Authorities Need to Step Up their Counter-terrorism Game Online: Experts

Channel NewsAsia

27 May 2015

SINGAPORE: There were several people who knew about 19-year-old Arifil Azim Putra Norja’i’s illicit activities, but they did not report him.

It took one person to sound the alarm, and that was how Arifil was found out. It may be hard to tell on one’s loved one, but terror experts said this is a matter of national security.

Said Dr Mohamed Ali, vice-chairman of the Religious Rehabilitation Group: “At the end of the day, it is a security issue. If we believe that our children really believe in what they read in the internet and regardless of whether they are our family members, we should report this to the authorities or at least we should talk to them try to counsel them, get an understanding from them, what are they actually looking for from the internet.

… “The Government has done a lot on the ground,” said Dr Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism. “Singapore is a model for countering extremism and promoting moderation on the ground.”

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