SINGAPORE: Singapore has urged countries affected by the tsunami
disaster to ensure that no security vacuum arises as a result of
the turbulence and their relief efforts.
Speaking at an annual national security seminar, Deputy Prime
Minister Tony Tan also called on nations to look ahead and put in
place the necessary early warning mechanisms, both for tracking
future tsunamis and terror threats.
The tsunami disaster and transnational terrorism have one thing in
common - both are events of low probability but with a high
consequence.
Dr Tan noted that in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster,
countries affected by it have been busy with the rescue and relief
operations and this must be their top priority.
But he warned that it would be a grave mistake if these countries
neglected dealing also with other more serious challenging threats,
like transnational terrorism, while they are preoccupied with the
tsunami outcome.
Dr Tan stressed it would be a disaster if countries relaxed their
guard.
"Governments must ensure that no security vacuum arises as a result
of the turmoil and turbulence caused by the tsunami, and that no
groups, bent on mischief, can take advantage of the current
situation," he said.
Similarly, in the field of security, Dr Tan cautioned that
countries cannot sit back and be content, thinking that an attack
matching or exceeding the devastation of September 11, 2001 terror
attacks on the US would not happen again.
What's needed is a critical horizon scanning capability to peer
into the future and to construct an early warning mechanism for
acts of terror.
"Right now, Singapore is developing critical capabilities to
identify, analyze and track evolving threats and trends. This
represents, for us, our next priority area in the fight against
terror," Dr Tan said.
"More broadly, governments must begin to adopt a more extensive,
systems-based planning approach that can deal with strategic
complexity, with multi-faceted, multi-dimensional challenges,
investing in the necessary early warning and detection capabilities
for all critical sectors, be it security, the economy or the
environment. We can't predict the future. But we can certainly
anticipate what might come before it strikes and prepare ourselves
accordingly. That is our duty to our countries and to humanity," he
added.
Dr Tan noted countries in the Indian Ocean belt now realised the
damage could have been reduced if there was an early warning
system.
Singapore, he said, can help in the international efforts to set up
an early warning system as there's already much expertise both in
the government and academia.
Dr Tony Tan: "You need to put sensors in the Indian Ocean, you need
to put communications sytems, you also need to do scientific
modelling and research in order to predict how the tsunami waves
will spread, how fast they will reach the countries that have been
affected. It's a complex system. A basic system can be set up
fairly quickly and at a relatively, not exorbitant cost."
Turning to the Singapore Armed Forces' involvement in the relief
operations in Aceh, Dr Tan said it would be phasing out its
activities as the bulk of what it could do there was coming to an
end.
He expects the SAF to complete its work there in one to two weeks.
- CNA
The effect of the terroist, maybe... Fearing....