Singapore’s neighborhood leaders ought to at all times be ready for terror assaults, even throughout peacetime: Masagos

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SINGAPORE: Community leaders in Singapore ought to at all times be ready for terror assaults, together with throughout peacetime, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli mentioned on Saturday (Oct 19).

Mr Masagos was referencing a police superintendent from New Zealand on the International Conference on Communities of Success for international Muslim minority communities held in Singapore earlier this week, who mentioned the authorities “did not regret” being ready even when they believed assaults “should never happen”. 

The police officer additionally mentioned bringing collectively many communities was what obtained them by means of the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, Mr Masagos mentioned.

More than 50 folks have been killed after a gunman opened fire at two mosques in March 2019, New Zealand’s worst peacetime mass capturing.

“We now are even more convinced that our community leaders should always prepare, (be) prepared to recover should an incident happen,” mentioned Mr Masagos, who can be minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs.

“But more importantly, always appeal to trust the bonds that our communities have with one another, to treasure it and to deepen it.” 

The minister was chatting with reporters on the sidelines of a neighborhood response roundtable in Tampines, the place members gathered to debate and assessment their plans throughout crises, to make sure they’re related and up to date.

This got here a day after it was revealed {that a} 17-year-old self-radicalised Singaporean was arrested lower than a month earlier than his plan to carry out an attack at a public housing area in Tampines.

The youth, who lived inside strolling distance from the open space chosen for the assault, had plotted to make use of both a kitchen knife or scissors from his home to stab non-Muslim males through the faculty holidays in September. 

Following his arrest in August, the youth was detained underneath the Internal Security Act.

Mr Masagos, a Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC, mentioned he was glad authorities managed to thwart the assault.

“For the longest time, the grassroots, the community, has always been working together, first to build bonds and build trust between communities through many activities, as well as to ensure that should something, some inevitable event (happen,) Tampines, Singapore will respond appropriately because we are prepared for it,” he mentioned.

He added that it was by “sheer coincidence” that the neighborhood response roundtable was happening quickly after the deliberate terror assault got here to gentle. 

“This was the second exercise as a follow-up (to) one that we had in March and it’s just one day after the announcement. I understand from our participants how they are more motivated to take this even more seriously,” he added. 

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A neighborhood response roundtable was held at Tampines Changkat neighborhood membership on Oct 19, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Charmaine Jacob)

Around 100 contributors have been at Saturday’s neighborhood response roundtable, which lasted for about three hours. They concerned representatives from faculties, companies, grassroots, neighborhood and non secular organisations in a geographical space. 

There are at present 34 such roundtables round Singapore, with the Ministry of Home Affairs and People’s Association aiming to have 40 of them by the tip of the 2024 monetary yr.  

Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling, who additionally attended the session, instructed reporters that coming collectively and strengthening relationships throughout peacetime will permit key stakeholders in the neighborhood to be higher capable of diffuse tensions, re-establish belief and restore normalcy after a terror-related incident.

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Minister of State for Home Affairs and for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling chatting with media on Oct 19, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Charmaine Jacob)

Speaking to the media, chairman for the Tampines East Community Emergency and Engagement Council (C2E) Benedict Koh mentioned the neighborhood response roundtable discussions are efficient in creating extra consciousness among the many neighborhood, particularly for grassroots leaders like himself. 

“We are more aware of such incidents, and we can actually know how to react and also organise (community response roundtables) like today. 

“We are neighborhood companions and we will mitigate the state of affairs higher,” he added.

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