VZCZCXYZ0000 
PP RUEHWEB 

DE RUEHGP #0012/01 0050355 
ZNR UUUUU ZZH 
P 050355Z JAN 09 
FM AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6202

UNCLAS SINGAPORE 000012 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/CT - RHONDA SHORE 
STATE ALSO FOR EAP/MTS - M. COPPOLA 
STATE PASS NCTC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KHLS AEMR SN
SUBJECT: SINGAPORE: 2008 COUNTRY REPORT REPORT ON TERRORISM 
 
REF: 08 STATE 120019 
 
¶1. Singapore continued its bilateral and multilateral 
intelligence and law enforcement cooperation to investigate 
terrorist groups, focusing on Jemaah Islamiya (JI). As of 
December, Singapore held in detention 19 persons with links 
to terrorist groups. Detainees included members of JI who 
had plotted to carry out attacks in Singapore in the past and 
members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Under 
detention orders, the detainees were required to undergo a 
program of religious counseling with a group of volunteer 
religious counselors. Singapore enlisted the support of 
religious teachers and scholars to study JI's ideology, 
develop teachings to counter the group's spread within 
Singapore's Muslim community, and provide counseling to 
detainees. Religious counseling for detainees continues 
after release from detention. One person with links to 
terrorist groups was newly detained in 2008. Singapore 
released a total of 11 persons in 2008. One JI detainee was 
released on a Restriction Order (RO) in February; and 
Singapore released five Singaporean JI members on ROs in 
September; another four Singapore JI detainees and one MILF 
detainee were released on ROs in December 2007. Singapore 
authorities determined that all 11 persons had cooperated in 
investigations and responded positively to rehabilitation, 
including religious counseling. There are no known cases of 
recidivism to date. 
 
¶2. In February 2008, Mas Selemat Kastari, the Singapore 
leader of JI, escaped from detention. Despite a massive 
manhunt, the Singapore authorities failed to locate and 
re-capture Kastari. Kastari reportedly escaped by climbing 
out of a restroom window located in a meeting area of the 
detention center. 
 
¶3. In February 2008, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) 
published the results of its review of Singapore's anti-money 
laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime, finding it 
compliant or largely compliant with most of the FATF's 
recommendations. The evaluation noted that Singapore had 
improved feedback to financial institutions, enhanced 
supervisory oversight and stepped up training, and 
implemented a new cross-border cash declaration system. 
However, concerns remained over the effectiveness of 
Singapore's money laundering regulations. In December 2008, 
the government amended the Terrorism (Suppression of 
Financing) Act to allow the government to respond to requests 
for extradition from Parties to the International Convention 
for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, even in 
the absence of an extradition treaty, in relation to 
terrorism financing offenses. 
 
¶4. In March 2008, the United States Department of Homeland 
Security and Singapore signed a Science and Technology 
Agreement to provide a framework to expand cooperation and 
carry out collaborative projects to enhance border security. 
In June 2008, the United States Transportation Security 
Administration and Singapore signed a Memorandum of 
Cooperation to strengthen ongoing collaboration on aviation 
security. In August 2008, the United States and Singapore 
signed a host country Memorandum of Understanding concerning 
challenge inspections under the Chemical Weapons Convention 
(CWC). Singapore has been a signatory to the CWC since 1997. 
In December 2007, the United States and Singapore had 
signed a declaration of principles to implement a trial of 
the Secure Freight Initiative (SFI). However, in August 
2008, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Singapore 
Ministry of Transport announced that both parties had agreed 
not to proceed with the SFI trial. CBP has decided instead 
to focus its resources on strategic trade corridors. 
 
¶5. In September 2008, Singapore cooperated with U.S. 
authorities to investigate and subsequently apprehend a 
Singapore suspect who had allegedly sent terrorist threats by 
e-mail to several airlines and embassies around the world. 
 
¶6. Singaporean officials took strong measures to enhance 
maritime security in nearby waters, especially the Strait of 
Malacca, including countering terrorist threats, piracy, and 
other criminal attacks. The three littoral states 
(Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore) continued their surface, 
naval, and air patrols in and over the Strait of Malacca. In 
August 2008, The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) hosted the 
4th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) Maritime Security 
Information Exchange, which brought together representatives 
from 17 countries to promote naval interoperability and 
information exchange. The RSN continued construction of the 
Changi C2 Centre, which will house a multi-agency Port 
Operations and Control Centre, a Multinational Operations and 
Exercises Centre, and an Information Fusion Centre, the 
latter to be staffed with International Liaison Officers. A 
core function of the Changi C2 Centre will be to monitor 
shipping traffic approaching and within the Singapore Strait, 
exchanging maritime information with interested partners to 
maintain vigilance for any anomalies that might indicate 
piracy, maritime terrorism, or some other illicit event. The 
Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed 
Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing 
Centre (ISC) continued its operations, connecting 14 
governments in Asia to enhance piracy-related information 
sharing. 
 
¶7. The RSN participated in the annual bilateral exercise 
"Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training" with the U.S. 
Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, and also the multilateral "South 
East Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism" (SEACAT) exercise. 
Singapore also conducted its own internal, annual exercise 
"APEX," which tests the government's multi-agency response 
to a maritime terrorism incident. 

¶8. Embassy POC is: Political Officer Dan Jassem. E-mail: 
JassemDP@State.gov. Office: (65) 6476-9182. 
 
Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind  ex.cfm 
 
 
HERBOLD