HEAD P - MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

Head P - Ministry of Home Affairs

The Chairman: Head P - Ministry of Home Affairs. Ms Indranee Rajah, seven minutes.

Terrorism

Ms Indranee Rajah: Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head P of the Estimates be reduced by $100.

The cut I wish to make is on the topic of terrorism. Essentially, the thrust of it is to enquire of the Minister what is the state of our preparedness for terrorism in case anything should happen in Singapore.

At a recent Home Team seminar organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs, there was a talk by Dr Rohan Gunaratna and a number of things which he said were very elucidating but also gave great food for thought. One of the points that he made was that Singapore has, by and large, been able to control the problem internally and we have got a good grip on the elements that have tried to commit terrorist acts here, in particular, the JI.

The concern now though is that the terrorists have moved their operations to the surrounding region, precisely where, it may not be that easy to tell. But the point is that a lot of the planning, the procurement and the developmental stages of a terrorist attack can now be taking place outside of Singapore. And if Singapore is a target, as we believe it is, then it is only the execution phase of a terrorist attack that will take place in Singapore. And that means that our window for detecting something like that becomes very short. As all security forces know, you are only

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as strong as your weakest link. That means that internally for Singapore, no matter how strong we are, it is not dependent on our security forces alone. It is also dependent on the preparedness of the security forces of the neighbouring countries or countries in which terrorists may be planning activities.

I would therefore like to ask the Minister on what efforts we have made in regional cooperation for counter-terrorism, what direction it is taking, and what we are doing to work with the security forces of the other countries.

The next question I would like to ask is how prepared is the Home Team. Over the years, the Home Team has developed. In the past, it was more focused on domestic crimes and sources of criminal acts within Singapore, which essentially means that the Police Force had been focused on local or domestic crimes and where the criminal involved was somebody who was either a Singapore resident, illegal immigrant or a Singapore PR. And the nature of the crime was very localised. However, now with the terrorist threat, the criminal that we may be dealing with is quite different, quite possibly somebody who has international links and contacts, somebody who would be smart, and who has links to international networks. The question is: what has been done, as far as the Home Team is concerned, to equip them to be able to deal with this new type of criminal element that we have to deal with?

And the third question is to ask what is his view of the state of the community's preparedness or emergency response. In our division, we had on last Saturday, helped to launch the "Ready Bag" exercise and part of the message behind that was to encourage Singaporeans to get ready themselves and to have their own ready bag. But the general sense, and this was highlighted in the Straits Times' report the following day, is that,

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by and large, most Singaporeans are very comfortable because they have faith in our Home Team and in our security forces, which is a good thing. But, on the other hand, it might encourage them to feel too complacent. So the question is: what more can we do to raise awareness among the community and to get people to be prepared for emergencies without at the same time being paranoid or over-concerned? How do we strike this balance and what steps can be done towards getting the community to be psychologically prepared to deal with something in the event, for example, that we have an act of terrorism in Singapore?

Mr Ahmad Khalis Bin Abdul Ghani: Sir, in an article dated 31st December 2004, Dr Rohan Gunaratna, the person mentioned by Ms Indranee earlier, reported that in the last three years, nearly 100 medium to large-scale terrorist attacks against US, European and Australian targets were prevented. This is not to say that there were no planned attacks against targets of other countries.

So while their operational capabilities might have suffered, the terrorist ideology, an intention to strike, has not diminished. Dr Rohan also reported that groups like Al-Qaeda had transformed itself from a group into a global movement and I agree with his observation, the point again mentioned by Ms Indranee earlier. So we have tactics devised in Iraq, copied in London, members trained in rebel controlled areas like the Philippines and Afghanistan. Financing may come from Europe and Canada, raw materials and recruits from South East Asia or the Middle East, but the theatre of operation could be anywhere in the world, including Singapore.

To combat terrorism, international cooperation among governments must be enhanced. We can do only so much to harden Singapore as a target. Yet, this is

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insufficient if terrorist groups are free to recruit, plan, train and receive funds from elsewhere. I wish to ask the Minister what is the state of international cooperation to combat terrorism. Is it true that some countries are not being able to prevent seeds of terrorism from festering and are unable to check on terrorist groups conducting training? What are the factors that are holding them back and is there anything we can do to help them in this regard?

We also see that disparate groups have begun the Al-Qaeda ideology although they are not linked organisationally. So there is an urgent need to develop a response to the ideological front. Otherwise, the effort to combat terrorism is not complete. I wish to ask the Minister what efforts are being made in this regard. Is it useful to garner the expertise of educationists, religious scholars and community leaders to do this? Terrorism threat calls for close coordination between our armed forces, the police, civil defence, public health sector, community and religious organisations and schools. So, in Singapore, we have the post of Coordinating Minister for Defence and Security currently held by a Deputy Prime Minister, which in part reflects this concern. The Deputy Prime Minister has visited several countries. May I ask the Minister for his observations as to whether there is a need to review our current security structure. May I ask the Minister also for an update on the local security situation as regards terrorism.

Homeland Security

1.15 pm

Mr R Ravindran: Sir, when all is quiet on the terrorist front, as far as Singapore is concerned, I get worried, because so far the track record of the terrorists has been that when it is too quiet, something is going to come up. So I usually get

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worried when all is quiet. What I would like to ask the Minister is that, in view of the fact that several elements of the JI are still on the loose in Indonesia, and recently there was an arrest of three suspects with terrorist involvement in the Philippines, and thirdly, the fact that suicide bombers had executed a bomb in Southern Thailand, I think it is a cause for worry. I think it is opportune for us to now ask the Minister for his assessment of the security threat and the challenges posed by JI and other Al-Qaeda associated terrorist groups in Singapore and the region.

I would like to ask the Minister whether MHA has received cooperation from the regional governments, in particular, from the Intelligence and Police Forces in our neighbouring countries. I would also ask the Minister to provide an update whether, in the recent past, there has been any arrest in Singapore or in the region over terrorist activities and links. Could the Minister also provide an update as to whether the Ministry has detected some degree of complacency among the people in Singapore, and what are the measures the Ministry has taken to make Singapore a hard target and, secondly, to keep the people alert and prepared for any contingency arising from any terrorist attacks?

The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Wong Kan Seng): Sir, I thank the Members for asking these questions and also to sketch out their concerns on the threat of terrorism in our region as well as in our country. Before I go into detail to answer the questions, I would just want to say that we have made a lot of progress, internationally, to dismantle the terrorist network. But we know that terrorism remains a global problem which will not go away for a very long time, and terrorist groups will continue to retain their ability to mount surprise attacks. Who knows

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this may be the calm before the storm. Nobody can tell. I hope nothing happens in Singapore but we must be prepared in the event that anything should happen in Singapore. We also know that last year quite a number of terrorist strikes happened in the railway stations in Spain, in banks in Turkey, in security installations in Saudi Arabia, and the radical ideology embodied by the Al-Qaeda clearly remains attractive and inspiring to many terrorist networks and groups world-wide.

Regionally, the Jemaah Islamiyah network has been severely disrupted but they retain the capacity to regenerate and conduct further terrorist attacks. The JI has many fertile recruiting grounds in the region and access to training camps, such as those in Mindanao, to train the next generation of terrorists. There is also evidence to suggest that the JI is leveraging on the hitherto independent terrorist groups which share the JI's vision and ideology. Apart from its links to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Philippines, there are indications that the JI has linked up with other groups to conduct terrorist activities. Several of those involved in the bomb attack at the Australian embassy in Jakarta in September last year, were not from the JI, but members of a like-minded organisation called the Banten group. So this further compounds the difficulties faced by governments and security agencies, as we are now dealing with a loose network of terrorist organisations, which operate independently, but share a common ideology. Disrupting one terrorist organisation is not likely to impact on the operational capability of the others.

But at home we have crippled the JI network. Currently, we have 36 persons under detention. Mr Ravindran asked whether there were recent arrests or not. We have 36 persons under detention and we have 17 persons placed on Restriction Orders for terrorism-related activities.

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The terrorist threat to Singapore has not been completely eradicated despite our successful containment of the enemy within. Given Singapore's dependence on an open economy and open borders, terrorist elements from abroad and the JI fugitives who remain at large in the region, such as Azahari Husin and Noor Din Mohd Top, continue to pose a threat to our security.

Ms Indranee, Mr Ahmad Khalis and Mr Ravindran asked how do we cooperate and how well do we cooperate with our regional partners. Indeed, we have many areas of cooperation as we share a common objective. But we must understand that every country has a different social context. So the pace at which they are prepared to deal with the terrorist threat would depend on the political context of the country and I can assure Members that in Singapore we are very firm and determined to deal with this problem. In other countries, they would have other considerations and, therefore, we cannot take our example and impose it on them that they must apply the same standard. We understand their problems, but we will continue to work with them and share information which would be relevant to all of us.

We have indeed been sharing intelligence with foreign security agencies and this has led to the arrest of several JI members in the region. But capacity building is another important area, and we have shared our experiences on counter-terrorism and we have hosted training courses for regional countries. So we do as much as we could. But as Members know, we are small in size, we are limited in resources and we would do as much as we could.

We are also involved in various diplomatic initiatives on counter-terrorism and participated actively in many international and regional fora on security. For example, late last year, the ASEAN

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leaders met and endorsed the ASEAN Security Community Plan of Action to deal with terrorism. We are now also working towards the accession of the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages and the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. In these efforts, we would collaborate very closely with the Foreign Affairs Ministry. So we will take steps to make sure that we find as many opportunities as possible to work with others.

Ms Indranee and my other parliamentary colleagues asked how well prepared is the Home Team. We know that security measures are many. We have to take stock of what we actually need and the kind of threat that we face and then we will apply and enforce them as we see the need. As we impose such measures, we will also impose inconveniences to the members of the public. So we must be prepared to accept such inconveniences as this is part of the reality that we face today, whether it is at our land checkpoints, airports in Singapore, or when we are in overseas airports which have tightened their security measures.

Let me take this opportunity to update our Members here on the kind of security measures we have taken or will be undertaking this year. Ensuring the security and integrity of the Singapore passport, for example, is an integral part of our overall security effort. Our Immigration and Checkpoints Authority plans to introduce the Singapore biometric passport by October this year. This new passport will contain the person's unique facial and fingerprints information. It will make use of an inventory control number as the passport number, instead of the current approach of using the NRIC number. Members would have noticed that when they fill up the passport number on a form, they write their IC number. But we all have one unique IC number. So even

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when the person loses his passport or when he replaces his passport when it expires, he will retain the same passport number. But that does pose some problems on the tracking of passports, particularly when the passport is lost and has been misused. If we just look at the NRIC number in the passport and consider that as the passport number, then we may have many copies of the passport with the same number. So one idea is to have a control number, which is the issue number of the particular passport, and that will be considered as the passport number, so that whenever a passport is lost, we know that this particular passport is lost and can be invalidated.

This kind of information will help us in ensuring that lost or stolen passports will not be misused, in particular, when we now find that terrorists and other criminal syndicates misuse passports.

The validity of the new passports will be shortened from the present 10 years to five years because this is a biometric passport and as technology changes, we have to stay current. The 10-year passport would be too long a lifetime for a passport for it to take advantage of the technology changes. The biometric passport will speed up immigration clearance significantly, as well as to deter people from misusing the Singapore passport, thus upholding the reputation of the Singapore passport and facilitating our citizens' travel overseas.

With the threat to Singapore coming mainly from beyond our borders, as Ms Indranee pointed out, the first defence, of course, is our border. So border security is vital. Since last year, a new-generation travel document screening system called the Sentinel is being deployed around checkpoints. The Sentinel is capable of high speed, accurate travel document detection and counter-forging capabilities.

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Traveller's information can now be checked more comprehensively and accurately at the checkpoints without any increase in the processing time. This will contribute to our on-going efforts to enhance our border security.

The land checkpoints will also move towards the full-scale implementation of the use of iris recognition for clearance of motorcyclists. Every day we have thousands of motorcyclists coming in from the Causeway into Singapore to work or to visit friends and we need a faster clearance system than the present passport system or smart card system. This technology has been proven to be accurate and fast and we could possibly use it for other motorists in future.

To enhance our cargo screening at the land checkpoints, the ICA will also be deploying a new generation of radiographic scanning systems, which are essentially drive-through portals for cargo vehicles. This will increase the rate of vehicles being screened and scanned, and enhance our security without causing delays.

Next, on aviation security. To tighten aviation security, the Police is exploring the installation of a Regulated Cargo Agent system (RCA) to replace the present Known Shipper Policy system. Under the Regulated Cargo Agent system, only cargo agents who meet the security requirement set by the Police and are audited by the Police will be certified as regulated cargo agents. Cargoes from the RCAs will be subject to a lower level of screening than those from other sources. This will facilitate the screening at our airports.

On maritime and port security, we have also enhanced the security of our maritime and port. We have complied with all the security measures adopted by the International Maritime Organisation since 1st July 2004. We will also be taking part

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in a pilot of the Radiation Detection (Megaport) Initiative (RDI) with the United States. A radiation detection portal will be deployed at a container terminal to detect the trafficking of radioactive material that could be used to construct "dirty bombs".

The vulnerability of soft targets is also being constantly reviewed. Since November last year, we have heavily armed police officers from the Special Operations Command to patrol the public areas to inject a strong presence of deterrence to the terrorists and criminals and to reassure our public. They are supplemented by roving patrols of the Auxiliary Police Officers and frequent visits by the regular Police officers.

To further strengthen our security at our MRT stations and trains, we will start a new unit dedicated to patrolling our MRT trains and stations in the second half of 2005. More details on this will be given by the Police at a later occasion.

Officers in this unit will complement the efforts of the train operators who have implemented security measures such as the enhanced use of CCTVs and the unarmed security guards at the MRT stations. Let me also emphasise here that the train operators are still primarily responsible of their own premises and their trains.

1.30 pm

The police closed circuit TV system will also be expanded to cover other parts of Singapore, including areas of security interest. We are now working with the public transport operators to enhance their CCTV systems and to integrate them with the police system. The Police is also exploring the enhancement of the CCTV system with intelligent software to automatically detect pre-defined suspicious behaviour.

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At the policy and regulatory level, we are developing a Building Protection Framework to advocate the adoption of target hardening measures in all buildings in Singapore. In tandem with this, we will also create a register of key personnel of buildings. This register will allow us to quickly locate the critical pre-identified staff of the specific building to advise and assist our response forces during an incident.

One new area of concern is the pre-paid phone cards. In some terrorist incidents abroad, we know that terrorists had taken advantage of the anonymity provided by the pre-paid phone cards to perpetuate their terror acts. ISD has found that both the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Jemaah Islamiyah have made extensive use of pre-paid cards. Some countries, for example, Switzerland, have already put in place regulatory controls to address this threat. We are now studying the issue with a view towards imposing some form of regulatory controls on pre-paid phone cards.

Mr Ahmad Khalis also asked whether efforts are being made on the ideological front to deal with terrorism. The Government's approach has been to encourage our Muslim community to police itself against ideological attacks by terrorist groups such as the JI. That is, the community should implement its own measures to prevent radical and extremist individuals and groups from subverting and misguiding our own Muslims, and to ensure that our Muslims are ideologically inoculated against their dangerous beliefs. Such efforts are then less likely to disrupt the legitimate and peaceful practices of local Muslims. Moreover, when Muslims speak to other Muslims about religious ideology, there is credibility and authority. In short, the community is in the best position to ensure that its own members are ideologically inoculated against wrong and dangerous religious beliefs and teachings.

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As for the JI and the MILF members who have been detained or put on Restriction Orders under the Internal Security Act, they are already undergoing religious counselling by religious teachers from the community, as part of the ISD's overall rehabilitation programme.

Ms Indranee also asked whether we are prepared to deal with unexpected disasters. Let me assure this House that we do have systems in place to deal with whatever eventuality that requires a national coordinated response. I think I have mentioned it before. We have a Homefront Crisis Management System which we have improved since the lessons that we have learnt from managing the Nicoll Highway incident and the Boxing Day tsunami. This coordinating structure, which cuts across various Government Ministries, is both flexible and scaleable to meet the full spectrum of threats that we are likely to face. At the operational level, all Government agencies work together to prepare contingency plans to address various threat scenarios, and there are emergency preparedness exercises to ensure smooth inter-agency coordination and operational readiness.

It is not just the Home Team that needs to be prepared. All our Government departments, where relevant to the particular incident, also need to be prepared to deal with any eventual crisis. One example that we ourselves experienced in 2003 was the SARS crisis. Arising from that experience, we decided that we need a more systematic way of coordinating ourselves and to define clear responsibilities for the respective agencies. So we set up the Homefront Crisis Management System together with the Homefront Crisis Emergency Group and also a Ministerial Committee chaired by me.

As for the Home Team, the Police and the Civil Defence have enhanced the

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ability to handle a wide spectrum of emergencies. For example, the SCDF vehicles and the Civil Defence officers are now fully equipped with decontamination capability to handle emergencies caused by chemical, biological agents and other hazardous materials. All our police cars are equipped with bomb suppression blankets to cover suspected bombs pending the arrival of bomb disposal personnel. The Police has also developed a post-blast investigation capability to handle investigations into bombing incidents.

Mr Ahmad Khalis has also asked whether there is a need to review our current security structure since we are facing so many of such problems, and he asked about the work being done by the National Security Coordination Secretariat. We had a long discussion on this last year when DPM Tan talked about the new framework for national security in July in this House. The framework is in place. The agencies are working together and the National Security Secretariat is now fully functioning. They have their complement of staff and they are working very closely with all the Ministries concerned to study the various scenarios and possibilities and events that are likely to hit us. Let me again assure him that this inter-agency approach in dealing with such threats is not just confined to terrorism but also other kinds of national security problems that we may face.

Ms Indranee has asked whether our Police has adapted and equipped itself well in dealing with this new kind of threat other than crime prevention. Indeed, let me assure Ms Indranee and our colleagues here that the Police has, over the years, since September 11 in particular, taken many measures to deal with the new scenarios that we are now facing, ie, the threat of terrorism. And terrorism is not just local but also international terrorism, that others may come and perpetuate on us. The Police has worked

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with other police agencies overseas as well. To ensure that all police officers are fully in tune with this new mindset that is needed of them, ie, to deal with counter terrorism, we are putting all police officers through the counter terrorism course. Counter terrorism will be a common subject in the training curriculum of all our Home Team officers. This will ensure that they have a common baseline of understanding to deal with a terrorist threat.

Within the police, the officers have also adapted to the challenges of fighting both terrorism and crime. So they are now paying full attention to both. They also understand that policing goes beyond crime fighting and maintaining law and order. The Police has set up a new Security and Counter Terrorism Division under the Operations Department of the Police Headquarters, to underscore the importance of counter terrorism work and to coordinate the various counter terrorism efforts within the Force.

Members also asked how well prepared are our people concerning the community. We know - and I have said this many times - that the Government, the people and the businesses must share the responsibility for security and being prepared. And I am glad to say that Singaporeans, over the last few years, have taken on this challenge and we have seen an increased interest among Singaporeans to report on suspicious activities of people hanging around their neighbourhood.

Last year, for example, the Police received 513 calls about suspicious activities compared to 212 calls in 2003. This is an increase of about 300 calls. This is a positive indicator of the growing vigilance by our people. But Singaporeans must go beyond just looking at some article and think that it is suspicious and that is the end of their role. I think they must go beyond that. What do they need

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to do? We hope that they will also prepare themselves to react and to respond to an emergency and have the self-confidence and the strength to recover from a crisis should there be a terrorist incident in Singapore.

We only have to look at the many examples of self help, from the tsunami disaster, to appreciate how important individual ownership and self-reliance are for personal and national survival. To this end, the Home Team has been actively engaging the public to facilitate their preparedness. And the Civil Defence will continue to train the public on basic emergency preparedness skills.

The Police and the ISD will also continue to engage the public and the business sector. As Members know, in January, for example, DPM Tan and I met more than a thousand business leaders and we shared with them our concerns and we hope that they will also do their part.

For the building owners, we know that many building owners and managements have already formed their security watch groups and made plans to "hardening" business premises. The Police has also reached out to more than 15,000 people from the various sectors, such as nightspot operators, hoteliers and building managers to apprise them of the need to enhance security.

As part of the efforts to drive home the message of preparedness, the Civil Defence recently launched this idea of ready bags for households. I think Ms Indranee herself took an active part in this in her constituency, and I can see the keen response among her constituents. But, of course, the Straits Times' article of 27th February also wondered whether Singaporeans are equipped for a disaster because they thought that even though 80% of those agreed that it was a good

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idea, they do not see the need to pack a ready bag. This encapsulates their sentiment in one sentence - it all boils down to complacency. The result of this survey is not surprising because in an earlier Ministry of Home Affairs' survey, we found that 92% of the people surveyed agreed that the public had a role in keeping Singapore safe from terrorism, and 86% of them had confidence in the Government for its efforts on counter terrorism. In plain language, what this finding means is that the public is saying, "The Government will look after the problem for us." I think that is not good enough and, of course, we need to do a lot more work in convincing the public that they themselves have a role to play.

Finally, Sir, the various parties - the Government, the people, the businesses - have to work together to make Singapore an inhospitable place for terrorist groups and their sympathisers. Even if a terrorist incident were to happen here, despite our best efforts, we must be able to respond as a nation and we must be resilient, we must be socially cohesive, to recover from such an attack. Vigilance and preparedness are the key to making Singapore more resilient and there is no other way about it.

1.45 pm

Dr Wang Kai Yuen (Bukit Timah): Can I seek a clarification?

The Chairman: Okay.

Dr Wang Kai Yuen: Thank you, Sir. I would like to seek a clarification from the Minister regarding the new passport that he mentioned. I would like to find out when will the new passport be issued and once the new passport scheme is implemented, how long will the existing passport be valid, and what is the replacement schedule for the existing passports

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if it is not longer than 10 years. Finally, since the validity period for the new biometric passports is five years, would he adjust the fee for the new passport issued? Would it be half the current cost, or would it be the same?

Mr Wong Kan Seng: I am very happy to answer his question. But, first, on a point of order, this is really not part and parcel of the debate that we are having. Because we have got to consider how much slack time we have in dealing with the MHA cuts. We may have a lot of time but I think that is for the Speaker to decide.

I do not know whether Dr Wang Kai Yuen was here when I said that the new biometric passport will be issued in October and it is for five years. The fees are yet to be determined. We will notify the public once that is settled. I hope it will not be more than the present one. Whether the existing passports will continue to be valid, yes, the existing passports will continue to be valid. For those who hold a valid passport, please do not rush to change to a new passport when it is being issued. Otherwise, they will jam up the system.

Organised Crimes

Mr Ahmad Khalis Bin Abdul Ghani: Sir, I congratulate the Home Team for keeping crime rates downwards for most categories. How can we improve it? Drug abuse remains a problem, as we see a rise in abuse of synthetic drugs. The raw materials are harvested in one country, processed in another and then smuggled into Singapore, among other countries. Illegal immigrants underwent detailed preparations elsewhere before being conveyed into our country. Our intellectual protection laws are constantly challenged by pirates operating in other countries or supplying pirated materials from there. We can, to an extent, reduce such crimes by suppressing the demand side but the challenge is tackling the

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supply side. There is a common threat in crimes such as those I mentioned. They are transnational and organised.

According to a PERC report dated 27th October 2004, it is arguable that organised crime is perhaps a bigger emerging threat to regional security than even terrorism. The report adds that the problem is worse in countries where there are a lot of restrictions in the flow of goods, money, people, etc. Organised crimes exist in order to help people overcome these restrictions. There are countries in the region which have this problem. They are large growing economies and organised crime is inadvertently exported along with their legitimate goods. What is the Ministry's response to this growing challenge? Are we stepping up cooperation with countries in the region? Do these countries share the same concerns?

At home, Sir, crimes such as illegal lending, illegal prostitution and betting are also usually conducted by well-organised groups. What is the trend of organised crimes in Singapore? How do we ensure that this trend does not go upwards?

The Chairman: Ms Indranee Rajah, you have two cuts. Total, 3 minutes.

Ms Indranee Rajah: Sir, can I take both cuts together?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Vice

Ms Indranee Rajah: The first is on vice. One of the problems that has been recurring, or at least which my residents come to see me, is to express concern about foreigners coming to Singapore on social visit passes and engaging in vice activities, including solicitation and prostitution. Frequently mentioned are visitors from China, although by no means that is the only country from which they may

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come. Singaporeans are concerned about this because it would appear that vice activities are no longer necessarily limited to the traditional red light districts, such as Geylang, for example. But the activities do appear to be spreading into other areas, like commercial districts and, in some cases, heartland areas.

I have received reports from some of my grassroots and residents that there are instances of these women in coffee shops, for example. Some of the uncles do not seem to mind very much, but the aunties are really very upset about it. The main concern here really is we are an open society, and obviously we do not want to discourage people from coming here because we need to develop our tourism industry. But at the same time, of course, there will be people who abuse the privilege that is given to them by virtue of a social visit pass. So the question is: as and when they do these things, what can be done, in terms of enforcement, to reduce the problem? I accept that you cannot probably eradicate the problem entirely.

Drug Situation

The next question I have is on the drug situation and, in particular, synthetic drugs. Synthetic drugs are a growing problem. I understand that a number of instances of abuse for the traditional substance abuse, like heroin and opium, had been dropping, whereas, on the other hand, for synthetic drugs, they have been increasing. I would like to ask the Minister what strategies we have in place to deal with this growing problem. I would also like to highlight the concern that it is not just people of low educational levels indulging in this. There is anecdotal evidence that there are career professionals who indulge in it and in particular they go to neighbouring countries to have substance abuse there and then come back to Singapore. So I would be grateful if the Minister could

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outline what strategies we have to deal with this problem.

Community Safety and Security Programme

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, the Community Safety and Security Programme, or CSSP, has been in place for several years now. Many CSS teams exist at the grassroots level and we see them in action sometimes when they go patrolling on their bicycles around the neighbourhood. Much has been said about how we cannot take our safety and security for granted, especially in the light of potential threats of terrorism. I sense that, since the episode of the arrest of JI operatives a couple of years ago, Singaporeans seem to begin to take the issue of safety and security rather lightly. There is a sense that the Government, specifically the Home Team, is very much in control and that we should not be too unduly concerned.

Sir, while credit goes to the Home Team for their efficiency and effectiveness that led to Singaporeans feeling safe and secure, we must drive the point that safety and security is the responsibility of every Singaporean. In this regard, I would like to ask the Minister to what extent are Singaporeans involved in the CSSP in their respective communities. I believe strongly that we must make Singaporeans take ownership of the environment which includes their safety and security issues. I have come across residents who often give feedback on security issues in the neighbourhood and, when invited to join the CSSP, they give the reason of lack of time for not participating. They still expect the Police to make their rounds and some expect these rounds to be made very regularly.

Sir, we know that this is not possible as the Home Team has its own limitations. I think the CSSP is an

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excellent platform for greater partnership between the Home Team and the grassroots and community. It will go a long way in reducing the incidences of petty crimes in the community, if more people are involved in CSSP. I would like to ask the Minister what are the other plans that he has in expanding the role of CSSP to ensure that more Singaporeans take ownership of the safety and security in their immediate neighbourhood. Are there specific plans or specific target groups that the Ministry has to encourage more participation?

Bird Flu

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong (Non-Constituency Member): Sir, in my opinion, the possibility of a terrorist attack here is a lot more remote than when compared to the likely threat of a bird flu human-to-human transmission occurring in our neighbouring countries and in particular, in Singapore.

I read of how the virus is constantly mutating and infecting people in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. Our real fear begins when it starts jumping from patient to patient as quickly as the SARS virus did. My question is: how is the Home Team putting its efforts and resources together to get Singapore totally prepared in this Total Defence plan against this invisible enemy - the H5N1 flu virus - that will also potentially cripple our economy much more badly than when SARS hit?

If the bird flu virus eventually mutates and evolves into this deadly human transmission form in our region, how is the Ministry working to prevent its entry into Singapore? Are we totally prepared for any such outbreak of this life-threatening flu pandemic in the unlikely event if it ever happens? What is the Government's Total Defence plan that will involve all Ministries on this matter?

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Search of Internet Service Provider

Dr Wang Kai Yuen: Sir, the system of laws, regulations and practices regarding police search of company held records in the investigation of frauds, both by insiders or by customers, has developed over the years based on paper-held records. Such records could be searched manually by law personnel officers armed with a search warrant. If the records were seized for further search, the files could be carted off but the business will continue. Basically, Sir, the State pays for the time of the law enforcement officers performing a search.

However, as information technology becomes pervasive, records become increasingly stored in digital storage media. Still, the enforcement framework works because these are big businesses. For fraud committed by users of these service providers, the cost of the search could be borne by the service providers as part of doing business. Nonetheless, over time, the burden is being shifted to the business.

However, in the Internet age, many small infocomm service providers have sprouted up and these include voice over IP, prepaid phone card companies and website companies. In such businesses, the profit margins are low and the number of customers could be potentially very high. Many such businesses are one-man shows running on shoe-string budgets. In police investigations into potential crimes committed via the service provided by such providers, the use of the existing powers of the police seems to place an increasing burden on the service providers. In fact, we just heard from the Minister that he is thinking of changing the law to ensure that pre-paid phone card company would keep records in case of terrorism. This burden would be in the form of time committed by the providers during the search.

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Most of the time, the police officers, being unfamiliar with the system, would have to be dependent on the operators to spend time and effort to do the search. This would be a departure from the old framework where the police officers themselves could perform the search. Consequently, this seems to shift the burden of the search from the State to the individual. It is also unreasonable to threaten the businesses that if they do not cooperate in the search, their assets would be seized for the police to conduct the search themselves, as they are empowered to do so. It would be unnecessarily punitive to seize and cart off the asset and storage media of these businesses. After all, they are just the service providers. They did not commit any crimes or offences.

My question is whether the brute force approach using existing legal framework needs to be reviewed in this age of electronic transactions, especially for small businesses. We could insist that this is part of doing business in Singapore but it will be a burden. So perhaps the Ministry can look into this and come out with a different approach, maybe train the officers or engage a third party expert to do the search.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: First of all, Sir, I thank the Members for raising these questions and giving me an opportunity to explain what we do in the Home Team and also I want to thank Mr Ahmad Khalis for commending the Home Team for tackling crimes at home. Indeed, the domestic crime situation in Singapore has remained stable and under control with the total number of seizable offences rising slightly by 3% to 34,480 offences compared to 2003. This increase was at a slower rate compared to the 5% increase from 2002 to 2003. Minor crimes, such as theft and related offences, accounted for much of the increase and can often be prevented if crime prevention measures are undertaken by the victims. The

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number of arrests made has also increased by 6.4% with nearly 25,000 people arrested last year. However, most of the major offences, such as house-breaking, robbery, rape, cheating and related offences, registered increases. So Members can see improvement in some areas and, of course, slight deterioration in other areas.

Mr Ahmad Khalis also pointed out that crimes, such as drug abuse, illegal immigrants which is human smuggling in some instances, and intellectual property right violations have also an international dimension. Let me assure this House that we have put in place several measures in both enforcement as well as the legislative framework to tackle the menace of international organised crimes.

2.00 pm

In terms of enforcement cooperation, the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) have regular information and intelligence exchanges with their foreign counterparts. These networks are essential in helping the Home Team tackle all the ill-effects of transnational crime. Aside from this, cooperation between the various Home Team agencies and their foreign counterparts also extends to the development of joint training programmes and the strengthening of institutional frameworks, for example, regular meetings among them, sharing of data and information on intelligence.

One such example specifically is the Interpol I-24/7 Communications System (I-24/7), which was adopted by the police force in 2003. Singapore is the first country in ASEAN to implement this. The core function of I-24/7 is to facilitate speedy communication between member countries on a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week

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basis. Member countries are also able to access the various databases and information contained within the I-24/7 database.

Cooperation and information sharing between the Royal Malaysian Police and the Singapore Police Force led to the crippling of a human smuggling syndicate and the arrest of the syndicate leader, together with his two henchmen, by the Royal Malaysian Police in October last year. They were extradited to Singapore and were eventually convicted.

The police force has also successfully cracked cases through multilateral cooperation, such as an FBI-led operation involving 13 other countries. A world-wide simultaneous raid was conducted against members of an international Internet piracy organisation called "Fairlight�?. Four persons were arrested in Singapore , and software worth S$10,000 was seized. Singapore was the first country to successfully convict the syndicate members in this operation.

In terms of legislative framework to facilitate international cooperation with foreign authorities, we had enacted the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act in April 2000. This Act enables Singapore to provide legal assistance in criminal matters to other foreign authorities, and vice versa.

To this end, Singapore has signed a multilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with seven other ASEAN member countries, as well as a bilateral MLAT with Hong Kong . These treaties allow the signatories to provide each other with assistance in criminal matters, such as the taking of evidence and the service of documents. Singapore is also a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime. MHA recognises that regional and international cooperation is critical in the fight against transnational organised

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crime. Therefore, in addition to tackling the domestic crime situation, the Home Team also places great emphasis on building networks and good relations with our foreign counterparts.

Let me now turn to the issue of vice, which was raised by Ms Indranee Rajah and Mr Ahmad Khalis. The police has been closely monitoring the vice situation, and has stepped up enforcement action. In 2004, a total of about 5,200 female foreigners were arrested for involvement in vice activities, compared to 2,300 in the year 2003, and 3,400 in the year 2002. This dip in 2003, if we remember, is because we had a few months of the SARS crisis in the region. Any foreigner found to be involved in vice activities will be repatriated and banned from re-entering Singapore .

To some extent, the increase in vice arrests is not unexpected. In recent years, we have been attracting more visitors. In particular, the number of female visitors from the top nationalities arrested for vice has increased by 37% between 2002 and 2004. The increase in vice arrests is due in part to the liberalised visa policies introduced to support our tourism efforts.

We do recognise that we need to deal with the problem at source. So, the ICA continues to fine-tune its policies and procedures to deter the entry of visitors who come for vice activities without affecting the entry of bona-fide visitors.

Apart from having the appropriate visa requirements and sustained enforcement actions, we will extend the use of CCTVs to parts of Geylang from next month. This will help to enhance the sense of public safety and security for residents and businesses, and to deter public soliciting in that area. In addition, police is also engaging the community in projects under the Community Safety and Security Programme (CSSP). One such project - the Joo Chiat Road Community Watch

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Group - was recently launched by Mr Chan Soo Sen. The Joo Chiat Road Community Watch Group is an initiative of the Joo Chiat Citizens' Consultative Committee with support of the Singapore Police Force, National Environment Agency, Land Transport Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority. The Watch Group aims to provide a focused and coordinated approach to address community related issues, which include the congregation of foreign women in public areas, noise pollution from pubs and illegal parking. Feedback from the residents has been very encouraging, and anecdotal evidence suggests that the situation in Joo Chiat Road is now much improved.

Similarly, in Orchard Road - a subject which I think Ms Indranee was concerned about because she is the MP there - police has also been working with the relevant stakeholders, such as shop tenants and residents, as well as commercial partners like hotels, shopping centres and office buildings, to address a host of issues, including traffic congestion, noise pollution and vice activities. The police is looking into developing this initiative into a Community Safety and Security Programme to complement and enhance its efforts in managing the vice situation in the Orchard Road area.

The police and the Ministry will continue to monitor the level of vice activities in Singapore to ensure that it does not get out of hand.

On the drug situation, which Ms Indranee Rajah asked, I am pleased to inform her and the House that the drug situation remains well under control, with a sustained and significant decline in the number of drug abusers arrested in 2004. The number of drug abusers arrested last year decreased very sharply by 47% from 1,809 in 2003 to 955 last year. The number of new abusers fell by 17% from

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730 in 2003 to 604 last year, an average of 50 new drug abusers were arrested last year every month.

Synthetic drug abusers continued to form the majority of the drug abusers arrested, at 56%, while heroin abusers formed only 12%. This is a sharp drop compared to recent years, in particular in the mid-1990s to 1997, 1998, 1999, when heroin abusers formed the majority of the drug abusers. This is the second year since synthetic drug abusers have displaced heroin as the main drug of abuse in Singapore . But before we become unduly alarmed by this, let me assure this House that, in absolute terms, the number of synthetic drug abusers also fell by 46% from 980 in 2003 to 532 last year. The number of heroin drug abusers fell by an even larger percentage of 80% from 567 in 2003 to only 111 last year. So, you can see that, over the years, we have been keeping the drug situation under control, and the number of drug abusers, whether it is heroin or synthetic drug abusers, has declined quite considerably.

What is the cause of this? I think one of the reasons could be the comprehensive and multi-pronged approach consisting of pro-active preventive drug education, rehabilitation, strict laws and rigorous enforcement to deal with the drug problem and to combat the perception that synthetic drugs are harmless and cool.

In the area of preventive drug education, the Central Narcotics Bureau has already stepped up efforts to highlight the dangers of synthetic drug abuse through talks and distribution of audio-visual materials in schools. In addition, the National Council Against Drug Abuse has conducted the "Clubs Against Drugs" campaign since 2000 to enlist club operators to disseminate anti-drug

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messages to their patrons. The National Council Against Drug Abuse also conducted a media campaign against ketamine abuse last year.

Another important prong of our strategy is the rehabilitation of synthetic drug abusers. Currently, these abusers are sent to prisons, because they are charged in court and they do not benefit from the focused treatment regime that opiate heroin drug abusers undergo at the Drug Rehabilitation Centres (DRCs). The imprisonment option was adopted because little was known about the nature of synthetic drug addiction in the 1990s. The Singapore Prison Service will soon be launching a DRC treatment regime for the first and second time synthetic drug abusers. This is a change. While a rehabilitative approach is taken for first and second time synthetic drug abusers, there is also a need to deter and punish recalcitrant abusers from persisting in their drug habit.

Currently, for third and subsequent time heroin abusers who do not change after two admissions into the DRC, they will be charged in court if they are arrested for the third time or more and, if they are convicted, they will be sentenced to the Long Term Imprisonment regime. Under this Long Term Imprisonment regime, the abusers will be sent to prison for five to 13 years and given three to 12 strokes of the cane. This has proven to be very effective in changing the habits of heroin abusers.

Therefore, when the DRC regime is introduced for synthetic drug abusers, we will consider placing them on the Long Term Imprisonment regime, if they fail to change after two DRC admissions and are caught the third time for synthetic drug abuse. Essentially, this new approach for synthetic drug abusers will dovetail with the current approach for heroin abusers which has worked very well. Further details on this will be released in due course by the Prisons Department.

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Ms Indranee also mentioned that we have young professionals and others who go to work or party in neighbouring countries and they may consume synthetic drugs. I do not think they can avoid detection at our checkpoints because, some years ago, the law was amended such that if a person is detected to have taken drugs when he is overseas, he will also be subject to the same laws in Singapore. We have had cases of Singaporeans or permanent residents who took drugs overseas and, when they were detected at the checkpoint, they were dealt with according to our laws. So, my advice is, it does not matter where a person takes the drugs, so long as he is detected in Singapore, he will be subject to the law.

Coupled with strict laws and vigorous enforcement, we are confident that this multi-pronged strategy will continue to help us ensure that the drug situation in Singapore will remain well under control.

Let me now turn to Dr Mohd Maliki's question about the Community Safety and Security Programme. He asked how can community groups be involved to take ownership of the CSSP and what other things can we do.

2.15 pm

Sir, our experience shows that Singaporeans are taking part very actively in the Community Safety and Security Programme. Since the introduction of the CSSP in

1997, over 3,900 CSSP projects have been implemented to tackle the safety and security concerns such as crime and fire prevention, and emergency preparedness. In 2004, more than 700 CSSPs were implemented in more than 600 Residents' Committees (RCs) and their Neighbourhood Committees (NCs). While these numbers show the success in engaging the community at large, the effectiveness of each CSSP must be

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measured on its own merits. Obviously, some are more successful than others.

For instance, there was a spate of motor vehicle thefts at Bukit Merah Lane from February to June 2004. The residents of Bukit Merah Lane and the Bukit Merah West Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) came together and set up a CSSP. They also got the Housing and Development Board (HDB), Bukit Merah Town Council and National Parks Board (NParks) involved and implemented several crime prevention measures, including joint patrols, raising awareness among motor vehicle owners in the area and installing brighter lights at the identified car park and the neighbourhood park locations. As a result, no motor vehicle theft was further reported in that neighbourhood.

More recently, the Hotwheels Patrol Team, which is the CSSP from the Jurong Central Civil Defence Executive Committee (CDEC), discovered some discarded items on fire at a void deck in Jurong West and successfully put out the fire using fire extinguishers. These are just some examples of the many CSSPs which exemplify the community's vigilance and preparedness in taking ownership of their own safety and security.

Other than CSSP, the public can also actively take part in the various activities that deal with security and safety issues. There is the Neighbourhood Watch Zone (NWZ) Scheme which involves the public taking ownership of community safety. Residents will sign up as NWZ volunteers. They will work closely with the Police to identify and address the local safety problems. Singaporeans can also enhance their emergency preparedness skills by joining the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) so that they can help their neighbours in the event of an emergency.

There is also the Emergency Preparedness Groups (EPGs) initiated by the

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People's Association to lead and coordinate the emergency preparedness activities of the various grassroots organisations and to prepare our residents to deal with emergencies such as disease outbreak, water shortages, a huge fire or even a bomb blast.

The framework for the community to look after its own safety through self-help and mutual support is therefore already in place.

The Chairman: Mr Wong, just to alert you, you are eating into the allotted time for the rest of the reply.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Yes. I am finishing soon, Sir. Let me now come to Mr Steve Chia's point about the bird flu problem. Certainly, we are all very concerned about the bird flu problem. Let me assure him that the Home Team is prepared to deal with this together with the other Ministries because, under the Home Team, we have a crisis management structure and this crisis management structure includes the challenges that we may face, like the bird flu crisis or a flu pandemic. Let me assure Mr Chia that the Government has taken steps to stockpile some anti-virals in case there is a need for anti-viral drugs. As the flu vaccine for the H5N1 has not been developed yet, we are taking a keen watch on this and see what others do.

On Dr Wang Kai Yuen's question on Internet Service Providers, let me assure him that the Police does not just barge into anyone's office to take away files, servers or whatever equipment that are necessary for its investigation. Firstly, the Police would do its job according to the law. Under section 58 of the Criminal Procedure Code, Police has powers to require a business operator to produce documents or, in the case of an Internet Service Provider, to provide the ISP logs

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for investigation when they are investigating a crime. It will not make it more onerous than any other kind of investigation for businesses. There is no brute force approach used in this and the Police has its own team of computer forensic investigators to look for data in the logs if there is a need to do so. Indeed, the Police has done so in some cases. In other cases, perhaps because the owners are not cooperative, the Police may have to use a section of the law to compel the provision of that particular log.

Let me assure him that ISPs are not the only parties required to produce evidence that is required for investigations. There are all kinds of cases which Police investigates from time to time which require businessmen' cooperation, and I hope they will continue to do so.

I think I have covered most of the issues.

The Chairman: Mr Charles Chong. You have got two minutes for two cuts.

Penal Code

Mr Charles Chong (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Sir it is on record that the Penal Code has been called my favourite topic. While I do not profess to play favourites, I shall, for the sake of continuity, ask the Minister if he would let us know when the long promised review of the Penal Code will be completed. The law must have certainty. If an offence is on our books, the Police and the authorities have a responsibility to enforce it no matter how silly or ridiculous it may appear to us today.

Prosecutorial discretion aside, they have no mandate to ignore provisions of our law and they cannot do so until the law is amended and the outdated provisions expunged from our books. We must realise that this issue is one which is more fundamental than has been acknowledged.

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Sir, it is my fervent hope, and I am sure it is now also the fervent hope of the Minister, that I will not have to raise this issue again at next year's COS.

Warrants of Arrest

Sir, would the Minister tell us what is the average number of warrants of arrest issued by the courts each year? What is the backlog in the number of warrants yet to be executed by the Warrants Enforcement Unit? Could the Minister also tell us what measures his Ministry intends to take to clear the backlog and perhaps also reduce the necessity for new warrants being added to the backlog?

Criminal Records

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, this is probably the third or fourth time that I am filing this amendment on MHA. Just like Mr Charles Chong, I am very noted for this.

Sir, since PM Lee took office, his constant message of making Singapore a land of opportunity has been very much welcomed by Singaporeans. Indeed, the current Budget policy of the Government for this financial year is premised on the theme - opportunity and community. Sir, I believe that we must create opportunities for Singaporeans to contribute to Singapore and enhance their sense of belonging and ownership to the country.

Sir, as a professionally-trained social worker, I believe that everyone has the potential for change. Ex-criminals too have the potential for change. Yes, they must pay for their crimes and have their freedom taken away from them by incarcerating them. Yes, there will be those who are recalcitrant and they return to their bad habits. Yes, society must be protected and thus, we need to detain or keep these criminals in prison. But, Sir,

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after having been incarcerated, after having taken their freedom away from them, many do, in all honesty, leave the gates of the prison with the hope of rebuilding their lives. Unfortunately, they enter their second prison - the societal negative perceptions especially with regard to employment.

The Yellow Ribbon movement is an excellent beginning to help ease the return of ex-criminals into mainstream society. We can do more. Sir, many Members of the House have repeatedly asked the Ministry to consider innovative ways of helping these ex-criminals. As it stands now, once you have a criminal record against you, your record stays for life. Employment opportunities shrink significantly when potential employers are informed of your criminal records as many employers ask the job applicant to declare if he has a criminal record. Some even ask the applicant if he has ever been charged in a court of law, never mind the outcome of the case.

Sir, the Minister has, on previous occasions, assured the House that the Ministry is reviewing its policy on criminal records, possibly considering expunging their records of minor offences or considering the records as spent if the ex-criminals show sincere desire to turn over a new leaf by being crime-free for a certain period of time. Sir, I have been waiting for that day to come.

I know many lives will be changed forever if our Government takes this bold step forward. I hope to hear that a decision has been made and not that it is still under review. Indeed, we must continue to be innovative as we continue to create opportunities for Singaporeans, in this case, those who may have made a mistake in their lives and are sincerely trying to make amends.

Sir, the Yellow Ribbon movement encourages us to unlock the second

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prison for these Singaporeans. Perhaps, the Government can lead the way by instituting the policy of expunging the records of those who are genuine and sincere, albeit the necessary criteria being met.

Ex-drug Abusers

Mr Arthur Fong (West Coast): Sir, as the Minister had told the House just now, the number of local drug abusers arrested in 2004 has fallen about 47% from the previous year. More importantly, the number of new drug abusers arrested has also fallen. I join Mr Ahmad Khalis in commending the Home Team, and particularly CNB, for a job well-done and encourage them as they continue to wage battle on drug abuse.

Sir, the other heartening news is that there are abusers and former addicts who want to reform and are trying their best. They are aware of the pain and the hardship that they have inflicted on their families. Many MPs in this House will tell you, when they have met these people at their MPS, that they are indeed sincere and want to change.

Sir, aside from the vocational skills and raising their employment chances later, work is a major contributor to the rehabilitative process and it also brings the family the much needed income that was absent when the person was in DRC.

During the MPS, MPs like myself would have heard this story. I ask them, "Mister, why did you lose your job again? This is the fourth or fifth time we are referring you to the CDC." He would say, "Sir, what do I do? If I tell the employer I am a former abuser, I may not get employed. If I do not tell them, at least I have half a chance of being employed." But then, after a week, when they need to go for the urine test, what excuse do

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they give? Take an MC - how many MCs can they take? Emergency leave - how many emergency leave and excuses can they give? So after a while, the patience wears in and the employer tells him to go.

Sir, I do understand that the recently released abusers are in the high-risk group and that their relapse is high and they need to go for their urine test. But perhaps MHA and SCORE can consider working together individually with these persons, consider the ones that are recently released, those who have somehow secured a job upon their release, and the urine test schedules may impact on their continued employment.

Sir, I am aware that the Yellow Ribbon programme has met with some success and I believe that my suggestion will aid some of these ex-drug abusers in holding on to their jobs for an appreciable time in order that they can make a positive contribution to their families and, in turn, give themselves the confidence that they are also successful in their own fight with drug abuse.

Traffic Police and Road Safety

Mr Tan Soo Khoon (East Coast): Sir, over the years, our Traffic Police has done a commendable job in keeping our roads safe for all road users. And of late, I notice that they have stepped up enforcement action against people who speed on our roads. In general, I think this is the right thing to do because those who speed on the roads are a hazard to other road users, as speeding results in serious injuries and even death to innocent people.

Over the past few weeks, there was a lot of unease among Singaporeans over what I would call the "guerilla tactics" used by the Traffic Police in enforcing the speed limits on our roads. By this, I refer to, what I would say, the rather "sneaky" way the Traffic Police was concealing

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themselves and aiming the radar or laser guns at motorists from overhead bridges or viaducts, hiding themselves and doing this.

But, Sir, I am glad to note that a few days ago, the Traffic Police has changed their tactics and come out in the open and announced where these speed detecting devices are located and motorists are therefore now aware of where they are when approaching these points on the roads. For the Traffic Police to do this, I would say that this is again very commendable. This is the right approach. If the Traffic Police seriously wants to curb speeding, it should let motorists know where the speed traps are. It is better to make people drive within the speed limits than try to trap them and catch them.

2.30 pm

In fact, I myself realise that of late motorists appear to be driving within speed limits because they are aware that "Big Brother" is now visible and watching. So, by being more open and alerting motorists to where they have stationed themselves, the Traffic Police is, in fact, helping to improve the situation. If you do not believe that this works, just notice for yourself how quickly motorists and motorcyclists slow down the moment they spot a traffic cop or police car. But, Sir, in enforcing the speed limits, the Traffic Police must also exercise some leeway.

There was the case of the poor motorist who was issued three traffic summonses and received 24 demerit points on the same stretch of road one morning. As I understand it, this poor motorist had no inkling that the speed limit on the 4-lane carriageway could be only 50 kph and so he just drove a bit faster.

In recent weeks too, I had some constituents coming to me with traffic

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summonses. They drove with a speed variation of around perhaps only 10 kph above the speed limit and, in most cases, they had no idea what the speed limits were. So, in its zeal to enforce the law, the Traffic Police must not go for the overkill and penalise many motorists whom I believe, for want of a better word, are not really speedsters. Many of these motorists are ordinary workers, delivery clerks, taxi drivers, etc, and their livelihood has been affected because they receive a lot of demerit points in a short while. I think here we have to make a fine distinction between those who speed intentionally and those who happen to drive at a fast speed momentarily. Sir, today's car engines are so powerful. Sometimes, you just press the pedal a bit, zoom you go above 50 kph and, if the camera is there, you get caught. You are not actually speeding, Sir. In many instances, in fact, if you do not drive too fast you are probably in danger of hogging the road, and that, in itself, is a hazard. I, therefore, urge the Traffic Police to review the speed limits along our roads and put up speed limit signs on all roads.

It is, of course, easy to say that if there are no speed limits it means the limit is 50 kph. But, it is better to have the signs visible for all to see. In fact, just the other day, I was driving down the AYE at 90 kph and suddenly the speed limit sign changed to 50 kph and this is on a 4- or 5-lane expressway. I think somebody also wrote about this to the press. I had the same experience and so I had to brake quite suddenly, cut the speed by half, which means I could have caused a sudden accident if the driver behind was not paying attention, or I could slow down at my own pace, but then I risk being caught by one of the cameras of the Traffic Police.

While still on the subject of speeding, I would like to ask if the Traffic Police intends to take any action against the

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people who hold car races in the middle of the night, particularly on weekends. I raised this before. The press still reports on it, but I think these are the real speedsters that the police should be catching.

Working on the premise that the Traffic Police now understands that prevention is better than cure, I suggest that the Traffic Police also use this approach when dealing with the problem of drink driving which, as we all know, is very serious. I think that drink driving will drop dramatically if police show their faces around the carparks at our popular night spots. It might be a good idea if they conduct this breathalyser test before the drivers drive off. Maybe they could even set up a booth and table and charge them for the test. So the Traffic Police would not be booking drunken motorists but then they are actually preventing serious accidents from happening. So why waste resources trapping motorists at road blocks if our foremost objective is to prevent accidents from happening? I urge the Traffic Police to adopt this philosophy: better to prevent, than to punish. By making its presence visible on the roads and by adopting a friendly approach, the Traffic Police might be surprised how far it could gain the support of the community in its work.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, like the Member before me, during the last few weeks, I have had a significant increase in the number of my constituents coming to see me in connection with speeding offences. I believe that this is a direct result of the Traffic Police using the newly acquired speed cameras which were, until recently, stealthily deployed. Like Mr Tan Soo Khoon, I applaud the move by the Traffic Police to make the cameras and the enforcement officers more visible. However, I feel a little more could still be done. For example, there is hardly any use

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in telling the public that the speed cameras may be deployed on the PIE. Sir, I believe the PIE may be the longest uninterrupted stretch of road in Singapore. The Traffic Police, if it wants to be more visible, needs to be more specific with information on deployment locations.

Sir, a related point is that the Traffic Police or the Land Transport Authority, whichever authority that is in charge of speed limits, should consider if the 50 kph speed limit on the majority of our roads is feasible or realistic. Public perception is that the Traffic Police gives some leeway where speeding offences are concerned. However, this simply adds on to the uncertainty as to how much over the limit one can go. Could the Minister consider raising the speed limits to a safely acceptable level and then employ a zero-accident policy towards enforcement? There would then be at least some sense of certainty and motorists would not have an excuse if this policy were to be applied across-the-board.

Sir, motorists are not the only road users. More vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians, especially the elderly and children, also use the roads. Could the Minister tell us what road safety measures and safety messages are being conveyed to these more vulnerable road users?

Speed Limit

Mr Ang Mong Seng: (

Hong Kah: ) ( In Mandarin ): Currently, the speed limit for our main roads is 50 km/h. This regulation was laid down in 1948, when Singapore was a third world country with poor road conditions and there were more older cars. Thus, it was reasonable. After 50 years, with our rapid development, we are a developed nation, our roads are wider, the COE system has resulted in more newer cars on the road, with more advanced technology and are hence more responsive and capable of higher speeds.

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Therefore, I suggest that the Ministry of Home Affairs consider allowing an increase in the speed limits on our main roads.

Let us take our neighbouring countries for example. Malaysia's speed limit is 60 km/h, China's and Indonesia's are 70 km/h, Thailand's is 60 km/h within the city and 80 km/h outside the city, Japan's is 85 km/h and the Philippines has no speed limit. In comparison, our speed limit is lower. Time is money. To help our citizens maximise their time, I hope that the Minister will consider to increase the car speed limit for our main roads from the current 50 km/h to 70 km/h. As for accident-prone areas and roads within residential estates, it should be maintained at 50 km/h.

Recently, the newspapers have reported that the Traffic Police have been recording speedsters using cameras on overhead bridges. Some taxi drivers have given me feedback that this situation has caused them much distress when they approached overhead bridges. They had to keep looking up while driving to see if there were traffic police officers standing there, taping them. Such distraction is dangerous for drivers. Hence, I hope that the Traffic Police will change their location and tape from other places, not from overhead bridges.

Mr Arthur Fong: Mr Chairman and Members in this House who drive would have horror stories to share about terrible drivers that they meet on the road - perhaps those who do not signal, drivers who leave their signals on, only to turn in the opposite direction, and many more. Mr Tan had covered the speeding drivers. I would like to talk about the other drivers.

I have been told by a taxi driver why many Singapore drivers do not indicate or signal when they want to change lanes. He said that because whenever they

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signal their intention to change lanes, the other drivers would speed up to prevent them from cutting into their lane, not filtering into their lane. Hence, rather than signalling their intention earlier, Singaporean drivers have been conditioned to just cut left or right.

I was in a taxi coming back from the airport and the taxi driver said, "Mister, Mister, the Mercedes car in front is cheaper than the Mercedes on the inside lane." I was curious and I said, "Oh, yes, maybe it is the engine capacity." He said, "No, Sir. This is a special car." I said, "Why?" "This car comes with less options - rear view mirror and signal lights not included." I said, "Oh, I see. I know what you mean now. So, sometimes our drivers on the road act as if they have no rear mirror in their cars. It would not be very much to glance at the rear view mirror, see a car behind you and make way." He said, "I do not know. Maybe it is one-upmanship just to stay in the front."

While I do not think that such drivers are kiasu drivers, I think it is more of the "I don't care" kind of drivers. I would have used another word that starts with " Bo ", but I do not think it is parliamentary language. I think the manners of these drivers need to be improved. Maybe they need to be re-educated. The problem is compounded by the behaviour of other road users in situations like those who slow down to prevent others from passing by jamming their brakes, and others who tailgate - all recipe for a pile-up on the highway.

The problem is magnified when the driver goes on his or her happy way, ignorant of the others on the road, or perhaps in some cases, they do not care about the other road users, including the pedestrians, the speeding motorbikes between two moving cars. So these "kings" and "queens" on the road that do not care, raise the overall stress and danger on our roads.

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Another pet peeve I have is how Singaporean drivers do not seem to know how to react or do the right thing when there is an emergency vehicle behind, either a police car or an ambulance. They said, "It is not urgent. He is just flashing his lights. If it is very urgent he would turn on the siren. If the car in front is moving at that speed and I am moving at the same speed, I am paving the way." Strange!

Sir, I watched with horror also, sometimes in a moving vehicle, with smiling young parents - the wife in the car chit-chatting, pointing here and there, all belted up, in case they get caught and fined. But, guess what? They have a toddler standing in front at the front seat and talking to the child. I guess these people have a strange sense about safety because when the air-bag comes on, they do not only have the air-bag to save them, but the child in front would also absorb some of the impact.

Similarly with maids carrying children at the back seat of the car. It is a strange but common phenomenon in Singapore. The maid is well belted up, the father is belted up as a driver, the mother is belted up, and the maid carrying the baby. Again, it is a recipe for disaster. Maybe this is very strange to look at, but the child is going to be very badly hurt.

Bicycle Safety

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong (Tampines): I would like to declare my interest as the Patron of the Singapore Amateur Cycling Association.

Recently, I held a discussion with concerned cyclists who formed a Safe Cycling Taskforce after fellow cyclist Sylvester Ang was killed by a bus in December. Sir, his death is another painful reminder that our roads are just too

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dangerous for cyclists. We need to take a serious view of the vulnerability of this group of road users, especially as their numbers are increasing. But because it is an issue that cuts across several different Ministries, and requires coordinated action, it seems to fall between the cracks, with no real progress. I would urge the Ministry to take the lead to set up an inter-ministerial taskforce to look into the issue of bicycle safety, before more lives are lost.

Sir, we need to be realistic. No matter how much enforcement or education is done, it is hard to make our roads safer for cyclists if our urban planners or transport policy-makers do not factor cyclists into their plans. Recognising this, several countries such as Australia have formed multi-agency committees on bicycle issues.

Sir, there are currently many heartlanders using bicycles as a mode of transport from their home to school, market, MRT stations, etc. Many use the footpaths along the public road to commute responsibly as they felt that the roads are presently too dangerous, especially for students cycling to school. However, it is now an offence to cycle along a footway. Could this rule be reviewed, while making sure that the safety of the pedestrians is not compromised? Perhaps modifications could also be made to some footways, with clear signs for pedestrians and cyclists so that both could use the footway safely. This would require coordinated action, but the blanket ban signals that cyclists have no business being on footways, even though the roads might be dangerous.

I would also like to ask the Ministry to do more to promote safe cycling and to put aside a budget for it. It should mount a campaign, the way it mounts a campaign for motorcycle safety and road safety for motorcyclists. I would also like to ask the Ministry whether there has

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been any enforcement action taken against motorists ---

The Chairman: Ms Ng, your time is up. Prof. Ho.

The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee): Sir, let me cover the Members' cuts in parts.

The first part is with respect to reviews that are being carried out by MHA, in particular the review of the Penal Code and on amending the Registration of Criminals Act to allow records to be spent. Indeed, these are big exercises that we have undertaken for several years because the ambit is a very large one, particularly the Penal Code review. I am glad to report to both Mr Charles Chong and Dr Maliki that we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. In the next 2-3 months, we will be able to take steps to amend the Acts, in one instance, the Registration of Criminals Act, and the other the Penal Code. Because it is a big exercise and it impacts all Singaporeans, on the Penal Code amendments we will be consulting the Law Society of Singapore when the Bill is ready. And, indeed, we will also be putting up the Bill when ready for public feedback and views.

Sir, moving on to the topic of warrants of arrest, this is something which the Government is mindful of. The number of warrants which are outstanding stood at about 63,000 in January this year and about 40,000 warrants of arrest are issued annually. But, having said this, we should see this in perspective because it does not mean that there are 63,000 Singaporeans who have warrants against them. In fact, some of them have more than one warrant. Many of these warrants are because people have not paid composition fines. And, even though they were given many opportunities to pay these fines, they did not, and were asked to go to court. When they do not go to

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court, warrants of arrest are issued against them. So the first point to make really is that Singaporeans should take the payment of composition fines and going to court seriously, otherwise, they are in contempt of court.

2.45 pm

So what have we done about it? We have looked at it both in terms of the process and at source.

What can we do to address the problem holistically and systemically?

In 1999, the Government formed a committee, which I chaired, to look at the process to see how we can make it such that there will be more opportunities to pay at machines and other places, in terms of timing, before a court summons is issued, and also the notice of composition should be made clearer on the form. These are processes which we looked at to ensure that people who have summonses issued against them will know that they have to pay composition fines and there are many opportunities to do so. If not, what is waiting at the end of it is possibly a court attendance. This is to bring it to their attention.

More holistically, of course, the Government has, through Ministry of Law and the Attorney-General's Chambers, started what we call a decriminalisation exercise. We have been working with the various Ministries to see whether some of the minor regulatory offences can be decriminalised. Instead of starting on the court process, we give them an opportunity to pay a composition fine, particularly if the offences are minor and regulatory. I am happy, for example, that certain Acts have provisions of powers of composition put into them, when we amended, for example, the Computer Misuse Act and the Urban Redevelopment Authority Act. We also put in this general power to offer composition in the Criminal Procedure

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Code (CPC) Act last year. Hanging on the CPC provision, other Acts have had the opportunity of some of their offences being made compoundable - the Moneylenders Act, the Medical Registration Act.

Sir, I have recently reactivated the committee. It is an inter-Ministry committee - HDB, ACRA, URA, LTA - and we will continue to look at how we can streamline the process, give Singaporeans more opportunities to pay and, also at the same time, at source, to see which offences we can decriminalise. Taking this approach, I think the number of warrants should come down in due course. Of course, we will also look at whether there are other ways of imposing some penalty, not necessarily through the court process. There are alternatives like administrative sanctions and civil penalties which we can also look at. One other point is whether or not Police should be the agency to enforce warrants. Because if other agencies own this process, I think they will have a bigger stake to get the warrants enforced.

The third area is on road safety which many Members have spoken about. I am happy to hear Members say that because of recent police enforcement, Singaporeans' driving behaviour has become better. But we all know that Singaporeans' driving behaviour should not just be influenced by whether or not there is enforcement. I think it is something that we all need to internalise and that is where education, which Mr Fong talked about, is important. And Traffic Police has a platform, with partners in the private sector, to mount that.

As for the recent publicity on speed enforcement, Traffic Police Commander , Ms Ng Guat Ting, already had an extensive press interview, explaining why Traffic Police was doing it, and also dispelling some of the points which had been raised by Singaporeans, for example,

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whether the Traffic Police was sneaky, whether they were doing it to collect fines, and whether or not they were over-zealous. I think her assurances have been publicised in the media. But let me also reaffirm in this House that Traffic Police does it transparently and fairly. And, indeed, hearing feedback from the ground, there are some steps that have been introduced which will assure Singaporeans that the object of the exercise is to help them to become good drivers. For example, listing of the locations on the website is one of them, and also the assurance that when Traffic Police personnel do the enforcement, they wear white uniforms and they will be at places which are safe. For example, Mr Ang Mong Seng talks about they being on the pedestrian overhead bridge, which is a safe place. It is not because they want to trap motorists, but it is away from the traffic. I hope these assurances will go down well with Singaporeans, and everybody rallies around and sees the object of the exercise, which is to save lives. In fact, vulnerable people, which Mr Charles Chong talked about, like motorcyclists, pedestrians, like children and the elderly, are the ones who may be impacted if motorists drive excessively over the speed limit. Indeed, this is the thrust of Traffic Police's enforcement actions, not just about those who drive above the speed limit. Because in a three-month period, between October and December last year, 60% of the summonses were issued with regard to people who had exceeded the speed limit by 30 kph or more. Let us see this in perspective.

As to whether the speed limit of 50 kph for town roads should be amended, Mr Ang Mong Seng cites certain cities like Bangkok and Jakarta. These are cities which we do not want to emulate. There are cities like Stockholm, London, Berlin, urban cities which have good track records, whose urban speed limits are 50 kph and below. For the roads in the

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residential areas and industrial estates, we should be careful about raising the speed limit from the current 50 kph, because this is where Singaporeans live and work, and I am sure their sense of safety will be impacted if we do that.

Certainly, Traffic Police will carry out a comprehensive review of speeds in all other roads - this is being done - including those roads mentioned by various Members, to see whether they can safely support higher speed limits, and they will do it more regularly. So a big exercise is ongoing. We should have 40 more roads with the speed limits raised by the end of this year. And going forward, instead of a three-monthly cycle of review with LTA, they will do it monthly. Because I also hear feedback from Members that when roads are upgraded, because the time lag is too long, it should be 60-70 kph, instead of 50 kph. Now the upgrading will take place faster, because the review will be done faster. Having said that, I must add that just because roads are not listed to be the ones which are being observed by Traffic Police, there will be no enforcement. Enforcement must be ongoing.

The next cut is on cyclists. I thank Ms Ng for raising this point. It is a point which she feels passionately about. Mr Ong Kian Min and others also feel passionately about it. It is something which we should look at, because many Singaporeans do cycle for various reasons, including recreational, and some cycle to MRT stations.

What we will do is that we will review some of these matters including, for example, whether or not we should allow cycling on pavements or footpaths, not without conditions because it is shared space with pedestrians. However, we can be mindful that in certain circumstances, perhaps it can be allowed. Currently, the rule is quite strict, you cannot cycle on pavements.

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Ms Ng talks about the formation of a taskforce. We will look at whether or not there is a need for a full-fledged taskforce as part of this review. She also talks about having a Bike Wise Week. These are matters which the Traffic Police is looking at. I can assure her that in our review, we will consider feedback from her and others, because she is the President of an association for cycling, and we will see how we can accommodate that, bearing in mind, of course, that Singapore roads are for many road users. And this is the point that I must make even as we want to look at the interests of certain groups. There are also other vulnerable road users that we have to be mindful about and, certainly, cycling on footpaths may impact negatively on the safety of pedestrians.

Mr Arthur Fong talks about driver education. I think that is the point he wants to make. This is, again, ongoing, because the other platform that the Traffic Police spends a lot of time on is really driver education, and it is working with private sector partners on this. Over the years, we have launched campaigns, road safety talks, exhibitions and even videos. For example, on cycling, a video was launched, recently last year, featuring Mr Chan Soo Sen on a bicycle, which is now being distributed and shown in community centres. He is an MP who cycles around to visit residents. So he knows all about cycling.

There is also a Traffic Police website which is linked to the SPF website. Mr Fong's point is on continuing driver education - how can a person quickly have access to some means to improve his own driving behaviour? In fact, there is a website, just launched last year, where a person can easily test himself and he can see whether he is a good or bad driver.

Other points have been raised on road safety, whether we should, for example,

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target car races. That is a good point. In fact, Traffic Police has been targeting people who race at night, whether it is Orchard Road, Shenton Way or other places. They call it night operations. More of these have been mounted over the past year. In fact, the media has helped to publicise it when they are caught. And as Mr Tan knows, we moved an amendment in this House to enable the Traffic Police to punish these people who exceed by 40 kph or more, and even visit them with higher punishment.

It is the same with drink driving. Mr Tan also mentions drink driving. This is another area where Traffic Police has also raised the level of enhancement. His point is whether the Traffic Police should mount operations before they drive off. I think a better solution is to work with night spot operators, and this has been ongoing. I understand that some pub operators actually have this device outside their pubs. It is a good thing because it is a win-win outcome. The patrons are encouraged to test themselves. In fact, they also facilitate the patrons by calling for a taxi and other means of transport should they exceed the limit.

Sir, I have covered most of the points. On urine testing, it is something which is very needful because after coming out from a DRC, a person is put through two years of supervision. But he gets urine tested only for one year, which is already an improvement. Formerly, it was two years but, after reviewing it, now we have put it as one year. Also, the CNB is flexible in accommodating requests for change of times. Currently, there are three times - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, in the morning, afternoon and night time. Actually, they have a choice of what time they want to go to. If their work, for example, constraints them from coming at a certain time, they can actually go for another time on the same day.

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The Chairman: Your time is up, Prof. Ho.

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, a point of clarification on CSSP. While the grassroots organisations may have intention to implement some of the CSSPs, perhaps the Minister is aware that hardware funding is required. RCs and grassroots organisations may raise their own funds but sometimes the hardware cost may exceed their capability to raise the funds. An example would be the CCTVs which are implemented in some precincts in HDB estates. I was wondering whether the Ministry would be prepared to assist the RCs by way of some form of subsidy to facilitate the implementation of that particular CSSP programme which requires assistance.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Sir, as regards CSSP funding for CCTV, this is an issue which was raised previously as well. I have asked the Police to see how we can be more sympathetic, but we have limited funding under the CSSP programme. We leave it to the advisers concerned to decide how to use the money. But if the residents really find the need for CCTV,

I think it is something that they themselves can do because it is not a very expensive equipment. The prices have come down, and they can find a reasonable equipment that can do the job. The town council can also chip in because it makes the estate a bit more safe. Also, the residents will welcome the kind of improvement that the town councils do for their estate. I think all parties can play a role in making the whole estate safer, cleaner, friendlier and more neighbourly.

3.00 pm

Mr Tan Soo Khoon: Sir, I do not know what this breath test kit looks like, neither do I know how much it costs. Fortunately, I have not been stopped at any road block. So I have no idea what it is like. I

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was just wondering, if they do not cost a lot, would it not be possible to sell these kits to motorists? Because not all of us get drunk at nightclubs. Sometimes, we drink at friend's house or we go to private parties. And it may not be a bad idea if motorists are encouraged to keep one in their car. So every time, before you drive off, you take a puff, and you know you are above the limit, you call a taxi. Perhaps, the Traffic Police might want to look into this and make it a project to sell this. They could work with a commercial firm or do it themselves.

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: So we will have another campaign - own a breath analyser test kit campaign! Seriously, it is something that is worthy of some consideration. I suppose if it is commercially viable, then it will be out there. On the suggestion by Mr Tan, perhaps it is not so much for me or the Traffic Police, but for the commercial world. As Mr Tan has said, there may be a market out there.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: I thank the Minister for agreeing to review the rule about cycling along footways. But I want to ask the Minister whether there is a budget put aside for promoting safe cycling as well as enforcement action taken against motorists who are dangerous drivers on the road and endangering the lives of cyclists, especially by squeezing cyclists alongside the roads, as well as action taken against reckless cyclists themselves who may be going against the flow of traffic and other traffic rules that they may have gone against.

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: I thank Ms Ng for making this clarification which gives me an opportunity now to take points from my speech in a more sane manner. The fact is that Traffic Police does take enforcement action against motorists who endanger the lives of cyclists. The Traffic Police tells me that they take a serious view of this because cyclists are also, as I said in my response

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to Mr Charles Chong, one of the vulnerable groups - motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians like children and the elderly. Hence, the Traffic Police does issue summonses to drivers for offences, such as inconsiderate, careless or dangerous driving. I agree totally with Ms Ng that all of us are motorists ourselves and we should also be mindful of this vulnerable group. We do educate them through means like road safety education and, in particular, through exhibitions and other campaigns. In fact, Ms Ng's association is welcomed to work with the Traffic Police to see how we can also reach out to motorists. Of course, cyclists on their part must also not violate any commonsensical requirements, for example, not to cycle against the flow of traffic, or when you cycle at night, to have reflectors. These are all points which cyclists themselves must also bear in mind.

Indeed, the Highway Code actually gives greater emphasis to cyclists' safety. Hence, amongst other categories of users, the Advanced Theory of Driving handbook also emphasises cyclists' safety. Let me just mention what it does. It specifically teaches learner drivers to give plenty of room and be alert when approaching cyclists or passing them; check mirrors and blind spots for cyclists when turning; keep a safe distance between the vehicle and the cyclists when overtaking; and look out for passing cyclists when opening the vehicle door. So all these are there. But as we have mentioned earlier, it is not so much just learning about it when you are at the learning stage. Do I have time?

The Chairman: Carry on. Up to 3.20 pm.

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: But how do we make sure that these messages are internalised? I want to make this as a plea as many of us are passionate about road safety. This is the point that I have been

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making at all the functions that I have attended, and I have actually done quite a bit for road safety campaigns. I would say that reminders are important. Without these reminders, road safety in Singapore would be worse off. But having said this, all of us would agree that road safety can be improved, although it has improved. The only way is for us to internalise these messages and in a way realise how our actions may hurt people whom we love. Imagine one day, if we have an accident and we knock somebody down whom we know - our friend, relative or a child of a colleague - I think that will change our road safety behaviour forever.

Mr Arthur Fong: Sir, the Minister talked about some of the assurances that would be given to the ex-drug abusers from CNB. Could the Minister elaborate on some of the assurances?

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: What CNB has done is to look at the urine supervision scheme and to see how it can be improved. Over the years, in fact, it has been improved in such a way as to facilitate their reintegration into the society. For example, as I have said, currently, the cycle is over one year. If the ex-drug abuser performs satisfactorily in the first month, the test is every two-day-cycle. After one month, he can report on a weekly urine cycle. And then he is monitored over the next 11 months. Beyond that, if his performance is satisfactory, the supervision order is revoked. This is already an improvement over the previous years. Previously, it was over two years. Currently, they have six reporting centres, spread out over the island. Also, ex-drug abusers can ask for a change of venue, for example, they want to be nearer their workplace or if they shift homes themselves.

SCORE has been mentioned by Mr Fong. Indeed, SCORE does a big part in

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trying to place these drug abusers on jobs. Last year, about 700 of them were placed on these jobs. When they are placed by SCORE, a counsellor is also assigned by SCORE to help them so that if they need help with their employers, they can approach the SCORE counsellor who can then be the mediator should there be any problem or dispute as to reporting for these urine tests. This is what we can do. Indeed, we are looking at ways in which the testing can be improved, for example, whether there are better ways to test them, rather than ask them to give urine. Sometimes, the time taken at the police station is also lengthened because they may not have urine to pass. So they have to drink water. The Ministry of Home Affairs is always proactive. We are looking at ways to improve the process. So let us see whether we can expedite the process for them.

Mr Ang Mong Seng: Sir, I am happy to hear that the Ministry will review the speed limits on our roads. Will the Minister inform the House probably when we can hear some good news?

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Certainly by the end of this year, but probably over the next two or three months. With a quicker cycle of review, for some roads, the speed limits have already been raised. But I think to do a good job, it is better to take a holistic and comprehensive approach, and not do it piecemeal. Actually, the speed limits on roads have been raised for many years now. In 1996, some roads were raised. In 1999, there was another big exercise and, last year, in fact, some of the roads have had their speed limits raised. I think we have to give credit when it is due because over all these years, Traffic Police has been mindful of feedback from Singaporeans on the need for higher speed limits. So they work with LTA.

But, recently, what is good is that the public pays greater attention to speed

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limits which have caused the agencies to give greater attention to this topic, and this will supplement what has been done before. For example, last year, the Traffic Police and LTA together raised the speed limits at Upper Serangoon Road, Sengkang East Drive, Punggol East, Bartley Viaduct, Tampines Avenue 10, Telok Blangah Viaduct and Woodlands Avenue 12. Indeed, the speed limits of expressways have also been raised. I do not know whether Members will remember it was 80 kph for a long time and then we raised it to 90 kph about three years ago.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, I might have missed the specific response to my cut. This is to confirm that the Ministry has made a decision to consider criminal records spent or expunged, and that in a couple of months, the Criminal Registration Act will be amended to put that into effect.

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Yes, after a long review, we have decided that we will introduce a scheme where criminal records will be considered spent. Of course, as we are making a start, we should be slightly more cautious. Therefore, to qualify for this, basically, they should be offenders of minor offences, for example, simple theft. So if they have been in prison for not more than three months, or a fine not more than $2,000, they will be eligible for consideration after remaining crime-free for about five years. Our estimation is that, with this first exercise, about 90,000 records will be rendered spent. Over the next two or three months, we will be looking at amending the Criminal Registration Act.

Dr Wang Kai Yuen: Sir, in his reply to terrorism and homeland security, the Minister mentioned that he will put CCTVs at selected places and he also mentioned in passing that his Ministry has developed some capability to automatically detect pre-defined behaviours. Is

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that correct? If so, he has also later, in his reply to vice, talked about placing CCTVs in Geylang. Presumably, they have a software that can pre-define human behaviour, it is possible to change the software to detect all sorts of pre-defined human behaviours. So I am wondering whether this placement of CCTVs in Geylang would intrude into the privacy of Singapore citizens.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: I think before Dr Wang's imagination go a bit wilder, let me explain this detection capability that we are talking about. It is an experiment that we are doing at the Airport to identify objects that have been placed in a location and which nobody has moved them for some time and, therefore, it will signal to the officer concerned to check what this particular object is about. The Airport is a confined facility and, particularly in the transit area, sometimes things do happen there. It is not that we are going to pry into other people's privacy. That is not the intention. But when there are syndicates exchanging documents, for example, illegal smuggling or human smuggling, that is an area which the Police will have an interest in helping the other countries to deal with the problem of human smuggling.

In the case of Geylang, it is just a plain straightforward CCTV. It is basically to ensure that those who go there do not create problems. It is no different from the kind of cameras we see in Little India, Boat Quay, or Newton. For Singaporeans, they are more concerned about security and safety than privacy. I am not saying that they are not concerned about intrusion into their privacy. But let me assure Singaporeans that the Police will not intrude into their privacy if it has nothing to do with law and order problem.

3.15 pm

Dr Geh Min: Sir, I would like to say that I support the points made by Mr

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Charles Chong and Ms Irene Ng on their concerns about safety for cyclists and pedestrians. In some countries, if there is an accident involving a motorist, cyclist or pedestrian, the motorist is considered automatically at fault unless he or she can prove that he or she is innocent. I think

this is a very good practice to promote greater safety for cyclists and pedestrians. May I add that these cities, I believe, are the ones that were mentioned by the Minister as being those with practices that we would like to emulate, eg, France, Germany, Canada, if I am not mistaken, and not the ones which have practices that we do not wish to emulate. Very often ---

3.15 pm

The Chairman: Dr Geh Min, are you seeking a clarification or asking a question?

Dr Geh Min: Sir, I am trying to ask a question.

The Chairman: Please ask your question.

Dr Geh Min: Sir, my question is: do we have such a law here and, if not, could we consider adopting it?

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, I believe there is a case law in this area. It has already been held that if a motorist hits a pedestrian, even though the motorist may have the right of way, he would still be liable - not fully liable but partly liable, because the pedestrian is vulnerable and, if the motorist takes a little bit more care, he would have noticed the pedestrian. So, it is a matter of degree of negligence which is at work.

Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): Sir, a point of clarification. The Minister mentioned about a committee to review the

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warrant of arrest cases. I want to say that he was actually mentioning HDB representatives. I just wanted to request that town council representatives be represented as well, because some of these cases may be due to S&C arrear cases.

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: An MND representative is there. So, he can look after the interests of the town councils.

The Chairman: Ms Indranee, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

Ms Indranee Rajah: Sir, I would like to thank the Minister and the Senior Minister of State for their replies and, in the light of the responses, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $1,850,310,090 for Head P ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $461,509,500 for Head P ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

The Chairman: Order. I propose to take the break now.

Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Mr Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 3.42 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 3.22 pm until 3.42 pm.

Sitting resumed at 3.42 pm

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]