SINGAPORE: 2008 COUNTRY REPORT REPORT ON TERRORISM

UNCLAS SINGAPORE 000012

SIPDIS

STATE FOR S/CT - RHONDA SHORE
STATE ALSO FOR EAP/MTS - M. COPPOLA
STATE PASS NCTC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KHLS AEMR SN
SUBJECT: SINGAPORE: 2008 COUNTRY REPORT REPORT ON TERRORISM

REF: 08 STATE 120019


1. Singapore continued its bilateral and multilateral
intelligence and law enforcement cooperation to investigate
terrorist groups, focusing on Jemaah Islamiya (JI). As of
December, Singapore held in detention 19 persons with links
to terrorist groups. Detainees included members of JI who
had plotted to carry out attacks in Singapore in the past and
members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Under
detention orders, the detainees were required to undergo a
program of religious counseling with a group of volunteer
religious counselors. Singapore enlisted the support of
religious teachers and scholars to study JI's ideology,
develop teachings to counter the group's spread within
Singapore's Muslim community, and provide counseling to
detainees. Religious counseling for detainees continues
after release from detention. One person with links to
terrorist groups was newly detained in 2008. Singapore
released a total of 11 persons in 2008. One JI detainee was
released on a Restriction Order (RO) in February; and
Singapore released five Singaporean JI members on ROs in
September; another four Singapore JI detainees and one MILF
detainee were released on ROs in December 2007. Singapore
authorities determined that all 11 persons had cooperated in
investigations and responded positively to rehabilitation,
including religious counseling. There are no known cases of
recidivism to date.


2. In February 2008, Mas Selemat Kastari, the Singapore
leader of JI, escaped from detention. Despite a massive
manhunt, the Singapore authorities failed to locate and
re-capture Kastari. Kastari reportedly escaped by climbing
out of a restroom window located in a meeting area of the
detention center.


3. In February 2008, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
published the results of its review of Singapore's anti-money
laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime, finding it
compliant or largely compliant with most of the FATF's
recommendations. The evaluation noted that Singapore had
improved feedback to financial institutions, enhanced
supervisory oversight and stepped up training, and
implemented a new cross-border cash declaration system.
However, concerns remained over the effectiveness of
Singapore's money laundering regulations. In December 2008,
the government amended the Terrorism (Suppression of
Financing) Act to allow the government to respond to requests
for extradition from Parties to the International Convention
for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, even in
the absence of an extradition treaty, in relation to
terrorism financing offenses.


4. In March 2008, the United States Department of Homeland
Security and Singapore signed a Science and Technology
Agreement to provide a framework to expand cooperation and
carry out collaborative projects to enhance border security.
In June 2008, the United States Transportation Security
Administration and Singapore signed a Memorandum of
Cooperation to strengthen ongoing collaboration on aviation
security. In August 2008, the United States and Singapore
signed a host country Memorandum of Understanding concerning
challenge inspections under the Chemical Weapons Convention
(CWC). Singapore has been a signatory to the CWC since 1997.
In December 2007, the United States and Singapore had
signed a declaration of principles to implement a trial of
the Secure Freight Initiative (SFI). However, in August
2008, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Singapore
Ministry of Transport announced that both parties had agreed
not to proceed with the SFI trial. CBP has decided instead
to focus its resources on strategic trade corridors.


5. In September 2008, Singapore cooperated with U.S.
authorities to investigate and subsequently apprehend a
Singapore suspect who had allegedly sent terrorist threats by
e-mail to several airlines and embassies around the world.


6. Singaporean officials took strong measures to enhance
maritime security in nearby waters, especially the Strait of
Malacca, including countering terrorist threats, piracy, and
other criminal attacks. The three littoral states
(Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore) continued their surface,
naval, and air patrols in and over the Strait of Malacca. In
August 2008, The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) hosted the
4th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) Maritime Security
Information Exchange, which brought together representatives
from 17 countries to promote naval interoperability and
information exchange. The RSN continued construction of the
Changi C2 Centre, which will house a multi-agency Port
Operations and Control Centre, a Multinational Operations and
Exercises Centre, and an Information Fusion Centre, the
latter to be staffed with International Liaison Officers. A
core function of the Changi C2 Centre will be to monitor
shipping traffic approaching and within the Singapore Strait,
exchanging maritime information with interested partners to
maintain vigilance for any anomalies that might indicate
piracy, maritime terrorism, or some other illicit event. The
Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed
Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing
Centre (ISC) continued its operations, connecting 14
governments in Asia to enhance piracy-related information
sharing.


7. The RSN participated in the annual bilateral exercise
"Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training" with the U.S.
Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, and also the multilateral "South
East Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism" (SEACAT) exercise.
Singapore also conducted its own internal, annual exercise
"APEX," which tests the government's multi-agency response
to a maritime terrorism incident.


8. Embassy POC is: Political Officer Dan Jassem. E-mail:
JassemDP@State.gov. Office: (65) 6476-9182.

Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm


HERBOLD