SINGAPORE TRANSPORT MINISTER WARNS: TERRORISTS “CAN STRIKE ANYWHERE”
SINGAPORE TRANSPORT MINISTER WARNS: TERRORISTS “CAN STRIKE ANYWHERE”
The terrorist networks can strike anywhere, and governments around the world must address the risk through a combination of multilateral and national measures, said Yeo Cheow Tong, Minister for Transport of Singapore.
Yeo said that the recent bomb explosion in Bali, Indonesia was the first time a terror attack on such a scale had happened in Southeast Asia. “It demonstrated that Southeast Asia is now one of the theaters of operations of the global terrorist network,” he said. He also cited the terrorist attack on a tanker, the “Limberg,” off the coast of Yemen last October.
The terrorist network has shown that it can strike anywhere,”from New York, to Bali, to Mombasa,” the Singaporean official told the International Maritime and Port Security conference in Singapore.
“Any target which is viewed as a soft target by al Qaeda and its associate groups is vulnerable,” he said. “Consequently, vigilance and security are the order of the day in every part of the world.”
Yeo cited Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert, as saying that al Qaeda and its associate organizations would continue to pose a significant threat this year. According to the expert, the “hardening of land aviation targets will shift the threat to maritime targets, particularly to commercial shipping.”
The Singaporean minister said that efforts to beef up maritime security should be done at three level: at the multilateral level, national level and individual level.
He highlighted the recent diplomatic conference on maritime security of the International Maritime Organization as an example of the multilateral efforts required to enhance the safety and security of the port and shipping industry.
IMO’s actions have provided a broad framework to enable individual countries to implement these measures. “All countries must make it their top priority to ensure that maritime security is not compromised,” Yeo said.
At the national level, Singapore has begun to implement some of these measures to improve the security of its port and ships. Singapore has already established shore-based facilities equipped with an automatic identification system, and has restricted access to key areas within the port, such as oil terminals, Yeo said.
“The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore also works closely with our security agencies,” he added.
As a major transhipment port, Singapore we will be installing Gamma-ray scanners to screen containers. The port has also implemented an enhanced export control system, and is a signatory to the Container Security Initiative with the United States Customs Service.
“However, we cannot escape from the fact that such enhanced measures will increase costs,” Yeo said. He warned that some countries may find it difficult to adopt the maritime security measures by July 2004, when they come into force.
“I urge the IMO and developed member states to offer technical assistance and expertise to help these countries implement the measures,” he said.
Yeo also stressed that maritime security needs to extend to the larger transportation and logistics industry, and that individual players within the industry also need to become aware and take action to improve maritime security.
In December, the Washington Post said that U.S. intelligence sources believe that al Qaeda terrorist network controls about 15 cargo ships.