SINGAPORE – The recent uncovering of terrorist plot to attack Singapore shows that people who want to do harm to Singapore are very serious about it, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam on Saturday (Aug 6).

He was speaking to reporters before a community event the day after Indonesia announced it had arrested a group of militants based on Batam who were planning to attack Marina Bay with a rocket.

“There are different types of plans being thought of, hatched, and all around us, the places where people can come together and plan to attack us,” he said.

He listed three threats faced by Singapore: first, from those based outside Singapore with the means to attack the country from beyond its borders.

Second, there are 200 million people coming through Singapore’s borders every year, a risk despite the “great job” that the Immigration Control Authority does.

Third, home-grown radicalised individuals pose a danger. “You can use knives, vehicles, and there are always people who believe that by doing these things, you are serving some higher cause,” he said.

But Singapore has “zero tolerance” for these threats and is constantly working with its regional partners to fight terrorism, he said.

He added that counterterrorism was an ongoing process: “The threats, what you saw being foiled in Batam, this is the nature of things to come. This is a continuing thing. it’s not going to go away.

“We need to get it right every single time. The terrorists only need to get it right once to make a statement,” he said at the community club in Chong Pang, where he is a MP.

This article was first published on august 7, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – An alleged attempt to kidnap a child at VivoCity is not true, the police said in a statement on Saturday night (Aug 6).

The case was reported to the authorities on July 31 and cited on several online sites.

The police said in the statement that it had thoroughly investigated the matter and clarified that “it was not a case of attempted kidnapping”. The statement added that there were no other reports made to the police of similar kidnapping incidents in other parts of the country.

“The police urge members of the public not to spread unsubstantiated information which may generate unnecessary public alarm,” the statement said.

It added that the police took a “very stern view” against people who knowingly spread false information to mislead the public, and that the police “will not hesitate to take action” against these people.

In a Facebook post on Friday (Aug 5), the police advised parents and caregivers of children to always remain vigilant and adopt the following measures to prevent their children from becoming victims of crime:

– Ensure young children are accompanied at all times.

– Do not leave your child out of your sight.

– Teach your children not to follow strangers.

– Inform the school or childcare centre if you have arranged someone else to fetch your child. Childcare centres and pre-schools are advised to ensure that only the rightful parents or appointed guardians are allowed to come in contact with their children.

Parents and caregivers should call 999 immediately if urgent police assistance is needed.

This article was first published on august 7, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.