Latest news with #Sep11
Straits Times
31-07-2025
- Straits Times
Online push by terror group ISIS for followers in SE Asia to take up arms raises alarm: Experts
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox South-east Asia has grappled with both transnational and homegrown threats in recent decades. SINGAPORE - The threat of an online caliphate led by terror group ISIS is rising in South-east Asia, Singapore's latest terrorism threat report has warned, and regional experts say the absence of attacks does not mean an absence of danger. Even as the Islamic State's physical strongholds in the Middle East have crumbled, its ideological reach has migrated online, where propaganda is being repackaged in local languages and weaponised to exploit regional grievances. Terrorism analysts told The Straits Times that the authorities must not underestimate the speed at which these narratives are spreading, or the risk that radicalised individuals could act faster than states can respond. The Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2025 , released by the Internal Security Department (ISD) on July 29, flagged a surge in hyperlocal propaganda efforts by ISIS supporters in the region. One example cited was how Indonesian militants marked the anniversary of the Sep 11 terror attacks in the United States by circulating calls for jihad that tied the Gaza conflict to local struggles, including grievances involving Chinese Indonesians and national development projects. Jihad is an Arabic word that means struggle but which has been misinterpreted by extremists to mean a holy war. A plot to attack the Singapore Exchange was also highlighted in the report. Indonesian militant Yudi Lukito Kurniawan, a former Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) member linked to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was tasked in 2014 to lead the attack, which was seen as an indirect strike against the US via a regional ally. Yudi tried to enter Singapore in 2015 to further the plan but was denied entry due to his terror-related past. He was arrested in Sulawesi in August 2024. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore No entry: ICA to bar high-risk, undesirable travellers from boarding S'pore-bound ships, flights Singapore 17-member committee to drive roll-out of autonomous vehicles in Singapore Singapore Over half of job applications by retrenched Jetstar Asia staff led to offers or interviews: CEO Singapore Underground pipe leak likely reason for water supply issues during Toa Payoh fire: Town council Business Singapore gold investment soars 37% to 2.2 tonnes in Q2 while jewellery demand wanes Multimedia 60 years, 60 items: A National Day game challenge Asia US-Malaysia tariff deal set for Aug 1 after Trump-Anwar phone call Singapore 'Switching careers just as I became a dad was risky, but I had to do it for my family' These cases show how extremist narratives are being tweaked to resonate more deeply within South-east Asian societies. Such shifts are not just rhetorical, but reflect a growing effort by ISIS-linked actors to root their ideology in local socio-political tensions, say experts. 'The shift to hyperlocal messaging increases the radicalising potential of ISIS across South-east Asia, particularly since ISIS lost its territorial control in Syria,' said S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) associate research fellow Adlini Ilma Ghaisany Sjah. The group lost its last territorial stronghold in March 2019, but experts say it remains highly active, moving operations online and encouraging supporters to mount attacks independently. 'The barrier for individuals to join ISIS has also decreased significantly from hijrah (moving) to Syria to waging jihad wherever they are, with individuals pledging allegiance to ISIS through online means,' Ms Adlini said. ISIS has increasingly promoted its propaganda online, which can become more dangerous when linked to local flashpoints. One example cited in ISD's report is a January 2025 post that identified Pantai Indah Kapuk in north-western Jakarta, a neighbourhood with a large Chinese Indonesian population, as a potential target. The post called for attacks against the community and sought to justify robbery and violence on religious grounds. While not every online incitement results in violence, the risk of provocation is real. Mr Muh Taufiqurrohman, a senior researcher at the Centre for Radicalism and Deradicalisation Studies in Jakarta, revealed that ISIS supporters in Central Java had begun preparing for attacks on Chinese Indonesians before the plot was disrupted by Indonesia's Densus 88 counter-terrorism unit. Densus 88 has a strong track record, but the scale of online threats means counter-terrorism efforts must be broadened, he added. 'Densus 88 needs to work with other law enforcement agencies, especially when the threat comes from Islamist or anarchist groups whose numbers far exceed pro-ISIS militants,' he said. South-east Asia has grappled with both transnational and homegrown threats in recent decades, from the Bali bombings in the early 2000s to the rise of JI, and more recently the 2017 Marawi siege in the southern Philippines. Successful attacks have sharply declined in the past five years, largely due to sustained counter-terrorism efforts across Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. But while the physical threat has diminished, the digital battlefield remains active. ISIS propaganda in the region has become increasingly decentralised, produced not by the group's central command but by Indonesian media outfits like Al-Najiyah Media Center and At-Tamkin, said RSIS Associate Research Fellow Alif Satria. These unofficial pro-ISIS outfits, operating largely through encrypted messaging apps and social media, translate and repurpose extremist materials into local languages. Such outlets, noted Mr Alif, are pushing translated content that ties global jihadi narratives to domestic grievances like local corruption or land disputes. While ISIS had been translating content since 2014, what is more notable now is the rise of unofficial media channels trying to keep the movement alive in the region. He said: 'Although the region has seen fewer attacks compared with a decade ago, pro-IS groups remain highly active online and are persistently working to maintain a sense of community in the digital space –– especially as real-world IS activities in the region have diminished.' The rise of unofficial pro-IS media channels has made it harder to distinguish between official and unofficial sources of extremist content, complicating online detection. Ms Nurrisha Ismail Fakirra, a senior analyst at RSIS, said extremists are also leveraging AI and coded language to slip past content moderation tools. Her colleague Benjamin Mok, also a senior analyst at RSIS, said that governments and tech companies have taken steps to combat online radicalisation. He noted how initiatives like the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism - a non-profit founded in 2017 by major tech platforms such as Meta, Google, Microsoft and X - have improved cross-border cooperation by taking steps like enabling rapid identification and removing extremist content across platforms. At the Asean level, the region has enhanced information sharing and developed joint counter-terrorism frameworks, such as the Asean Plan of Action to Prevent and Counter the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism (2018). Asean has also supported capacity building to disrupt extremist propaganda networks. But the momentum may be flagging, said Mr Mok, warning that economic pressures have led to content moderation teams being scaled back and long-term threats like online radicalisation risk being deprioritised. 'The threat hasn't disappeared, it's just constantly evolving. Any complacency from governments or tech companies will be quickly exploited by bad actors,' he said.
Business Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Business Times
GE2025: What is the Fullerton rally?
[SINGAPORE] A lunchtime election rally will be held on Apr 28 for the 2025 General Election, the first to take place at UOB Plaza's promenade in 10 years. The rally, which in the past has attracted thousands of white-collared workers, is known as the Fullerton rally because of its venue close to Fullerton Square, where Singapore's founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, gave many election campaign speeches from the 1950s to the 1980s. This year's lunchtime rally, from noon to 3 pm, will see Prime Minister Lawrence Wong taking this stage to address the crowd for the first time in his new role, along with other PAP candidates. When and where did the first lunchtime rally happen? Lee held the first rally in 1959 at Fullerton Square, near the old General Post Office, when the Republic became a self-governing state. He used the platform to reach out to the English-educated office crowd and thus bypass the media, which he thought portrayed the PAP then as 'extremists'. The PAP's lunchtime rally at Fullerton Square in 1959. PHOTO: ST FILE From the 1950s to the 1980s, the rally was a fixture that attracted a large lunchtime crowd, with people huddled together, shoulder to shoulder, to hear Lee speak. The Straits Times' archives show that rallies such as this drew large crowds in the past, as the only way for voters to hear and see the candidates in person. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up In 1980, despite a drizzle, a crowd gathered to hear Lee speak on the hot topic of succession. On that occasion, he endorsed the second-generation leaders and urged citizens to help him test them. Lee Kuan Yew speaking at the PAP's rally at Fullerton Square on Dec 19, 1980. PHOTO: ST FILE Since 1996, the Fullerton rally has been held at the UOB Plaza promenade in Boat Quay, a short walk from its original location. Has the lunchtime rally been missed or postponed before? In 1984, Fullerton Square was nearly abandoned as a rally site as many more buildings had sprung up around it, reducing the standing space. But attempts to find an alternative site were unsuccessful. It was retained as a rally site just days before the election in December 1984. Lee Hsien Loong speaking at the PAP's rally at Fullerton Square during his first election in 1984. PHOTO: LEE HSIEN LOONG/FACEBOOK The first time the rally was skipped was in 1991, when Fullerton Square was not on the list of approved rally sites by the police. The area had been landscaped, with a small park and circular road replacing the old carpark rally site. The rally was also halted in October 2001, due to security concerns following the Sep 11 terrorist attacks in the United States that year. Most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to in-person rallies, with then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong holding a virtual lunchtime rally instead in 2020. When was the last lunchtime rally held? The last Fullerton rally was held in 2015, five years before the pandemic curtailed all in-person campaign events. It turned out to be the last as prime minister for Lee, who is now Senior Minister, after having served as PM from 2004 to 2024. Then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong greeting supporters at the PAP's lunchtime rally in Boat Quay on Sep 8, 2015. PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN FILE Does the rally happen only during a general election? Who is allowed to speak at the rally? Yes, it is only held every four or five years, during campaigning for the election. The site has seen some of the biggest election rallies over the decades, held by both the PAP and opposition parties on different days. This includes the 1997 General Election, when the focus was on Cheng San GRC, which was contested by the PAP and WP. The WP slate included new candidate Tang Liang Hong, a man the PAP labelled a 'dangerous Chinese chauvinist'. In an unexpected turn of events, then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said at the Fullerton rally that he was so determined to stop Tang from stepping into Parliament that he was personally entering the battle for Cheng San GRC. THE STRAITS TIMES For more election coverage, visit our GE2025 microsite
