STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR KAREN TAN, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS IN NEW YORK AT THE SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE ON COUNTER-TERRORISM 19 NOVEMBER 2014

Madame President,

We thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Chairs of the Al Qaida Sanctions Committee and the Counter-Terrorism Committee for their briefings. 

We commend Australia for convening this timely open debate.  Security Council resolutions 2170 and 2178 established a solid foundation for an international counter-terrorism framework to deal with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Al Nusra Front.  The present open debate is a useful opportunity for the international community to continue developing this framework. 

Singapore co-sponsored Security Council Resolution 2178 on arresting the international flow of terrorist fighters.  We condemn the atrocities committed by ISIL and Al Nusra on innocent civilians, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, in the strongest possible terms.  Singapore remains committed to supporting international counter-terrorism efforts. We will continue to cooperate with the UN and international partners to curb material and financial support for terrorist organisations. 

Madam President,

Singapore is an international hub and a multi-religious society with a sizeable Muslim community.  Extremist groups like ISIL infect vulnerable individuals with their ideology.  Battle-hardened returnees may carry out attacks at home, exacerbating the threat from existing terrorist networks in our region like Jemaah Islamiyah. Self-radicalisation and spontaneous acts of terror are also major concerns given the prevalence of information and communication technology and social media platforms.  In this regard, approximately 350 Southeast Asians, including a handful of Singaporeans, are reportedly in Iraq and Syria.  The long-term risk to social harmony is also clear.

As part of our integrated counter-terrorism approach, Singapore has joined other countries in offering to contribute assets and personnel to Operation Inherent Resolve, the United States-led multinational coalition to combat ISIL.  These include liaison and planning officers, a KC-135R tanker aircraft for air-to-air refuelling and an Imagery Analysis Team from the Singapore Armed Forces. These assets had proven effective in our previous contributions to multinational coalition efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However, we recognise that it is also critical to counter the extremist ideology used to recruit foreign terrorist fighters and which fuels the violent agenda of groups like ISIL.   As such, Singapore’s integrated approach to combatting terrorism also emphasises religious-based and community-led rehabilitation efforts.  Our religious and community leaders have condemned Al Qaida and ISIL unequivocally.  The Religious Rehabilitation Group, a voluntary group formed by individual Islamic scholars and teachers in Singapore, debunks misconceptions of extremist ideology in one-on-one sessions, offers offenders robust ideological counters to misinterpretations of religious teaching, and rehabilitates them back into society.  As families play an important role in the rehabilitation of the offenders, other community organisations also weigh in to provide support for their families, where necessary.  These organisations also help secure jobs for offenders when they are released. 

  It is our view that the weed of violent extremism can be blasted, but its ideological roots continue to proliferate unless extirpated. To this end, in 2015 Singapore will convene a symposium for East Asia Summit (EAS) countries to exchange views and share best practices on de-radicalisation and religious rehabilitation.  We hope that the symposium will be a useful contribution to international efforts to tackle the ideological roots of extremism and thereby weaken the lure of terrorist groups such as ISIL.

I thank you Madame President. 

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