Students vital in early detection of terror threats

By Cheryl Tee

PHOTO: SARAH THONG

University students must remain vigilant against terrorist attacks, as the open and welcoming nature of a university environment makes it a potential target, said Second Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Loh Ngai Seng.

He was speaking at the “Keeping Singapore Safe: Role of Youth in Today’s Security Climate” panel on 14 Oct, held at NTU’s Nanyang Executive Centre Auditorium.

The panel, which discussed the importance of youths in Singapore’s fight against terrorism, included speakers such as Senior Minister of State for Defence and Acting Minister of Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung, and Dr Rohan Gunaratna from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

They called upon university students to alert the appropriate authorities to any activity that could pose as a terror threat, so that responding forces could “deal with terrorist incidents as they unfold”.

“As someone who works and plays in this environment, you will be the first to notice any suspicious behaviour,” he added.

Acting Minister Ong added that a terror attack will be Singapore’s “best test”, where citizens must band together despite their differences to protect the country.

He concluded that the current generation of youth are “more race-blind than any previous generation”, and are also the best role models for racial and religious tolerance in Singapore.