Singapore must play its part in the war against terror: Ng Eng Hen

SINGAPORE — Singapore has offered its assistance to combat militancy in the Southern Philippines and the Sulu Sea because terrorism cannot be allowed to become entrenched in South-east Asia, said Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen.

Speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the 16th Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday (June 4), Dr Ng said if terror networks establish roots in any part of the region, there would be grave security implications for the rest of South-east Asia.

“If you allow terrorist elements, whether it is training camps or networks, to entrench in this region ... the threat is porous,” he said. 

“They (the militants) will start attacking Kuala Lumpur, they will start attacking Singapore, and they will start attacking Jakarta. They won’t just limit themselves to the Philippines and Mindanao,” he added, referring to the ongoing battle in the southern Philippines between government forces and terrorists aligned with the Islamic State (IS) who are attempting to take over Marawi City.

Dr Ng said this was one of the reasons Singapore had contributed to an international coalition against IS in the Middle East, even though the problem is “far away”. 

“If we don’t disrupt this sooner or later, and often sooner, Singaporeans here will be at risk,” he said.

The Republic has renewed its offer to Manila in terms of intelligence sharing and other areas to tackle the crisis in Mindanao. 

It has also offered to participate in trilateral patrols between the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to beef up maritime security and disrupt illegal smuggling in the Sulu Sea, an area bounded by the Malaysian state of Sabah and southern Philippines.

“We stand ready for whenever the Philippines says it needs (us), but the Philippines is a sovereign country and we’ll only assist when asked,” he said, adding that the Association of South-east Asian Nations made a joint pledge with the United States on the sidelines of the Shangri-La forum to help the Philippines overcome the militant assault in Marawi.

“We stand ready to help the Philippines ... whether it’s information, intelligence or otherwise.” 

Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines will start maritime and air patrols in the Sulu Sea later this month.

Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said the joint patrols are an attempt “to prevent and protect our border, to close the border so that militants don’t go to other areas”, adding that Indonesia will consider deploying drones and surveillance planes at its borders with the Philippines.  

“If the situation escalates and extends to other waters, we would like to request other countries to join.”