Transcript of Media Doorstop by Mr K Shanmugam, Coordinating Minister for National Security & Minister for Home Affairs, Regarding the Iran-Israel Conflict, on the Sidelines of a Community Event in Chong Pang

Lianhe Zaobao: In terms of the Iran situation, I would like to seek your comments on the Iran-Israel conflict, where tensions are rising over there.

Minister: There is a ceasefire, but we don’t know exactly what will happen after this. But we have increased our security posture. Arising from (the situation) there, you can expect that people in this region, or even others, from extremist organisations, might want to make a point against Israeli, American, or other Western assets, and there could also be attacks from the far right on Muslim assets. Singapore, as I have said many times, if we get attacked, you will get international headlines. So on both sides – the far right, attacking Muslims, or representative of Muslim countries including Iran, is a possibility; and likewise you could get attacks on Western assets – American, European, Israeli. So we have increased our security posture, working off different scenarios, but you know, you can never be absolutely sure. Different kinds of issues we need to think about.

Taking a completely different point – Thailand has just recriminalised cannabis – so we are also looking at that, and the possible outflows to Singapore. The nexus between drugs and crime, and terrorism, also needs to be looked at. Many different issues. We try to maintain our openness and our connectivity, and our business-friendly environment. Our security agencies have looked at it and up the posture. It is a bit early to say what is going to happen, but we have to be more careful.

Lianhe Zaobao: When you mention that we have upped the security posture, is that in the wake of the US air strikes, or has it been for quite some time?

Minister: We increased the levels after the Israeli attacks on Iran and the counter attacks. We stepped them up, we relooked at it a little bit more.

Lianhe Zaobao: When you say that the security posture has increased, what do you mean by that and what does this mean for the everyday Singaporean?

Minister: Well, security is a joint responsibility. Everyday Singaporeans will also have to be aware. Singapore has been so safe that the awareness in effect, a bit low. That’s the reality. One aspect of what we are trying to do, is to try to increase the awareness through the SGSecure programme. We have been trying for years, it goes up and it comes down - because it’s safe, people leave their items around. I have asked the security agencies to try with what I call a ‘cold start’ and leave things in places, see how many people actually pick it up; pick it up meaning they notice it and notify the agencies. I think the results tell us that the awareness is not very high.

For our own agencies, Police and others, what we do, the kind of patrolling, checking on people coming in around the island, in key locations, all this has been stepped up.

Lianhe Zaobao: Can I also ask, since the US air strikes on Iran nuclear facilities, have there been more suspicious activities or extreme activities being detected?

Minister: Not that we have picked up here yet. But they need to succeed only once.

Minister then speaks briefly about constituency-related matters

Lianhe Zaobao: Minister, one other question – you just mentioned about the drug situation, the cannabis situation in Thailand. Because they are very close neighbours with us - what would their situation mean for Singapore, in the near-term, or the near mid-term?

Minister: When they decriminalised, I think two, three years ago, there were many people, including in the media, the more liberal side, who kept wanting a freer flow of drugs, kept asking me: so, Thailand has changed – are we going to change? I said the Singapore Government decides not based on what other countries do. We take a hard look, we look at the science, we look at the social impact, and the actual impact and we run the government of Singapore and the policies in the best interests of Singaporeans. And I am absolutely convinced, the Cabinet is absolutely convinced that the right policy is to be strict on drugs, and you can see, the people who asked for liberalisation, are shutting their eyes deliberately to what is happening around the world and the immense harm. The other day there was a video of this man, who I think was in the Moscow airport, he was drug traced, picking up an 18-month-old child, walking around – not his – and throwing, and the child is now in fatal condition. All kinds of madness are happening.

You go to the countries which have decriminalised, including Thailand on the ground, and you see the number of shops, you see the young children who are high (on drugs), you look at people being affected. It is obviously a serious position. Why would we want it?  And 85% of our population supports the tough stand that we take – keep it criminal, no decriminalisation, in fact they support the penalties too. Like I said, I cannot be zig-zagging – if somebody decriminalises, I follow them; then what am I supposed to do now, we recriminalise again? Different countries have their policy. We work in the best interests of Singaporeans, and it was the right policy to keep it criminalised, not soften our stance, and that remains the right policy.