SINGAPORE: In the wake of a report last week that said two Singaporeans who held more than one passport were part of Israel’s military in recent years. The Coordinating Minister for National Security, K Shanmugam, said that the government will take action against Singaporeans who fight in other countries for foreign causes.
Mr Shanmugam said this on Monday (February 23) at the Khadijah Mosque at the yearly Iftar event for the Religious Rehabilitation Group.
It is against the law for Singaporeans to fight overseas in foreign causes, he said, mentioning that there has been news from time to time of this occurring, although, with the spread of fake news, determining this can be difficult.
Singaporeans are not allowed to fight for any side in countries such as Ukraine, Russia, and Gaza or for organisations such as ISIS, he added, and if it has been proven that a Singaporean has fought in another country for a foreign cause, action will be taken against this individual.
However, he added that, when it is fitting and possible, the city-state extends humanitarian help overseas.
The Minister said that if this individual is in Singapore, they will be detained by the Internal Security Department, which has been done before.
He underlined how important racial and religious harmony is to maintaining the city-state’s peace, and religious and community leaders play an important role in this.
“We meet at a time of great stress around the world, and parts of this region. Both political stress as well as economic stress. And that is causing tremendous tensions in many societies, violence in many places, wars between countries.
“In the middle of all of this, we remain a small oasis of peace,” he said.
Mr Shanmugam’s speech may be read in full here.
Foreign nationals in the Israeli military
On February 15, Al Jazeera reported on members of the Israeli military who held more than one passport. It focused primarily on the Western nationals who had been part of that country’s army during the war in Gaza that began in October 2023, saying that questions have arisen regarding the legal accountability of foreigners for alleged war crimes against the people of Palestine.
Former Member of Parliament Amrin Amin drew attention to the report in a February 18 (Wednesday) Facebook post, writing, “This is concerning and needs clarification.”
In response to questions regarding the matter, a representative from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told CNA that it was aware of the report, and added, “MHA does not have any substantiated information at this point that any Singaporean is/was fighting as part of the IDF.” /TISG
