In war, we will have to put servicemen in harm’s way to defend the country; but in peacetime training, we owe it to our servicemen never to compromise their safety and endanger their lives.
The SAF has to carry on training and fulfilling its operational duties. We cannot outsource our security and defence to anyone else; we have to defend Singapore ourselves. Because we have a strong and well-trained SAF, Singapore enjoys peace and security, and can maintain friendly relations with other countries.
I thank Singaporeans for supporting the SAF and national service. Your support has helped us to build a strong and professional SAF, with a comprehensive order of battle, and well-equipped, well-trained, and well-motivated soldiers.
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PM Lee says he and SAF leaders 'take safety with utmost seriousness'
In his Facebook post, the Prime Minister also said that Singapore has to put its servicemen in harm’s way during war, but owes it to servicemen not to compromise their safety and endanger their lives during peacetime training.
Mr Lee added that the SAF has to carry on training and fulfilling its operational duties.
“We cannot outsource our security and defence to anyone else; we have to defend Singapore ourselves. Because we have a strong and well-trained SAF, Singapore enjoys peace and security, and can maintain friendly relations with other countries.
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PM Lee says he and SAF leadership take safety with utmost seriousness
He added: "In war, we will have to put servicemen in harm's way to defend the country; but in peacetime training, we owe it to our servicemen never to compromise their safety & endanger their lives."
PM Lee also said SAF has to carry on training and fulfilling its operational duties, as Singapore cannot outsource its security and defence to anyone else.
Thanking Singaporeans for supporting the SAF and national service, he said their support has helped build a strong & professional SAF, with well-equipped, well-trained and well-motivated soldiers.
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Safety of soldiers of 'utmost seriousness' to him, SAF leaders: PM Lee
He added: “But they try to put aside their emotions to take care of the bereaved family & continue carrying out their SAF duties.”
He noted, too, that Singapore enjoys peace and security, and can maintain friendly relations with other countries because of its strong & well-trained armed forces, and called on Singaporeans to see things in perspective when something goes wrong.
“The SAF has to carry on training and fulfilling its operational duties. We cannot outsource our security and defence to anyone else; we have to defend Singapore ourselves,” he said.
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THE INVISIBLE FORCE: The Gurkha community in Singapore
In over six decades, the visual language of the Singapore Gurkhas remains the same. These men from Nepal – famed for the loyalty and fearlessness – are recognised in uniform with their trademark broad-rimmed khaki hat. Since 1949, the Singapore Gurkha Contingent has been established in the Lion City (Kota Singa) as they live quietly among us.
A visibly invisible community, their role was thrust into prominence during yhe communal riots in the 1950s & 60s - keeping the peace as an impartial force.
Yet, photographs, or visual representations, of the Gurkhas by the state and its organs, as well as the media depict them the same way as their boilerplate introductions: stern, steely and singular. These personal photographs, scanned and archived from one retired Gurkha to another, revealed how important it was for these migrant sons to document their time here in Singapore.
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GURKHA CONTINGENT
The history of the Gurkha Contingent is intrinsically linked to the formative years of Singapore when it was called upon many times to help restore law and order on the streets. Throughout this period, the unit repeatedly demonstrated its reputation as an effective impartial force characterised by its total discipline and loyalty.
The Gurkha Contingent was formed on 9 April 1949 in order to provide a "strong-arm" within the Police Force capable of quelling civil disturbance and carrying out specialist security tasks. This role expanded to include VIP protection and initially included patrols into Peninsula Malaya to pursue the communist terrorists who were active there at that time. The original camp was on Duxton Plain, near the City Centre but the unit subsequently relocated to its current cantonment at Mount Vernon. In 1978 the unit was reorganised briefly to form the Prison Gurkha Unit (PGU) but this was reversed and the Gurkha Contingent, as it is known today was reformed on 1 April 1981 and its terms and conditions of service, operational roles and training were standardised. The unit continued to perform prison duties until a decision was made in 2006 to fulfil Police security duties only. The majority of the unit’s police officers are Gurkhas recruited from a small number of hill tribes in Nepal. These Gurkhas possess the qualities best suited to service in the Contingent, specifically: physical and mental robustness, resourcefulness and an uncomplaining dependability.
Today, the Gurkha Contingent carries out many diverse roles for the Singapore Police Force. These roles are still very much related to the security tasks for which GC was originally formed.
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PM says we can’t outsource security to anyone else but SPF does outsource its job to Nepalese
In a Facebook post yesterday (15 Feb), PM Lee assured that he and SAF leadership do take safety “with utmost seriousness”.
“In war, we will have to put servicemen in harm’s way to defend the country; but in peacetime training, we owe it to our servicemen never to compromise their safety and endanger their lives,” he said.
He also said that SAF cannot outsource Singapore’s security to anyone else.
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LHL said that SAF cannot be outsourced
The Singapore Armed Forces has a duty to continue "training and fulfilling its operational duties", as the Republic "cannot outsource" its security and defence to "anyone else", said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
In a Facebook post on Friday (15 Feb), Mr Lee wrote that "a strong and professional SAF ... with a comprehensive order of battle, and well-equipped, well-trained, and well-motivated soldiers" has been made possible with the support of Singaporeans.
"We must never gloss over shortcomings and failures. But neither should we forget the SAF’s progress and achievements, and its contributions to Singapore’s peace and security.
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S’pore politician faces backlash for questioning presence of Gurkhas in S’pore
Gurkhas have quite the long history with Singapore. They have been involved with notable incidents such as the Maria Hertogh riots, Hock Lee bus riots, and even during the Konfrontasi. For those who might not know, Gurkhas are an elite security force recruited from Nepal.
The Nepalese factor was recently put in the spotlight by Singapore People’s Party (SPP) politician and lawyer, Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss. Her remarks were in response to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s statement on how Singapore cannot outsource its security and defence to anyone else.
His remarks were made in the light of recent incidents in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) which resulted in the loss of lives.
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Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss 16 February at 07:22
"We cannot outsource our security and defence to anyone else; we have to defend Singapore ourselves." - LHL
QUESTIONS:
- Why does the Singapore Government retain an army of Gurkha soldiers?
- Being paid soldiers, aren't they mercenaries?
- Being mercenaries, aren't they loyal only to their paymasters and have no love of Singaporeans?
- What is the role of the Gurkha mercenaries in Singapore National Security?
- Can Singaporeans do their job being done by the Gurkha mercenaries? If not, why not?
- Whose interests do these hired hands / paid soldiers serve and protect?
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Singapore lawmaker gets schooled by a Gurkha after calling them non-citizens
Meet the Gurkhas. The fearsome warrior people who're renowned throughout the world for their courage and strength. These were the same guys who kicked the shit out of British East India Company's ass in 1814 when the latter tried invading their kingdom.
The British were quick to learn their lesson by immediately signing a peace treaty. This was how the Gurkhas were employed by the British to control their vast territories. Known for carrying the iconic but lethal curved kukri knife, the Gurkhas live and die by this motto: "It is better to die than be a coward".
Yeah, they're not to be messed with which is why many countries still employ their services. One of them is Singapore.
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With khukris and assault rifles, Singapore's Gurkhas to guard Trump-Kim summit
While both leaders will bring their own personal security teams, elite Singaporean police, including its Gurkha Contingent, will be securing the summit venue, roads and hotels, according to diplomats familiar with VIP security in the island state.
The Gurkhas, who have a low-profile presence in Singapore, were more visible than usual at the weekend as they secured the Shangri-La Hotel for a security conference that included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other regional ministers.
The Gurkhas, recruited by the Singapore police from the hills of faraway Nepal, were kitted out in body armor, Belgian-made FN SCAR combat assault rifles and pistols in leg holsters at the conference, in what some security experts believed was a dry run for the U.S.-North Korea summit.
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Certis Group
Certis Group, formerly Certis CISCO Security Private Limited and CISCO Security Private Limited, is one of the five commercial Auxiliary Police forces authorized to provide armed security officers to government organizations as well as private companies or individuals in Singapore. Certis Group originated from the Guard and Escort unit of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), which was separated from the SPF as the Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation (CISCO) in 1972 as a statutory board with a monopoly over most areas of the local private armed security industry.
From 1 June 2005, the statutory board was dissolved and Cisco Security Pte Ltd was formed upon its corporatisation as a fully owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings, and inaugurated on 5 July 2005.[2] The abbreviation of the former statutory board, "CISCO", was retained due to its reputation in the local market. The company was renamed as Certis CISCO Security Pte Ltd on 13 September 2007 and as Certis Group in 2018. Cisco Annual Security Report on 20 January 2016 reveals a decline in defender confidence and the increased impact of industrialised attackers.
As the oldest Auxiliary Police Force with a monopoly over most of the private armed security sector in Singapore for 33 years, CISCO maintains a visible presence in many key establishments, including the private residences of VVIPs. They were deployed in major events such as the Singapore 2006 IMF Meetings, the New Year Countdown at Marina Bay in 2007 and 2008, the Chingay Parade and the Thaipusam processions. They also continue to dominate some services such as the transportation of valuables, most visibly in the form of delivering cash to automated teller machines.
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