SINGAPORE: Singapore and the US have signed an agreement to
prevent terrorists from getting their hands on nuclear and other
radioactive materials, which can be used to build dirty
bombs.
State-of-the-art equipment will be deployed at the Singapore Port
in six months to detect hidden shipments of such materials.
Singapore will be the first in South East Asia to use the detection
system in cooperation with the US.
A joint statement said the deal will further strengthen their work
together in the war on terrorism.
"The agreement Commissioner Lock and I are signing today, on behalf
of our respective governments to deploy sophisticated radiation
detection equipment at the Port of Singapore sends a clear message
to terrorists: There will be no safe havens in Singapore for the
smuggling of nuclear and radioactive material." said Franklin
Lavin, the United States ambassador to Singapore.
"The radiation detector, which is like a large gate, a portal
designed such that a container truck carrying a container drives
through it, the detector will be able to detect if there's any
presence of radioactive or nuclear material contained within the
cargo." said Mr Lock Wai Han, the commissioner for Immigration and
Checkpoints Authority.
The system will be tested at the Pasir Panjang Terminal, but will
eventually screen all containers entering and leaving the port for
ALL destinations.
"I suppose if there's no trafficking in the region, we may not get
any hits at all but that's fine, just shows that this is really a
safe port of call. But how it integrates with processes to make
sure that it does not affect the trading community, I think that's
really key," added Commissioner Lock.
6 countries, including the Netherlands and Greece, have already
installed the radiation detectors, and the US is in discussions
with 30 countries covering 50 ports worldwide.
Singapore is the first in the region, and the agreements with
Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines are expected to
be completed in the next few months. - CNA