In the past 2 years, 70 foreigners in Singapore were investigated for radicalisation and being supporters of terrorist organisations like ISIS, according to a media statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). 5 Indonesian maids in Singapore and 6 Bangladeshi construction workers have so far been arrested by both Singapore and Indonesia police.
Indonesia police arrested 4 women for terrorism and one of them is 27-year-old Dian Yulia Novi, who worked about a year in Singapore as a domestic helper between 2008 and 2009. Dian was arrested for planning a suicide bombing attack at the presidential palace in Jakarta Indonesia. According to a local TV interview, she was radicalised through the following of pro-terrorist Facebook profiles and pages.
The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs however blame the internet for terrorism:
“Social media platform owners have to ensure their platforms are not used to promote radicalism and terrorism. A more effective approach in the longer term may be sensitising the public to the dangers of extremist rhetoric and equipping them with social media literacy so they will not be vulnerable to terrorist propaganda online.”
Maids in Singapore earn around S$500 a month while a construction worker in Singapore earns around S$700 a month. Both professions are among the lowest income in Singapore and it is no surprise Singapore has become a breeding ground for terrorists becase poverty often led to resentment against incumbent governments. In the 2013 Little India riot, only official vehicles like police cars were targeted while private cars on the road at the rioting street were instead left without a scratch.