Internal Security Department
Agency overview
Formed17 February 1966 (1966-02-17)
Preceding agency
  • Special Branch, as part of the Malayan Security Service (1948)
HeadquartersNew Phoenix Park, 30 Irrawaddy Road, Singapore
Minister responsible
Parent agencyMinistry of Home Affairs
Websitemha.gov.sg/isd

Internal Security Department
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese新加坡内部安全局
Traditional Chinese新加坡內部安全局
Malay name
MalayJabatan Keselamatan Dalam Negeri

1°19′24.58″N 103°50′38.72″E / 1.3234944°N 103.8440889°E / 1.3234944; 103.8440889 The Internal Security Department (ISD; Malay: Jabatan Keselamatan Dalam Negeri, Chinese: 新加坡内部安全局) is the domestic counter-intelligence and security agency of Singapore under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), tasked to confront and address security threats, including both domestic and international terrorism, and foreign subversion and espionage. The ISD has the utmost right to detain without trial individuals suspected to be a threat to national security.

The role of ISD ranges from monitoring and addressing potential threats from communism; racial tension, which might affect public order; domestic and international terrorism; foreign surveillance; fraud against the state to the apprehension of suspected militants or terrorists.

History

ISD was first established as part of the Special Branch in 1948 by the British colonial government. The unit was previously known as the Criminal Intelligence Department when it was established in 1918.[1]

In 1963, it became part of the Malaysian Special Branch when Singapore merged with Malaysia. After Singapore gained independence, the Internal Security Department was formally established on 17 February 1966.[1]

It was formerly part of the Ministry of Interior and Defence (MID) until it was split on 11 August 1970. In 2004, it was placed under the Joint Counter Terrorism Centre to improve intelligence sharing with other national intelligence agencies.[2]

Legislation

The powers of investigation and arrest of the ISD are regulated by several laws, including:[3]

Timeline

These events are related to ISD and internal security of Singapore.

  • 1950, Maria Hertogh riots.
  • 1963, arrest of left-wing politicians and trade unionists during Operation Coldstore.
  • 1964, 21 July – 8 September, race riots, took place on Muhammad's birthday.
  • 1965, 10 March, MacDonald House bombing by Indonesian saboteurs killed three people, during the konfrontasi period.
  • 1966, arrest of 22 members of Barisan Sosialis.
  • 1969, communal clashes spillover from the 13 May incident.
  • 1974, 31 January, Laju incident, the Japanese Red Army bombed petroleum tanks at Pulau Bukom and hijacked a ferry boat.
  • 1982, uncovered Singapore People's Liberation Organisation activities.
  • 1982, two Soviet spies, Anatoly Alexeyevich Larkin and Alexander Alexandrovich Bondarev, exposed for espionage activities.[4]
  • 1985, local network of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam uncovered.
  • 1987, arrest of 22 alleged pro-Marxist activists during Operation Spectrum.
  • 1991, four Pakistanis hijacked Singapore Airlines Flight 117.
  • 1997, 1998, six arrested for involvement in espionage and foreign subversive activities.
  • 2001, 9 December, members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) arrested for bomb plots on the American, Australian, British and Israeli embassies.
  • 2008, 27 February, Mas Selamat bin Kastari, alleged leader of JI's Singapore branch, escaped while under the ISD's custody.
  • 2009, 1 April, the Malaysian authorities captured Mas Selamat in Skudai, Johor.[5]
  • 2010, 8 February, the ISD summoned Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism over video clips posted on the church website that were deemed 'highly inappropriate and unacceptable' as they "trivialised and insulted the beliefs of Buddhists and Taoists".[6]
  • 2021, 27 January, the ISD reported it had arrested a 16-year old Protestant youth under the Internal Security Act in November 2020 for plotting to attack two Singaporean mosques on the anniversary of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings. The youth had written a manifesto praising the perpetrator Brenton Tarrant as a "saint" and describing the Christchurch mosque shootings as the "justifiable killing of Muslims." The teenage is the youngest person and the first far right extremist to be detained under the ISA.[7][8]
  • 2021, 29 January, Yeo Jun Wei, was detained by the ISD for investigations into engaging in "activities prejudicial to Singapore’s security".[9]
  • 2021, 10 March, the ISD reported that it had detained a 20-year old national serviceman named Amirull Ali in February 2021 under the Internal Security Act for plotting to attack three Jewish worshippers at the Maghain Aboth Synagogue out of sympathy for the Palestinians. Ali also reportedly planned to travel to Gaza to join Hamas' military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.[10][11][12]

Directors

The following is a list of former Director of the Internal Security Department. The identity of the director is not conspicuously made known to the public, until they relinquish the post.

NameIn officeNotesReferences
Yoong Siew Wah ?–1974[13][14]
Wang Hsu Chih1974–?(acting)[14]
Lim Chye Heng1975–1982[15][16]
Eddie Teo1982–1986[17]
Tjong Yik Min1986–1993[18][19]
Chiang Chie Foo1993–1997[20][21]
Benny Lim Siang Hoe1997–2003[21][22]
Pang Kin Keong ?–2010[23][24][25]
Loh Ngai Seng2010–2016[23][26]
Tai Wei Shyong2016–?[27]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 https://www.mha.gov.sg/isd/a-cause-greater-than-our-self
  2. ↑ Nathan, Dominic (21 July 2004). "New agency gives security top priority". The Straits Times. p. 1.
  3. ↑ "About ISD". Internal Security Department. Archived from the original on 21 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  4. ↑ ""Countering Threats", Ministry of Home Affairs". Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  5. ↑ "Mas Selamat was PLOTTING HITS ON S'PORE" (PDF). Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  6. ↑ ""Pastor called up by ISD", Straits Times". Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  7. ↑ Lim, Min Zhang (27 January 2021). "16-year old Singaporean detained under ISA for planning terror attacks on two mosques". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  8. ↑ Mahmud, Aqil Haziq (27 January 2021). "16-year-old Singaporean detained under ISA after planning to attack Muslims at 2 mosques". CNA. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  9. ↑ https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/dickson-yeo-released-spy-isd-china-us-singapore-2378381
  10. ↑ Baharuddin, Hariz (10 March 2021). "Singaporean youth detained under ISA for planning knife attack on Jews leaving synagogue". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  11. ↑ Jaipragas, Bhavan (10 March 2021). "Singapore detains man who plotted knife attack on Jews; considers tighter security at places of worship". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  12. ↑ "Suspect detained over planned attack on Singapore synagogue". Ynet. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  13. ↑ "Security chief upgraded to Director". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  14. 1 2 "Transfer for ISD chief Yoong". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  15. ↑ "Head of ISDto give up job in October". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  16. ↑ "Chye Heng named ISD acting director". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  17. ↑ https://www.tatlerasia.com/people/eddie-teo-chan-seng
  18. ↑ "SPH appoints new director". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  19. ↑ "Former scholar is ISD head". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  20. ↑ "ISD chief's new post". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  21. 1 2 "New director for Internal Security Dept". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  22. ↑ "Top civil servants move". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  23. 1 2 "Head of Civil Service and Permanent Secretary Appointments". www.psd.gov.sg. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  24. ↑ "APPOINTMENT OF HEAD OF CIVIL SERVICE AND PERMANENT SECRETARIES" (PDF).
  25. ↑ New appointments for other permanent secretaries, The Straits Times, 13 August 2010
  26. ↑ hermesauto (8 December 2015). "Internal Security chief takes on second role".
  27. ↑ https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/supreme-court-high-court-judges-judicial-commissioner-agc-570616

Further reading

  • Lee Kuan Yew. (1998). The Singapore Story. Federal Publications. ISBN 0-13-020803-5
  • Mathew Jones, "Creating Malaysia: Singapore Security, the Borneo Territories and the Contours of British Policy, 1961–1963" in Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, Vol. 28, No. 2, May 2000. pp. 85–109
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Internal Security Department.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.