The 'Why the ISA?' Booklet
Channel News Asia
January 15, 2003
Singapore
THE Singapore Government has released a 30-page booklet entitled Why the ISA? which for the first time offers a glimpse into several instances when foreign countries tried to spy on Singapore.
It also reminds Singaporeans that the Jemaah Islamiyah plot is not the first time terrorists have targeted the island.
Do you remember the 1974 terrorist hijacking of the Laju ferry? Or the 1991 hijacking of SQ 117 at Changi Airport?
These are just two incidents of terror cited in the booklet to explain the rationale for the Internal Security Act or ISA.
This law hit the spotlight recently after it was used to detain 31 Jemaah Islamiyah members for terrorist activities.
The brightly coloured booklet, costing S$1.50, also contains dark tales, never told before, about spying incidents.
These include how a female Singapore civil servant was detained for passing secrets to a foreign spy working deep under cover.
Another details how a Soviet spy made friends with an armed forces officer while shopping, and bribed him to leak military secrets.
The Home Affairs Ministry says the booklet aims to dispel any myths and misconceptions over the Internal Security Act, especially among new generations of Singaporeans who may not know the origin of the ISA and how it is applied today.
Grassroots leaders, like 24-year-old Tricia Pong who has just read the booklet, agree, saying it offers useful insights.
Ms Pong, a grassroots facilitator, said: "People like myself, in our 20s, we're not interested in such things, as it doesn't happen everyday and we let it pass, we think Singapore is a safe place and we take it for granted."
Political watchers say the booklet is well-timed, on the heels of last week's White Paper on terrorism and the JI arrests.
Ooi Giok Ling, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said: "It comes at a time when people are more security conscious than ever before. It seems to be the perfect timing for a booklet like this - people want security, and would like to ensure there is or it's being taken care of. So it's a good effort, I suspect, to win the minds and hearts of why there's a need for such an Act and it's welcome."
Is the ISA still relevant today?
The answer, according to this booklet, is a resounding yes and it reiterates that although the communist threat is now over, Singapore does not have laws to deal with racial or religious extremism so the ISA is still needed.
The booklet has been given to grassroots leaders and university and upper-secondary students.
January 15, 2003
Singapore
THE Singapore Government has released a 30-page booklet entitled Why the ISA? which for the first time offers a glimpse into several instances when foreign countries tried to spy on Singapore.
It also reminds Singaporeans that the Jemaah Islamiyah plot is not the first time terrorists have targeted the island.
Do you remember the 1974 terrorist hijacking of the Laju ferry? Or the 1991 hijacking of SQ 117 at Changi Airport?
These are just two incidents of terror cited in the booklet to explain the rationale for the Internal Security Act or ISA.
This law hit the spotlight recently after it was used to detain 31 Jemaah Islamiyah members for terrorist activities.
The brightly coloured booklet, costing S$1.50, also contains dark tales, never told before, about spying incidents.
These include how a female Singapore civil servant was detained for passing secrets to a foreign spy working deep under cover.
Another details how a Soviet spy made friends with an armed forces officer while shopping, and bribed him to leak military secrets.
The Home Affairs Ministry says the booklet aims to dispel any myths and misconceptions over the Internal Security Act, especially among new generations of Singaporeans who may not know the origin of the ISA and how it is applied today.
Grassroots leaders, like 24-year-old Tricia Pong who has just read the booklet, agree, saying it offers useful insights.
Ms Pong, a grassroots facilitator, said: "People like myself, in our 20s, we're not interested in such things, as it doesn't happen everyday and we let it pass, we think Singapore is a safe place and we take it for granted."
Political watchers say the booklet is well-timed, on the heels of last week's White Paper on terrorism and the JI arrests.
Ooi Giok Ling, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said: "It comes at a time when people are more security conscious than ever before. It seems to be the perfect timing for a booklet like this - people want security, and would like to ensure there is or it's being taken care of. So it's a good effort, I suspect, to win the minds and hearts of why there's a need for such an Act and it's welcome."
Is the ISA still relevant today?
The answer, according to this booklet, is a resounding yes and it reiterates that although the communist threat is now over, Singapore does not have laws to deal with racial or religious extremism so the ISA is still needed.
The booklet has been given to grassroots leaders and university and upper-secondary students.
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