9 youths dealt with under ISA since 2015 making 'good progress' in rehab, including 1 who topped ITE course: Shanmugam
SINGAPORE — Of a total of nine youths who have been dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since 2015, most have made "good progress" in their rehabilitation, with four reintegrated into society.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam addressing the media on Feb 1, 2023.
- Nine youths dealt with under the Internal Security Act since 2015 have made "good progress", with four reintegrated into society
- Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said that the Internal Security Department and its partners have supported these young individuals in their education
- They were also given religious counselling as well as social and psychological support
- One youth who was released from detention in 2022 took his GCE N-Level examinations, where he scored distinctions in some subjects
- Another of the nine became the top performer in his Institute of Technical Education course and went on to study at a polytechnic
SINGAPORE — Of a total of nine youths who have been dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since 2015, most have made "good progress" in their rehabilitation, with four reintegrated into society.
One of them went on to top his Institute of Technical Education (ITE) course, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said on Wednesday (Feb 1).
He stressed the importance of education in the rehabilitation of such young people, each of whom was aged 20 or younger at the time the authorities intervened.
Mr Shanmugam was taking questions from reporters after announcing that an 18-year-old post-secondary student Muhammad Irfan Danyal Mohamad Nor had been detained last December after becoming self-radicalised by online terrorist propaganda.
He added that the Internal Security Department (ISD) and its partners have made “tremendous efforts” to integrate these young individuals back into society.
They are supported in their education and are also given religious counselling as well as social and psychological support.
Mr Shanmugam said that of the nine detained under ISA since 2015, one was released from detention in January last year.
During his detention, he received tutoring and was able to sit for his GCE N-Level examinations, where he scored distinctions in some subjects.
"After he was released, he was able to go to a school of his choice, and he continues to make good progress in his rehabilitation.”
Another four dealt with under the ISA are no longer under any kind of internal security order and have reintegrated into society. They are all either employed or carrying on with further studies.
Two of them enrolled in ITE and one was the top performer in his course there. Both also went on to study at polytechnics here and one of them is now an engineer.
Mr Shanmugam said that the would consider all the examples as lives saved.
"So we save them from destroying their lives and other lives, and at the same
time, make something of their lives."
NINE PERSONS UNDER AGE OF 21 DETAINED OR HAD RESTRICTION ORDERS FROM 2015
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam announced on Wednesday (Feb 1) that 18-year-old post-secondary student Muhammad Irfan Danyal Mohamad Nor had been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for self-radicalisation.
Apart from him, eight other young persons have been dealt with under the Act since 2015. The Internal Security Department said that six were detained under the law and three were issued Restriction Orders.
For now, four are still in detention and one is serving a Restriction Order.
Individuals on Restriction Order cannot travel out of Singapore, or change addresses or jobs, without approval. They cannot access the internet or social media, issue public statements, address public meetings or print, distribute or contribute to any publication without approval.
The following individuals are the other eight. The names of those under 18 may not be published.
- M Arifil Azim Putra Norja’i, a supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) who harboured intentions to conduct attacks against soft targets in Singapore, has been detained since April 2015. He was 19 years old at that time.
- A then 17-year-old youth was given a Restriction Order in June 2015 for supporting Isis. He was intent on engaging in armed violence alongside the terrorist group. His Restriction Order was allowed to lapse in June 2019.
- Muhammad Harith Jailani, then 18, was an Isis supporter who had made preparations to join and fight for the terrorist group in Syria. He was detained in August 2015 and released on a Restriction Order in August 2017. The order was allowed to lapse in August 2021.
- A then 17-year-old Isis supporter who aspired to fight for the group in Syria was issued with a Restriction Order in July 2016. He also tried to influence his friends with his pro-Isis views. His Restriction Order was allowed to lapse in July 2020.
- Then 19-year-old Adzrul Azizi Bajuri was an Isis supporter who wanted to fight alongside the group in Syria. He was given a Restriction Order in September 2017, which was allowed to lapse in September 2021.
- A then 17-year-old youth was detained in January 2020. He was an Isis supporter who had posted defaced images of Singapore President Halimah Yacob on social media and called on Isis to behead her. He was also willing to assist Isis in its terrorist activities including its online propaganda efforts. He was released on a Restriction Order in January 2022.
- A then 16-year-old youth who was influenced by far-right extremist ideology and who wanted to conduct attacks at two mosques in Singapore has been detained since December 2020.
- Amirull Ali, then 20, has been detained since March 2021. He was influenced by the Israel-Palestine conflict and wanted to conduct knife attacks against Jews at the Maghain Aboth Synagogue.
“So we save them from destroying their lives and other lives, and at the same time, make something of their lives.Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam”
Mr Shanmugam said that when young people are detained under ISA, there is a lot of focus placed on their rehabilitation because the authorities want them to fulfil their potential in life.
"The idea of detention is not that that’s the end. There is hopefully a beginning of a new path.
"Also, of course, the primary intention is to prevent them from doing harm to others, but we treat it as an opportunity to try to get them onto a better path."
He added that Irfan, the 18-year-old detained last December, will receive religious counselling as well as psychological and social rehabilitation.
ISD has also worked with Irfan’s school to arrange for him to continue with his education. The teenager will sit for his examinations while in detention.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) did not give details on what examination Irfan will take for his studies.
During his rehabilitation, a volunteer from the Religious Rehabilitation Group will act as his mentor to motivate him and to guide him to develop pro-social skills, Mr Shanmugam said.
On how the authorities plan to tackle the issue of self-radicalisation further upstream, Mr Shanmugam said that Singaporeans want to live in a multiracial society that will allow them to achieve their full potential.
This reduces their desire to become radicalised, he added.
Secondly, the messages from the different religious groups are one of peace and harmony, and about how to live in a multi-religious society.
MHA also blocks online sites that could make people prone to self-radicalising, and schools also educate students on the dangers of radicalisation.
These have helped to keep the number of self-radicalised persons here lower compared to other countries, despite the high penetration of the internet in Singapore, which increases their exposure to terrorist propaganda, Mr Shanmugam said.
On whether new online safety laws, which take effect on Wednesday, will be enough to deal with the radicalisation of youth, Mr Shanmugam said that such laws give the authorities some power but they are not enough to tackle the problem.
“By the time the law moves, by the time you detain (someone), the person has already become radicalised," he added.
"So you do need those powers to prevent further violence, but the interventions have to be very upstream and we do intervene very upstream.”
He also said that both the Government and community must work together to prevent radicalisation.
The online safety laws make social media platforms liable if they fail to protect Singapore users from online harms.
For example, the Infocomm Media Development Authority can order social media platforms to take down harmful online content, including material on terrorism.
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