SEQ: Transnational Terrorism To what extent is psychological distress in Singapore a significant impact caused by the threat of transnational terrorism?

Issue : Impact caused by threat of transnational terrorism Given Impact: psychological distress Alternative Impacts : Economic Impacts Political Impact Rank Order Most significant impact Political impact as it is still in place in Singapore Secondary Impacts Economic impact Psychological distress which is part of social impact These two are secondary as the impacts has been reduced or eliminated.

Transnational terorism involves the unlawful use of force or indiscriminate violence by internationally-linked groups against persons and properties in many different parts of the world. The world today is increasingly threatened by these transnational terrorist groups as they seek to destroy lives and properties and destabilize the societies of the countries which suffered terrorist attacks. There are several impact caused by this threat of transnational terrorism. One of the impacts in Singapore is psychological distress but it is not the most significant impact. Psychological distress is one of the social impacts that transnational terrorism can bring about to Singapore. For example after the arrests of the JI members in 2001 and 2003, Singaporeans were plagued with the concern that potential terrorist attacks may happen in Singapore. There was a fear of "knee-jerk" reactions from the Singaporeans especially if the terrorist were homegrown. In this instance, Singaporeans may undergo psychological distress since it could be difficult for communities to remain calm as acts of terrorism committed by Singaporean may create suspicion and tension among the various ethnic and religious groups. Singapore may began to mistrust each other. Yet one of the positive social impacts that transnational terrorism brought about was to strengthen the resolve of government and communities to implement new measures and programmes to counter terrorism. For example, the Community Engagement Programme was launched in 2006 as a long-term effort to ensure that Singaporeans are better equipped to maintain social cohesion and harmony, should a crisis like transnational terrorism happen in Singapore. It aims to bring together Singaporeans from different communities to strengthen intercommunal bonds, and to put in place response plans to help deal with potential communal tensions after and incident. The September 11 attacks of the World Trade Centre in New York had an economic impact on Singapore. Due to the potential for future attacks, people were afraid of flying. Therefore the airline industries in Singapore were affected as they lose their income because less people were willing to fly. In addition, government spending has also increased as there is a greater need to

cater for increased security to counter acts of terrorism. For example in Singapore, our government has deployed more police and troops to guard areas such as airports, embassies as well as other sensitive installations. The Singapore government has also spent a lot of money and resources in holding exercises to ensure that the emergency services and the citizens are prepared and know what to do in the event of a terrorist attack. For example, in January 2006, Singapore held its largest civil emergency exercise, Exercise Northstar V which was led by the Singapore Civil Defence Force and involving more that 2000 personnel from 22 agencies. The threat of transnational terrorism also caused several political impacts. Intrusive legislation aimed at countering terrorism have been introduced in Singapore. The government felt that it has the responsibility to keep their citizens safe from terrorists by having tight security controls. For example, stepping up on border security, such as greater checks on travellers' identities and belongings, to ensure terrorists do not slip into the country. These new measures and laws are being criticized by Singaporeans as they infringe on individual freedom and personal privacy. However, there is still a need for the measures and laws to be implemented so as to safeguard security. Psychological distress caused by the threat of transnational terrorism is a significant impact in the short term but not in the long term. After the arrest of the JI, there was a sense of mistrust among the different community but the government has already taken step to strengthen the bong among the different community. Therefore the psychological distress has been reduced or even eliminated and so is no longer a significant impact of transnational terrorism in Singapore. In fact through various the actions of the government, the community has grown closer. Economic impact is no longer a significant impact as the airline industry in Singapore managed to recovery from the act of transnational terrorism of 911 and the Bali Bombing of 2002 through various promotion and advertisements. The most significant impact of transnational terrorism in Singapore is the intrusive legislation that has been implemented in Singapore to safeguard homeland security. These legislations are still in place in Singapore and have serious economic and social implication. For example, when Mas Selmat escaped in February 2008, there was detail check at the Woodland Check Point and the Second Link. This brought about massive traffic jams which has a significant economic impacts as goods and people could not come in and out of Singapore easily. In conclusion, psychological distress is not most significant impact caused by terrorism. The most significant impact is the intrusive legislations as in the long run, these intrusive legislations are still in place.