Singapore Kicks Off New Counter-terrorism Symposium

The Diplomat (Japan)

16 April 2015

On April 16, Singapore kicked off its inaugural East Asia Summit Symposium on Religious Rehabilitation and Social Integration, a counterterrorism meeting designed to share best practices — including Singapore’s own comprehensive approach — with like-minded states.

Speaking at the symposium, the city-state’s deputy prime minister, Teo Chee Hean, argued that the terrorism threat has only worsened following the 9/11 attacks particularly with the rise and spread of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Teo expressed concern about the return of radicalized ISIS fighters to their home countries and the rise of “lone-wolf terrorist attacks” conducted by individuals influenced by ideology through social media.

“Being lone wolves, their identities may not be easily uncovered and they can strike at any time, using any means at their disposal,” he said, according to the Singapore newspaper Today.

… The two-day meeting, held from April 16-17, was organized by the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and covers a broad range of topics related to building a resilient community against radicalism and helping to reintegrate rehabilitated terrorists into society.

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