Terrorism threat remains real

Hotel di Kuala Lumpur - THE threat of terrorism remains real, and Singaporeans must remain vigilant so that terror cells do not take root in the community. Calling on members of the public to be the 'eyes and ears on the ground', Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng also urged Singaporeans 'not to be complacent and take their security and safety for granted'.

Kuala Lumpur - Responding to questions from MPs on steps being taken to make Singapore and South-east Asia safer, Mr Wong said during the debate on the Home Affairs Ministry's budget in Parliament on Friday, that the most critical factor in tackling this was 'strong intelligence'.

He added that the Government has deployed police liaison officers in Jakarta and Manila to 'facilitate cooperation and timely intelligence exchanges'.

Mr Wong also identified border security as a key line of defence, and gave the assurance that a range of physical security measures has been established at all checkpoints, and these are reviewed regularly. Maritime security, too, is being closely monitored.

However, he cautioned that 'being an island, our borders are porous. Those determined to sneak into or out of Singapore may sometimes succeed'.

Stressing the role Singaporeans can play in fighting terrorism, Mr Wong said: 'It is important... that Singaporeans play their part and continue to strive to be vigilant and prepared, and to nurture the bonds of trust within our community.

'Ultimately, however, we need to be always realistic and balanced when we deal with security. On the one hand, we should not be in denial. The threat is real and we are not immune to it. On the other hand, we must recognise that no security system can be completely foolproof. Risk-based judgements and trade-offs must be made at all times. Life must go on despite the continuing threat of terrorism.'