SINGAPORE: The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) detects a wide range of threats on a daily basis and some of the suspicious targets include unidentified aircraft which bear no information on where they are headed.

“Some of these incidents we investigate are linked to potential terror attack categories so we take them very seriously. And when needed, we will activate our air defence responses to deal with them, mostly as a precautionary measure,” Commander of the Air Defence Operations Command, Brigadier General (BG) Tan Chee Wee, said to the media on Monday (Nov 28), after the wrap of the biannual Exercise Vigilant Shield.

The RSAF has been on a heightened air defence alert to thwart terror attacks since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

In 2010, a round-the-clock task force was set up to respond quickly to terror threats. Air Defence Task Force (ADTF), together with the Special Operations Task Force, Island Defence Task Force and Maritime Security Task Force, make up the High Readiness Core that safeguard homeland security, Singapore’s skies and waterways.

Not all incidents, however, will lead to the scrambling of the RSAF fighter jets. “Our air defence team is always looking for potential deviations of traffic in our vicinity,” said BG Tan, who is also the Commander of the Air Defence Task Force. As an air hub, Singapore sees about 1,000 arrivals and departures on a daily basis, said BG Tan.

(Photo: Xabryna Kek)

SIMULATED HIJACKING SCENARIO

In the wee hours of Monday morning, two RSAF F-15SG fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a “suspicious airliner” at about 2.10am in a simulated hijacking scenario as part of the RSAF’s Exercise Vigilant Shield.

RSAF’s KC-135, playing the part of the suspicious civilian airliner, was flying the South China Sea when it began to deviate from its intended flight path. In a matter of minutes, RSAF fighter jets were activated to escort the suspicious civilian plane, which was placed on red alert.

“You’ve been intercepted by the Republic of Singapore Air Force Fighters,” a RSAF fighter pilot said through the radio channel. “You’re to comply with all instructions. Acknowledge.”

The air defence exercise is meant to demonstrate the ADTF capabilities in responding to potential air threats round-the-clock with a robust networked air defence system.

The KC-135 aircraft was chased through the Singapore skies by RSAF fighter jets for more than an hour, before being forced to land at Changi Air Base at 3.30am.

When fighter jets scramble to intercept a suspicious airliner, there is standard procedure to follow, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). These procedures include radio communication or visual signals in night and day situations.

For instance, in a 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock position, fighter jets rock their wings to establish communications with the suspicious plane, signalling interception. The jet in question will then repeat the action, indicating that its pilots have understood the situation and will comply.

Said Chief of Air Force, Major-General (MG) Mervyn Tan: “The successful conduct of this exercise shows that we have a robust networked air defence system and our tight inter-agency linkage with our partners. The RSAF will continue to strengthen our ability to defend and safeguard the sovereignty of Singapore’s airspace.”

The last time RSAF fighter pilots were activated to intercept a civilian aircraft was in 2008, when a small Australian-registered airplane intruded into Singapore air space. Two Australians were on board the Cessna 208 which did not have an approved flight path.

This year’s exercise involved about 400 participants from the RSAF, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Police Force. The RSAF also deployed assets such as the F-15SG fighter aircraft, AH-64D Apache helicopter, I-HAWK, SPYDER and RBS-70 Ground-Based Air Defence systems. 

SINGAPORE: As the 8,000-strong crowd at Neon Lights, a music and arts festival held here on Sunday (Nov 27), screamed her name, and her band tunes up just before her set, Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna waits in the wings in her stylishly chaste glittery outfit.

Just before stepping on to perform, she flashed her megawatt smile at this Channel NewsAsia reporter, who was waiting with her backstage, and shared a pre-show ritual: “Drink lots of water.”

It might be simple advice, but it was authentic – something that the 30-year-old music superstar has fought for all her career to achieve, even when she decided to move her career to the United States in 2011.

Born Yunalis Zarai, her star has been on the ascent ever since her move to the US and scored a mentorship with Grammy Award-winner Pharrell Williams, who produced much of her 2012 self-titled debut album. International critical acclaim soon followed, as well as her 90s R&B-infused third album, Chapters, which includes her chart hit Crush featuring Usher.

Yuna mesmerising the crowd at the Neon Lights festival.

The latest feather in her cap?  Her picture emblazoned on the Nasdaq billboard in the middle of New York’s Times Square last week.

 “They are always putting up portraits of musicians so it’s cool that they support the music industry,” she said. “Especially for me, this is a great platform to get my music out there.”

So how does the Malaysian songbird feel about managing to bridge the Asian and western gap successfully without giving in on her beliefs and principles?

“America is such a huge melting pot, especially in New York or LA, and I feel like it’s kind of important to do it for the kids to be myself and hold on to my roots and identity,” Yuna said.

“I feel that the younger generation need someone to relate to. Because there are lots of kids out there, not just kids who are just like me, but kids who love their roots, who they are and where they come from. They don’t want to live in a world where they have to shave that away just to be relevant.”

Yuna’s image on the Nasdaq billboard. (Photo: Yuna/Twitter)

NOT ONE FOR COMPROMISES

After spending the last five years honing her craft in the US, Yuna is not one for compromises.

“I guess when you know what you want, it’s not such a huge deal to say ‘no’,” she said with a smile. “Sometimes, no, a lot of times actually, my management would be like: ‘Oh let’s do this!’ And I’ll be like: ‘No, I don’t want to do it!’

“It’s always give and take, and what I’m not comfortable with and what I won’t do. So I’m not shy about expressing that and saying no to certain things so as to protect my identity and my values. Because at the end of the day, you’re the one that has (make your peace before going to) sleep at night.”

It has not always been this way though. Yuna shared that in the beginning, it was a challenge to try and make people understand who she was, what she stands for and her values as a “conservative Asian girl”.

“But now they’re used to it. And I’m used to it, you know? I’m not going to do this or that and it’s not a big deal. I think as you grow older, you get that confidence to be yourself,” she said. 

DOES ASIA GIVE ENOUGH SUPPORT TO ARTISTES?

Now that she has garnered international acclaim, does Yuna believe Asia gives enough support to its music artistes, or must one succeed abroad before local fans embrace them?

“I guess it’s a little bit of both. You definitely have to start from home, like what I did was perform a lot of shows and really tried making a name for myself in Malaysia before heading out to America,” she said thoughtfully.

“So I did that, I got the support. And some of them would criticise me for leaving the music industry but others got really supportive and cheered me on. Once I got to America and started making music, then they get to see and understand that ‘Ah, this is what she’s been doing and this is what she wants to do!’

“You kind of have to slowly change the mindset of people who didn’t give you the support before. So I think it’s important to do a little of both,” the songstress continued. “I try to come back to Malaysia and contribute to the local music industry once in a while. Because that’s my home. I have to be present all the time as well for my fans.” 

ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND TRUMP-LED USA

With all her travelling, social media takes on an added dimension for the 30-year-old music star, with her extra effort in keeping personally connected and involved is much appreciated by her fans. It is a “great way to promote your music, and to reach out to your fans immediately”, she shared.

More importantly, it’s also a way to show people “you’re human as well”.

“For me, I’m so glad that since the beginning, I stayed true. It was important for me to do this thing where what you see is what you get,” Yuna revealed. “I don’t have an alter ego or anything like that on the side. This is Yuna and when you see me outside, you know, just eating nasi lemak or whatever, it’s still me.  So what social media does is it humanises you … so fans are able to relate and connect to you even more.”

She also commented on another big social media presence: US president-elect Donald Trump.

According to her tweets, she was making music while the US presidential elections were taking place and admitted to “having mini heart attacks” as Trump was leading his opponent Hillary Clinton. He eventually won the race to the White House.

“I think you have to constantly be positive. That’s what I did five or six years ago moving to America when everyone was saying: ‘Aren’t you scared of Islamophobia in America?’” she said.

“I’m like yeah, it doesn’t bother me that much. I’m still going to continue doing what I’ve always been doing: Music. I’m not doing anything wrong or hurting anybody. I’m spreading the love. And that’s exactly the kind of attitude I feel (we should all have).

“Now, I probably have to work twice as hard.  And I’ve been doing the same thing since the very beginning, promoting love at my shows. You see people from different walks of life – different religions, different races, different backgrounds – they are all just under one roof enjoying the music. So I’m going to do that and nothing is going to change for me.”

SINGAPORE: Singapore has one of the most urbanised marine environments in the world. And yet coral reefs are thriving in its waters, with more than 200 species of reef-building corals and about 200 species of fishes documented on reefs here.

A research project by the National University of Singapore (NUS) hopes to find out why these reefs have managed to survive.

The project is one of seven awarded by the Government under the National Research Foundation’s (NRF) marine science research and development programme. Deputy Prime Minister and NRF chairman Teo Chee Hean made the announcement at the official launch of the St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory on Monday (Nov 28).

NRF will invest S$25 million over five years in the programme, which hopes to develop more talent in marine science research by training research scientists, engineers and PhD students in the field. There will also be internships and collaborative partnerships with industry for technology development and applications. 

“As a low-lying island, global warming and the rise in sea levels and temperatures can pose challenges to our marine ecosystems,” said Mr Teo, adding that the environmental health of Singapore’s waters will also affect Singapore’s water supply, which is partly from desalination. “It will also impact aquaculture which provides a local food source.

“Therefore, it is important for Singapore to build up a good understanding of tropical marine science and our marine environment.”

PROJECTS TO ADDRESS “PERTINENT NATIONAL CHALLENGES”: DPM TEO

Mr Teo said the seven awarded projects will address “pertinent national challenges.” They cover a variety of topics including the development and decline of algal blooms in Singapore, increasing the biodiversity on seawalls in Singapore, and the NUS project on how Singapore’s coral reefs have thrived.

“Given all the environmental impact caused by land reclamation and coastal development, we should actually see no reefs in Singapore,” said the project’s principal investigator Assistant Professor Huang Danwei from NUS’s Department of Biological Sciences. “We want to understand what the reefs were like in the past, and how the circumstances affected what they are today.”

Assistant Professor Huang Danwei from NUS shows how his research project hopes to understand the resilience of coral reefs in Singapore. (Photo: Lianne Chia)

Asst Prof Huang explained that his team will collect samples from at least 10 sites in Singapore to analyse the DNA and genetic makeup of these corals. They hope to understand how the corals in Singapore have adapted to the environment, and how they respond to environmental stressors like sediment or seaweed.

They also plan to examine fossil reefs, which are embedded under the living coral reefs, to find out how the reefs have changed over time. “Hopefully from that, we can build a picture of reefs over the last 50 to 100 years,” he added.

Another awarded project, also by NUS’s Department of Biological Sciences, looks at how seawalls can be built ecologically.

The project’s principal investigator, Assistant Professor Peter Todd explained that about 63 per cent of Singapore’s coastline is made up of seawalls. “We’ve had a lot of habitat loss in Singapore due to urbanisation and coastal development,” he said. “We’ve lost our soft shores, our mangroves, and replaced them with man-made shores that don’t host a lot of biodiversity.”

These seawalls are typically large areas of stone and rock, and are very simple habitats, he said. His team has developed a way of making the seawalls more complex by retrofitting concrete tiles with different types of pits and grooves that attract microorganisms. “When we fix those to existing seawalls, we can see quite a dramatic increase in biodiversity,” he explained.

Assistant Professor Peter Todd from NUS explains how the pits and grooves in his concrete tiles help encourage biodiversity on Singapore’s seawalls. (Photo: Lianne Chia)

“By increasing the biodiversity, you’re increasing the ecosystem services that come with it,” he added. “For example they supply food for the fishes that live in the coastal waters, and they can help with the filtering of water.”

NRF said it received 30 white papers since the call for projects under the programme was launched in October last year. An international evaluation panel recommended awards to the seven projects based on their quality and relevance to Singapore.   

MARINE LAB WILL COMPLEMENT SINGAPORE’S RESEARCH

A well-equipped marine science facility like the St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory will also complement Singapore’s research and development the manage and conserve its waters and coastline, added Mr Teo.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean (centre) officially launching the St John’s Island Marine Laboratory on 28 Nov. (Photo: Lianne Chia). 

The laboratory, which is Singapore’s only offshore marine research facility, was designated a national research infrastructure in March. This means that the laboratory will be open to all researchers in Singapore and international partners.

The facility will also be upgraded with new equipment to support emerging research areas. A skilled core team of scientists and technicians will also train and guide new researchers in marine science, Mr Teo said.

The laboratory will also undertake outreach and education initiatives to share research outcomes with the public. “Activities such as nature walks and residential training workshops will enhance understanding of our marine environment,” added Mr Teo.