RH: How Singapore will End scenarios

From: Robert Ho (ho3@pacific.net.sg)
Subject: RH: HOW SINGAPORE WILL END scenarios
View: Complete Thread (5 articles)

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Newsgroups: soc.culture.singapore
Date: 2003-04-30 10:06:40 PST


RH: In my earlier posting on 2003-03-26 in soc.culture.singapore,
entitled, " RH: Two scenarios how Singapore can end " , whose URL is
below:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=RH:+scenarios+group:soc.culture.singapore.*&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF8&group=soc.culture.singapore.*&selm=c443dfe.0303260807.3b1b64f6%40posting.google.com&rnum=1

I had sketched out in a very-readable story form, two scenarios how
Singapore may come to an end. These two articles' URL are below:

http://www.sfdonline.org/Op%20Pages/Mar01.html

http://www.sfdonline.org/Link%20Pages/Link%20Folders/DearSingaporean/2000/180800.html

(If you cannot open these 2 articles of mine, do a Google Search in
soc.culture.singapore Google Groups using the Search
Term: RH: Robert's almost-complete archive of works

Then click on the 2 articles entitled: "Tom Clancy's Next Novel" and
"Letter From The Future".)

Today, I would like to complete my little thesis.

In 1989, when Lee Kuan Yew was still Prime Minister in name and fact,
(now he is Prime Minister only in fact), the superpower US faced
difficulties negotiating the renewal of the Clark Air Base and Subic
Bay Naval Base with the Philippines, so Lee Kuan Yew offered the use
of Singapore to the US.

By doing so, Lee Kuan Yew incurred the displeasure of his immediate
neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia as they were keen on establishing a
"zone of peace" in the region.

As is usual with Lee Kuan Yew, who, as one foreign observer noted,
controls Singapore using "thinly-disguised rule by decree", there was
no public debate and hence, no THINKING on the benefits, costs and
dangers of this offer to the Americans. There probably was little
Cabinet thinking either, since a Cabinet of YesMen would never
contradict and have to defer to the Great Leader and Great Thinker, as
is the nature of YesMen everywhere.

With that offer came grateful acceptance, and Lee Kuan Yew began
busily building worldclass facilities to host the American navy and
airforce, in typically Singaporean fashion, resulting in one of the
most modern and impressive facilities the American navy and airforce
could ask for, within the limitations of a tiny 650 sq km island that
has to import everything it needs, including most of its water
(NeWater is another deadly mistake that could end Singapore but I have
posted enough warnings on that in soc.culture.singapore and so will
refrain from revisiting the issue now, since the Government has shown
that it will never listen to even well-reasoned warnings or admit its
mistakes and reverse its decision -- saving its face is more important
than saving its people).

So, the US airforce based some of its planes here and began flight
operations out of Singapore bases. We know that because when the
Malaysian Government complained about our 'RSAF' jets flying too low,
below the agreed and stipulated flight corridors, and creating much
noise nuisance over Johore as well as other flight nuisances as are
common with American fly-boys, the Singapore Government had to protest
its innocence about the behaviour of its pilots by stating that it had
no warplanes in the air as complained, and it turned out that the
nuisances were committed by the US airforce pilots, who, as usual, are
a law unto themselves and cannot be chastised, let alone punished for
their transgressions.

But, coming back to my title, which is HOW SINGAPORE WILL END
scenarios, Lee Kuan Yew could have thus signed the Death Warrant for
the Singapore he has ruled over since 1959.

How? Alarmist? Apocalyptic?

Think.

The US airforce are in Singapore not for fun. Or training. They are
here for operational missions and that means they must stockpile
weapons in their airbases in Singapore.

Not alarmed yet?

Now, think about what KIND of weapons they will have at their
disposal.

Besides the usual high explosive missiles and bombs they are designed
to carry and use, they may also stockpile and practise using CHEMICAL,
BIOLOGICAL AND NUCLEAR missiles and bombs. Commonly acronymised NBC
weapons.

Thus, IN THE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT OR A MENTALLY UNSTABLE OR DERANGED
TECHNICIAN SETTING OFF ONE OF THESE WEAPONS, SINGAPORE IS FINISHED.

Now, nuclear bombs are not easily set off but if there is intention,
as in the case of a suicidal technician, (maybe his Singaporean Sarong
Party Girlfriend left him, so he hates all Singapore), it is entirely
possible.

Chemical bombs explode by design or accident much more easily. As in
the case of a fire. Again, with disastrous consequences for Singapore.

Biological bombs are also quite easily set off. Now, if just the few
SARS cases have put the whole of Singapore into a tizzy, just imagine
what a concentrated bomb of dispersable bio-agents can do to
Singapore. Think SARS multiplied by 100.

These are NBC scenarios. But wait, I have more: NBCOF.

By O, I mean Others. The US has been lavishing much money into better
and better ways of killing people. Some of these ways are not NBC, so
I will simply call them Others. These Others weapons will also destroy
Singapore.

Then there is the F. By that, I mean Future weapons of mass
destruction. Since the US continuously develops better and better ways
to exterminate people, and Lee Kuan Yew cannot control what kind of
weapons the US may stockpile in their bases in Singapore, these Future
weapons of mass destruction may just find their way into the bases and
destroy Singapore, whether in an accident or intentionally by someone
mad enough.

Now, some of you who have been following my arguments so far may not
be alarmed yet, so I will go back to my two early scenarios as
published in Singaporeans For Democracy. Those sketch scenarios around
the Changi Naval Base.

Now, the Changi Naval Base is even more deadly to Singapore's
existence than the American airbases on Singapore.

Why?

Think.

Each aircraft carrier that docks in Changi Naval Base is not only a
floating arsenal big enough to rain missiles and bombs on Iraq for
weeks, it also carries nuclear powered engines. Some of these nuclear
engines are very old. Think Chernobyl nuclear plant explosion. Think
Three Mile Island nuclear plant explosion. Think about all the smaller
leaks and radioactive escapes that happen so frighteningly often in
nuclear plants around the world.

The juggernaut nuclear powered aircraft carriers are the most worrying
dangers to Singapore but even the smaller warships and submarines also
carry nuclear engines and NBCOF weapons. All it takes is one weapon to
explode or one nuclear engine to leak and you will have a disaster
that makes the current SARS panic seem like a mere sniffle.

Not worried yet? OK. Then how about terrorists and saboteurs. If any
one or two of them can sneak into a US airbase or Changi Naval Base
and explodes a nuclear engine room or a NBCOF weapons stockpile,
Singapore is also finished.

Remember that Singapore is only an hour's drive north to south or east
to west. An accident or NBCOF explosion anywhere on the island will
result in the destruction or unliveability of the entire island.
Other, bigger countries can survive a similar accident but in
Singapore, where can you go? Where can you hide? The whole country is
finished.

Mr J B Jeyaretnam, when he was still in Parliament, (unlike the
practically 'planted' 3 docile Opposition Members now), used to ask
tough questions of Lee Kuan Yew. One of the questions was, "What are
the Terms of Agreement for the use by the US of air and naval and
other facilities in Singapore?"

Lee Kuan Yew refused to disclose the Terms of Agreement, if any. There
are probably none. Lee Kuan Yew acts by royal fiat, and often does not
need to formalise any decisions or actions he takes.

Thus, we Singaporeans lost a vital opportunity to learn of the dangers
we face. We lost a chance to learn whether, if it exists, a Terms of
Agreement prohibited the US warships and warplanes from carrying
dangerous materials or weapons into Singapore, in order to safeguard
Singapore's very survival from an accident. This would have been a
commonsense precaution and very reasonable condition for the entry and
use of Singapore bases. After all, the American airmen and sailors
would typically be more interested in our women and bars, than
operations, when in Singapore, so some safety conditions would have
imposed little hardship on them.

But in Lee Kuan Yew's overwhelming desire to 'bend over forwards' to
please the Americans, he did not impose any such conditions.

With every passing day, with every passing ship and plane, Singapore
runs a risk that threatens its very survival. I hope something is done
to safeguard this little island's livability. If my worst fears come
true, Singapore will be the most short-lived country in the history of
the world.

Robert Ho
30 Apr 03
UK 1806 Singapore 0106

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