SINGAPORE, Jan. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Two more Singaporeans have been detained for involvement with the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah(JI) over the course of last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Thursday.
According to a statement by the ministry, one of the two had traveled to Thailand and Yemen to source for weapons in the past decade and suggested to the JI several potential attack targets inSingapore in 2001.
The other, who had been released on a restriction order in 2002,was re-arrested and detained for continuing to support the cause of the Philippine separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which was against the conditions of his restriction order.
The ministry also said that the order of detention for another JI member has been extended for two more years because he continues to pose a threat to security.
A fourth detainee, who had performed cooperatively in investigations into the JI and other terrorist groups in the region and responded positively to counselling, was released on a suspension direction, the statement noted.
Local media reports said that a total of 36 Singaporeans, who are regarded as JI members, are being detained under the Internal Security Act up to now.
The following is loosely related to the detention above...
Bush under fire over human rights
Please click on comic for larger version
Watchdog says US setting bad example
Richard Norton-Taylor, Julian Borger in Washington and Suzanne Goldenberg in Fort Hood
Friday January 14, 2005
The Guardian
America's human rights abuses have provided a rallying cry for terrorists and set a bad example to regimes seeking to justify their own poor rights records, a leading independent watchdog said yesterday.
The torture and degrading treatment of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay have undermined the credibility of the US as a defender of human rights and opponent of terrorism, the New York-based Human Rights Watch says in its annual report.
"The US government is less and less able to push for justice abroad because it is unwilling to see justice done at home," says Kenneth Roth, the group's executive director.
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I think the ISA's detention without trial policy may seem contrary to 'innocent until proven guilty' standard civil procedure but imho it is a perfectly proportionate response to a very serious threat to national security. FYI In the light of the 911 disaster UK itself enacted its Terrorist Act so that suspected terrorists could be detained without trial for a certain length of time.
ReplyDeleteAs for the US, they have always struggled to comply with human rights standards but only outside their citizenry, who are well protected by their almighty Constitutional Rights.
RD
May I also add this is perhaps why the majority of US citizens think that they live in the ultimate liberal utopia where everyone is bestowed with uncircumventable civil rights.
ReplyDeleteRD
To me it read like the article from the Guardian was arguing that rights were being undermined or circumverted inside the US. Guess the following quote dominated the article for me..."The US government is less and less able to push for justice abroad because it is unwilling to see justice done at home."
ReplyDeleteI guess you may be right, but from what I read their abuses stem from mainly 'The torture and degrading treatment of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay' who will hardly be their own citizens. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteRD
I see what you mena in terms of american citizens as opposed to foreigners living in US or meeting them in Afganistan.
ReplyDelete