Country Report on Terrorism 2023 - Chapter 1 - Singapore

Overview:  Singapore has a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy that includes vigilant security measures, regional and international law enforcement cooperation, efforts to counter radicalization to violence, and a campaign to prepare the populace for possible attacks.  Singapore was a committed, active, and effective CT partner in 2023.  CT remained a pillar of the security relationship between Singaporean and U.S. law enforcement and security services.  The government’s Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2023 identified youth radicalization to violence as a worrying trend and assessed that the country remained a terrorist target.

2023 Terrorist Incidents:  There were no reported terrorist incidents in Singapore in 2023.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security:  Singapore uses its Internal Security Act (ISA) to arrest and detain suspected terrorists.  The ISA authorizes the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the president’s consent, to order arrests and detentions without a warrant, trial, or full judicial due process, if it determines that individuals pose a threat to national security.

Singapore continued to detain individuals under the ISA for terrorism-related activities, but there were no new detentions reported in 2023.  Authorities issued restriction orders to two 16-year-olds, one for propagating ISIS propaganda through online games and the other for planning overseas attacks to further white supremacy.  The restriction orders limited the youths’ movement and internet access and required their rehabilitation counseling.  The government released two citizens previously detained under the ISA after determining they no longer posed a security threat that required preventive detention.  The government allowed restriction orders against four individuals to lapse for good progress in rehabilitation.

In February, legislation took effect empowering authorities to require social media services to disable users’ access to “egregious content,” including terrorism or racial/religious intolerance.  In July, Parliament passed legislation empowering authorities to direct the disabling, blocking, or removal of online content or restriction of accounts it suspected were being used to commit crimes, including terrorism-related and religious-harmony offenses.

Singapore’s law enforcement and security services were capable of proactively detecting, deterring, and preventing acts of terrorism, including through interagency cooperation, regular exercises, and information sharing.  In March the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the Civil Defense Force, and the Singapore Armed Forces conducted a national-level emergency response exercise involving a simulated attack on oil tanks and chemical pipelines.  In October, after Hamas’s attack on Israel, Singapore stepped up security measures.

Singapore’s primary border security agency, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), employed Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record data collection to detect potential terrorist movement by air travel. In January, ICA took over the protective security functions from the SPF at land checkpoints to enhance operational coordination.  In May, ICA announced that in 2024 checkpoints will shift to automated lanes using biometrics to verify identity.

Singapore is a member of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which requires broad counterterrorism partnership, including routine information sharing and border screening cooperation.

In July the government introduced the next phase of its SGSecure public awareness campaign, an initiative to enhance community preparedness for an attack.  This phase focuses on urging Singaporeans to deepen social cohesion and play an active role in safeguarding against terrorism.  Singapore held two roadshows under the new framework in 2023, encouraging citizens to explore these roles by participating in interactive digital gameplay.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism:  Singapore is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering, and its Financial Intelligence Unit, the Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office, is a member of the Egmont Group.  In 2023, Singapore continued its two-year term as FATF president.

In May, Singapore’s Parliament passed legislation authorizing a centralized digital platform – the Collaborative Sharing of Money Laundering/Terrorism Financing Information and Cases – to allow financial institutions to share targeted information on suspicious customers and report dubious behavior to the authorities.  In June, new anti-money laundering and terrorism financing rules came into effect for property developers, including stricter screening to detect those with terrorist links.

Countering Violent Extremism:  Government leaders point to racial and religious harmony as key to defending against terrorism, encouraging interreligious and interethnic dialogue through Racial and Religious Harmony Circles, the interagency Aftercare Group, and local community fora with leaders from Singapore’s religious and ethnic communities.  The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), the Islamic authority in charge of Muslim affairs, maintains a social media presence and holds outreach and educational events to counter terrorist propaganda and recruitment efforts.  MUIS manages the Asatizah Recognition Scheme, which vets teachers and scholars of Islamic religious knowledge in Singapore.  The Internal Security Department facilitates a counter radicalization to violence workshop for students in junior colleges, an initiative the Ministry of Education piloted in 2022 and rolled out in 2023.

The International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research and the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) both counter violent extremism.  The RRG, a volunteer organization made up of religious scholars and teachers, provides comprehensive counseling to ISA detainees to support their disengagement from terrorism and successfully reintegrate them into society.  RRG also operates a resource and counseling center for the Muslim community and, in May, opened a new gallery in a prominent mosque to continue its awareness-raising efforts.  RRG and the Interagency Aftercare Group also conduct outreach activities to counter extremist ideology for students and youth.  In June, RRG launched a TikTok account to reach a younger audience through videos countering violent extremist ideology.

International and Regional Cooperation:  Singapore is party to 15 international CT agreements and supports the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy.  The country is an active participant in CT cooperation efforts in ASEAN and APEC and is a strong advocate for the ASEAN “Our Eyes” regional initiative, which strives for ministerial-level CT information sharing.  In 2023, Singapore co-chaired with Australia the Senior Officials Counterterrorism Policy Forum, a regional initiative to enhance regional connectivity among home ministries and CT agencies.  Singapore founded and is host to the Counterterrorism Information Facility (CTIF), an initiative the country has led since 2021 that aims to increase information sharing between military and law enforcement agencies, with representatives from nine countries.  The United States supports the CTIF by maintaining a U.S. law enforcement and military official at the facility to contribute to CT information sharing.  Singapore is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and an active member of the Coalition’s Communications Working Group.