Eraser deleting the word Radicalism from Shutterstock.com

In a statement released on Monday (23 September), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated that three domestic workers originally from Indonesia who have worked in Singapore for between six and 13 years, have been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Arrested last month, the trio – Anindia Afiyantari, 33, Retno Hernayani, 36, and Turmini, 31, are being investigated for terrorism-financing activities.
They are the first foreign domestic workers who have been issued detention orders under ISA in Singapore. The domestic helpers have been prepared to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis) and were collecting support for the terrorist group.
MHA explained that the three of them were radicalised in 2018 after they looked at Isis-related material online. They also signed up for pro-Isis social-media chat groups and channels, and were attracted to violent visuals like Isis’ beheading videos and bomb attacks.
In fact, they believed that the terrorist group was fighting for Islam and their act of using brutality against “infidels” was justified.
“They were drawn to the violent visuals disseminated on these platforms, such as ISIS’s (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) bomb attacks and beheading videos, as well as recycled propaganda on (Islamic State’s) past victories in the battlefield,” MHA said.
If that’s not all, they were also influenced by online sermons conducted by Indonesian radical preachers, the ministry noted.
Besides these three, another Indonesian domestic helper was also arrested, although she was not found to be radicalised. She knows about the trio’s radicalised ways but did not report them to the authorities. It is revealed that she has been repatriated to Indonesia.

How they met

The three radicalised Indonesian domestic workers got to know each other around the time when they were becoming radicalised in 2018.
Anindia and Retno were first introduced at a social gathering in Singapore on their off days, while Turmini got to know them through social media.
“Over time, they developed a network of pro-militant foreign online contacts, including ‘online boyfriends’ who share their pro-ISIS ideology,” MHA noted.
They became strong supporters of Jemaah Anshorut Daulah (JAD), an Isis-affiliated terrorist group in Indonesia.
They were so radicalised that both Anindia and Retno wanted to make their way to Syria and join Islamic State. In fact, Anindia was all set to take up arms for the terrorist group in Syria as well as become a suicide bomber, while Retno had the desire to live with other Islamic State fighters in Syria and be part of the conflict there.
The two of them were also persuaded by their online contacts to move to southern Philippines, Afghanistan or Africa and join other pro-Islamic State groups in these countries.
MHA said that Retno “believed that Muslim were duty-bound to travel to other conflict zones, apart from Syria, such as Palestine and Kashmir, to fight against ‘the enemies of Islam’”.
Additionally, all the three individuals “actively galvanised” support online for Islamic State, with each of them having a few social media accounts to post pro-Islamic State information. They also donated money to organisations outside of Singapore for terrorism-related purposes like JAD. Turmini, particularly, believed that the funds she sent to the groups would “earn her a place in paradise”, said MHA.

Singapore faces “persistent” terrorist threat

Since 2015, Singapore has found 19 radicalised foreign domestic workers, and all of them have been repatriated, except for Anindia, Retno and Turmini as they are still being investigated.
“None were found to have had plans to carry out acts of violence in Singapore, but their radicalisation and association with terrorists overseas had rendered them a security threat to Singapore,” MHA explained.
Moreover, the Ministry said that Singapore faces a “persistent” terror threat, fuelled by deadly terrorist groups like Isis.
“The fact that all three individuals in the present case were radicalised in 2018, at a time when Isis’ physical territory was already significantly diminished, highlights the enduring appeal of Isis’ violent ideology,” it stated.
MHA also stressed that the Government looks seriously at any kind of support for terrorism in Singapore, either from Singaporeans or foreigners.
“The public should exercise caution against viewing radical material online, including sermons by extremist preachers,” the Ministry noted.
It added that the community plays an important role in fighting terrorism, as their move to report potentially radicalised individual to the authorities allow them to investigate and put a stop at the issue.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

武汉疫情严峻 省委、市委书记换将

自去年底至今,中国武汉传出新型冠状病毒疫情,且如今已传播其他国家。 截至2月13日上午,根据湖北卫健委最新通报,该省确诊病例与死亡病例中,武汉仍居首位,武汉市确诊新增13436例,全省死亡病例新增242例,其中武汉就占216例。 相信是该地疫情严重引起高层不满和民怨,根据新华网报导,“中央对湖北省委主要负责同志职务进行了调整”,原湖北省委书记蒋超良被撤,该由上海市长应勇上任。 至于原湖北省委副书记、武汉市委书记马国强,也被革职,改由王忠林担任。 报导称湖北省今日召开领导干部会议,调整是中央从大局出发,根据疫情防控工作需要和湖北省领导班子实际,经慎重考虑决定。 包括蒋超良、省长王晓东和武汉市长周先旺,都被指是隐瞒武汉肺炎疫情的祸首。 此前武汉市长周先旺接受央视采访,还直指疫情披露不及时,中央也有责任。

全球“求才若渴” 陈振声:新加坡坐视不管将被抛在后头

昨日,贸工部长陈振声在回应议员提问时,认为“保护主义”无法保障新加坡的长期经济成长,全球皆“求才若渴”,对人才需求激烈。新加坡能否壮大成为区域枢纽,取决于今日的决策。 西海岸集选区议员郑德源在国会提问,“Tech@SG”试验计划是否有管控机制,避免本地的PMET(专业人士、经理、执行人员和技师)就业机会受到影响。 经济发展局(EDB)与新加坡企业发展局(ESG),将在今年第四季推出“Tech@SG”试验计划,旨在帮助科技公司在新加坡成长和到本区域发展,例如让公司为核心队员申请就业准证时将获得便利。 而在8月1日,陈振声告诉然告诉彭博社,除了技术驱动领域,吸引外籍人才我国的两年计划或会扩展到其他领域。换句话说,这个计划将“促进”外籍PMETs,在我国各行业取得工作准证。 “法国、泰国也在招揽人才” 昨日,他则在国会指出,即便法国和泰国,也出台特别准证计划,吸引外籍人才。但是全球都“求才若渴”,招揽人才竞争激烈。“如果新加坡坐视不管,肯定会被抛在后头。” 他表示,面对这种激烈竞争,新加坡要成功组建大量的高端人才、初创企业,只有很小的机会窗口,新加坡能不能成为全球科技枢纽,取决于今日的决策和行动。 至于郑德源议员,则提醒面对如今充满不确定因素和低迷的就业市场上,政府理应扶助国人;陈振声则回应正是经济前景的不确定性,故此国家才更需要采取行动打造下一代企业,让他们转型和扩大市占率。 但与此同时,在上月6日,在国会答复议员提问时,人力部长杨莉明坦言,根据人力部官网数据,2019年第一季的裁员人数为3230人,其中,PMET(专业人士、经理、技师等)在劳动人口中占比较高,该群体仍占被裁退人数中的69巴仙。 在2018年,有5400位本地PMET被裁员,占裁员人数的79.3巴仙。他们当中有三分之二来自正进行重组的行业,如批发、金融、保险服务、资讯工艺、专业领域等等。

Woman shares heartbreaking experience of dealing with angry customers after delivery driver husband dies from over-exhaustion

Sharing a heart-breaking story of her how her husband died, who was…