Speaking to The Sunday Times at a grassroots event in Hougang last night, he acknowledged that 'it is a setback', when asked if the incident will affect Singapore's reputation on the international front.

But he added that 'they know we are putting things right'.

He said: 'The battle against terrorism is a long drawn-out affair. There will be ups and downs. What is important is the way we respond to mistakes and recover our position.

'Our security forces are a sharp outfit and they will recover from this...and become stronger as a result.'

He also praised Singaporeans' response to the events.

'Their sense of concern and their cooperative spirit, the way people have been talking about this, alerting each other, helping to maintain watch - I think these are very good signs. It expresses the solidarity of society. And all races participated, that's very important.'

Mr Yeo feels that Singaporeans, too, are confident of the country bouncing back from this incident.

'The general expectation of Singaporeans is that the Government will not take this lightly,'' he said.

'Naturally, there's a sense of disappointment, but they know we will recover from this.

'There will be a proper inquiry and what can be made public, will be made public. We will put things right.'

He added that the fight against terrorism 'goes beyond Mas Selamat Kastari'.

'He's not the only one...we constantly need to be on the lookout.'

Teo Cheng Wee

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