24 September 2016•Update: 24 September 2016
By Kirsten Han
SINGAPORE
Singapore's Prime Minister launched Saturday a national movement to urge every citizen to play their part in protecting the country and society in the fight against terrorism.
The movement, known as SGSecure, is designed to be a community response to terrorism, supplementing the counter-terrorism efforts of national security and law enforcement agencies.
Although Singapore has not yet been hit by a terrorist attack, authorities say they have been quietly acting against real threats.
Last month, Indonesian authorities uncovered an attempt by a small group of militants planning a rocket attack on Singapore from the nearby Indonesian island of Batam.
"We know the question is not whether Singapore will be attacked but when this will happen,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was reported as saying by a local newspaper Saturday.
“We need to take care of one another and we need to know how to do so. I urge each and every Singaporean to step up and do your part so that when crisis strikes we can stand together, be strong and stay safe," he stressed.
Lee noted that the terror threat has evolved, with many attacks now carried out by "lone wolves" in public places designed to maximize the amount of damage done.
In Singapore, he said, this could involve attacks on public places such as train stations, hawker centers and shopping malls.
The SGSecure movement urges Singaporeans to remain vigilant, and be prepared in the case of emergency rather than give in to panic.
Interested individuals are trained to become active responders, and taught to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use automated external defibrillators on those who have suffered cardiac arrest.
According to the premier, the Singapore Civil Defence Force has already trained 1,800 individuals, and aims to train at least 300 in each constituency of the city-state.
The prime minister also urged religious leaders, grassroots activists and other volunteers to become effective mobilizers in spreading the word about the SGSecure movement to their networks and communities.
The Ministry of Home Affairs also introduced a new SGSecure mobile app that will allow important alerts to be sent to the public during terrorist attacks or major emergencies.
Members of the public will also be able to use the app to send tips and information to the authorities, as well as allow GPS tracking to help authorities to locate them if they are hiding or trapped.
