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| Southeast Asia |
| Singapore to tighten control on pre-paid phone cards |
| 2005-09-08 |
| Stricter controls for pre-paid phone cards will kick in from November as part of increasing moves to tighten the security landscape against possible terror attacks. Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng made this announcement on Tuesday as he declared September to be Homefront Security Month. Pre-paid phone cards have become a big concern of security agencies world-wide. In Singapore, the issue was first brought up in Parliament earlier this year by Mr Wong who is also the Home Affairs Minister. What worries the authorities, when it comes to terrorism, is the ease and anonymity these pre-paid cards offer. Mr Wong said: "In the region, we have seen elements of the Jemaah Islamiyah using pre-paid cards extensively to avoid detection and sometimes to rig improvised explosive devices. The Homefront Security Division in MHA has been working closely with the IDA and commercial service providers to work out a practical regulatory regime." The new controls are expected to kick in two months' time. But security is not just limited to specific concerns like this. Opening Singapore's first civil defence headquarters-cum-fire station-cum-neighbourhood police centre, Mr Wong said all of September would be dedicated to homefront security issues. The activities will involve not just the civil defence but others, like the police and other security partners. Mr Wong said: "As terrorism analysts have observed, ultimately terrorism is not defeated by Governments but by communities." And so, the plan is for a month-long series of activities in September from now on - such as emergency preparedness exercises and fire drills. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |