Radicalised Singaporeans have caused 'anxieties and concern': PM Lee Hsien Loong

The recent arrests of two auxillary police officers and an infant care assistant for terrorism-related offences have caused “anxieties and concern” among Singaporeans as they “strike close to home”, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (20 June).

Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of an Iftar session at Tanglin Police Division with about 200 Home Team officers, Lee noted that the Muslim community will worry that it is “coming under the spotlight”, while the non-Muslim community “will wonder, what about my kids in infant care, am I safe?”

“It is necessary to remind ourselves that (the Home Team) has been doing an outstanding job keeping Singapore safe…and making sure that Singapore is one of the safest places in the world, without being one of the heaviest policed places in the world. You don’t see people with guns at every street corner, and yet you feel safe,” said the PM.

Earlier Tuesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the arrest of two auxillary police officers under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in May. The two men had been deployed as AETOS Traffic Enforcement Division officers at Woodlands Checkpoint.

Last week, MHA also revealed that infant care assistant Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari had become the first woman in Singapore to be detained under the ISA for radicalism. Two of the three individuals arrested are in their 20s while the other is in his 30s.

The Prime Minister added that he planned to meet with leaders from the Malay-Muslim community as well as those from the other races, in order to address their concerns.

Noting the Finsbury Park attack in London on Monday, when a Caucasian man drove a van into a group of Muslim worshippers, Lee said, “Islamophobia, maybe you can say, well, you can understand the psychology, but Islamophobia is as bad and as unacceptable as extremist radical terrorism. We have to make sure that none of that happens.”

Lee’s remarks come a day after his video statement on Monday, when he apologised for the harm that his ongoing family feud has done to Singapore’s reputation. He did not address the issue or take questions on the matter on Tuesday, but appeared upbeat.

The PM will deliver a Ministerial Statement at the next sitting of Parliament on 3 July. The Workers’ Party has filed parliamentary questions about the allegations of abuse of power arising from the Lee family feud.