SINGAPORE: Restriction orders issued under the Internal Security Act (ISA) against two Singaporeans were allowed to lapse this year, the Internal Security Department (ISD) announced on 2 April.
A third individual, previously detained under the ISA, was released on a suspension direction.
One of the individuals whose restriction order lapsed is Dickson Yeo, 44, who had been detained for acting as a paid agent of a foreign state.
Yeo was arrested upon his return to Singapore in December 2020 and detained under the ISA in January 2021.
While ISD did not specify the foreign state at the time, Yeo was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment in the United States in 2020 for spying on behalf of China.
Following his detention, Yeo was released on a suspension direction in December 2021 and placed under a restriction order in January 2023. The restriction order expired in January 2025.
“ The threat posed by Yeo as a foreign agent has been effectively neutralised and he no longer requires close supervision under the RO (restriction order) regime,” ISD stated.
Restriction orders impose strict conditions on individuals, including requiring approval for overseas travel, job or address changes.
Those under these orders are also prohibited from accessing the Internet or social media, making public statements, addressing public meetings, or contributing to publications without prior approval.
Self-radicalised individual’s restriction order expires
The second Singaporean whose restriction order lapsed is Asyrani Hussaini, 35. His restriction order expired in March 2025.
Asyrani was detained in March 2013 after attempting to take part in armed insurgency in southern Thailand.
He was released from detention in March 2019 and placed under a restriction order.
ISD stated that Asyrani had made “good progress” in his rehabilitation and no longer required close supervision under the restriction order regime.
Self-radicalised ISIS supporter released on suspension direction
In a separate case, a 54-year-old Singaporean, Mohamed Kazali Salleh, was released from detention on a suspension direction under the ISA in February 2025.
Kazali, a self-radicalised supporter of the terrorist group ISIS, had been detained under the ISA in January 2019.
He was also convicted in September 2021 for terrorism financing offences and sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison.
His conviction was related to providing financial support to Syria-based Malaysian ISIS militant Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin, also known as Akel Zainal, to facilitate terrorist acts.
Following the completion of his prison sentence, Kazali was redetained under the ISA in February 2024 as he was deemed vulnerable to re-radicalisation.
However, ISD assessed that he had made significant progress in rehabilitation and no longer posed a security threat requiring preventive detention.
A suspension direction under the ISA allows an individual to be released from detention while still being subject to strict conditions.
If these conditions are violated, the Minister for Home Affairs has the authority to revoke the suspension direction and redetain the individual.
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