Internal Security Act (Singapore)

Internal Security Act (Singapore)

The Internal Security Act (ISA) of Singapore is a law that allows the Singapore government to investigate security threats like international terrorism, foreign subversion, espionage and acts of violence or hatred using race or religion. The Internal Security Act (ISA) of Singapore confers on the government the right to arrest and preventively detain individuals without trial for up to two years at a time in certain defined circumstances under Section 8(1)(a) of the ISA. The ISA is controversial because some regard it as a draconian law that curbs civil liberties. Proponents of the law argue that the ISA is necessary for the city-state to preemptively thwart serious security threats.

The most notable ISA case was Operation Coldstore in 1963 which led to the arrest of some 100 left-wing politicians, trade unionists and communists, including members of the socialist opposition party, the Barisan Sosialis. While the ISA has not been invoked since the 1980s against leftist political opponents, the continued existence of ISA is perceived by the U.S. State Department as restricting political opposition and criticism of the government. Chia Thye Poh, an alleged communist, was detained under the ISA from 1966 to 1998, the longest person ever to be held under this law.

Since 2001, the ISA has been used against alleged Al Qaeda-inspired terrorists in Singapore. With concerns of terrorism, there is ongoing debate on the relevance of the ISA among citizens in Singapore and the need for its reform and prevention of abuse. The leading opposition party in Singapore, the Workers' Party, supported the abolishment of the ISA and asked for specific anti-terrorism and anti-espionage laws to replace the ISA. These new laws were to allow arrests and detention without trial only under strict conditions.