VZCZCXYZ0005
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHGP #1224/01 3550827
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 210827Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7564
UNCLAS SINGAPORE 001224
SIPDIS
STATE FOR S/CT - R. SHORE
STATE ALSO FOR EAP/MTS - M. COPPOLA
STATE PASS NCTC
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KHLS AEMR SN
SUBJECT: SINGAPORE: 2009 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM
REF: STATE 109980
1. Embassy Singapore submits the following draft narrative
for the 2009 Country Reports on Terrorism. Please note that
requests for updated statistics for the first paragraph are
pending with the government of Singapore. Post will submit
that data separately. For purposes of this draft, we have
used "XX" as a placeholder for such statistics.
BEGIN TEXT
Singapore continued its strong bilateral and multilateral
counterterrorism intelligence and law enforcement
cooperation. As of December, Singapore held in detention XX
persons with links to terrorist groups. Detainees included
members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) who had plotted to carry out
attacks in Singapore in the past and members of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) (Note: Authorities may have
released the remaining MILF detainee this year; this needs to
be confirmed before we finalize this report. End Note).
Under detention orders, the detainees were required to
undergo a program of religious counseling with a group of
volunteer religious counselors. Singapore enlisted the
support of religious teachers and scholars to study JI's
ideology, develop teachings to counter the group's spread
within Singapore's Muslim community, and provide counseling
to detainees. Religious counseling for detainees continues
after release from detention. XX persons with links to
terrorist groups were newly detained in 2009. Singapore
released a total of XX persons in 2009, of which XX persons
were released on Restriction Orders (RO) in 2009. Detainees
released on ROs were monitored by the Singapore authorities
and required to report to authorities on a regular basis.
Singapore authorities determined that all XX persons released
on ROs had cooperated in investigations and responded
positively to rehabilitation, including religious counseling.
Among those subjected to religious rehabilitation, there are
no reported cases of recidivism to date.
In April, Mas Selamat Kastari, the Singapore leader of JI,
was recaptured by Malaysian authorities in Johor, Malaysia.
Kastari had been a fugitive since his escape from detention
in Singapore in February, 2008. Kastari remains in Malaysian
custody. In June, Indonesian authorities captured two
Singaporean JI fugitives, Husaini Ismail and Samad Subari.
Husaini was one of five Singaporean JI members involved in a
failed 2002 Kastari plot to hijack a commercial airliner and
crash it into Singapore's Changi International Airport. All
five JI members involved in the plot are now in custody, two
in Singapore, one in Malaysia and two in Indonesia.
A Singapore citizen was killed during the terrorist attacks
in Mumbai, India in November, 2008, the first Singapore
casualty related to terrorism. When Singapore held its
annual counterterrorism exercise, Northstar VII, in July
2009, the exercise simulated a series of coordinated,
simultaneous Mumbai-style terrorist attacks on hotels and
infrastructure in multiple locations throughout the
city-state. Over 2,000 personnel from fifteen civilian and
military organizations participated in the exercise,
including the Special Operations Task Force, the Ministry of
Defence, the Singapore Police Force, the Singapore Civil
Defence Force, the Maritime and Port Authority and the
Ministry of Transportation.
Singapore hosted the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI)
Exercise Deep Sabre II October 27-30. Approximately 2000
personnel from 21 countries participated, representing
military, diplomatic, legal, customs, immigration, police,
and civil defense agencies. The multi-phase exercise
included tabletop exercises, policy discussion, and boarding
and port search demonstrations for
Chemical/Biological/Radiological/Explosive (CBRE) materials.
The exercise demonstrated Singapore,s multi-layered,
multi-agency commitment to deny terrorists the ability to
move people or materials in Singapore. Singapore makes
extensive use of advanced sensor technology in this effort
and during the PSI exercise, Singapore authorities
demonstrated equipment and procedures used at entry
checkpoints to scan all vehicles for CBRE. Authorities also
demonstrated mobile scanners built into delivery truck
platforms. Singapore utilizes isotope, gamma, neutron, and
x-ray source detection equipment to scan for radiological
materials that could be used by terrorists. Authorities
require that all industrial vehicles carrying flammable
materials be modified with GPS-tracking and remote ignition
control as a condition to entry; Singapore security officials
can then immediately disable any vehicles which exhibit
unusual acceleration or which vary from approved routes.
Authorities make extensive use of advanced biometrics to
verify the identity of all individuals arriving into
Singapore.
The Royal Singapore Navy participated in the annual bilateral
exercise "Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training" (CARAT)
with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, and also the
multilateral "South East Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism"
(SEACAT) exercise. Singapore also conducted its own
internal, annual exercise "APEX," which tests the
government's multi-agency response to a maritime terrorism
incident.
In 2009 Singapore continued to contribute to the
international community's efforts in Afghanistan, including
military personnel stationed in Afghanistan supporting a
weapons locating radar unit, a medical team, and an
engineering team. Singapore is also involved in training
Afghan civilians in various capacities, including health
care, civil aviation, and water/waste management.
END TEXT
2. Embassy POC is: Political Officer Dan Jassem. E-mail:
JassemDP@State.gov. Office telephone: (65) 6476-9182.
SHIELDS
Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm