Excerpts from readers' letters

Updated

Published

Mar 23, 2018, 05:00 AM

GET TOUGH ON RADICALISED PEOPLE

Radicalised individuals pose a grave danger to the country.

The key to stopping such people is to treat them as criminals and charge them in court for endangering the nation. Tough laws are the only deterrent.

If radicalised individuals refuse to be counselled after their arrest or during the early months of their rehabilitation, they should be caned and given solitary confinement during their jail term.

The Republic has been lucky so far. Let's not wait for a tragedy to strike to come up with stronger laws.

Florence Veronica Minjoot (Ms)

PUZZLED OVER COURT SENTENCE

I refer to the report (Jail for chef who fractured his attacker's skull after wresting weapon away from him; ST Online, March 15).

It seems strange that a jail term was given to someone who was defending himself from a deadly attack.

The report did not say if there were any other circumstances that may have led to such a heavy sentence.

If no reason was provided by the court, it should have been The Straits Times' journalistic duty to find out the grounds for this seemingly unjust sentence.

DEALING WITH SUICIDE BOMB SUSPECTS

I refer to the report on empowering male officers to search female terror suspects (Other changes under the Criminal Justice Reform Bill; March 20).

The report also cited that between 1985 and 2008, female suicide bombers had carried out more than 230 attacks.

Although the changes to the law may sound reasonable, as a former law enforcement officer, I think searching a potential suicide bomber goes against all the rules on engaging with such a suspect.

Most suicide bombers will activate their explosive devices if they feel threatened by security officers, and this will usually cause more civilian deaths, especially if it happens in crowded areas.

Security experts thus usually advise that suspected suicide bombers be immediately neutralisedwithout giving them time to set off their explosives - this usually means killing them on the spot.

Time is of the essence in such situations, and police officers have to make a tough call.

Nevertheless, in situations where suicide bombers are not involved, empowering male officers to search female suspects is certainly a move in the right direction.

Seah Yam Meng

I don't think it is reasonable to expect people to just stand still and be killed by random attackers, as defending one's life can result in a jail term.

Ting Meng Yean

FLOWERS ADD COLOUR TO JOURNEY

The recent weather has led to the flowering of the bougainvillea planted on the road dividers and overhead pedestrian bridges on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE). It really epitomises Singapore as a garden city.

As a driver who uses the PIE, the traffic jams seem less irritating when I can see the pink blooms.

The constant greening of Singapore is not easy and the National Parks Board (NParks) and its team must be commended for this.

Can NParks also look at adding more smaller flowering plants along roadside kerbs, such as the ones planted outside Clementi Primary School and by the Botanic Gardens' Tanglin Gate?

Juliana Ang Hiok Lian (Ms)

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