AFP - Thursday, May 28SEOUL, (AFP) - - South Korean and US troops went on higher alert after North Korea announced it is scrapping the armistice that has been in force on the peninsula for more than five decades.
"As of 7:15 am Thursday (2215 GMT Wednesday), the US-South Korea Combined Forces Command upgraded Watch Conditions by a notch to Stage Two," Seoul's defence ministry said in a statement.
"Surveillance over the North will be stepped up, with more aircraft and personnel mobilised," said spokesman Won Tae-Jae.
North Korea announced Wednesday it was abandoning the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War and warned it could launch a military attack on the South, two days after testing an atomic bomb for the second time.
Its latest display of anger was prompted by the South's decision to join a US-led international initiative to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
The Proliferation Security Initiative ( PSI ) can involve stopping and searching ships.
The North said its military would no longer be bound by the truce that ended hostilities in the war, in which the United States led a United Nations force defending the South.
"Any tiny hostile acts against our republic, including the stopping and searching of our peaceful vessels... will face an immediate and strong military strike in response," its military said.
The United States still has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea.
Won said it was the fourth time since 1982 that the watch conditions (Watchcon) had been upgraded to stage two. The last time was in October 2006, after the North's first nuclear test.
He said surveillance would be focused along the Demilitarised Zone which divides the peninsula, the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom village and the Northern Limit Line -- the disputed border in the Yellow Sea.
"We are maintaining a tight defence posture to prevent the North's military provocations," Won said. "The military will deal sternly with provocative acts."
The North has previously threatened to abandon the truce.
"This is the fifth time in 15 years that they've sought to nullify the armistice governing the Korean War," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs in Washington.
"I think their actions would be better focused on living up to their rights and obligations."
Analysts said there was a growing possibility of limited armed conflict between the two Koreas.
"The possibility of military clashes, especially at the potential flashpoints near the sea border, are becoming reality," Paik Hak-Soon of the Sejong Institute told AFP.
"Should a naval clash occur again, we're going to see a very different one from the past two," Paik said in reference to naval battles in 1999 and 2002 which were "localised" incidents.
Professor Kim Yong-Hyun, of Dongguk University, said the North was likely to follow up by firing short-range missiles or artillery shells into the Yellow Sea, or by capturing South Korean fishing boats near the disputed border.
"We're watching a game of chicken being played on the Korean peninsula," Kim told journalists.
The US-led UN Command said it remained committed to the armistice, which "has served as the legal basis for the ceasefire in Korea for over 55 years and significantly contributes to stability in the region.
"The armistice remains in force and is binding on all signatories, including North Korea," it said in a statement. "The UN Command will adhere to the terms of the armistice and the mechanisms that support it."
Friday, May 29, 2009
Christian couple convicted for anti-Muslim booklets
Christian couple convicted for anti-Muslim booklets
AFP - Friday, May 29SINGAPORE (AFP) - - A Christian Singaporean couple were found guilty of sedition on Thursday for distributing evangelical publications that cast Islam in a negative light, court officials said.
Ong Kian Cheong and his wife Dorothy Chan had been charged with distributing a seditious publication to two Muslims in October and March 2007 and sending a second such booklet to another Muslim in December that same year, a district court official told AFP.
The publications were found to have promoted feelings of ill-will and hostility between Christians and Muslims, the Straits Times said on its website.
A hearing was set for June 4 for mitigation pleas and sentencing.
The sedition charge carries a jail term of up to three years or a fine of up to 5,000 Singapore dollars (3,437 US) or both.
Singapore, a multi-racial island nation, clamps down hard on anyone seen to be inciting communal tensions.
In 2005, two ethnic Chinese men were jailed for anti-Muslim blogs.
The following year, a Singaporean blogger received a stern warning after posting cartoons mocking Jesus Christ on his online journal.
Ethnic Chinese make up a majority of the city-state's resident population but there are significant numbers of Malay Muslims, ethnic Indians and other groups.
AFP - Friday, May 29SINGAPORE (AFP) - - A Christian Singaporean couple were found guilty of sedition on Thursday for distributing evangelical publications that cast Islam in a negative light, court officials said.
Ong Kian Cheong and his wife Dorothy Chan had been charged with distributing a seditious publication to two Muslims in October and March 2007 and sending a second such booklet to another Muslim in December that same year, a district court official told AFP.
The publications were found to have promoted feelings of ill-will and hostility between Christians and Muslims, the Straits Times said on its website.
A hearing was set for June 4 for mitigation pleas and sentencing.
The sedition charge carries a jail term of up to three years or a fine of up to 5,000 Singapore dollars (3,437 US) or both.
Singapore, a multi-racial island nation, clamps down hard on anyone seen to be inciting communal tensions.
In 2005, two ethnic Chinese men were jailed for anti-Muslim blogs.
The following year, a Singaporean blogger received a stern warning after posting cartoons mocking Jesus Christ on his online journal.
Ethnic Chinese make up a majority of the city-state's resident population but there are significant numbers of Malay Muslims, ethnic Indians and other groups.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT S R NATHAN 18 May 2009
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT S R NATHAN
AT THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT
ON MONDAY, 18 MAY 2009, 8.30PM
Building Our Future Singapore in an Uncertain World
1. Since Parliament last opened in November 2006, our economy has gone through a roller-coaster ride. 2006 and 2007 were very good years, with growth averaging 8%. But then the global financial crisis hit us and last year growth fell to 1%. This year will be worse. Our GDP is expected to decline by 6-9%, with rising unemployment.
2. Fortunately, we did not slacken when conditions were favourable earlier. We restructured the economy, upgraded our workforce and attracted many new investments and high-value jobs. We also strengthened our social safety nets. We introduced the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme to help low-income workers, and launched CPF LIFE to provide Singa¬poreans a lifelong income into old age. We invested in our health system and enhanced our 3Ms financing framework to assure every Singaporean access to high quality healthcare.
3. More importantly, we steered clear of excesses during the boom years. We strengthened our revenue base, budgeted within our means and accumulated reserves for a rainy day. We supervised our banks to be prudent, and avoided a credit bubble. When the financial crisis struck, we were in a strong position. We could take decisive measures – the SPUR scheme and the Resilience Package – to help companies and workers to save jobs. We did not have to borrow. Having steadily built up reserves, we could draw on them, with my approval, to fund the Jobs Credit scheme and the Special Risk-Sharing Initiative.
4. In this crisis, our immediate priority is to see Singapore through. Our best strategy is still to help companies to stay viable and continue employing workers. We must keep up the effort to up-skill and re-skill our workers to become more employable and productive, in a changing economy. NTUC is at the forefront of these efforts, working shoulder to shoulder with Government and employers. Meanwhile, our economic agencies are continuing to draw in new investments and jobs. Our response to the crisis has strengthened Singapore’s reputation, is yielding results, and will put us in a strong position for the future.
Emerging in a Different World
5. When the storm clears, we cannot expect the world to be as before. A consensus is growing that the world is in for an extended period of slow growth. The problem of bad banking assets in many countries, especially the US and Europe, will take several years to unwind. Asian demand will grow, but not enough to make up for the drop from developed countries. Meanwhile developing countries will be upgrading their infrastructure and workforce, and acquiring new capabilities. China and India will emerge as stronger competitors, though they will also offer new opportunities.
6. All these economic problems will put pressure on govern¬ments to shield domestic industries and markets from foreign competition and imports. If governments succumb, international trade will be damaged and globali¬sation which has benefited many countries will be disrupted. Fortunately, so far the back-sliding on free trade has been limited. Hopefully, the major economies will recognise the dangers of protectionism, and cooperate to keep markets open and trade flowing.
7. Economic troubles can have social and political consequences too. There have been large demonstrations and strikes in Europe. So far the economic woes have not led to serious tensions between countries, but this could happen. In our region, relations among ASEAN countries remain good, though several ASEAN members are preoccupied with domestic problems and priorities.
8. Singa¬pore is a small country, highly integrated into the world economy. For our security and prosperity, we rely on global order and regional stability. But in the aftermath of the crisis, the redrawn global landscape will be less benign and predictable. It will be a challenging environment for Singa¬pore.
Building Our Future Singapore
9. We must prepare ourselves for these challenges. We rightly worry about the difficulties ahead. But, remember that all countries are also facing serious challenges of their own in this environment, and we are better equipped and prepared than most countries to tackle ours. We enjoy high international standing, and our success and capabilities are widely admired. If any country can surmount these problems and turn adversity into advantage, Singa¬pore can. We must take steps to emerge from this global crisis stronger economically, socially, and politically.
Enhancing our Economic Competitiveness
10. Sustaining economic growth will always be a high priority. Our basic approach to promoting growth has been to stay competitive, upgrade our people, develop new capabilities, and create an outstanding pro-business environment. Then we can rely on free markets, free trade and entrepre¬neurship to create wealth for individuals and the country. This is how Singapore has consistently developed year after year, and over time totally transformed our economy and our people’s lives.
11. This basic approach remains sound. For example, our R&D efforts are making headway. We are not only doing high quality scientific work, but also attracting investments that exploit our growing R&D capabilities, for example in pharmaceuticals, solar energy, and new media. Many of these investments are world-class projects, where a single plant in Singa¬pore produces a large share of world output. More Singapore companies are taking advantage of markets abroad. This is what globalisation means, in practical terms, for Singa¬pore.
12. However, we need to review our specific strategies for growing different sectors of our economy, to adapt to the changed environment. We will have to develop new markets, adapt to changing trends and master new capabilities in manufacturing, services and other emerging industries.
13. Once we start growing again, we will face increasing constraints of our limited land and labour. We must make well-judged trade-offs to optimise our potential. We must also consider new factors, such as reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions to achieve sustainable development and stay ahead as an Asian city with a high quality of life.
14. How can we capitalise on new markets and emerging industries for growth and diversification? How can we build new capabilities and anchor value in Singapore for the long term? How can we deploy our finite resources to maximum effect? And how can we create good, high-value jobs for Singaporeans? These questions need fresh rethinking, and creative answers. If all of us in the public and private sectors put our minds together, I am confident we will develop new ideas to help Singapore transform, advance and prosper in its next phase of growth.
Strengthening Social Cohesion
15. Even as we promote economic growth, we must also strengthen our social cohesion. The challenging times will put stresses on our society and our families, but we must manage these stresses and meet the challenges as one people. We will then emerge from the current crisis stronger.
16. Globalisation benefits Singa¬pore tremendously, but it also widens income gaps and will continue to put pressure on lower-skilled, less-educated workers. The Govern¬ment has done much to help this group upgrade, and to supplement their wages. In this downturn, lower-income Singa¬poreans will not be left to fend for themselves. We must help every worker train and prepare for new jobs, and especially ensure that children from vulnerable families enjoy every opportunity to reach their full potential in education. Only when all of us share the benefits of globalisation and growth, can we stay united regardless of rich or poor.
17. We must also bring new people with diverse skills and experiences into Singapore, to contribute to our economy and society and help grow our population over the long term. But new arrivals and foreign workers may cause concern because of our unfamiliarity with their different accents and habits, and because of competition in workplaces. I hope that Singapo¬reans will appreciate how we benefit from the contributions of non-citizens and new citizens, and welcome them into our midst. It is equally important that the newcomers make the effort to adjust and integrate into our society, and have their children grow up side by side with the children of earlier Singa¬poreans. Then the next generation will be indistinguishable and will collectively build Singapore’s future. That is how our immigrant society became what we are today.
18. New infectious diseases are another test of our social cohesion. The SARS outbreak in 2003 taught us the critical importance of responding as one people to a new and frightening disease. Influenza A (H1N1) is a different threat – more easily transmitted, but so far less lethal. We must respond to this new health threat just as rationally, vigorously and cohesively as we did to SARS. We must take sensible precautions, safeguarding public health, and keeping up confidence and morale as together we fight a shared danger.
19. The escape and recent recapture of Mas Selamat reminds us of the threat of extremist terrorism, not only to our security but also to our racial and religious harmony. Mas Selamat’s recapture is not the end of the terrorism threat. This episode is a sharp reminder of the cost of complacency and the need for constant vigilance. But it also reminds us to continue building trust and confidence between the different communities, for example through the Community Engagement Programme.
20. The recent AWARE episode highlighted another aspect of social harmony – the need for all groups to practise tolerance, restraint and mutual respect in order to live peacefully together in a multi-racial, multi-religious society. This applies not just to religious groups venturing into the secular domain, but also to secular groups which want to strongly push their views and change our social norms.
21. Our diversity is what makes our society lively, outward looking and innovative. Our diversity also helps us to get on with people from all round the world, and makes us uniquely suited to being a global hub. But Singa¬pore cannot just be a collection of different communities. We must remain cohesive and continue to build our common Singaporean identity with each new generation. Then we can become a more vibrant and cosmopolitan city, while strengthening our unique Singaporean values and character.
Upgrading Education
22. Whether it is to promote economic growth, narrow the income gap or bond the next generation, education is key. Education is our best investment in Singapore’s future. Our education system is designed to give each and every child the best opportunity to stretch his abilities. All our schools maintain high standards, and prepare our young to seize their own opportunities in a complex, dynamic and uncertain world. We will do better, by building more peaks of excellence, and establishing new pathways and programmes to cater to students with different aptitudes, interests and learning styles.
23. We are also strengthening higher education to meet growing aspirations and train the skilled professional and creative manpower we will need. Our aim is to have 30% of our students admitted to state-supported universities. Having studied many alternative ways to achieve this, we have decided to create not one, but two new institutions. The first will be a new institute which will partner foreign universities that offer degree courses, to open more direct routes for polytechnic graduates to obtain degrees. The second will be a new university, which will be set up in close partnership with one leading university each from the US and China. These two institutions will open up more opportunities for students to upgrade themselves.
Ensuring Security and Enlarging Our External Space
24. Maintaining a safe and secure Singapore is a basic precondition for our people to pursue their dreams. As a small state, we must understand and influence our environment in order to enlarge our external space. Post crisis, the US will remain the leading power in the world, and the key to a coherent and stable global system. But in Asia, China and India will play growing roles. Stable relations between the US and China will be vital to solving many international issues, and to integrating an emerging Asia into the global community.
25. Our diplomacy must adjust to these new realities. Small as we are, we must participate actively at international forums like the UN and IMF, among others, and do our modest part in international efforts to further the common interests of nations, for example by participating in UN anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia. We must work with our partners in ASEAN, APEC and other regional forums, to foster regional cooperation and economic integration. Thus we help to keep our region peaceful, safeguard our interests, and make friends around the world.
26. Effective diplomacy depends on our ability to protect ourselves. Therefore, we will continue to build the 3rd Generation SAF, to defend Singa¬pore and contribute to regional security. We will also maintain an effective Home Team, working closely with the community to keep Singapore safe and secure.
Creating a First Class Home
27. With a cohesive society and stable external environment, we can build a first class home in Singa¬pore, where all citizens have full opportunities to achieve their aspirations.
28. Over the next few years, Singapore will be transformed physically. A new skyline will emerge around the Marina Bay. We are rejuvenating our housing estates: the Home Improvement Programme and Neighbourhood Renewal Programme are ramping up, and the Lift Upgrading Programme will be completed by 2014. We will double our rail network to 280 km by 2020. We are building park connectors, and new sports and leisure facilities all over the island. Our reservoirs, canals and drains are being transformed into recreational spaces through the Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters programmes. We are protecting nature and greenery even as we grow as a dense, urbanised city.
29. But it is not enough to have a first-world infrastructure and environment. We must match this with a gracious people who are courteous to one another, welcoming to visitors and new citizens, and worthy ambassadors for Singa¬pore when we travel abroad. We must raise our standards of social behaviour, so that Singapore becomes a more pleasant society to live in. We must also develop our arts and culture to be enjoyed by all citizens. This should be a city where all can feel safe and secure, living among people whom we respect and belong with, and whose cultures we share and take pride in.
Evolving our Political System
30. We can do all this – develop our economy, strengthen our social cohesion, upgrade our education system, safeguard our security, enlarge our external space and create a first class home – because our politics is sound. Our political system encourages strong and effective government, worthy of Singaporeans, and responsive to the people’s needs and aspirations. This system relies upon and brings forward political leaders who are committed and capable, and who have the mandate to work with citizens to build the economy, strengthen our society and improve all our lives. In a more challenging and uncertain world, a sound political system and good leadership are all the more important.
31. However, our political system is not set in stone. Singa¬pore politics must evolve over time, as the world and our society change. It must respond to new circumstances and goals, and continue to deliver good government to Singa¬pore.
Our leadership team too must self-renew. We must continue to induct new leaders in touch with the new generation, who understand how Singa¬pore works and who bring with them fresh thinking and energy to set and achieve new goals. For our political system to continue working well, we must find outstanding, younger men and women to lead Singa¬pore.
32. Provided we keep our system up-to-date, and our leaders stay in close touch with new trends and a new electorate, then we can continue to deliver high quality government, and keep Singa¬pore secure and vibrant in the years ahead.
Conclusion
33. This is the 50th year since Singapore became a self-governing state. We have come a long way since 1959. Through many vicissitudes, we have made steady progress, and built today’s Singa¬pore. Few among the dozens of other ex-colonies which became independent around the same period have done as well. Our success has been the result of right policies, good government, and a united people.
34. The present world situation is graver than any in our experience. We are well prepared for it. We have been through crises before, and always emerged stronger. This adversity is another opportunity to temper and bond our people.
35. Let us commit ourselves to building on what we have achieved, coming through with flying colours once more, and making Singa¬pore shine as a country where we work and play together, overcome challenges shoulder to shoulder, and build our future as one people.
36. For this is Our Home, Our Future, and Our Singapore.
AT THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT
ON MONDAY, 18 MAY 2009, 8.30PM
Building Our Future Singapore in an Uncertain World
1. Since Parliament last opened in November 2006, our economy has gone through a roller-coaster ride. 2006 and 2007 were very good years, with growth averaging 8%. But then the global financial crisis hit us and last year growth fell to 1%. This year will be worse. Our GDP is expected to decline by 6-9%, with rising unemployment.
2. Fortunately, we did not slacken when conditions were favourable earlier. We restructured the economy, upgraded our workforce and attracted many new investments and high-value jobs. We also strengthened our social safety nets. We introduced the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme to help low-income workers, and launched CPF LIFE to provide Singa¬poreans a lifelong income into old age. We invested in our health system and enhanced our 3Ms financing framework to assure every Singaporean access to high quality healthcare.
3. More importantly, we steered clear of excesses during the boom years. We strengthened our revenue base, budgeted within our means and accumulated reserves for a rainy day. We supervised our banks to be prudent, and avoided a credit bubble. When the financial crisis struck, we were in a strong position. We could take decisive measures – the SPUR scheme and the Resilience Package – to help companies and workers to save jobs. We did not have to borrow. Having steadily built up reserves, we could draw on them, with my approval, to fund the Jobs Credit scheme and the Special Risk-Sharing Initiative.
4. In this crisis, our immediate priority is to see Singapore through. Our best strategy is still to help companies to stay viable and continue employing workers. We must keep up the effort to up-skill and re-skill our workers to become more employable and productive, in a changing economy. NTUC is at the forefront of these efforts, working shoulder to shoulder with Government and employers. Meanwhile, our economic agencies are continuing to draw in new investments and jobs. Our response to the crisis has strengthened Singapore’s reputation, is yielding results, and will put us in a strong position for the future.
Emerging in a Different World
5. When the storm clears, we cannot expect the world to be as before. A consensus is growing that the world is in for an extended period of slow growth. The problem of bad banking assets in many countries, especially the US and Europe, will take several years to unwind. Asian demand will grow, but not enough to make up for the drop from developed countries. Meanwhile developing countries will be upgrading their infrastructure and workforce, and acquiring new capabilities. China and India will emerge as stronger competitors, though they will also offer new opportunities.
6. All these economic problems will put pressure on govern¬ments to shield domestic industries and markets from foreign competition and imports. If governments succumb, international trade will be damaged and globali¬sation which has benefited many countries will be disrupted. Fortunately, so far the back-sliding on free trade has been limited. Hopefully, the major economies will recognise the dangers of protectionism, and cooperate to keep markets open and trade flowing.
7. Economic troubles can have social and political consequences too. There have been large demonstrations and strikes in Europe. So far the economic woes have not led to serious tensions between countries, but this could happen. In our region, relations among ASEAN countries remain good, though several ASEAN members are preoccupied with domestic problems and priorities.
8. Singa¬pore is a small country, highly integrated into the world economy. For our security and prosperity, we rely on global order and regional stability. But in the aftermath of the crisis, the redrawn global landscape will be less benign and predictable. It will be a challenging environment for Singa¬pore.
Building Our Future Singapore
9. We must prepare ourselves for these challenges. We rightly worry about the difficulties ahead. But, remember that all countries are also facing serious challenges of their own in this environment, and we are better equipped and prepared than most countries to tackle ours. We enjoy high international standing, and our success and capabilities are widely admired. If any country can surmount these problems and turn adversity into advantage, Singa¬pore can. We must take steps to emerge from this global crisis stronger economically, socially, and politically.
Enhancing our Economic Competitiveness
10. Sustaining economic growth will always be a high priority. Our basic approach to promoting growth has been to stay competitive, upgrade our people, develop new capabilities, and create an outstanding pro-business environment. Then we can rely on free markets, free trade and entrepre¬neurship to create wealth for individuals and the country. This is how Singapore has consistently developed year after year, and over time totally transformed our economy and our people’s lives.
11. This basic approach remains sound. For example, our R&D efforts are making headway. We are not only doing high quality scientific work, but also attracting investments that exploit our growing R&D capabilities, for example in pharmaceuticals, solar energy, and new media. Many of these investments are world-class projects, where a single plant in Singa¬pore produces a large share of world output. More Singapore companies are taking advantage of markets abroad. This is what globalisation means, in practical terms, for Singa¬pore.
12. However, we need to review our specific strategies for growing different sectors of our economy, to adapt to the changed environment. We will have to develop new markets, adapt to changing trends and master new capabilities in manufacturing, services and other emerging industries.
13. Once we start growing again, we will face increasing constraints of our limited land and labour. We must make well-judged trade-offs to optimise our potential. We must also consider new factors, such as reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions to achieve sustainable development and stay ahead as an Asian city with a high quality of life.
14. How can we capitalise on new markets and emerging industries for growth and diversification? How can we build new capabilities and anchor value in Singapore for the long term? How can we deploy our finite resources to maximum effect? And how can we create good, high-value jobs for Singaporeans? These questions need fresh rethinking, and creative answers. If all of us in the public and private sectors put our minds together, I am confident we will develop new ideas to help Singapore transform, advance and prosper in its next phase of growth.
Strengthening Social Cohesion
15. Even as we promote economic growth, we must also strengthen our social cohesion. The challenging times will put stresses on our society and our families, but we must manage these stresses and meet the challenges as one people. We will then emerge from the current crisis stronger.
16. Globalisation benefits Singa¬pore tremendously, but it also widens income gaps and will continue to put pressure on lower-skilled, less-educated workers. The Govern¬ment has done much to help this group upgrade, and to supplement their wages. In this downturn, lower-income Singa¬poreans will not be left to fend for themselves. We must help every worker train and prepare for new jobs, and especially ensure that children from vulnerable families enjoy every opportunity to reach their full potential in education. Only when all of us share the benefits of globalisation and growth, can we stay united regardless of rich or poor.
17. We must also bring new people with diverse skills and experiences into Singapore, to contribute to our economy and society and help grow our population over the long term. But new arrivals and foreign workers may cause concern because of our unfamiliarity with their different accents and habits, and because of competition in workplaces. I hope that Singapo¬reans will appreciate how we benefit from the contributions of non-citizens and new citizens, and welcome them into our midst. It is equally important that the newcomers make the effort to adjust and integrate into our society, and have their children grow up side by side with the children of earlier Singa¬poreans. Then the next generation will be indistinguishable and will collectively build Singapore’s future. That is how our immigrant society became what we are today.
18. New infectious diseases are another test of our social cohesion. The SARS outbreak in 2003 taught us the critical importance of responding as one people to a new and frightening disease. Influenza A (H1N1) is a different threat – more easily transmitted, but so far less lethal. We must respond to this new health threat just as rationally, vigorously and cohesively as we did to SARS. We must take sensible precautions, safeguarding public health, and keeping up confidence and morale as together we fight a shared danger.
19. The escape and recent recapture of Mas Selamat reminds us of the threat of extremist terrorism, not only to our security but also to our racial and religious harmony. Mas Selamat’s recapture is not the end of the terrorism threat. This episode is a sharp reminder of the cost of complacency and the need for constant vigilance. But it also reminds us to continue building trust and confidence between the different communities, for example through the Community Engagement Programme.
20. The recent AWARE episode highlighted another aspect of social harmony – the need for all groups to practise tolerance, restraint and mutual respect in order to live peacefully together in a multi-racial, multi-religious society. This applies not just to religious groups venturing into the secular domain, but also to secular groups which want to strongly push their views and change our social norms.
21. Our diversity is what makes our society lively, outward looking and innovative. Our diversity also helps us to get on with people from all round the world, and makes us uniquely suited to being a global hub. But Singa¬pore cannot just be a collection of different communities. We must remain cohesive and continue to build our common Singaporean identity with each new generation. Then we can become a more vibrant and cosmopolitan city, while strengthening our unique Singaporean values and character.
Upgrading Education
22. Whether it is to promote economic growth, narrow the income gap or bond the next generation, education is key. Education is our best investment in Singapore’s future. Our education system is designed to give each and every child the best opportunity to stretch his abilities. All our schools maintain high standards, and prepare our young to seize their own opportunities in a complex, dynamic and uncertain world. We will do better, by building more peaks of excellence, and establishing new pathways and programmes to cater to students with different aptitudes, interests and learning styles.
23. We are also strengthening higher education to meet growing aspirations and train the skilled professional and creative manpower we will need. Our aim is to have 30% of our students admitted to state-supported universities. Having studied many alternative ways to achieve this, we have decided to create not one, but two new institutions. The first will be a new institute which will partner foreign universities that offer degree courses, to open more direct routes for polytechnic graduates to obtain degrees. The second will be a new university, which will be set up in close partnership with one leading university each from the US and China. These two institutions will open up more opportunities for students to upgrade themselves.
Ensuring Security and Enlarging Our External Space
24. Maintaining a safe and secure Singapore is a basic precondition for our people to pursue their dreams. As a small state, we must understand and influence our environment in order to enlarge our external space. Post crisis, the US will remain the leading power in the world, and the key to a coherent and stable global system. But in Asia, China and India will play growing roles. Stable relations between the US and China will be vital to solving many international issues, and to integrating an emerging Asia into the global community.
25. Our diplomacy must adjust to these new realities. Small as we are, we must participate actively at international forums like the UN and IMF, among others, and do our modest part in international efforts to further the common interests of nations, for example by participating in UN anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia. We must work with our partners in ASEAN, APEC and other regional forums, to foster regional cooperation and economic integration. Thus we help to keep our region peaceful, safeguard our interests, and make friends around the world.
26. Effective diplomacy depends on our ability to protect ourselves. Therefore, we will continue to build the 3rd Generation SAF, to defend Singa¬pore and contribute to regional security. We will also maintain an effective Home Team, working closely with the community to keep Singapore safe and secure.
Creating a First Class Home
27. With a cohesive society and stable external environment, we can build a first class home in Singa¬pore, where all citizens have full opportunities to achieve their aspirations.
28. Over the next few years, Singapore will be transformed physically. A new skyline will emerge around the Marina Bay. We are rejuvenating our housing estates: the Home Improvement Programme and Neighbourhood Renewal Programme are ramping up, and the Lift Upgrading Programme will be completed by 2014. We will double our rail network to 280 km by 2020. We are building park connectors, and new sports and leisure facilities all over the island. Our reservoirs, canals and drains are being transformed into recreational spaces through the Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters programmes. We are protecting nature and greenery even as we grow as a dense, urbanised city.
29. But it is not enough to have a first-world infrastructure and environment. We must match this with a gracious people who are courteous to one another, welcoming to visitors and new citizens, and worthy ambassadors for Singa¬pore when we travel abroad. We must raise our standards of social behaviour, so that Singapore becomes a more pleasant society to live in. We must also develop our arts and culture to be enjoyed by all citizens. This should be a city where all can feel safe and secure, living among people whom we respect and belong with, and whose cultures we share and take pride in.
Evolving our Political System
30. We can do all this – develop our economy, strengthen our social cohesion, upgrade our education system, safeguard our security, enlarge our external space and create a first class home – because our politics is sound. Our political system encourages strong and effective government, worthy of Singaporeans, and responsive to the people’s needs and aspirations. This system relies upon and brings forward political leaders who are committed and capable, and who have the mandate to work with citizens to build the economy, strengthen our society and improve all our lives. In a more challenging and uncertain world, a sound political system and good leadership are all the more important.
31. However, our political system is not set in stone. Singa¬pore politics must evolve over time, as the world and our society change. It must respond to new circumstances and goals, and continue to deliver good government to Singa¬pore.
Our leadership team too must self-renew. We must continue to induct new leaders in touch with the new generation, who understand how Singa¬pore works and who bring with them fresh thinking and energy to set and achieve new goals. For our political system to continue working well, we must find outstanding, younger men and women to lead Singa¬pore.
32. Provided we keep our system up-to-date, and our leaders stay in close touch with new trends and a new electorate, then we can continue to deliver high quality government, and keep Singa¬pore secure and vibrant in the years ahead.
Conclusion
33. This is the 50th year since Singapore became a self-governing state. We have come a long way since 1959. Through many vicissitudes, we have made steady progress, and built today’s Singa¬pore. Few among the dozens of other ex-colonies which became independent around the same period have done as well. Our success has been the result of right policies, good government, and a united people.
34. The present world situation is graver than any in our experience. We are well prepared for it. We have been through crises before, and always emerged stronger. This adversity is another opportunity to temper and bond our people.
35. Let us commit ourselves to building on what we have achieved, coming through with flying colours once more, and making Singa¬pore shine as a country where we work and play together, overcome challenges shoulder to shoulder, and build our future as one people.
36. For this is Our Home, Our Future, and Our Singapore.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The changing face of JI
The changing face of JI
It is plugged to wider global terror network, loyalties remain strong
By Zakir Hussain
9 May 2009
SINGAPORE, May 9 — The capture of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader Mas Selamat Kastari on the outskirts of Johor Baru once again raises the question of just how alive and vibrant the JI terror network is in the region.
The arrests and incarceration of key JI leaders in recent years, the absence of a major terror attack in Southeast Asia since 2005, and the unrelenting efforts of regional governments have crippled the JI network considerably.
But the JI has also adapted.
So in spite of the region's persistence in weeding out the terror menace, the danger is far from over.
That Mas Selamat was able to stay under the radar in Johor for over a year after he escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre suggests that there is a surviving JI network in the state and it remains committed to the organisation and its struggle.
Members may not be up to much by way of terror plots, but the indoctrination and loyalties remain strong.
“It suggests the JI network in Malaysia may be less destroyed than we thought,” said International Crisis Group (ICG) analyst Sidney Jones.
Mas Selamat's arrest occurred around the same time that Malaysian authorities captured three others for JI-related activities.
Agus Salim, a 32-year-old Indonesian, was arrested in March and two Malaysians, Abdul Matin Anol Rahmat and Johar Hassan, were detained on April 1.
The wider JI network — scattered around the region — also remains plugged into the wider global terror network.
And it has not been quiet.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday said Mas Selamat was “planning a lot of things in Singapore”.
“His main focus at the time was Singapore,” he added.
So while Mas Selamat's capture may have dealt a blow to the JI's plans, the group is far from being snuffed out.
After all, the JI movement has deep roots in this part of the world, and has proven time and again its ability to morph with the times.
While JI as an organisation came to light only eight years ago, when the authorities in Singapore and Malaysia disrupted several active cells, its roots stretch way back to the Darul Islam movement which emerged in the 1940s in Java with the aim of creating an Islamic state in Indonesia through armed struggle.
Successive crackdowns by the Indonesian government over the years only intensified members' resolve.
Several radical elements went into exile in Malaysia in the 1980s and there formed the JI, which went on to send batches of youth — including several Singaporeans — to train for battle in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
As security clampdowns after the 2002 Bali bombing made it harder for these groups to operate in the open, a number of ideologues have turned to new media to gain and retain support for their cause.
A recent study by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that some of these sites no longer confine themselves to celebrating terrorist victories in places like Afghanistan and Iraq and to spreading material from Al-Qaeda and JI.
A few are using the Internet to share know-how on hacking into websites, bomb-making and use of firearms, the study said.
Another report by the ICG in March 2008 noted that as the organisational JI weakened, several of its members have taken to a profitable publishing industry.
Among them is the Ar-Rahmah media company, chaired by Muhammad Jibriel Abdul Rahman, a former member of JI's Al-Ghuraba cell which was set up by JI operations chief Hambali — now in custody in Guantanamo Bay — to groom future JI leaders.
During school vacations, some were sent to train with the militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba, while others were trained to handle weapons and explosives at Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.
The cell, which was based in Karachi, Pakistan, was dispersed in 2003 after a security crackdown there. Some of those who returned home have been detained, but others have not.
The Ar-Rahmah company went on to pioneer the sale of VCDs from Al-Qaeda and other militant groups, to whip up sentiment against the West.
Last year, the Jakarta-based company launched a glossy magazine, Jihad Magz, which gives widespread coverage of militant acts in other parts of the world.
These media efforts may be an attempt to focus on outreach and recruitment to rebuild the weakened JI, the ICG added.
Other elements of the JI have also argued for a shift in focus to political and social activity in place of violence, in order to win more grassroots support in bringing about the Islamic state they yearn for.
Dr Tim Huxley, executive director of the International Institute of Strategic Studies-Asia, said this adjustment in JI doctrine arose because the many civilian casualties in JI attacks had caused “a real revulsion” against JI among ordinary Indonesians.
In a recent article, Boston-based analyst Zachary Abuza described JI's engagement in the political process, through groups like the Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia, as a cynical short-term tactic in its longer-term strategy to eradicate democracy.
Elements in JI remain committed to linking up with Al-Qaeda for funds and equipment to launch acts of terror.
The trial of Indonesian JI leaders Agus Purwantoro and Abu Husna, who were caught in Malaysia last year and sentenced to nine years' jail in Indonesia in February, showed that both men were on their way to Iraq to seek funds from Al-Qaeda leaders.
They were carrying a laptop that had a detailed funding proposal for explosives and operating expenses.
Several JI members are also seeking refuge in the southern Philippines, a situation Huxley says indicates the extent to which they are harassed elsewhere.
Still, while JI is on the defensive, it is far from out, if its support base and militant rhetoric are anything to go by. — Straits Times
It is plugged to wider global terror network, loyalties remain strong
By Zakir Hussain
9 May 2009
SINGAPORE, May 9 — The capture of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader Mas Selamat Kastari on the outskirts of Johor Baru once again raises the question of just how alive and vibrant the JI terror network is in the region.
The arrests and incarceration of key JI leaders in recent years, the absence of a major terror attack in Southeast Asia since 2005, and the unrelenting efforts of regional governments have crippled the JI network considerably.
But the JI has also adapted.
So in spite of the region's persistence in weeding out the terror menace, the danger is far from over.
That Mas Selamat was able to stay under the radar in Johor for over a year after he escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre suggests that there is a surviving JI network in the state and it remains committed to the organisation and its struggle.
Members may not be up to much by way of terror plots, but the indoctrination and loyalties remain strong.
“It suggests the JI network in Malaysia may be less destroyed than we thought,” said International Crisis Group (ICG) analyst Sidney Jones.
Mas Selamat's arrest occurred around the same time that Malaysian authorities captured three others for JI-related activities.
Agus Salim, a 32-year-old Indonesian, was arrested in March and two Malaysians, Abdul Matin Anol Rahmat and Johar Hassan, were detained on April 1.
The wider JI network — scattered around the region — also remains plugged into the wider global terror network.
And it has not been quiet.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday said Mas Selamat was “planning a lot of things in Singapore”.
“His main focus at the time was Singapore,” he added.
So while Mas Selamat's capture may have dealt a blow to the JI's plans, the group is far from being snuffed out.
After all, the JI movement has deep roots in this part of the world, and has proven time and again its ability to morph with the times.
While JI as an organisation came to light only eight years ago, when the authorities in Singapore and Malaysia disrupted several active cells, its roots stretch way back to the Darul Islam movement which emerged in the 1940s in Java with the aim of creating an Islamic state in Indonesia through armed struggle.
Successive crackdowns by the Indonesian government over the years only intensified members' resolve.
Several radical elements went into exile in Malaysia in the 1980s and there formed the JI, which went on to send batches of youth — including several Singaporeans — to train for battle in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
As security clampdowns after the 2002 Bali bombing made it harder for these groups to operate in the open, a number of ideologues have turned to new media to gain and retain support for their cause.
A recent study by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that some of these sites no longer confine themselves to celebrating terrorist victories in places like Afghanistan and Iraq and to spreading material from Al-Qaeda and JI.
A few are using the Internet to share know-how on hacking into websites, bomb-making and use of firearms, the study said.
Another report by the ICG in March 2008 noted that as the organisational JI weakened, several of its members have taken to a profitable publishing industry.
Among them is the Ar-Rahmah media company, chaired by Muhammad Jibriel Abdul Rahman, a former member of JI's Al-Ghuraba cell which was set up by JI operations chief Hambali — now in custody in Guantanamo Bay — to groom future JI leaders.
During school vacations, some were sent to train with the militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba, while others were trained to handle weapons and explosives at Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.
The cell, which was based in Karachi, Pakistan, was dispersed in 2003 after a security crackdown there. Some of those who returned home have been detained, but others have not.
The Ar-Rahmah company went on to pioneer the sale of VCDs from Al-Qaeda and other militant groups, to whip up sentiment against the West.
Last year, the Jakarta-based company launched a glossy magazine, Jihad Magz, which gives widespread coverage of militant acts in other parts of the world.
These media efforts may be an attempt to focus on outreach and recruitment to rebuild the weakened JI, the ICG added.
Other elements of the JI have also argued for a shift in focus to political and social activity in place of violence, in order to win more grassroots support in bringing about the Islamic state they yearn for.
Dr Tim Huxley, executive director of the International Institute of Strategic Studies-Asia, said this adjustment in JI doctrine arose because the many civilian casualties in JI attacks had caused “a real revulsion” against JI among ordinary Indonesians.
In a recent article, Boston-based analyst Zachary Abuza described JI's engagement in the political process, through groups like the Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia, as a cynical short-term tactic in its longer-term strategy to eradicate democracy.
Elements in JI remain committed to linking up with Al-Qaeda for funds and equipment to launch acts of terror.
The trial of Indonesian JI leaders Agus Purwantoro and Abu Husna, who were caught in Malaysia last year and sentenced to nine years' jail in Indonesia in February, showed that both men were on their way to Iraq to seek funds from Al-Qaeda leaders.
They were carrying a laptop that had a detailed funding proposal for explosives and operating expenses.
Several JI members are also seeking refuge in the southern Philippines, a situation Huxley says indicates the extent to which they are harassed elsewhere.
Still, while JI is on the defensive, it is far from out, if its support base and militant rhetoric are anything to go by. — Straits Times
Mas Selamat Caught - May 9, 2009 ST
May 9, 2009
Terrorism threat not over
SINGAPOREAN must continue to keep their guard up without getting fatigued or complacent, even as wanted terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari has been arrested in Malaysia, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday.
'The terrorism situation in Southeast Asia is under control, but the threat is far from over,' he said in his first remarks on the re-capture of the Singapore Jemaah Islamiah (J) terror leader by Malaysian Special Branch in Skudai, Johor Baru, on April 1, after being on the run for over a year.
PM Lee said for every attack reported in the newspapers there are many more plots which the security agencies uncover, track and hopefully disrupt.
'These never make it into the public consciousness, but we know about them from intelligence reports,' he said in a statement commenting on the Mas Selamat's arrest, which was reported by The Straits Times on Friday, and confirmed by Singapore and Malaysian home ministers on the same day.
'Our challenge is to keep up our guard without getting fatigued or complacent. The price of security is eternal vigilance.'
Mr Lee said the JI group remains active in the region, which must work together to counter them as well as other such groups.
This was a point he made to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak at a four-eye lunch in Pattaya on April 11, after the Asean summit was called off because of the 'Red Shirt' demonstrations.
During the meeting, Datuk Seri Najib told Mr Lee that the Malaysian authorities had nabbed Mas Selamat, whose escape from the Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27 last year sparked the biggest manhunt in Singapore's history and prompted Interpol to issue a global security alert.
Mas Selamat fled Singapore by swimming across the Johor Strait with the help of an 'improvised flotation device,' said Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng at a media briefing on Friday. He said Singapore government was informed of the arrest 'soon after' the fugitive was caught, adding that the arrest is the result of the strong co-operation between security agencies on both sides.
In his statement on Saturday, PM Lee said he told Datuk Seri Najib that he especially appreciated the close cooperation and trust between ISD and the Malaysian Special Branch, and thanked Malaysia for its generous support and help.
COMMENTS BY PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG ON THE RE-ARREST OF MAS SELAMAT KASTARI
I had a four-eye lunch with Datuk Seri Najib in Pattaya on 11 April. It was an impromptu arrangement which we made after the ASEAN meeting was called off because of the Red Shirt demonstrations. Datuk Seri Najib told me that the Malaysians had arrested Mas Selamat Kastari. I responded that I had been informed about this, and thanked him for Malaysia's generous support and help. I said that the terrorism problem affects both of us. The JI group remains active in the region, and we must work together to counter them as well as other such groups. I especially appreciated the close cooperation and trust between ISD and its Malaysian counterpart, the Special Branch.
DPM Wong Kan Seng had earlier told me about Mas Selamat's rearrest by the Malaysians. I knew that ISD had been working hard on the case, and had found some leads which they had given to the Malaysian authorities. But we could not say anything publicly or else it would jeopardise the operation. I was happy and relieved that Mas Selamat had been found and arrested before he had done any harm. Kan Seng told me that the Malaysians had asked us to keep this quiet for the time being. I replied that we had to respect this, even though I knew that Singaporeans would be very anxious to know the news. So we held the information very tightly.
On Thursday afternoon when the all Ministers were having our weekly Pre-Cabinet lunch, Kan Seng received a phone call informing him that the Straits Times had asked ISD to confirm their scoop which the ST said it came from the KL correspondent, that Mas Selamat has been arrested by the Malaysians. As the story had leaked, we had no choice but to confirm it. It was only then that Kan Seng told the Ministers that Mas Selamat had been arrested, the news had leaked, and we would be confirming the story. They were taken completely by surprise.
I thank all the officers who have been involved in hunting for and tracking down Mas Selamat over this last year. I never had any doubt that we would eventually find Mas Selamat, because I knew the quality and commitment of the officers working on this. ISD had recovered quickly from the mistakes which led to Mas Selamat's escape, put things right, and set themselves to finding and arresting him back. But nevertheless it is good that we have now got him. Our security agencies work quietly and anonymously, keeping Singapore safe. The public only hears about their work occasionally, for example when things go wrong. But we owe them more than most Singaporeans realise.
We must not think that Mas Selamat's arrest is the end of our problem. The terrorism situation in Southeast Asia is under control, but the threat is far from over. Once in a while there is an attack somewhere, so far fortunately not in
Singapore. But for every attack reported in the newspapers there are many more plots which the security agencies uncover, track and hopefully disrupt. These never make it into the public consciousness, but we know about them from intelligence reports. Our challenge is to keep up our guard without getting fatigued or complacent. The price of security is eternal vigilance.
PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE
9 MAY 2009
Terrorism threat not over
SINGAPOREAN must continue to keep their guard up without getting fatigued or complacent, even as wanted terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari has been arrested in Malaysia, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday.
'The terrorism situation in Southeast Asia is under control, but the threat is far from over,' he said in his first remarks on the re-capture of the Singapore Jemaah Islamiah (J) terror leader by Malaysian Special Branch in Skudai, Johor Baru, on April 1, after being on the run for over a year.
PM Lee said for every attack reported in the newspapers there are many more plots which the security agencies uncover, track and hopefully disrupt.
'These never make it into the public consciousness, but we know about them from intelligence reports,' he said in a statement commenting on the Mas Selamat's arrest, which was reported by The Straits Times on Friday, and confirmed by Singapore and Malaysian home ministers on the same day.
'Our challenge is to keep up our guard without getting fatigued or complacent. The price of security is eternal vigilance.'
Mr Lee said the JI group remains active in the region, which must work together to counter them as well as other such groups.
This was a point he made to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak at a four-eye lunch in Pattaya on April 11, after the Asean summit was called off because of the 'Red Shirt' demonstrations.
During the meeting, Datuk Seri Najib told Mr Lee that the Malaysian authorities had nabbed Mas Selamat, whose escape from the Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27 last year sparked the biggest manhunt in Singapore's history and prompted Interpol to issue a global security alert.
Mas Selamat fled Singapore by swimming across the Johor Strait with the help of an 'improvised flotation device,' said Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng at a media briefing on Friday. He said Singapore government was informed of the arrest 'soon after' the fugitive was caught, adding that the arrest is the result of the strong co-operation between security agencies on both sides.
In his statement on Saturday, PM Lee said he told Datuk Seri Najib that he especially appreciated the close cooperation and trust between ISD and the Malaysian Special Branch, and thanked Malaysia for its generous support and help.
COMMENTS BY PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG ON THE RE-ARREST OF MAS SELAMAT KASTARI
I had a four-eye lunch with Datuk Seri Najib in Pattaya on 11 April. It was an impromptu arrangement which we made after the ASEAN meeting was called off because of the Red Shirt demonstrations. Datuk Seri Najib told me that the Malaysians had arrested Mas Selamat Kastari. I responded that I had been informed about this, and thanked him for Malaysia's generous support and help. I said that the terrorism problem affects both of us. The JI group remains active in the region, and we must work together to counter them as well as other such groups. I especially appreciated the close cooperation and trust between ISD and its Malaysian counterpart, the Special Branch.
DPM Wong Kan Seng had earlier told me about Mas Selamat's rearrest by the Malaysians. I knew that ISD had been working hard on the case, and had found some leads which they had given to the Malaysian authorities. But we could not say anything publicly or else it would jeopardise the operation. I was happy and relieved that Mas Selamat had been found and arrested before he had done any harm. Kan Seng told me that the Malaysians had asked us to keep this quiet for the time being. I replied that we had to respect this, even though I knew that Singaporeans would be very anxious to know the news. So we held the information very tightly.
On Thursday afternoon when the all Ministers were having our weekly Pre-Cabinet lunch, Kan Seng received a phone call informing him that the Straits Times had asked ISD to confirm their scoop which the ST said it came from the KL correspondent, that Mas Selamat has been arrested by the Malaysians. As the story had leaked, we had no choice but to confirm it. It was only then that Kan Seng told the Ministers that Mas Selamat had been arrested, the news had leaked, and we would be confirming the story. They were taken completely by surprise.
I thank all the officers who have been involved in hunting for and tracking down Mas Selamat over this last year. I never had any doubt that we would eventually find Mas Selamat, because I knew the quality and commitment of the officers working on this. ISD had recovered quickly from the mistakes which led to Mas Selamat's escape, put things right, and set themselves to finding and arresting him back. But nevertheless it is good that we have now got him. Our security agencies work quietly and anonymously, keeping Singapore safe. The public only hears about their work occasionally, for example when things go wrong. But we owe them more than most Singaporeans realise.
We must not think that Mas Selamat's arrest is the end of our problem. The terrorism situation in Southeast Asia is under control, but the threat is far from over. Once in a while there is an attack somewhere, so far fortunately not in
Singapore. But for every attack reported in the newspapers there are many more plots which the security agencies uncover, track and hopefully disrupt. These never make it into the public consciousness, but we know about them from intelligence reports. Our challenge is to keep up our guard without getting fatigued or complacent. The price of security is eternal vigilance.
PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE
9 MAY 2009
Sri Lankan military shows 'body of Tamil Tiger leader Prabhakaran' on TV
(The body of Charles Anthony, the son and heir apparent of Liberation Tigers leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran)
Sri Lankan military shows 'body of Tamil Tiger leader Prabhakaran' on TV
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6317354.ece
Sri Lankan state TV showed grisly pictures today of what it claimed was the dead body of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Tamil Tigers.
Prabhakaran was wearing his signature combat fatigues and a dog tag bearing the serial number "001". His head was partially covered by a cloth but a gaping wound was clearly visible. A laminated Tamil Tiger ID card was also on display.
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, told The Times that the body was recovered earlier today and the authorities were "100 per cent positive" that it was Prabhakaran.
Troops found Prabhakaran's bullet-ridden body on the bank of the Nanthikadal lagoon, the Ministry of Defence said on its website.
Brigadier Nanayakkara said that Prabhakaran, who was the prime architect of a 26-year civil war that claimed more than 70,000 lives, had been shot, probably in fierce fighting yesterday morning.
The announcement contradicted previous official claims that Prabhakaran's badly burnt body had been discovered yesterday.
Military officials had said yesterday that Prabhakaran had been killed after he was ambushed by commandos as he made a desperate attempt to break through government lines in an ambulance.
Prabhakaran, who had sworn never to be taken alive, was badly burnt when his vehicle burst into flames, officials had said. No pictures were released of his body and DNA tests were ordered to prove his identity.
Brigadier Nanayakkara dismissed claims made by the Tigers' chief of international relations this morning that Prabhakaran was alive and safe and would "continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people".
"Our beloved leader is alive and safe. He will continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people," the Tigers' chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, said in a statement carried on the pro-rebel Tamilnet website.
Mr Pathmanathan gave no indication of the whereabouts of Prabhakaran.
The Tigers' claim came as Mahinda Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan President, announced the "complete defeat" of the rebels and vowed to press ahead with a "homegrown political solution" to end ethnic divisions between the majority Sinhalese population and the minority Tamils.
Addressing Parliament, Mr Rajapakse said that the Government now controlled “every inch” of the island state and had rid the country of terrorism after crushing the rebels on Monday.
"We have demonstrated that we can solve our problems and we will come up with a homegrown political solution," he said.
Sri Lanka would seek international aid to rebuild the devastated former Tiger strongholds in the north and east of the country, he added. He also delivered a rebuke to Britain and US, which are resented by some Sri Lankans for calling for a ceasefire just days before the Tigers were defeated.
"What we need from the international community is not advice, but material help to carry out our reconstruction effort," the President said.
Government forces said yesterday that they had found 300 bodies strewn over the 100-square-metre stretch of land where the last Tiger troops had hunkered down. Tamilnet said that the military had carried out a “determined massacre”.
Reporters were not allowed near the conflict zone to witness the aftermath.
In the north of Sri Lanka, fears for the wellbeing of an estimated 300,000 civilians displaced by the conflict escalated after the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross – the only aid organisations allowed to operate in the conflict zone – were denied access to a large number of them on Saturday.
“It appears that the Government does not want us to see the condition of these people or witness the procedures it uses to screen them for possible escaped rebels,” a senior international aid worker said.
The internment camps, which are surrounded in barbed wire and have been dubbed “welfare villages” by the Government, had already triggered concerns among humanitarian organisations.
Prabhakaran built the Tigers into one of the deadliest terrorist organisations in the world.
He pioneered the use of suicide bombers, plotted the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, in 1991 and at one time commanded about a third of Sri Lanka as he fought to build a separate Tamil state in the north of the country.
Even Sri Lankans critical of the Government admitted yesterday that most of the country is delighted with the defeat of the rebels. There were urgent calls, however, for a political solution to avoid new terror strikes by radicalised Tamils angry at the treatment of their community.
“The majority of Sri Lankans feel a sense of relief and joy at the Army’s victory,” said Lal Wickrematunge, the managing editor of the Sunday Leader, a newspaper founded by his brother Lasantha, who was assassinated in January after he criticised the Government.
Mr Wickrematunge added: “The thing is, nobody is taking into account the attitude of the oppressed minorities.”
Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils were favoured under British rule, but in the 1950s a Sinhalese-dominated government began to pass laws that benefitted the majority Sinhalese population.
“Much depends on the path the Sri Lankan Government takes from here,” a Western diplomat said. “We hope it will not engage in ethic, nationalistic triumphalism. The Tamils must be included in the political process.”
In Britain, ten people were arrested for public order offences outside the Houses of Parliament in central London early today after protests by Tamil exiles turned violent. Twenty police officers were injured as they broke up the demonstration.
Shops were shuttered and businesses run by Britain's large Tamil population, estimated at around 300,000, were closed yesterday as the news sank in. Many expressed disbelief that the civil war waged by the Tamil Tiger movement since the early 1980s had come to an end, and said it would resume.
May 19, 2009
Guerrilla tactics - how the Tamil Tigers were beaten in an 'unwinnable' war
It was supposed to be the unwinnable war. For almost three decades, Sri Lanka was held up as an example of how a small democratic state with a conventional army could never defeat a well-funded and disciplined guerrilla organisation.
It has proved that to be untrue. But how Sri Lanka won its victory — and whether it should be condoned or copied — is the subject of an international debate that touches on the War on Terror, the UN and the new geopolitical world order.
Opinion is divided about whether Sri Lanka will win the peace by offering its 2.4 million ethnic Tamils an acceptable devolution package.
Whichever side one takes though, Sri Lanka offers valuable lessons for any country facing an insurgency — such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.
From a military perspective the campaign of the past two years has been such a success that it is being studied by counter-insurgency specialists around the world.
Key to that was the acquisition of fighter jets and radar from China and aerial surveillance drones from Israel that allowed the air force to target the Tigers accurately.
The army used guerrilla tactics — moving in small groups through the jungle rather than on main roads — while the Tigers fought a conventional campaign to defend their territory.
Military intelligence split the Tigers by persuading Colonel Karuna, their second in command, to defect in 2004, allowing the army to drive the rebels out of eastern Sri Lanka in 2007. The navy played a crucial role by attacking the Tigers’ supply ships, with help from India and the US.
In the international arena Sri Lanka outmanoeuvred the Tamil Tigers by taking advantage of counter-terrorism legislation introduced after the attacks on the US on September 11, 2001.
It lobbied hard to have the Tigers banned as terrorists in the US, EU, Canada and Australia, forcing those countries to crack down on their financing and arms procurement.
More recently it has cultivated ties with China, Iran and other non-Western powers to counterbalance Western criticism of its conduct of the war.
It also secured tacit approval for its campaign from the ruling Congress party in India, whose leader Sonia Gandhi was keen to avenge the assassination of her husband, Rajiv, by the Tigers in 1991.
The result has been paralysis of the UN system, with Western governments unable to put Sri Lanka on the formal agenda of the Security Council.
Britain, the EU and the UN rights chief have called for war crimes investigations and Washington is stalling an application by Sri Lanka for a $1.9 billion (£1.2 billion) emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund.
War crimes will be hard to prove and the IMF will probably grant the loan because withholding funds would be counter-productive now that the war is over.
It is on the domestic political front, however, that Sri Lanka’s strategy has been most questionable. Mahinda Rajapaksa promised to take a hard line against the Tigers and won the presidential election in 2005 in large part because Velupillai Prabakharan, their leader, forced northeastern Tamils to boycott the poll.
Since then the President has joined forces with a Sinhalese nationalist party to stir patriotic fervour that has stifled all political opposition by branding critics as terrorists.
The domestic media have been silenced by the Government’s failure to investigate attacks on journalists, of whom 14 have been killed since 2006.
Access to the front line has been minimal. That has guaranteed support for the war within the Sinhalese majority and a steady flow of recruits for the professional army, which has not released its casualty figures for months.
It also means that there has been no scrutiny of military tactics, which appear to have included shelling civilian areas, and no public debate about a long-term political solution.
Consequently, the army has alienated many moderate Tamils through its disregard for civilian casualties and callous treatment of the 200,000 Tamils in internment camps.
The Government must work fast to rebuild its democratic institutions and reassure those Tamils that they can benefit more from peace than war. It needs vastly to improve conditions in the camps and keep its promise to resettle 80 per cent of the inmates by the end of this year.
It also needs to present a devolution package granting enough autonomy to satisfy Tamils not just in Sri Lanka but also in the large and wealthy diaspora that funded the Tigers.
If it succeeds it may yet add weight to the idea that terrorists such as the Tigers can be beaten only by curbing civil liberties, keeping the media away and using brute force — just as Russia did in Chechnya.
If it fails, however, it will have squandered the sympathy of the democratic world — not to mention billions of pounds — and created a new generation of Tigers.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6315015.ece
The enigma of Prabhakaran - 18 May 2009 BBC
The enigma of Prabhakaran
By Alastair Lawson
BBC News
Mr Prabhakaran has been part of the Tamil protest movement for decades
From an increasingly small area in the north-east of Sri Lanka, Velupillai Prabhakaran heads the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or Tamil Tigers.
He has a reputation as a fearless and ruthless guerrilla leader and under his leadership, the Tamil Tigers have become a highly-disciplined and highly-motivated guerrilla force.
But in recent months his forces have fought a desperate rearguard action as their dream of a separate homeland in the north and east of the country looks less and less likely.
Yet for much of the past three decades his organisation showed no sign of being defeated militarily by the Sri Lankan army, even though it was vastly outnumbered.
But recent advances by the army - including its capture of rebel-held eastern parts of the island in 2007 and the towns of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu in early 2009 - have meant that Mr Prabhakaran is now under more military pressure than ever before. Kilinochchi was the rebels' administrative and political centre and Mullaitivu - a port town - was arguably its most heavily defended area.
The rebels' territorial grip was further weakened before Mullaitivu fell when the army re-captured the strategically important Elephant Pass, a land strip that links the northern Jaffna peninsula to the rest of the country.
Cyanide capsule
There is now a strong possibility that the rebels will be reduced to a guerrilla group, with no land under their control for the first time in many years. All that remains in their hands is a tiny patch of the north-east near Mullaitivu and that too is in imminent danger of falling.
Mr Prabhakaran (centre) has a vice-like hold over his organisation
Mr Prabhakaran is reputed to wear a cyanide capsule around his neck, to be swallowed in the event of his capture.
He expects the same dedication from his troops, many of whom the Sri Lankan government says are either women or children.
He is also a man whom critics say is much more at ease fighting in the battlefield than he is sitting around a negotiating table.
They argue that any peace process is doomed to failure with Mr Prabhakaran as leader of the Tigers and that even after a Norwegian brokered ceasefire was signed in 2002, the rebels used the lull in fighting to re-group and re-arm.
Mr Prabhakaran's supporters argue that he fully embraced efforts to secure peace, pointing out that in 2002 he began de-commissioning arms, allowed a land route to be opened to the rebels' northern stronghold in the Jaffna peninsula and even gave support to his movement dropping its demand for a separate state.
From 2002 to 2008 - when the government announced that it was formally withdrawing from the ceasefire - Mr Prabhakaran suffered a number of setbacks.
In 2004 a renegade Tamil Tiger commander, known as Karuna, led a split in the rebel movement in the east - a huge breach of its much hailed discipline and unity.
Two years later the Tigers' chief ideologue, Anton Balasingham, died of cancer in London. His demise was described as an "irreplaceable loss" to the movement.
And in November 2007 the senior Tamil Tiger leader, SP Thamilselvan, was killed in a bombing raid by the military. He was the "public face" of the Tigers and the most senior rebel to be killed by troops in years. Mr Prabhakaran himself described his death as an "unparalleled loss".
The death of SP Thamilselvan was an "unparalleled loss"
Mr Prabhakaran inspires conflicting emotions in Sri Lanka - which reflect the divisions between the Sinhala and Tamil communities.
To his followers, he is a freedom fighter struggling for Tamil emancipation from Sinhala oppression. To his adversaries he is a megalomaniac with a brutal disregard for human life.
The Tamil Tiger leader seldom gives interviews to journalists, who are in any case restricted by the government from going into areas controlled by his forces.
However each November he does give a speech on what the Tamil Tigers refer to as Heroes' Day - to commemorate dead rebel fighters - and the message over the years has remained pretty much the same.
"The uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam," he said in November 2006.
His movements between his various jungle hideouts are the subject of great secrecy, and he is reported to have narrowly avoided assassination or capture on numerous occasions. Following his latest military setbacks there has been much speculation as to whether he has fled to another country or is in hiding in the Sri Lankan jungle.
Commentators suggest that any escape to India would be dangerous because he is wanted there for the murder of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. But so too would a decision to remain underground in the Sri Lankan jungle, given the army's increasingly strong presence on the ground.
Accused of killings
Born on 26 November 1954, in the northern coastal town of Velvettithurai, on the Jaffna peninsula, Velupillai Prabhakaran is the youngest of four children.
He was an average student, shy and bookish. He said in one of his rare interviews that he was fascinated by Napoleon and Alexander the Great, devouring books on their lives.
He was also influenced by the lives of two Indian leaders, Subhash Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh, both of whom were involved in the armed struggle for independence from Britain.
Angered as a teenager by what he saw as discrimination against Tamils in politics, employment and education, he began attending political meetings and practising martial arts.
He soon became heavily involved in the Tamil protest movement, and in 1975 was accused of being responsible for the murder of the mayor of Jaffna.
The rebel leader has suffered numerous setbacks over the years
That assassination was one of the first killings carried out by the burgeoning Tamil nationalist movement.
He was instrumental in the foundation of the Tamil Tigers around that time.
The killing of the mayor is not the only high-profile murder for which Mr Prabhakaran is the prime suspect.
India says Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber who was acting on orders from Mr Prabhakaran.
It is alleged that the rebel leader wanted to avenge Mr Gandhi's decision as prime minister in the mid-1980s to deploy Indian peacekeeping troops in Sri Lanka.
Despite the conflicting views surrounding Mr Prabhakaran, there is one point on which both the Sinhala and Tamil communities agree: he is the dominating force in the rebel movement, and until or unless he is either caught or captured, the Tamil Tigers will remain one of the world's most dangerous rebel groups
Prabhakaran: The Life and Death of a Tiger - Time
Prabhakaran: The Life and Death of a Tiger
By JYOTI THOTTAM / NEW DELHI Tuesday, May. 19, 2009
Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the Tamil Tigers, stands in front of an eternal
Velupillai Prabhakaran, 54, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the LTTE) who was declared killed by the Sri Lankan government on May 18, had decades to think about how his end would come. It could have come from the cyanide capsule that he — like many Tiger fighters — wore around his neck, a pledge to commit suicide in case of capture by the Sri Lankan Army. He had been fighting a war for an independent homeland, or eelam, for the island's Tamil minority since 1983, and the Army pursued him throughout the jungles of the north and east for decades. In 2002, during a press conference near the beginning of a four-year-long ceasefire, Prabhakaran revealed that he had asked his aides to kill him if capture was near and he was unable to kill himself.
The end, when it came, happened in an armored vehicle in which Prabhakaran was trying to flee with his trusted lieutenants, according to the Sri Lankan government. The group came under fire, and Prabhakaran was one of 18 top LTTE leaders killed in the early morning ambush, the government said. On May 19, the Army released images to Sri Lankan television of Prabhakaran's body, still in its uniform, in which his face is clearly visible. For the generation of Sri Lankans who have grown up knowing only a nation in conflict, the image of Prabhakaran has loomed over their lives, either as enemy or savior. More than 70,000 people have been killed in 26 years of war in Sri Lanka, and there are those who will not believe the elusive figure is gone until they see proof. (Read "Behind Colombo's P.R. Battle Against the Tamil Tigers.")
The rest of the world might never understand the violence Prabhakaran stood for, but its imprint on Sri Lanka is wide and deep. At the height of his power, just before the 2002 ceasefire, Prabhakaran was the unquestioned leader of a de facto government that controlled more than 15,000 square kilometers of territory in the north and east of Sri Lanka and had its own system of taxes, roads and courts. By the final weeks of conflict, he was believed to be using thousands of Tamil civilians as human shields against the advance of the Sri Lankan military. At the time of his death, 250 core LTTE members stood with him. Few will mourn the end of a man who ruthlessly ordered the murder of his opponents, demanded absolute fealty and pioneered the use of suicide bombings.
Prabhakaran was the youngest of four children, born in a middle class family in Valvettiturai, a fishing town on the northern coast of Sri Lanka's Jaffna peninsula. Very little is known about his early life. "My childhood was spent in the small circle of a lonely, quiet house," he said in a 1994 interview. He described a deep-seated anger against the military and remembered an 8th grade teacher who exhorted students to take up arms against them. "It is he who impressed on me the need for armed struggle and persuaded me to put my trust in it," he said. Jaffna was then considered the heart of Tamil culture and literature in Sri Lanka, and also the center of the growing Tamil nationalist movement, calling for greater autonomy for Tamil-majority areas to protest what they considered discrimination against Tamils by Sri Lanka's Sinhala-speaking majority. The most radical groups wanted complete independence and struck out at symbols of the Sri Lankan state, including fellow Tamils whom they considered collaborators.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Help from 2 Johor friends - May 10 2009
Help from 2 Johor friends
They sheltered Mas Selamat for a year but others shunned him
By Hazlin Hassan, Malaysia Correspondent
Kuala Lumpur - A desperate Mas Selamat Kastari could find only two friends willing to help him hide after he escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre last year and swam the 1km across to a Johor beach.
Abdul Matin Anol Rahmat and Johar Hassan came to the Singaporean terrorist's aid, police sources said. All others shunned him.
The two men gave him shelter for free for more than a year in a secluded kampung house in Skudai. For that, they were arrested on April 1, the same day police nabbed Mas Selamat while he was sound asleep.
Clad only in his shorts and T-shirt, the leader of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror network in Singapore barely put up a fight during the dawn raid.
Mas Selamat is now believed to be in police custody in Johor.
'He has not been transported anywhere yet,' a source familiar with the operation told The Sunday Times.
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and national police chief Musa Hassan have refused to reveal where he is being held.
It is unclear how Mas Selamat contacted his two friends after he reportedly swam across the Johor Strait using an 'improvised flotation device'.
The official Bernama news agency said that Abdul Matin lived in Ulu Tiram and Johar lived in a village in Skudai.
The Sunday Times understands that Mas Selamat's two friends, who are said to be ordinary JI members, had helped hide him.
'He has no relatives in Johor but many friends,' the source told The Sunday Times. 'He probably went to Johor because he thought a few of them were still there and would help him. But most were not willing to help him as they knew that the authorities were searching for him.'
Only those two had helped him, and they have known Mas Selamat for some 10 years through JI. It remains unclear if the two were just helping him or if all three were plotting a fresh terror attack.
Prime Minister Najib Razak on Friday told reporters that Mas Selamat had been planning attacks on Singapore. He did not elaborate.
Some experts say Mas Selamat's success at remaining in hiding for more than a year shows that the JI network remains in Johor. But the source said that all JI members in Johor have 'either been neutralised or caught already'.
There are no new cells in Johor or anywhere else in Malaysia, he said, adding that Mas Selamat was therefore unlikely to have been able to seek support and conduct research to organise new terror attacks.
'JI is not a threat in Malaysia or Singapore,' he said.
But the JI remains a threat in Indonesia, the Philippines and southern Thailand, where the authorities can close one cell and have a new one crop up immediately, he added.
A source told Bernama: 'During the time he was hiding in Johor, Mas Selamat only made contact with the two men. This goes to show he has neither support nor the sympathy.'
The Malaysian government has declined to reveal details of how he was arrested, but reports say that the 48-year-old man had swum more than 1km to Stulang, Johor, a stretch of beach near Singapore's Senoko power station.
Mas Selamat, who is trained in firearms and explosives and is described as 'highly dangerous', had allegedly lived as a simple villager in the state.
The Star newspaper published a photograph which it said was taken just hours after his arrest. It shows that he had grown a thick beard and thicker moustache, but otherwise looked similar to photographs of him that had been distributed everywhere in Singapore when he escaped last year.
The Chinese-language daily Lianhe Wanbao reported that Mas Selamat had allegedly been seen selling burgers at a cart in Johor Baru at night until 4am.
The report said there was speculation that besides being a means to earn income, it served as camouflage to help keep him in touch with contacts and to assess the situation on the ground.
It also reported that when Mas Selamat was nabbed, another man and a woman who were in the same house in Skudai were also arrested. It is unclear what their relationship to Mas Selamat is. The authorities here have not announced the arrest of a woman in connection with his case.
Skudai is a sprawling working- class town, 25km north-west of Johor Baru and near Senai Airport, that many Singaporeans frequent for its Giant hypermarket.
About 15km away, across the North-South Highway, is Ulu Tiram, another small town but one that is notorious as a breeding ground for JI terrorists.
A now-defunct religious school which groomed JI agents is located in the area, a place familiar to Mas Selamat. As the leader of the Singapore branch of the JI, he spent some time there in the 1990s.
Bernama said that while in Johor, Mas Selamat had planned to flee either to the southern Philippines or to Indonesia but did not go ahead with it, thinking that he was safe in Johor.
As it turned out, he made the wrong decision.
hazlinh@sph.com.sg
Inside the mind of Mas Selamat and his ilk - ST 10 May
Inside the mind of Mas Selamat and his ilk
Driven by misguided sentiments, he likely sees himself as a hero fighting an 'evil system': Experts
By Zakir Hussain
Neither his years in detention nor life on the run quenched his zeal for his cause.
When Mas Selamat Kastari was arrested in Johor on April 1, he was still plotting attacks on Singapore, a mark of the hardcore extremism that characterised him.
In Jemaah Islamiah (JI) circles, the regional leader of the terrorist group was admired for being ambitious and ruthless.
Friends of his family, however, thought less of him.
They were upset that the former bus mechanic, who joined JI around 1990, was often out of a job. As a result, his wife and five children often went hungry.
He spent time in Indonesian prisons before being handed over to the Singapore authorities in 2006.
He was detained for two years in the Whitley Road Detention Centre prior to his escape in February last year.
Unlike other JI detainees, he was not put on a programme of religious rehabilitation because the Ministry of Home Affairs judged that he was not ready.
It was an indication of how firmly he clung to his extremist views.
Ustaz Ali Haji Mohamed, the co-chairman of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), said a radical like Mas Selamat would have been so deeply indoctrinated that his grievances would have crystallised into beliefs that he would be willing to pursue, regardless of the cost.
Such extremists also believe that all other Muslims are wrong, and that only those who walk their path of violence are true believers.
The feeling of hatred against non-Muslims and Muslims who work against him is also deeply embedded, said Ustaz Ali.
Singapore aims to rehabilitate as many of its security detainees as possible.
To date, two-thirds of the 60 detainees arrested here since 2001 for terrorist activities have been released after rehabilitation.
So far, none has strayed back. Some have returned to society for four years or more.
However, another 20 remain in detention, including 'hardcore' JI members who have not renounced their views.
As Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew noted last year in a book by the RRG marking its fifth anniversary: 'You cannot keep the detainees locked up. That is not the solution. The solution is to put them right, and so they become normal Muslims again and their families lead normal lives.'
He noted that some 26 of those arrested in the first two sweeps in 2001 and 2002 have been released.
'But six have still not been convinced. They have stuck to their guns, especially the leader of the JI group (Ibrahim Maidin). They are just standing firm.
'They are convinced that they are right. Nothing seems to be able to change their beliefs. So, we have to live with this problem, and they just have to stay detained,' he added.
Given the difficulties of rehabilitating a hardcore terrorist like Mas Selamat, it is likely that he will be detained indefinitely.
His conversion to extremism took place around 1990, after he heard Indonesian cleric Abu Jibril preach in Johor.
In 1992, he joined the Singapore JI cell. Over the next five years, he visited Afghanistan twice.
In 1999, he was hand-picked by JI operations chief Hambali - now in United States custody in Guantanamo Bay - to lead the Singapore cell.
Two years later, Mas Selamat fled Singapore when the Government began cracking down on JI members for plotting attacks against Western embassies and military personnel here.
Dr Kumar Ramakrishna, who heads the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, explains why the current mechanisms for rehabilitation are unlikely to work in Mas Selamat's case.
'In my own view, he would likely and sadly consider the Muslim scholars who attempt to counsel him as sold-out hypocrites who should be totally ignored,' he said.
However, if a JI leader who is more senior were to renounce violence, there is a chance that Mas Selamat may be willing to listen.
'If Hambali actually does turn, this would be show-stopping and make him, potentially, a most influential person for both individual rehabilitation and community counter-radicalisation efforts in South-east Asia,' Dr Kumar said.
Several years ago, when Mas Selamat was in prison in Indonesia, reformed JI leader Nasir Abas tried to meet him to persuade him to mend his ways.
But Mas Selamat refused to meet Mr Nasir.
Dr Kumar has not had a chance to view any documents on the deep background of Mas Selamat and finds it hard to pin down his path to radicalisation.
But based on what is known about the JI leader, he said it was possible that Mas Selamat was driven by fear that the group he most closely identifies with, in this case Muslims, is under threat.
Psychological studies show that when individuals perceive, rightly or wrongly, that their group is under threat, they tend to strike back, often resulting in ethnic cleansing, war or terrorism, Dr Kumar said.
He said Mas Selamat seems to define himself primarily as a Muslim first and last, and likely hates Singapore because he perceives 'that his Muslim 'group tent' is under existential threat both in Singapore and globally'.
'He may have experienced some form of personal setback or setbacks in his life which prompted him to seek greater refuge in religion, and this is where at some point he perceived some form of religious marginalisation that rendered him vulnerable to JI ideology,' he added.
Dr Kumar explained that the JI ideology, with its strong us-
versus-them world view, would have reinforced Mas Selamat's desire to right perceived wrongs and 'religiously legitimised the hate he feels toward Singapore and its close international friends, particularly the US and Israel'.
'It is important to realise that in his own mind, Mas Selamat thinks he is a hero standing up against the 'evil system' that 'oppresses' Muslims in Singapore and worldwide,' he said.
RRG member Ustaz Mohd Ibrahim Mohd Kassim notes that such misdirected sentiments are not held by the majority of Muslim Singaporeans.
And many of the JI detainees who held this view have come around to see where they have been misled by JI teachings.
But Mas Selamat has not been moved.
Said Dr Kumar: 'He probably really is convinced he is one of the 'good guys' whose 'eyes have been opened' to the actual plight of his Muslim brothers. This is why he seems so motivated.'
zakirh@sph.com.sg
Driven by misguided sentiments, he likely sees himself as a hero fighting an 'evil system': Experts
By Zakir Hussain
Neither his years in detention nor life on the run quenched his zeal for his cause.
When Mas Selamat Kastari was arrested in Johor on April 1, he was still plotting attacks on Singapore, a mark of the hardcore extremism that characterised him.
In Jemaah Islamiah (JI) circles, the regional leader of the terrorist group was admired for being ambitious and ruthless.
Friends of his family, however, thought less of him.
They were upset that the former bus mechanic, who joined JI around 1990, was often out of a job. As a result, his wife and five children often went hungry.
He spent time in Indonesian prisons before being handed over to the Singapore authorities in 2006.
He was detained for two years in the Whitley Road Detention Centre prior to his escape in February last year.
Unlike other JI detainees, he was not put on a programme of religious rehabilitation because the Ministry of Home Affairs judged that he was not ready.
It was an indication of how firmly he clung to his extremist views.
Ustaz Ali Haji Mohamed, the co-chairman of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), said a radical like Mas Selamat would have been so deeply indoctrinated that his grievances would have crystallised into beliefs that he would be willing to pursue, regardless of the cost.
Such extremists also believe that all other Muslims are wrong, and that only those who walk their path of violence are true believers.
The feeling of hatred against non-Muslims and Muslims who work against him is also deeply embedded, said Ustaz Ali.
Singapore aims to rehabilitate as many of its security detainees as possible.
To date, two-thirds of the 60 detainees arrested here since 2001 for terrorist activities have been released after rehabilitation.
So far, none has strayed back. Some have returned to society for four years or more.
However, another 20 remain in detention, including 'hardcore' JI members who have not renounced their views.
As Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew noted last year in a book by the RRG marking its fifth anniversary: 'You cannot keep the detainees locked up. That is not the solution. The solution is to put them right, and so they become normal Muslims again and their families lead normal lives.'
He noted that some 26 of those arrested in the first two sweeps in 2001 and 2002 have been released.
'But six have still not been convinced. They have stuck to their guns, especially the leader of the JI group (Ibrahim Maidin). They are just standing firm.
'They are convinced that they are right. Nothing seems to be able to change their beliefs. So, we have to live with this problem, and they just have to stay detained,' he added.
Given the difficulties of rehabilitating a hardcore terrorist like Mas Selamat, it is likely that he will be detained indefinitely.
His conversion to extremism took place around 1990, after he heard Indonesian cleric Abu Jibril preach in Johor.
In 1992, he joined the Singapore JI cell. Over the next five years, he visited Afghanistan twice.
In 1999, he was hand-picked by JI operations chief Hambali - now in United States custody in Guantanamo Bay - to lead the Singapore cell.
Two years later, Mas Selamat fled Singapore when the Government began cracking down on JI members for plotting attacks against Western embassies and military personnel here.
Dr Kumar Ramakrishna, who heads the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, explains why the current mechanisms for rehabilitation are unlikely to work in Mas Selamat's case.
'In my own view, he would likely and sadly consider the Muslim scholars who attempt to counsel him as sold-out hypocrites who should be totally ignored,' he said.
However, if a JI leader who is more senior were to renounce violence, there is a chance that Mas Selamat may be willing to listen.
'If Hambali actually does turn, this would be show-stopping and make him, potentially, a most influential person for both individual rehabilitation and community counter-radicalisation efforts in South-east Asia,' Dr Kumar said.
Several years ago, when Mas Selamat was in prison in Indonesia, reformed JI leader Nasir Abas tried to meet him to persuade him to mend his ways.
But Mas Selamat refused to meet Mr Nasir.
Dr Kumar has not had a chance to view any documents on the deep background of Mas Selamat and finds it hard to pin down his path to radicalisation.
But based on what is known about the JI leader, he said it was possible that Mas Selamat was driven by fear that the group he most closely identifies with, in this case Muslims, is under threat.
Psychological studies show that when individuals perceive, rightly or wrongly, that their group is under threat, they tend to strike back, often resulting in ethnic cleansing, war or terrorism, Dr Kumar said.
He said Mas Selamat seems to define himself primarily as a Muslim first and last, and likely hates Singapore because he perceives 'that his Muslim 'group tent' is under existential threat both in Singapore and globally'.
'He may have experienced some form of personal setback or setbacks in his life which prompted him to seek greater refuge in religion, and this is where at some point he perceived some form of religious marginalisation that rendered him vulnerable to JI ideology,' he added.
Dr Kumar explained that the JI ideology, with its strong us-
versus-them world view, would have reinforced Mas Selamat's desire to right perceived wrongs and 'religiously legitimised the hate he feels toward Singapore and its close international friends, particularly the US and Israel'.
'It is important to realise that in his own mind, Mas Selamat thinks he is a hero standing up against the 'evil system' that 'oppresses' Muslims in Singapore and worldwide,' he said.
RRG member Ustaz Mohd Ibrahim Mohd Kassim notes that such misdirected sentiments are not held by the majority of Muslim Singaporeans.
And many of the JI detainees who held this view have come around to see where they have been misled by JI teachings.
But Mas Selamat has not been moved.
Said Dr Kumar: 'He probably really is convinced he is one of the 'good guys' whose 'eyes have been opened' to the actual plight of his Muslim brothers. This is why he seems so motivated.'
zakirh@sph.com.sg
For Muslims in S'pore, a sense of relief - ST 10 May
For Muslims in S'pore, a sense of relief
Mas Selamat's capture affirms community's stand against violence
By Zakir Hussain
The re-arrest of Mas Selamat Kastari in Johor, where he sought shelter while on the run, vindicates the Singapore Muslim community's stand that they have no sympathy for those who plot violence in the name of Islam, several leaders of the community said yesterday.
After the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) regional leader escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre in February last year, there was suspicion among some that he might be harboured by sympathisers here.
Mr Abdul Mutalif Hashim, chairman of the Darussalam Mosque in Clementi, said that for as long as he was on the run, some suspicion lingered over Muslims here.
'I feel very relieved now, as that assumption did not help race relations,' he said.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Education, stressed that the Malay-Muslim community was just as alarmed as other Singaporeans were over the escape.
'Now that Mas Selamat has been caught, a sense of relief is as much felt by the Malay community as by the community at large.
'This reflects the fact that the Malay-Muslim community is mature and rational and understands that whatever threatens the nation is also a threat to them, and therefore, we are as single-minded about how we need to address and look at the threat of terrorism,' he said.
Mr Abdul Mutalif, who also chairs the Choa Chu Kang Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle, agreed: 'It was clear for all to see that Mas Selamat was someone who was capable of causing damage and chaos in our country.'
He was plotting attacks on Singapore when the Malaysian Special Branch arrested him in Johor on April 1.
That he fled Singapore almost immediately after his escape from Whitley was 'a clear indication that Muslims here did not harbour Mas Selamat, or condone his terrorist activities', Mr Abdul Halim Kader, chief executive of community group Taman Bacaan, said yesterday.
Online comments posted after the terrorist's escape last year, suggesting that he would surely get help from Malay-Muslims here, prompted Mr Abdul Halim to mobilise about 100 volunteers to distribute 10,000 'wanted' posters. He did so to send a message that Mas Selamat was an enemy of the people, regardless of race or religion.
Mr Abdul Halim also heads the Inter-Agency Aftercare Group, which looks after the welfare of JI detainees' families. He said it will continue to provide social and counselling help to Mas Selamat's wife and children here.
Veteran mosque leader Rhazaly Noentil urged all Singaporeans to continue interacting across religious lines to build trust, and not let the terror threat affect racial harmony in Singapore.
Mr Allaudin Mohamed, the chairman of the Khalid Mosque in Geylang, said: 'Our community understands the agenda of the extremists is destructive, and sees the larger need to live in harmony as Singaporeans.'
Mas Selamat's capture affirms community's stand against violence
By Zakir Hussain
The re-arrest of Mas Selamat Kastari in Johor, where he sought shelter while on the run, vindicates the Singapore Muslim community's stand that they have no sympathy for those who plot violence in the name of Islam, several leaders of the community said yesterday.
After the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) regional leader escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre in February last year, there was suspicion among some that he might be harboured by sympathisers here.
Mr Abdul Mutalif Hashim, chairman of the Darussalam Mosque in Clementi, said that for as long as he was on the run, some suspicion lingered over Muslims here.
'I feel very relieved now, as that assumption did not help race relations,' he said.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Education, stressed that the Malay-Muslim community was just as alarmed as other Singaporeans were over the escape.
'Now that Mas Selamat has been caught, a sense of relief is as much felt by the Malay community as by the community at large.
'This reflects the fact that the Malay-Muslim community is mature and rational and understands that whatever threatens the nation is also a threat to them, and therefore, we are as single-minded about how we need to address and look at the threat of terrorism,' he said.
Mr Abdul Mutalif, who also chairs the Choa Chu Kang Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle, agreed: 'It was clear for all to see that Mas Selamat was someone who was capable of causing damage and chaos in our country.'
He was plotting attacks on Singapore when the Malaysian Special Branch arrested him in Johor on April 1.
That he fled Singapore almost immediately after his escape from Whitley was 'a clear indication that Muslims here did not harbour Mas Selamat, or condone his terrorist activities', Mr Abdul Halim Kader, chief executive of community group Taman Bacaan, said yesterday.
Online comments posted after the terrorist's escape last year, suggesting that he would surely get help from Malay-Muslims here, prompted Mr Abdul Halim to mobilise about 100 volunteers to distribute 10,000 'wanted' posters. He did so to send a message that Mas Selamat was an enemy of the people, regardless of race or religion.
Mr Abdul Halim also heads the Inter-Agency Aftercare Group, which looks after the welfare of JI detainees' families. He said it will continue to provide social and counselling help to Mas Selamat's wife and children here.
Veteran mosque leader Rhazaly Noentil urged all Singaporeans to continue interacting across religious lines to build trust, and not let the terror threat affect racial harmony in Singapore.
Mr Allaudin Mohamed, the chairman of the Khalid Mosque in Geylang, said: 'Our community understands the agenda of the extremists is destructive, and sees the larger need to live in harmony as Singaporeans.'
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