While it may not be a high probability scenario, the rise of Daesh and recent discoveries of biohazardous material in the South Pacific compelled the Singapore government to address the contingency.
Just three months ago, Malaysia cuffed eight people allegedly involved in a scheme to steal Iridium-92, “a radioactive material which can be used to make dirty bombs,” a senior Singapore defense official said.
One contentious point in the legislation is that people outside of Singapore are subject to the punishment we well. This could spark conflict, for instance, if a nation harboring an individual alleged to be a terrorist by Singapore says the accused belongs to their jurisdiction and thus is not prosecutable under Singaporean law.
“It would ensure that perpetrators do not escape punishment, regardless of which country they are from, and where they committed the offenses,” Second Minister for Home Affairs Desmond Lee told Channel News Asia.
“This provision allows us to prosecute the offender in Singapore,” he said.
Authorities in the country have not discovered any infiltration of nuclear or radioactive weapons across its borders. “There are no immediate threats, but we take the possibility seriously,” Lee said.
In neighboring Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte is on record stating, “Let’s be frank: I have cousins on the other side … Some, I’ve heard, are with ISIS.” Daesh “seems to be everywhere,” Duterte said.
Some have criticized Singapore for maintaining the death penalty, though its new law hardly compares to the severity of Duterte’s threats to terrorists: “They are animals. If you want me to be an animal I can be one. I can be the same … I can dish out more than you can, fifty times over. I will eat you.”
“I will really carve your torso open. Just give me salt and vinegar. True. Make me mad. Get me a terrorist. Give me salt and vinegar.”
