jollibet Singapore's community leaders should always be prepared for terror attacks, even during peacetime: Masagos
Updated:2024-10-21 03:10 Views:165SINGAPORE: Community leaders in Singapore should always be prepared for terror attacksjollibet, including during peacetime, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said on Saturday (Oct 19).
Mr Masagos was referencing a police superintendent from New Zealand at the International Conference on Communities of Success for global Muslim minority communities held in Singapore earlier this week, who said the authorities "did not regret" being prepared even if they believed attacks "should never happen".
The police officer also said bringing together many communities was what got them through the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, Mr Masagos said.
More than 50 people were killed after a gunman opened fire at two mosques in March 2019, New Zealand's worst peacetime mass shooting.
"We now are even more convinced that our community leaders should always prepare, (be) prepared to recover should an incident happen," said Mr Masagos, who is also 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 speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a community response roundtable in Tampines, where members gathered to discuss and review their plans during crises, to ensure they are relevant and updated.
This came a day after it was revealed that a 17-year-old self-radicalised Singaporean was arrested less than a month before his plan to carry out an attack at a public housing area in Tampines.
The youth, who lived within walking distance from the open area chosen for the attack, had plotted to use either a kitchen knife or scissors from his house to stab non-Muslim males during the school holidays in September.
Following his arrest in August, the youth was detained under the Internal Security Act.
Related:
Singapore foils teen terror plot weeks before planned attack in public housing area 
'Very close shave': Teen detained under ISA could have rampaged through crowded Tampines area, says Shanmugam Mr Masagos, a Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC, said he was glad authorities managed to thwart the attack.
"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 said.
He added that it was by "sheer coincidence" that the community response roundtable was taking place soon after the planned terror attack came to light.
"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 seriouslyjollibet," he added.
A community response roundtable was held at Tampines Changkat community club on Oct 19, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Charmaine Jacob)