Deborah Choo
I received a text message around 2.20 pm on Saturday. It referred to a possible terrorist attack around Bugis Junction.
I headed to Bugis to check it out.
What I observed
There were many policemen, as mentioned in the SMS. Six, to be exact, which was four more than the usual two that would be seen doing their usual patrols on normal days. Two pairs were stationed at both the extreme corners of the MRT basement platform, and one pair was seen patrolling up and down both levels of the station.
Basement One of Bugis Junction was flooded with people. For security purposes, the police would most likely send their men out in civilian clothes. There were, if I had spotted correctly, several policemen at work. However, I realized that only two were combing basement 1 and level 1, while another was stationed at a fairly less crowded area reading an outdated copy of a local newspaper – which made him fairly obvious to even an untrained eye.
According to my study of the area I combed, should a real terrorist attack have occurred, the most likely places to be targeted would have been either inside the MRT train itself, at basement 1 of Bugis Junction, or Bugis street, for these places are the most crowded at most times.
However, the security at those places was not as fiercely guarded as it should have been.
What could have been improved
If there had been a terrorist attack in the MRT train, the chances of nabbing the terrorists involved before the bomb went off was slim. Besides the announcement saying, “Please do not leave your bags unattended. If you see any suspicious person or article, please inform our staff, or press the emergency button,” being played slightly more frequently than usual in the train and station, there were no policemen stationed in the MRT train itself to deter any would-be bomber. There could have been two policemen assigned to patrol the MRT trains, and a bomb expert present. In the event of a real attack, it may have been impossible to stop the MRT train midway to let the passengers alight quickly if the train was in between two destinations. Hence, having a bomb expert would have greatly increased the passengers’ chances of escape till they reach the next stop.
Also, there should have been more policemen patrolling basement 1 and level 1 of Bugis Junction. However, I have to clarify that there is a possibility that there might have been more policemen – in civilian clothes – that I may have missed.
In addition, there are dustbins stationed at almost every stretch of road around the outer area of the shopping mall, beside the traffic lights, at every escalator, and at Bugis Village’s bus stop which is often crowded. And at the entrances of every train station, there is the ubiquitous trash bin. Notice them the next time you are at the station and imagine what will happen if a bomb was deposited in them. And as we open our doors to even more foreigners and increase the population, thus leading to even more crowded areas around our tiny city, we must not forget the simple precautionary measures we can – and should – take.
Lesson we can draw from London
Central London experienced a terror attack in 2005 where four bombs were detonated within minutes of each other. The Russell Square bomb, which was the third one to go off in that July 2005 attack, happened while the train was travelling between King’s Cross and Russell Square stations.
In the aftermath of that attack, the authorities, as a precautionary measure, reduced the number of trash bins around the area. This is to prevent terrorist from depositing their bombs in them.
In Singapore, the trash bins are everywhere – even at the entrances to the train stations, the very place which we want to prevent any bomb attacks. Singapore could consider reducing the number of dustbins around town centres and crowded areas to reduce the risk of a bomb being planted – an area I realised many people tend to overlook.
After the incident today, though the SMS turned out to be a hoax, precautionary measures could have been more comprehensive, and there remain areas that need to be looked into to continually narrow the possible loopholes and danger spots so as to make Singapore a safer place to live in.
A nonchalant attitude
In the midst of scouting around Bugis on 21st February, Saturday, I discovered a new set of problem that Singapore is facing – Singaporeans’ lack of vigilance.
“It’s most probably a hoax. Why are you so worried?” was one of the many similar responses I got when I asked about the SMS.
Most of these replies stem from the trust that they have in the Singapore government and police force to deal with the situation swiftly.
However, many failed to realise that their “I-don’t-really-care” attitude could lead to dire consequences. Singaporeans have to break out of their comfort zone and realise how close terrorism is to us.
As alert and protective as the authorities may be, Singaporeans must realise that only when each individual realises the importance of this issue, and is vigilant, can citizens work together with the government and the police to counter any threats from terrorists.
It seems, though, that our people still have not learnt their lessons from previous events.
On 20th December 2008, about 200 passengers were evacuated at Toa Payoh MRT Station due to a non-toxic gas leak from the train’s air-conditioning system. However, Singaporeans waited for further instructions and continued to be nonchalant about the situation. There were no attempts to run or to leave that place.
News remained news to most Singaporeans. The SMS about bombs being planted in Bugis were only rumours to them.
“Aiya, the SMS is a hoax lah! Singapore so safe! What can happen?”, said a source who wished to remain anonymous.
Nonetheless, it reflected the attitudes of many Singaporeans who remain nonchalant about such threats. In addition, Singaporeans may not know how to react in a crisis. It is time that we are put through a simulated drill. It does not have to be nationwide, but at least a drill conducted for every block of flats.
It will take time to plan such a wide-scale exercise, and a big cut off our national defence budget. However, this issue has to be addressed seriously – and swiftly – as the threat of terrorism looms closer to home. While we enjoy the safety of our offices and homes reading news of attacks such as the one of the 7 July bombing in London, or the Mumbai bombing in Pakistan in November last year, terrorists continue to plot and scheme ways and means to inflict maximum damage to people and property.
Singapore has invested much in defense technology and are masters at strategizing, analyzing and weighing pros and cons. This, however, is not a problem that we can solve just by placing every human into a “Make Him Vigilant!” machine to induce that sense of urgency and threat – it has to be inculcated in them.
Though this SMS was a hoax, it must serve as a wake-up call for many who still think that terrorism does not concern us.
It is not just Bugis we are talking about today.
It is our people.
It is our home.
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The youth who circulated the sms about a possible bomb attack in Bugis has been detained by the police. See here.
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Police resources for counter-terrorism is most effective at the source of the terror. This means preventing the spread of terrorist ideology, limiting access to bomb making materials and know how.
In regards to the situation at Bugis, the police were there mostly for a deterrent effect. Short of shutting down Bugis or swamping the entire area with police resources it would be difficult to prevent a bomb going off.
Reducing trash bins I think is a bad idea. Instead I prefer an idea I saw in Seoul, where the authorities have installed trash bins that are transparent. Yes, it is unsightly seeing the garbage in them but at least from a quick glance you can tell what is inside. I find there is nothing more annoying than having to search for a trash can to throw something away.
At times of a security crisis I think its best for the authorities to disseminate information and instruct citizens what to do. They have the best view of the crisis. For example, at the Toa Payoh MRT station I don’t understand why you expected people to run. Running would encourage people to panic and panic can lead to disaster; people will either run into more harm or cause injuries to other people.
But that means we must trust the authorities. And trust will only come if the authorities are competent and accountable. Hence the Mas Selamat case is a cause of concern, where competency and accountability are seriously lacking.
In Mumbai the Indian authorities clearly failed in many respects in terms of preventing the terror attack from happening and allowing it to escalate. Moreover their failure to inform the public in a timely manner and secrecy allowed the terrorists to exploit an information vacuum to cause more terror and deaths. Our authorities in this respect should learn that transparency is important as well.
Vigilance against terror is definitely necessary but a public vigilant of authority incompetency is far more important.
From the given link, the police spokesman mentioned ‘We would like to assure the public that there is no cause for alarm as investigations have revealed that the SMS was indeed unsubstantiated.’
With regard to your concerns about the nonchalant attitude of the public, perhaps it is such subtle messages that bread such nonchalance (to some extent)?
If there is ‘no cause for alarm’, I doubt many will react duly.
I feel that its too congested already.
If you ask foreigners, especially those from the West or Australia,
this place is very , i mean, VERY congested.
When it is so, if any terror attack happens, the impact is intensified as the people density is maximum.
But I feel that this incident has happened, we noted it so maybe can we move on?
“Police resources for counter-terrorism is most effective at the source of the terror. This means preventing the spread of terrorist ideology, limiting access to bomb making materials and know how”
Correct. This includes effective intelligence-gathering and monitoring of terrorist cells, followed by arrests at the appropriate timing.
While some of us may not trust the government on Temasek’s investment value etc, I think we can highly trust the government on their counter-terrorism measures. In fact I think our current public vigilance measures are sufficient; we don’t need to have another round of campaign as the author implies.
Maybe they should do a re-run of the Terrorism can happen to Anyone, Any Time, Any Where advert.
After all, our Number One Terrorist is still on the run,… oops… on the limp.
they should replace bins with transparent bins with transparent trash bags,like what we are using in Thailand in the airports.
In the sense of …
Singaporean only scared when tragedy really happen to them,
or else, it’s just like talk cock sing song, right side in, left side out.
But it will be too late.
Yeah.. i receive the sms too while at work on Sat. When i discussed it with my colleagues, they replied back by saying, “what could possibly go wrong? Singapore is such a safe place. No such thing would happen here. Don’t worry…” I was quite disappointed with their reply but what to do… let’s move on…
It is sad but it is true that Singapore is becoming congested and the people unhappy with the ruling party. It only takes a “mad” man to set fire to the MP. How long before someone figures out mixing kitchen liquids together with fertilisers to make a dirty bomb and setting it off at a New Town type of Shopping Center?
Higher ERPs? Non-transparent losses at Temasek with CPF monies? Arrogance of senior MPs, etc.
I know there will be a day when a bomb goes off, but I certainly pray my family is not there when it happens.
You should start praying too, because it is the ONLY feasible way to keep our families safe. Any other police statements are just bollocks of arrogant air.
Could right wing Muslim fundamendalists live hidden in Singapore?
Oops…the Singapore govt’s ability to handle the Mas Selamat incident is suspect.
Did they let MS walk out the front door? All PM Lee said was they would get him…some day?
Great work Singapore.
8) Abdul Salim Harun on February 22nd, 2009 11.25 pm
………, “what could possibly go wrong? Singapore is such a safe place. No such thing would happen here. Don’t worry…” ..…
The truth is that it is very easy to create great damage in places like Bugis and it does not involve any thing that is hard to access.
We shouldn’t believe such SMS messages. It’s not a sign of complacency. Rather, people should learn to evaluate the source and authenticity of messages.
Regarding rubbish bins, it would be silly to remove them because of an extremely remote chance of bombs.
Rather, we could look at alternatives like using transparent bins or those with small openings, so that bomb-sized parcels couldn’t fit.
I’m not sure what this article is trying to say.
I’ve been thinking abit about that SMS sent, and looking at past comments I’d say…There are two things you can do. Nothing, and Like it.
Look to prevent a bomb from going off if it was anywhere near going off is practically impossible. The only thing we could’ve done in fact anything at all if there was really a bomb would’ve been sit there and die since we didn’t know. And usually a terrorist wouldn’t want you to know he has a bomb somewhere, cause if you actually spotted the bomb he’d be the one of the stupidest terrorist in the world.
BUT, this is why our police and co. are here to search and foil terror plots before it happens. And that SMS that spread like wildfire was a pretty good example of how vigilant we already are. Look it was only an SMS and so many people about it and informed the police. It’d probably be the same if you overhear your neighbour or what not saying they plan to set someplace on fire.
Sure they let MSK limp away, but then yet again shit happens every other day. If one were to know how incompetent this world is you’d find that shit happens everywhere, not just the police. Only difference is whether it’s a big mistake or a small one.
Now the I’d probably do is go on with life, if shit’s gonna happen, it’ll come somehow…I rather spend more time earning money than and less time worrying about when the next bomb might come.
Well, we didn’t spend tons of money to saturate our streets with surveillance cameras comparable to the City of London for nothing.
There are ways to detect suspicious behavior from a standoff distance.
It is impossible to bomb-proof any city physically. Intelligence gathering is still the key.
Transparent trash bins and transparent bin liners, anyone?
Maybe some countries’ authorities are much smarter than us.