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vince123123
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As for your comment that "This article defines what is a security area.", you will also note that Section 48(1) states that "if he considers it to be necessary for the purpose of suppressing such organised violence, proclaim such area as a security area for the purposes of this Part".
Hence the precursor to anything relating to a security area under the ISA is that a proclaimation must first be made.
Lets also revisit Section 48(3) and (4) of the ISA:
s48(3) A proclamation made under subsection (1) shall be published in such manner as the Minister thinks necessary for bringing it to the notice of all persons who in his opinion ought to have notice thereof and shall have effect as soon as such notice has been given, without publication in the Gazette.
s48(4) A copy of every proclamation made under subsection (1) shall be published in the Gazette and shall be presented to Parliament as soon as possible after it has been made.
The proclaimation must be made in accordance with s48(3) and later published in the Gazette and presented to Parliament in s48(4). I doubt that press statements ALONE will satisfy both s48(3) and (4).
I'm not sure about your hypothetical situation, but that's how the ISA seems to work. Perhaps the security area can be the whole of Singapore, but still, the proper method of proclaimation must happen before it is designated as a security area.
Hence the precursor to anything relating to a security area under the ISA is that a proclaimation must first be made.
Lets also revisit Section 48(3) and (4) of the ISA:
s48(3) A proclamation made under subsection (1) shall be published in such manner as the Minister thinks necessary for bringing it to the notice of all persons who in his opinion ought to have notice thereof and shall have effect as soon as such notice has been given, without publication in the Gazette.
s48(4) A copy of every proclamation made under subsection (1) shall be published in the Gazette and shall be presented to Parliament as soon as possible after it has been made.
The proclaimation must be made in accordance with s48(3) and later published in the Gazette and presented to Parliament in s48(4). I doubt that press statements ALONE will satisfy both s48(3) and (4).
I'm not sure about your hypothetical situation, but that's how the ISA seems to work. Perhaps the security area can be the whole of Singapore, but still, the proper method of proclaimation must happen before it is designated as a security area.
zaren said:ok, let us revisit article 48 of the ISA which was posted earlier:
"48. (1) If in the opinion of the President public security in any area in Singapore is seriously disturbed or threatened by reason of any action taken or threatened by any substantial body of persons, whether inside or outside Singapore, to cause or to cause a substantial number of citizens to fear organised violence against persons or property, he may, if he considers it to be necessary for the purpose of suppressing such organised violence, proclaim such area as a security area for the purposes of this Part."
Comment: This article defines what is a security area. Since Singapore as a whole has been threatened by reason of terrorist action threatened by terrorist organisations such as JI, Singapore's security is threatened. Not just localised areas like Toa Payoh, or Woodlands, or Katong. the whole of Singapore is at risk, therefore the whole of singapore is a security area. whether you go to an MRT station in boon lay or pasir ris, the security checks will be equally stringent. when DPM Tony Tan states "Singapore is a terrorist target", he wasn't referring only to specific high value targets in Singapore (which are subject to higher levels of security), but to all parts of Singapore. you simply do not know where terrorists will strike next.
let's look at a hypothetical scenario in your world of fair play, conclusive evidence and perfect information: Terrorists threaten to strike a target, say a school. the terrorists inform our security forces of their intended strike. our security forces establish this as a credible threat. President Nathan proclaims the school as a security area. a gazette is passed in parliament stating the school as a security area. our security forces move in to nullify the terrorist threat. this sounds nice in theory but i suspect is rather unlikely to happen in real life.