exiles are being denied their right to return to the country.

The categorization prevents the film from being shown or distributed in the city-state of 5.4 million.

“By doing this, MDA is taking away an opportunity for us Singaporeans see it and to have a conversation about it and our past that this film could have started or contributed to,” Tan Pin Pin, the filmmaker, said in a statement. “Now, the irony [is] that a film about Singapore exiles is now exiled from Singapore as well.”

The banning of the film quickly raised ire amongst Yale professors, including longtime Yale-NUS critics including English professor Jill Campbell and political science lecturer Jim Sleeper, who characterized the ban as a threat to freedom of expression at a college stamped with Yale’s name.

But despite the MDA ban, Yale-NUS President Pericles Lewis said the film will be shown in a course on documentary film later this semester on his campus. Lewis said that Yale-NUS checked with MDA about the screening of the film and received the response that the MDA “had no problems with our plans.”

Lewis said governmental restrictions in Singapore generally do not affect educational material. There are exceptions under national law, he said, that allow materials which would otherwise be restricted to be used on-campus for educational purposes.

“Academic freedom and open inquiry are bedrock principles of Yale-NUS College. Our faculty teach freely on a wide range of subjects, and we have not faced any restrictions on our curriculum,” he said.

The ban, as well as Lewis’ reassurance about the film’s screening at Yale-NUS, comes on the heels of Yale President Peter Salovey’s full-throated defense of free expression during his freshman address in August.

Salovey said he was pleased to learn that the film will be screened in a Yale-NUS film course, adding that he expects the Yale-NUS campus to be a place in which “the principle of free expression of ideas is respected.”

Yet the decision to show the film at Yale-NUS is only a small reassurance to critics of the school who have publicly voiced opposition to free speech restrictions in Singapore for several years. Since the creation of Yale-NUS was announced in 2009, Yale administrators have faced a constant stream of concerns about Singapore’s tight policies on individual freedom. The freedom of faculty and students to engage in controversial issues and a true liberal arts education has also been a topic of debate.

“I would say [showing the film] is a step in the right direction,” said Hank Reichman, the chair of the American Association of University Professors Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure. But he added that the move is far from enough to address all the questions that the AAUP raised in 2012, when it released an open letter expressing concern about freedom of speech at Yale-NUS.

The extent of Yale-NUS’s commitment to free speech is still uncertain, Sleeper said, given that it is unclear what kind of understanding the college has reached with the Singaporean government.

Six Yale-NUS students interviewed said they do not feel impacted by government-sponsored censorship in the materials they study or the conversations they have. Yale-NUS student Zachary Mahon said students read Salman Rushdie’s novel “Shame” in their Common Curriculum literature course, and have “The Satanic Verses” – which was written by the same author and banned in many countries including Singapore – available to them in their library.

Nicholas Carverhill said that earlier this summer the National Library Board decided to ban three children’s books because they depicted “alternative” family structures and values. As a response, Carverhill said he purchased the books in Canada and brought them over to Singapore to donate to Yale-NUS, which included them in its library.

Mahon said he perceives Yale-NUS as a “safe haven” for controversial materials within the state — but added that he also generally feels like he is able to do what he pleases in Singapore.

“I do not feel there is anything we cannot talk about. We criticize the government all the time, both inside and outside of the classroom,” he said. “This is only natural as it is necessary to acknowledge the flaws of anything in order to progress.”

Tamara Burgos said entertainment or documentary films that may broaden students’ perspectives and be helpful educational resources for them should be available to all.

Yale administrators have long expressed hopes that Yale-NUS’s presence in Singapore will encourage the expansion of free expression in the city-state of six million — a hope that Salovey continued to express despite the ban.

“Time will tell whether an emphasis on free expression as we’ve come to enjoy it in American society is experienced similarly in greater Singaporean society,” Salovey said. “My personal view is that the existence of a campus like Yale-NUS College creates some momentum in that direction.”

Before the ban, “To Singapore, with Love” was slated to be shown along with two of Tan’s earlier films at the NUS Museum.

Correction: Sept. 18

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that students read Salman Rushdie’s novel “The Satanic Verses” as part of their Common Curriculum. In fact, students read “Shame” by the same author, and had “The Satanic Verses” available to them in the Yale-NUS library.

Source: http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2014/09/18/yale-nus-to-show-banned-film/

September 19, 2014
Penang-born Husband Took Singaporean Wife and Two Children to Syria, Join ISIS

A 37-year-old Penang-born man has brought his Singaporean family to Syria where they are believed to be in different locations fighting alongside jihadists or supporting them.

His Singaporean wife was a 47-year-old widow who had a daughter and a son – aged 18 and 14 – from a previous marriage, The Star newspaper reported on Friday.

The report quoted sources as saying the family went to Syria in November, but did not stay together.

“The authorities believe the man joined the Jabhat Al-Nusra group and his stepson the IS (Islamic State),” the sources told the newspaper. IS is also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“The wife worked as a cook while the daughter taught English to the children of the fighters in Syria,” one source was quoted as saying.

The family members are believed to be in different parts of Syria, according to the newspaper. One possible location is east Hama, where jihadists are known to have set up a base of operations.

Authorities are keeping close tab on the family and trying to find out how they were influenced to go to Syria, said the report. The sources said the authorities believe their decision had to do with the woman’s former husband.

In July, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean disclosed in parliament that several Singaporeans are among 12,000 foreigners taking part in the armed conflict in Syria, including a couple of parents who had taken along their children

Among the “handful” of Singaporeans is said to be a woman who went with her foreign husband and their two teenage children.

“The whole family is taking part in the conflict in various ways, either joining the terrorist groups to fight, or providing aid and support to the fighters,” said Mr Teo, who is also Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister.

Another man, Haja Fakkurudeen Usman Ali, 37, took with him his wife and three children between the ages of two and 11. He is a Singapore citizen who was an Indian national, the Home Affairs Ministry had said in March when announcing that he was under investigation.

Several other Singaporeans had planned to join the conflict but were detained before they could set off, and some others were under investigation, said Mr Teo.

The Star newspaper had earlier reported that five former Internal Security Act detainees are among 40 Malaysians who have joined the militants.

The five named include 45-year-old former Kedah PAS Youth information chief Mohd Lotfi Ariffin, who was injured in an attack which killed the youngest Malaysian jihadist in Syria on Tuesday. Mohammad Fadhlan Shahidi Mohammad Khir, 21, from Kedah was the second Malaysian jihadist to be killed in Syria.

The first Malaysian militant to die in Syria was Abu Turob, 52, who was killed during an attack by tanks and snipers on Aug 19.

In Putrajaya, Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called on Malaysians to reject extremist views and protect the country’s image. He said the actions of a few individuals did not reflect the true nature of the country and its people.

“We don’t want Malaysia to be presumed internationally as a breeding ground for terrorists (and) we must protect the image of our religion and country based on the principle of moderation or wasatiyyah.

“This principle has to be defended by all citizens. We have to avoid being extreme left or extreme right.”

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/malaysian-man-took-singaporean-family-join-syria-jihadists-report-20

September 12, 2014