The scourge of terrorism continues unabated ("Many foreigners, children among 84 dead in attack by truck in Nice"; last Saturday).

The Nice attack shows that the terrorists are hell-bent on inflicting maximum carnage where there are mass gatherings of people, such as at nightspots and social events.

The Singapore authorities should continue to deploy as many police officers as possible during social events, with strong barricades leading to the closed roads to serve as a deterrent.

We have been constantly reminded that it is a matter of time before Singapore is hit by a terrorist attack, and that we should be prepared to recover quickly as a community in the aftermath.

Security at our borders and checkpoints must be escalated and tightened to prevent any infiltration of terror agents.

This is where our immigration officers should continue to be alert in profiling and identifying suspicious characters. Just one slip-through by terrorists could result in serious repercussions.

There has been no let-up by our security agencies in heightening precautionary measures, including the opening of a new facility to better detect chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive substances at our ports ("New facility to detect biological, nuclear substances at ports"; last Saturday).

The rest is up to us, the people, to do our part in preventing terrorism here.

Race relations should not be taken for granted.

In this respect, the good work by the Inter-Religious Organisation should be commended.

Also, the annual Racial Harmony Day reminds us of the need to be tolerant in our multiracial society, as all it takes is a spark to ignite a blaze that can cause irreparable damage to our social fabric.

Ultimately, it is the people's will and resilience that can make or break a small nation like Singapore, where our political, economic and social stability is at stake.

Andrew Seow Chwee Guan