Teo Chee Hean
Singapore
“The second point first, Mr Speaker. Certainly, it could have been a factor. But to the Panel which reviewed the thing, it was not an acceptable excuse or reason. The agencies still have to be responsible for what they are doing, whatever season of the year it is.”
“On the balance in ACRA, I would not say it is a conflict, but you have to strike the right balance between the functions that ACRA is meant to provide, which is to have a registry which promotes corporate transparency, and you have to balance that against how you protect personal data.”
“That means, if you do find a bug or you do find a way in which you can penetrate a Government system, you let us know, and there is a bounty for it. And this is evergreen. But we also do, from time to time, have a hunting season. So, for certain of our systems, we invite white hatters to attack those systems.”
“Then, he asked when the political office holders got involved in the public communications on the Bizfile portal issue. They got involved, I think, almost as soon as it became apparent that there was public anxiety. Next question about paragraph 40 and the email to senior officers, yes, the July 2024 CM was emailed to officers.”
“In fact, we monitor the dark web for a variety of things, including this, and we have not seen any sale of NRIC numbers as such. On the question of collection and use of NRIC numbers, actually, in the communication with the Government agencies, I think it is important to know who you are communicating with.”
“So, you actually make your email address available to others. But for authentication purposes, it is quite different. You do not tell your password to others. That is something which you keep for yourself and your email service provider knows. So, there is a difference between an identifier and an authentication.”
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“What efforts were taken to locate the car over the three days, as I had explained, the major factor in this was a misclassification of the incident of the breach as an immigration offence and not a major security breach. As a result of it not being classified as a major security breach, the Police did not put out a high-level persistent alert to all ground forces. Therefore, they were not looking for the vehicle and the driver as actively and vigorously as they should have.”
“First, why did the officers not sound the alarm, I think they made a mistake. As far as we know, the first officer at the counter consulted another officer, and hesitated and took two and a half minutes, instead of sounding the alarm immediately. So, that caused a problem. The second officer at the secondary security checkpoint did not do so either. I do not know the reasons why he did not raise the alarm. The officers are not new officers; they have been on duty and in the service for some years. Looking back at their records, they have generally been good officers. So, we do not know the reasons why they did not sound the alarm immediately, but they had been trained to do so. As I had explained, it is not a frequent occurrence, but it is not infrequent either. It occurs once in every couple of months. So, officers who have been on duty or have been in the service for some years, would more likely than not have experienced this occurrence, which is not unusual. We also emphasise to our officers that if they err on the side of caution and sound the alarm, no action will be taken against them because they are actually safeguarding Singaporeans' safety. With regard to disciplinary proceedings, I have pointed out a number of officers who have failed in their duties quite clearly. Disciplinary action will be taken against both officers. There are a number of other officers in the operational supervisory chain who could have and should have noticed and rectified the situation. But they did not. And so, we will assess and see what is the appropriate disciplinary action to be taken. The officers, of course, will have the opportunity to explain and defend themselves. So, I would not want to go Page: 16 into numbers right now.”
“I have met and talked with many of our officers on the ground to understand the work that they do, and what they need to carry out their duties better. I appreciate the good work of our officers. They have a good record in ensuring the safety and security of Singapore and Singaporeans. Our overall crime rate is at its lowest in 30 years. The number of immigration offenders arrested has been declining since 2001 and is less than half of what it was five years ago. I have made it clear to the Heads of all our Home Team agencies and departments that when officers perform well, I will recognise their good work and commend them publicly. If they act professionally and discharge their duties properly and to the best of their abilities, but the outcome does not turn out so good, I will speak for them and support them publicly – for this is the difficult and challenging nature of the job that our Home Team officers are called upon to do, and we all need to support and encourage them. However, if they have not discharged their duties properly and have fallen short of the required performance standards, as some officers have done in this episode, I will hold them accountable and where warranted, admonish and discipline them. Acknowledging mistakes allows our officers and our organisations to learn and improve. Mdm Speaker, when Home Team officers report for duty, when they put on their uniforms, they carry a heavy responsibility. The duties they discharge, the decisions they make every day can have immediate and serious consequences Page: 15 on the safety and security of their fellow Singaporeans and Singapore. We all depend on them and place our trust in them to do their duty well. And this is a trust that has to be earned in all that our officers do, every day.”
“It is one of the world's busiest land checkpoints, with more than 300,000 people and 130,000 vehicles passing through each day. I will repeat those numbers: 300,000 people and 130,000 vehicles passing through Woodlands Checkpoint each day. The security regime there is multi-agency and multi-level, involving various Government agencies such as ICA, Police, Central Narcotics Bureau, Singapore Customs and LTA, as well as the Auxiliary Police Forces. This incident shows that the coordination between ICA and Police at the checkpoint needs to be further strengthened. It is important that Home Team departments work together closely in carrying out their duties. They must ensure that the concept of a Home Team is Page: 14 fully internalised and operationalised, both on the ground and by commanders at all levels, to tackle our security challenges as one united entity. Mdm Speaker, the public expects us to do our job well. MHA holds our Home Team officers to a high standard of professionalism and takes a very serious view of the security lapses that occurred during this episode. I have had a thorough discussion with the Commissioners of ICA and Police, and their senior leadership. They acknowledged and apologised for the shortcomings and are implementing the remedial measures. Apart from the physical and procedural measures, they recognise the need to set the tone from the leadership through to every ground unit, and every officer, that we have to remain vigilant and alert, and not let our guard down in the face of the serious threats that can arise. Mdm Speaker, I have worked closely with our Home Team officers for some three years.”
“The driver was detained within two hours, prosecuted and sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment for offences under the Immigration Act, Penal Code and Road Page: 13 Traffic Act. Mdm Speaker, the security breach at Woodlands Checkpoint on 17 January 2014 and the subsequent actions taken until her arrest on 20 January 2014 are not acceptable. I have described the measures – technical, infrastructural, procedural training and exercises – that ICA and Police together are taking to prevent a recurrence. Lapses can fall into two categories. The first is when there is some negligence on the part of one or more ground officers in carrying out their tasks. The second, and more serious situation, is when there has been a serious error of judgement. This occurred in the current case. The ICA and Police ground commanders made a serious error of judgement in deciding to treat this intrusion as a less serious immigration offence, instead of a serious breach of border security, as required in the protocol. This was a major reason for the subsequent inadequate response which resulted in the vehicle and driver not being detected and arrested much earlier. Both ground commanders have been redeployed to non-operational posts pending disciplinary action. Their supervising officers overseeing operations should also have realised this and acted to rectify the situation. They will be subject to the appropriate disciplinary action, along with other officers involved in the incident. Mdm Speaker, as seen in this episode, the way that our officers and our commanders carry out their duties, their vigilance, diligence, sense of urgency, operational instincts and judgement are key to operational effectiveness. I do not under-estimate the challenges our officers face at Woodlands Checkpoint.”
“ICA conducts regular drills, exercises and audits to maintain the vigilance of the APOs, and reviews the operational procedures and responses regularly. In light of this incident, ICA will also enhance the supervision and deployment of the APOs to ensure that they carry out their duties in accordance with established procedures. In the past three years till the end of 2013, there have been 26 cases of attempted or inadvertent evasion of immigration checks at Woodlands Checkpoint. Twenty five of these cases were stopped immediately within the checkpoint upon the prompt activation of the alarm. The last such case before this incident occurred on 29 December 2013. The most recent case was on 14 February 2014, just last Friday, when an APO gestured to the driver to stop for checks but the driver drove on. The APO then activated the alarm and the entire arrival car zone was locked down and the vehicle stopped within the checkpoint, as per the SOP. The matter was investigated and it was determined that the driver had inadvertently driven on, with no malicious intent. The vehicle and driver were allowed to proceed after the investigation. Mdm Speaker, every such case is investigated thoroughly. Most of the 25 cases were found not to have malicious intent. In four cases, the offence was committed without mitigating factors and the subjects involved were prosecuted. The maximum punishment is imprisonment of six months. The one previous case in the last three years that ICA failed to stop within the checkpoint involved a subject who crashed through a security barrier and exited Woodlands Checkpoint through the staff access lane.”
“On receiving the incident reports, I expressed my deep dissatisfaction to the Commissioners of ICA and Police at the way the incident was handled. I directed them to conduct a thorough investigation, report to me how this happened and recommend corrective actions to prevent a recurrence. Mdm Speaker, the Commissioners of ICA and the Police have presented to me their recommendations on the corrective actions. I have accepted the findings and recommendations and have directed ICA and Police to implement these measures. ICA and Police will work closely to improve their coordination and responses, and ensure that such lapses do not occur again. Existing SOPs will be thoroughly reviewed to ensure officers act quickly and effectively to deal with such security threats at the checkpoints. Police will treat all checkpoint security breach cases as high-level security threats and take all necessary steps to locate the intruder, until such time the threat no longer exists. Both departments will also conduct more frequent drills and joint exercises at the Page: 12 land checkpoints to maintain the officers' vigilance and validate the emergency response plans. ICA will also use more advanced technology as it becomes available, improve infrastructural design to depend less on the reaction of the officers on duty and enhance the overall security of the checkpoint. While the bulk of the critical immigration and security functions at the checkpoint are performed by officers from ICA and the other Home Team agencies, APOs are an integral part of checkpoint operations. They constitute about 20% of the officers deployed at Woodlands Checkpoint for immigration and security clearance functions. The APOs are trained and equipped to carry out specific security functions.”
“They made an error of judgement and classified the incident as a less serious one – as an immigration offence. As a result, Police did not Page: 11 trigger an alert that would have immediately directed patrol cars to mount road blocks at possible travel routes of the car in major parts of Singapore. ICA and Police also did not issue a heightened and persistent alert with the description of the car and driver that would have alerted all ground forces to continue looking for them when they conducted vehicular searches, checks and screening. Three days later on 20 January 2014 at 1.32 pm, Police received a "999" call from a taxi driver who said that he was being followed by a Malaysian car. On Police's advice, the taxi driver drove to a location outside the Police Cantonment Complex with the Malaysian car continuing to follow him. When police officers tried to engage the female driver of the Malaysian car, she was unresponsive and then drove off. The police officers decided not to pursue her and missed the opportunity to detain the driver for further checks. The officers showed weak situational awareness and exercised poor judgement. Forty-five minutes later, at about 2.18 pm, the same driver and car intruded into the MFA compound by tailgating another car. MFA's security officers stopped the car in the compound and arrested the driver for criminal trespass. Mdm Speaker, when the driver and vehicle evaded the required checks, they should have been stopped within the checkpoint. This is a serious security breach. It is also unacceptable that the woman was only arrested three days later, after she had intruded into the MFA compound.”
“Thank you. Mdm Speaker, on 17 January 2013 at 1.58 pm, a woman arrived at Woodlands Checkpoint in her Malaysian car. She drove past the ICA officer without going through the mandatory checks by tailgating the car immediately in front of hers, and slipping past the drop-arm barrier. The ICA officer did not immediately trigger an alert. The car then proceeded to the secondary checking area for security checks to be carried out by an Auxiliary Police Officer (APO). The car did not stop for the APO to carry out his checks and the APO also did not sound the alarm. Mdm Speaker, there are alarms installed at all immigration counters and also the secondary clearance area. The immediate activation of such alarms, as required in the Standard Operating Procedures at the checkpoints, is critical to stopping cars that evade immigration and security checks. If the ICA officer had sounded the alarm faster than the two and a half minutes she took, it would have triggered a lock down which would have stopped the car from leaving the checkpoint. This was compounded by the APO not raising the alarm when the car did not stop for secondary security checks. Indeed, the prompt triggering of the alarm by the officer on duty was how similar previous attempts to evade immigration and security checks – either intentionally or inadvertently – at the checkpoint have been stopped in the past. If, however, a vehicle does make an unauthorised exit from the checkpoint, there is a security protocol for Police and ICA to treat the incident as a breach of border security and issue a high-priority alert to all ground resources. In this case, however, the ICA and Police ground commanders did not follow the protocol.”
“Mdm Speaker, with your permission, I will take Question Nos 1 to 5 together.”
“Most new Singapore Citizens (SCs) are working individuals and their dependants. The age profile of new SCs has remained relatively stable from 2003 to 2012, with the mean and median ages ranging between 23 and 25 years and 27 and 29 years respectively.”
“Less than 5% of the total staff in these four Ministries and their Statutory Boards are non-Singaporeans. None of these non-Singaporeans is in key jobs involving national-level policy formulation. Singaporeans remain the core of the Public Service workforce. Non-Singaporeans are, generally, hired only for positions that are operational in Page: 125 nature or require skills that are in shortage amongst Singaporeans.”
“Officers are required to wear uniforms in certain services. Uniforms are to project the common identity of the service, and not just to meet operational requirements. Allowing variations would detract from this. In particular, by disallowing variations for religious reasons, we visibly uphold the secular nature of the Government and reassure citizens that they will receive key services fairly and impartially, regardless of race or religion. The requirement to wear uniforms and not to overtly display religious symbols is a practice in many countries, though the exact form of the rules varies. The Government has to balance the needs of different groups in our multi-racial and multi-religious society. We have maintained a broad common secular space where we all come together as Singaporeans, regardless of race or religion. At the same time, we have allowed each community space to practise its own beliefs, to the greatest extent possible. Fortunately, Singaporeans understand the need to balance what their own group wants with the need to accommodate other groups, and to preserve the common space that all benefit Page: 123 from, especially minority groups. This is why we have enjoyed a peaceful and harmonious society, and also the many freedoms that all religions have in Singapore.”
“Singapore does not allow dual citizenship. We are a small and young nation and it is important that our citizens have a long-term commitment to building a future together. Allowing Singaporeans to retain or acquire a second citizenship would dilute this commitment. However, there are a number of Singapore Citizen (SC) minors below the age of 21 who acquired citizenship from another country because they were born overseas in that country, or one of their parents was a foreigner at the time of their birth. In addition, there are children who were Permanent Residents (PRs) obtained under their parents’ sponsorship and who were subsequently granted SC, together with their parents. SC minors who have foreign citizenship are allowed to keep their foreign citizenship until they turn 21, when they will have to make a decision on which citizenship to retain. If they choose to remain a Singapore Citizen, they will have to give up the foreign citizenship. On average, from 1987 to 2012, there were about 3,400 minors a year who were granted SC and also held foreign citizenships. Data before 1987 are not available.”
“The Long-Term Visit Pass-Plus (LTVP+) was introduced on 1 April 2012. A total of about 7,500 foreign spouses of Singapore Citizens have been granted LTVP+ from 1 April 2012 to 30 November 2013. There is no separate application process for LTVP+. Singaporeans can apply for LTVP/LTVP+ for their foreign spouses. Foreign spouses who meet the criteria for LTVP+ will be granted LTVP+. Those who do not meet the LTVP+ criteria but meet the LTVP criteria would be granted LTVP. Both the LTVP+ and LTVP would enable the foreign spouses to stay in Singapore. Foreign spouses with at least one Singaporean child from their marriage with a Singapore Citizen would generally be granted LTVP+ or LTVP. However, there is a small group that do not meet the LTVP+/LTVP criteria but may be granted short term visit passes until their family circumstances improve.”
“There are many types of incidents that may be related to alcohol. Police do not actively track if each reported incident is alcohol-induced. For the offence of drunkenness in public places under section 18 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, the number of reported incidents in the past years are as follows: Page: 147 Police have not collated data on drunkenness by locality or nationality. The location of an incident of reported drunkenness may also not correspond with the origin of alcohol consumption.”
“Between 2009 and 2013, more than 18,000 persons were arrested each year. Of these, about 20% were foreigners. Between 2009 and 2013, the arrest rate for foreigners was 272 per 100,000 foreigners, while the arrest rate for residents, which include Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, was 385 per 100,000 residents.”
“Between 2003 and 2012, there was an annual average of 4,022 fatal and injury accidents involving drivers where the Singapore Citizen driver was at least partially at fault. The corresponding figure for accidents involving foreign and permanent resident drivers was 596. Data before 2003 is not available as Traffic Police only started collecting data on the nationality of resident drivers from 2003 onwards. MHA has been reviewing the framework for drivers of commercial light goods vehicles. As part of the review, we are studying measures to enhance the licensing regime, including the tightening of requirements for the conversion of foreign licences to Singapore licences. The review is in progress and we will provide a full update in due course. Traffic Police and LTA have also put in place measures to improve the safety of passengers being ferried on light goods vehicles. For instance, Traffic Police has stepped up the deployment of enforcement resources along roads and expressways regularly plied by drivers of lorries and pick-ups. LTA has also implemented stricter regulatory requirements, such as higher side railings and canopies for light lorries, to improve the safety for the workers being ferried on such vehicles.”
“As the death of prison inmate Dinesh Raman s/o Chinnaiah is the subject of an ongoing litigation, it would not be appropriate to answer the question at this point in time. If the Member re-files the question after the current court cases are concluded, we will provide an answer then.”
“Following the November incidents, many Singaporeans have also voiced their disapproval and rejection of this form of criminal and anti-social behaviour. The Government will spare no effort to track down and bring to justice perpetrators of such criminal acts that undermine Singapore's infocomm Page: 133 infrastructure and our peace and security.”
“In November 2013, our Police, with the help of their Malaysian counterparts, arrested a male Singaporean, James Raj s/o Ariokiasamy. He is believed to be the man behind a YouTube video which threatened our national security. The subject is currently facing charges under the Computer Misuse and Cyber Security Act (CMCA) and Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA). Police have also arrested and charged four other Singaporeans under the CMCA in connection with the unauthorised modification of the servers hosting the Istana and Prime Minister's Office websites. Police investigations found no indications to suggest that these activities were linked or organised. They were a disparate group of individuals. As the cases are now before the Court, I will not comment further on the details. The Government takes a serious view of all threats to Singapore's cybersecurity. A trusted, secure and resilient information and communications (infocomm) infrastructure is critical to Singapore's national security and economic interests. The daily lives and well-being of Singaporeans will also be adversely affected if access to essential services is denied. The Singapore Infocomm Technology Security Authority (SITSA) under MHA, MCI and IDA work closely together to monitor and assess the state of our cybersecurity and strengthen it where necessary. Regular security scans and system patching are carried out on critical Government information infrastructure to detect and eliminate system vulnerabilities. In response to the possible threat to the Government's infocomm infrastructure, Government agencies have stepped up their vigilance and enhanced the security of their systems.”
“Mdm Speaker, I think it is quite unfortunate that Mr Pritam Singh is taking liberties with this very serious matter to make points in the very loose manner that he has done. First of all, I pointed out that when the matter was raised to him by members of the public, as a responsible Member of Parliament, he could have given them a very sensible reply, instead of echoing those sentiments here in Parliament. Second, now, he has stood up to Page: 91 support Ms Denise Phua when, in fact, he had stood up earlier to argue for the restoration of alcohol consumption and sale in Little India to where they were before. I really am very puzzled by the position that he is taking and quite disappointed [Applause].”
“Thank you, Mdm Speaker. First of all, I would like to thank Ms Denise Phua for speaking up for residents. And I would also like to thank her for her help and for the consideration of her residents as well over these many years and also during this particularly difficult period. I think they have been very constructive and very helpful in restoring calm and order in Little India.”
“Mdm Speaker, there is clearly a variety of opinions here with regard to whether alcohol is a factor or not a factor. And, obviously, Mr Pritam Singh feels that alcohol should be allowed back in Little India as before. There may be different opinions as to whether that is reasonable or sensible to do. As I said, we are looking at the various measures, not just in Little India but all over Singapore to see what is reasonable and what is suitable. I should also say that on the first weekend, we had a total ban on alcohol sale and consumption. In fact, alcohol is available even on weekends in Little India today. What we have done is curtail the hours for sale or takeaway. This has been publicly stated in the newspapers. Mr Pritam Singh could have informed those particular persons who brought the matter to him that, in fact, there is no total ban on alcohol in Little India. And, in fact, the sale and consumption of alcohol within premises is allowed. The only two things that are in place is the ban on consumption of alcohol in public areas during the specified times, and also the curtailment of the sale of alcohol in retail and wholesale outlets, basically, for takeaway purposes. There may be others who have views on whether the sale of alcohol should go back to where it was before.”
“I really am not in a position to comment on the treatment of foreign workers by enforcement officers. Perhaps that is a subject which COI can take up. Again, I do not want to indulge in speculation on what might be the reasons and so on. On the SOC and its balance between public order and public security, there is a fine line between the two. The SOC has to operate and be ready to deal with both. What is public security and what is public order, they can morph from one to the other in a very short space of time. In terms of alcohol and breathalysers, our sense is that alcohol was a contributory factor. It may not have been the main factor; it was a contributory factor. And because some of these are evidential, I think I will leave it to the evidence that is produced in court, when the persons involved are charged.”
“They could have been." If, of course, they could have been earlier, and if their presence could have prevented it, that certainly is possible. But is it possible to deploy SOC forces everywhere all the time where incidents may occur, it is probably not possible. In fact, on that night of the incident, one of the troops of the SOC was deployed on the ground for precisely the kind of deterrence patrols, but in a different location. When the alert went out that they might be needed, they recollected themselves and then deployed. So, you have to balance between the two. I certainly welcome Mr Low's comment that Singaporeans, by and large, responded in a rational and objective way.”
“Certainly, a faster response is always better but the question is whether you can be everywhere, simultaneously, all the time. And, therefore, the deployment of the SOC is generally of two types. One, they rotate their on-the-ground presence over different areas where there may be large congregations of people just to project deterrence, be ready. Thus, you will see the SOC from time to time being deployed in various areas where there may be some threats, where they may be required. That provides some level of deterrence on the ground in these specific areas, and it also gives them ground familiarity with the locations. That is one mode of deployment of the SOC. Another mode of deployment of the SOC is essentially as a Reaction and Reserve Force for the Police for major incidents. They are held centrally at their Page: 84 base to be deployed. While Singapore is not a very large island, it does take time to move from one place to another, even though the SOC when they are deployed in the base is on very, very high alert for deployment, within minutes if they have to. Even so, they do require time to get from one location to another. When you have the SOC deployed in this manner, they cannot be everywhere all the time, so a certain response time is required. When the SOC is requested for, because it is an asset which the Police commanders had to decide whether to use it for this or not, there is some decision time required as well. If you deploy it for one thing, then you may not be able to deploy it for another thing and, therefore, some assessment has to be made on the seriousness and urgency. There is always a little time required. When Mr Low asked if they were present earlier, could the burning of the vehicles have been prevented, I would say, "Yes, perhaps so.”
“There are number of different views on alcohol. We have Ms Janice Koh asking just awhile ago whether indeed alcohol was a factor; and how do we know that alcohol was the factor. There are a number of different views and there are people who say that we should restrict alcohol consumption and not allow it in public areas. When I point out to them that if they go for a barbeque in the park with their family and they would like to have beer or a little bit of wine, then that will not be allowed. That is when they say, "Oh! If that is the case, then maybe we need to calibrate it." I was saying earlier, that the calibration is quite important. Also, we need something that is enforceable, otherwise we would have enforcement officers chasing around just enforcing alcohol laws all over Singapore. That is not necessarily the most productive use of their time, particularly if there had not Page: 83 been an issue. With regard to measures in other areas, in 2013, in fact, a number of measures had been taken to improve security and the sense of safety and security of residents in a variety of areas. For example, in Teban Gardens and in the Koon Teck and Soon Lee area, 20 CCTV cameras were installed. I think the residents were quite happy with that. These facilities also complement the presence of APOs and the security officers and help us to give a sense of security and safety without having to use much more manpower because manpower is short everywhere in Singapore. We can also do it in a way which deters without actually having to have a very heavy physical presence.”
“But, that night, we did consider and the Police commanders did tell me that this was one of the things that they were putting on standby in case they were needed and I concurred that that was a sensible thing to do. There are various levels of contingencies available if things had got out of hand. As it stood, the SOC was well able to deal with it. There was no need for additional forces to deal with things which could have happened in other areas. We are looking at equipment and other factors – such as force levels – to make sure that they remain adequate.”
“That is a very thoughtful question from Mr Christopher de Souza. In fact, these were things that were going through my mind and going through the minds of the Police commanders that night. Before going to Little India, I was in the Police Command Post to get an assessment of the situation and to make sure that Police had put in place, not just measures to deal with the particular incident at that site, but they had enough resources to deal with incidents should there be a spread to other areas. Having reassured myself of that, I went to the site with the Deputy Commissioner of Police to have a look at what was happening on the ground and met the Commissioner of Police there. A number of the things that we put in place that night included bringing on the alert the Gurkha contingent, because the Gurkha contingent does have some forces who are able to deal with public disorder situations. But in the event, although we put them on alert, we did not need to deploy them. They remained in the camp and were not required because the SOC forces were adequate to deal with the situation at hand. Furthermore, the situation did not spread into other areas. I have pointed out what happened that night, but I think more importantly, what did not happen that night. And what did not happen that night was that it did not spread, for example, into the surrounding residential area. There were no running battles in the streets, the dormitories were calm. The Police were there at the dormitories to make sure that things were calm. There was no disorder the next day, and the workplaces were calm. So, there was no need for any additional Page: 82 forces to be deployed.”
“Yes, indeed. We did consider whether we should put in somebody from the Singapore Business Federation but we thought that for some of the issues related to the riot, people may feel that the employer may not be in the best position to look at these things from an objective point of view. We have decided that we will choose four people; each with different types of expertise. Judge G Pannir Selvam is a well respected judge and he has also had experience, with an appointment by the Commonwealth, looking into issues in relation to another country in the Commonwealth. Judge G Pannir Selvam is a well respected judge. We have a representative from the grassroots, Mr Andrew Chua Thiam Chwee, who has experience in working with the community and foreign workers who are living and working in the vicinity. He has experience working these relationships. Mr Tee Tua Ba, is a well respected former Police Commissioner. He understands these issues and has seen riots himself. He would have a perspective on this which I think would be very useful. We also decided to have someone who has union experience. Most Members may not be aware but a number of our unions do have members who are foreign workers. These are workers in the shipyards, shipbuilding industry as well as in the construction industry. We felt that a unionist would also bring a useful perspective. If there are perspectives which the business community Page: 81 has, I am sure that the COI would be happy to look at them.”
“Yes, thank you. On the issue of public information, I do agree with the Member. The dilemma that agencies face in such a situation always is "How much to say", "What to say", particularly when the situation is not entirely clear to them. They usually want to go out and say something that is sensible and which is more informational, and when they have more information on the situation. This is something I have asked the Police to look into to see whether they can improve on the information flow and the speed of the information flow. On the number of liquor licences in a proclaimed area of Little India, Assoc Prof Eugene Tan said there has been an increase, but when I looked at it, I do not see an increase. In fact, I see a stable situation in the last five years. I do not agree with the mathematical interpretation. Page: 80 We are looking at alcohol control measures as a whole in Singapore and to see whether there are things which we need to do, additional control measures that we need to put in place, not just in Little India but other places as well. That public consultation began on 29 October 2013 before this riot took place. In fact, quite coincidentally, one of the major newspaper items in The Straits Times on 9 December was a feature on the consultation on the alcohol control measures that we had been proposing to put in place. We will look at those measures to see what makes sense.”
“That requires a combination of measures and, by and large, we have been able to do so even with large numbers of people there, in a relatively safe and controlled way. We will continue to look at what further measures are needed. As I mentioned, some of the measures that LTA is looking at include putting up more barriers where the buses are. And also establishing queue heads; so foreign workers know these are the places where they can queue for the buses and so on. So, these are some of the other measures that we are looking at.”
“I will try and answer the last question first. I am sure this is one of the areas which the COI will look into. I would not want to indulge in speculation. With regard to the alcohol issue, we do have indications that alcohol was a factor and that certain of the individuals who may have been directly involved in the incidents leading to the riot or in the riot were under the influence of alcohol to one extent or another. We do know that alcohol containers were used during the riot because our Home Team officers received quite a number of them. We think that alcohol was a contributory factor though probably not the only factor. Page: 77 The safety of foreign workers in high traffic areas: indeed, in 1997 already, there was an inter-agency working group to look at Little India to engage the stakeholders to look at some of the things that should be done. This again was looked at in detail in 2009. Some of the measures that were taken included putting up barriers along the road, in Serangoon Road, widening some of the footpaths, covering some of the drains to make sure that there is more space for pedestrians to move in that area and also the organisation of the Little India bus services to have timekeepers, persons who organise the queues and so on. These things are in place to make sure that the bus services, the traffic, the pedestrian traffic in Little India are kept in as orderly a manner as possible. Of course, it is not possible to prevent every accident from taking place, and even accidents that can result in fatalities. And it does require also the responsibility on the part of individuals to take care of themselves.”
“Mdm Speaker, I do apologise if I mistook what Ms Irene Ng said for speculation. But as I explained, the terms of reference: (1) to establish the factors and circumstances that led to the riot in Little India on 8 December 2013; (2) give the COI the latitude to examine any factors that they find relevant to consider them as causal factors or to dismiss them.”
“Mdm Speaker, the laws on the COI provide for the Chairman to decide which parts of the hearing will be held in public and which parts should not be. But I do expect the hearings for the most part will be held in public unless there are strong reasons not to. With regard to policing arrangements, in Little India and in several of the other congregation areas where we have foreign workers, what we are dealing with is social dis-amenities. As others have pointed out, we should try not to have a very heavy hand in managing the social dis-amenities. Ms Irene Ng, for example, pointed out that we should try and educate foreign workers on our social norms. That is one of the reasons why we have used Auxiliary Police Officers and security officers because their main duty is to deal with some of the social disamenities that may occur. It is quite appropriate to use Auxiliary Police Officers and security officers to principally deal with these social dis-amenities. Where there are people who are defiant, and do not follow the direction or the advice or the guidance from Auxiliary Police Officers and security officers and they do require Police Officers to step in order to enforce the law which means then to take a stronger approach, then the Police are called in and they will deal with it. I think that is probably the most appropriate, calibrated and graduated approach to deal with such issues.”
“Mdm Speaker, I had put up the terms of reference of the Committee of Inquiry on the screen just now and they are available in the factsheet that was distributed. The first term of reference is to establish the factors and circumstances that lead to the riot in Little India on 8 December 2013. The chairman of the Committee of Inquiry and the members are respected members and I think they know how to conduct a Committee of Inquiry. Therefore, I do not have to instruct them precisely what to do. But I would say that we should be careful not to speculate on various kinds of causes. I do not mean to be critical of Ms Ng, but which she is indulging in as well. Because she is suggesting a variety of causes – some of which may be true; some of which may not be true and I will leave it entirely to the COI to examine it under its first term of reference which is to establish the factors and circumstances that lead to the riot in Little India on 8 December 2013 rather than indulging in speculations on what the causes might be. On the second question, on the rights of movement in Little India, the restriction on rights of movement is in order to make sure that the Police are able to maintain order and maintain calm in Little India over the period during which this temporary law will be in place. This is neutral, with regard to whether it is a foreign worker, foreigner or a Singaporean. So, I can assure Members that the Police will implement the law strictly, firmly and fairly, regardless of Page: 73 who the person is. With regard to the regulation of foreign workers, perhaps, I would leave that to my colleague the Acting Minister for Manpower.”
“My sense is that they knew what they were doing, acted responsibly, they were well aware of the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. The SCDF rescuers had to carry out the rescue operations even in the face of very difficult circumstances. And the Police Officers who responded, they weighed very carefully the actions that they would need to take, including the consequences of their actions such as use of lethal force and the use of firearms. So, I would say that they were disheartened at some of the unfair comments that were made against them but they were also, at the same time, Page: 70 heartened by the many expressions of support from others in Singapore for the work that they did in bringing a very difficult situation under control within two hours. Once again, I like to thank Mr Yam for adding his words of encouragement.”
“Thank you, Mdm Speaker. First of all, on the open container laws, I am open to the idea. We will consider all the things that other countries have done and see whether they are practical and implementable here. One of my concerns in implementing alcohol laws is that they have to be practical and enforceable. We can have very detailed laws but if they end up not being enforceable in a practical sense, and you require a linesman, or two linesmen, like in a tennis game to watch whether you are on this side of the line or that side of the line; you are doing this and you are not doing that; and you require that all over Singapore, I think it will be very intrusive on Singaporeans' everyday lives and it may turn out that even if we have those laws, they are not so easily enforced. So, that is one of the things I am very mindful of. On security provisions for our Home Team officers, we have been looking at the equipment, the training, the protocols and so on. We are not going to wait, as soon as we have arrived at conclusions, we will implement them. I would also like to thank Mr Alex Yam for his commendation for our officers – those who have done well. That is really very much appreciated. He asked about the morale of our officers in the Home Team. I think they were disheartened when they hear criticisms, sometimes unfounded, of what they did or what they did not do. I spoke to many of the first responders, to understand what was going through their minds, and what kind of decisions they had to make on the spot to deal with the situation. And I spoke with the individual officers, not just with their commanders because I wanted to know what was going on in their minds, how they made their decisions.”
“But it is not possible to predict to the last detail what can happen, nor can we set aside dedicated resources for every single eventuality all of the time and all at the same time. Instead, we must be resilient and adaptable so that when the unexpected happens, we are able to adapt and respond effectively. This is how our Home Team officers are trained and prepared, to ensure that they have the capabilities, resources and flexibility to deal with various contingencies. The same should be true for our community. We must be resilient and be able to deal with unexpected crises. We cannot be crisis-proof, but we can and must strive to be always crisis-prepared. Mdm Speaker, the majority of Singaporeans recognise that foreign workers are generally law-abiding and do contribute to our society and economy. As many foreign workers told Minister Shanmugam, Minister Iswaran, Mr Dhinakaran and Mr Vikram Nair during their visits to the dormitories, they want to continue working here. They appreciate our rules and laws, and want to continue to live in peace and not be tarred with the same brush as the few who had done wrong. Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin will touch on Page: 63 our overall approach to manage foreign workers, after which, with Mdm Speaker's permission, we will both address any matters that Members may wish to raise.”
“Not a single shot was fired that night, and there were no fatalities amongst the rioters, innocent bystanders, or our Home Team officers. Police completed their intensive investigations at the incident area overnight, and by 6.45 am the next morning, Race Course Road was reopened to the public. All was calm at the Little India MRT train station, adjacent to the incident site too. In short, the riot did not spread in time or space; and was Page: 62 contained. The riot on the night of 8 December was the first in several decades. Because we have enjoyed peace for so many years, almost none of our Home Team officers, especially our national servicemen, had experienced riots. Nonetheless, they performed their duties under difficult circumstances, contained a rapidly developing situation and restored order within two hours. Our officers then acted expeditiously to identify and deal with the persons involved, and worked closely with other agencies to put in place measures to maintain law and order and restore calm in Little India. Mdm Speaker, Singaporeans did not expect a riot to disrupt their lives, but I am heartened that they responded rationally, when the unexpected happened. Several came forward to help. Business owners gave their support despite being affected by the restrictions imposed following the incident. Grassroots leaders in the Little India area stepped up to reassure residents, and helped the community to recover. I am confident that we will draw useful lessons from this experience and emerge more prepared and stronger – as one Home Team, as one Singapore. We can try to anticipate every eventuality, and plan and prepare for every one of them.”
“Mdm Speaker, in any crisis, timely and accurate information needs to be disseminated. This is always a challenge as events unfold very quickly, and not all the facts may be immediately known to the authorities. It is also important that we separate fact from fiction and not contribute to undue speculation and alarm, for example, by spreading rumours that may not be true. This is why after the initial media statement from Police, we have provided regular updates to the local media. Most reports in the international media have been factual and neutral. Where there has been misreporting in the foreign media, our overseas Missions have highlighted the erroneous points to the relevant media agencies. One example was Indian television station Sun TV which apologised for their misreporting and corrected its news bulletin. Unfortunately, not all foreign media outlets have done so or acted responsibly in spite of our efforts. Mr Christopher de Souza asked if the incident has dented our core value of multiracialism. Based on what we know from Police investigations, this incident was not related to race. It is, however, a timely reminder that we should never take good order and our safety and security for granted. Mdm Speaker, I have given an account of what happened that night, but it is also important for us to consider what did not happen that night. The riot, though serious, did not spread to the surrounding neighbourhoods, or other parts of Singapore. It was contained within a particular area in Little India, the immediate vicinity of where the traffic accident took place. Foreign worker dormitories that night, and workplaces the next day, remained calm and peaceful.”
“Industry and public consultations on proposals to restrict sale and public consumption of alcohol commenced on 29 October 2013. We are also reviewing our regulatory levers and processes to tighten liquor control at specific places where we need to do so, for example, where there may be large congregations of foreign workers. In our review, we will draw on the experience with measures taken in Little India, and take in views of stakeholders, as well as any findings and recommendations from the COI. The full set of liquor control measures will be announced when they are ready and where laws are needed, of course, we will come to Parliament. Ms Irene Ng asked about putting out accurate, comprehensive and timely information. The riot took place in the heart of a bustling community. Hence, personal accounts and footage of the incident were circulated quickly via social media and word of mouth. Police confirmed the incident officially via a press statement at 11.30 pm on the night of the riot. Shortly after, the same message was disseminated via Police Facebook and Twitter. There has been feedback that Police could have issued short alerts and updates earlier. I agree and have asked Police to review its information dissemination processes. After visiting the incident site at 11.57 pm that night, I chaired a media conference with Minister Iswaran, the Commissioner of Police and the Deputy Commissioner of Police at 2.15 am on 9 December 2013. Thereafter, over the course of the subsequent days and weeks, regular media conferences were held Page: 61 and media releases were issued to put out information on the arrests, investigations and legal action taken, the appointment of the COI, as well as action taken by various Ministries and agencies to manage the post-riot situation.”
“For the security-related measures, Government agencies have installed additional CCTVs and enhanced the street lighting at Race Course Road and its immediate vicinity. We will be further expanding CCTV coverage in Little India. LTA is planning to take measures to facilitate the Little India bus services. These include providing waiting areas in Hampshire Road and Tekka Lane, and providing queue heads and shelters. LTA will also regularly review the operating hours and capacity of the Little India Bus Services to support efforts to restore and maintain order in Little India following the riot. Page: 60 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked about further measures to mitigate jaywalking. We share the Member's concern. Better management of pedestrian and vehicular traffic in Little India is important to enhance road safety and improve orderliness. That is why LTA has in recent years made several improvements and installed barriers to discourage jaywalking and expand the space available for pedestrians. LTA will continue to enhance measures to ensure pedestrian safety. The Traffic Police will also continue to deploy enforcement resources to detect and deter jaywalking in Little India. Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, Ms Denise Phua, Assoc Prof Eugene Tan, Mr Png Eng Huat, Mr R Dhinakaran, Mr Laurence Lien and Ms Foo Mee Har asked about liquor licences in Little India, and if the Government will consider implementing similar measures to restrict sale and consumption of alcohol in other parts of Singapore. The number of liquor licences in Little India has remained stable in the last five years. This information is in page 5 of the handout. Before the incident, MHA had already embarked on a comprehensive review of the liquor licensing regime in Singapore.”
“They impressed upon the foreign workers that they must abide by the laws of Singapore, while reassuring them that those not involved in the riot need not worry. These visits were very helpful. During these past weeks when restrictions have been in place in Little India, the operators of the recreation centres and foreign worker dormitories have been encouraged to organise more programmes such as movie marathons, bazaars and sports events for the workers. Mdm Speaker, later today, I will be introducing a Bill which seeks to enact a temporary law to provide Police with powers to continue to take calibrated measures to maintain public order and calm in Little India post-riot. The new law will allow Police and other agencies to enforce the alcohol restrictions and regulate the movement of persons. This new law is scoped more tightly compared to the wide-ranging powers that come into effect when the Public Order (Preservation) Act is invoked, and provides only for the additional powers needed for the purposes I have stated earlier compared to the former. The Bill proposes that the law will be valid for one year. This will provide sufficient time for my Ministry to enact longer term legislation to take into account the findings and recommendations of the COI, and recommendations arising from public consultations on the review of the liquor licensing regime. Ms Irene Ng asked about measures to prevent a recurrence of the riot. As the COI goes about its work, the Government has concurrently been looking into longer-term measures for managing foreign workers. My colleague Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin will speak about these later.”
“The bus services resumed operations at 50% capacity from 22 December 2013, and more buses were subsequently added. The drop-off and pick-up operations were also improved to maintain order. Third, presence on the ground. Ms Sylvia Lim asked about policing arrangements, and whether there were changes post-riot. Prior to the riot, measures had already been put in place to improve the physical environment of the Little India area, such as the installation of back-lane lighting, additional railings along Serangoon Road to prevent spill-over of pedestrians onto the road and jaywalking, and the deployment of Auxiliary Police Officers to prevent anti-social behaviour and to address the concerns of local residents. Following the incident, Police have stepped up presence. Police have deployed an additional 20 to 30 Police Officers, as well as SOC troops, in Little India, on weekends and on public holidays and their eves. This is supplemented by 81 existing Auxiliary Police Officers and private security officers who are engaged to help project a strong uniformed presence and mitigate social disamenities on weekends. This level of presence requires considerable resources. Police will continue to review the requirements, to balance the deployment level with sustainability. Police have also initiated other measures to improve security. It has installed more CCTV surveillance and is building Page: 59 stronger community partnership programmes. Fourth, outreach to foreign workers. Three days after the riot, Minister Shanmugam and Minister Iswaran as well as Mr Vikram Nair and Mr Dhinakaran, commenced a series of visits on workers in their dormitories.”
“Proclamations have been effected on weekends as well as on public holidays and the eves of public holidays, and when large-scale events are planned. Let me elaborate on the measures taken. First, restrictions on alcohol. For the first weekend after the riot, Police imposed a total ban on the sale and public consumption of alcohol in the proclaimed area. Subsequent to this, Police have Page: 58 calibrated the measures. On days covered by the proclamation, the ban on consumption of alcohol in public areas remains. Alcohol can be sold at licensed retail outlets up to 8 pm. This is curtailed from the original licensing provisions of up to midnight, or later. The sale and consumption of alcohol within licensed premises is no longer banned and these premises can sell alcohol in accordance with their licensing conditions. In answer to the question by Mr R Dhinakaran, since the imposition of these measures and as of 19 January 2014, Police have detected 38 incidents of violations involving 10 business operators and 57 individuals. Business operators will be investigated and prosecuted if the case is substantiated. Police will consider what further action to take against those who have been convicted, including the revocation of their liquor licences. For cases of individuals consuming alcohol in public areas, Police have issued advisories to the offenders. Where such offenders held work passes, the advisories were administered in the presence of their employers. Second, transport. The Little India bus services are run by two private operators with a total of some 260 buses ferrying foreign workers between their dormitories and Little India on Sundays. These services were suspended on the first weekend following the riot.”
“Just five days after their appointment, on 18 and 20 December 2013, COI members visited the immigration depot, which held persons pending their repatriation. Twenty of the 57 persons who were repatriated agreed to be interviewed by the COI. The COI is supported by a team of experienced investigators from the Central Narcotics Bureau. These officers and the agency were not involved in this incident. State Counsel from the Attorney-General's Chambers will lead the evidence. The Chairman of the COI is empowered to decide whether any part of its hearings will be open to the public. The COI has asked interested parties to send in written submissions and intends to continue with its work with hearings from 19 February 2014. I have asked the Committee to complete its inquiry and submit its report within six months from its appointment in December 2013. Ms Foo Mee Har and Mr Seng Han Thong asked if the frontline response was adequate and whether there will be any changes to procedures following the incident. Mdm Speaker, I have described the events that night and what the responders did. This is an area that the COI will look into. Hence, it is not appropriate for me to pre-empt the COI's conclusions. However, my Ministry, Police and the SCDF are in parallel looking into areas that can be improved and will proceed to make these improvements where we assess that it is necessary. Following the riot on 8 December 2013, MHA together with other Government agencies took immediate measures to calm the ground and stabilise the situation. A designated part of Little India was proclaimed as an area in a state of danger to public order under the Public Order (Preservation) Act.”
“In this case, our investigations showed that the 57 persons had continued to participate in the riot despite Police's orders to disperse. This is an offence under the Penal Code. The Attorney-General's Chambers reviewed the evidence in each case, and decided to administer a stern warning to each of the 57 persons. I, as the Minister for Home Affairs, then decided, based on the statutory powers vested in me under the Immigration Act, that they should be repatriated. Their visit passes were then cancelled by the Controller of Immigration and they were so repatriated. The High Commissions of India and Bangladesh have been given full consular access to their nationals who were charged or served with repatriation orders. Mdm Speaker, as for the fatal traffic accident that immediately preceded the riot, investigations are on-going. The Traffic Police has obtained cogent evidence of what happened. An independent expert has been engaged to reconstruct the accident, and to provide an opinion as to how the accident happened. Mdm Speaker, Ms Irene Ng, Mr Christopher de Souza, Mr Gerald Giam and Ms Sylvia Lim asked about the Committee of Inquiry. Page: 57 The Committee of Inquiry (COI), which I appointed on 13 December 2013, five days after the riot, is chaired by former Judge of the Supreme Court, Mr G Pannir Selvam, and has three other members. The COI members are respected persons with many years of experience in the fields of law and security. They are familiar with worker issues, as well as relations between foreign workers and the local population. I refer Members to the terms of reference of the Committee which are shown on the screen and provided in page 4 of the handout. Since the appointment of the COI, the members have met several times.”
“They can continue to remain and work here. No further action will be taken against them as long as they abide by our laws. Mr Christopher de Souza and Mr Laurence Lien asked about the process of investigation, and the basis for our action against the persons involved. Mdm Speaker, I had stated earlier on 9 December that anyone who commits an offence will face the full weight of the law, and that we will deal with all the persons involved strictly, firmly, and fairly according to our laws. And this is exactly what we have done. Police relied on evidence from forensic examination, Page: 56 video footage, photographs as well as officer and witness accounts to determine the culpability of various individuals. Evidence against each person was reviewed by the Attorney-General's Chambers before decisions were made. Members may recall that we had originally arrested and charged 35 persons, but charges against 10 persons were eventually withdrawn after the Attorney-General's Chambers reviewed further evidence – and this shows due process at work. All 25 persons facing a court trial have been offered pro-bono counsel under the Law Society's Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS). I understand that all the accused have engaged counsel, most of them pro-bono under the CLAS while several have hired their own lawyers. Mdm Speaker, under our laws, foreigners do not have an inherent legal right to work and stay in Singapore. They can only do so with the permission of the state. In the last three years, on average, 13,000 foreigners were repatriated annually. Foreign workers must know that if they flout our rules, they do face repatriation. We need to be strict about this, to maintain the safety and security of our society.”