Internal Security Act 1960

Internal Security Act 1960 2020 REVISED EDITION This revised edition incorporates all amendments up to and including 1 December 2021 and comes into operation on 31 December 2021 An Act to provide for the internal security of Singapore, preventive detention, the prevention of subversion, the suppression of organised violence against persons and property in specified areas of Singapore, and for matters incidental thereto. [16 September 1963] Whereas action has been taken by a substantial body of persons to cause a substantial number of citizens to fear organised violence against persons and property: And Whereas action has been taken and threatened by a substantial body of persons which is prejudicial to the security of Malaya: And Whereas Parliament considers it necessary to stop or prevent that action: Now therefore pursuant to Article 149 of the Constitution be it enacted by the Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di‑Pertuan Agong with the advice and consent of the Dewan Negara and Dewan Ra’ayat in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: PART 1 PRELIMINARY Short title 1. This Act is the Internal Security Act 1960. Interpretation 2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — “advisory board” means an advisory board constituted as mentioned in Article 151(2) of the Constitution; “ammunition” means ammunition for any firearm as hereafter defined and includes grenades, bombs and other like missiles whether capable of use with such a firearm or not and any ammunition containing or designed or adapted to contain any noxious liquid, gas or other thing; “Commissioner of Police” includes the Deputy Commissioner of Police and any gazetted police officer for the time being lawfully authorised to exercise the powers and perform the duties conferred or imposed upon the Commissioner of Police by this Act; “controlled area” means any area declared to be a controlled area under section 50; “danger area” means any area declared to be a danger area under section 49; “document” includes any substance on which is recorded any matter, whether by letters, figures, marks, pictorial or other representation, or by more than one of these means; “entertainment” means any game, sport, diversion, concert or amusement of any kind to which the public has or is intended to have access and in which members of the public may or may not take part, whether on payment or otherwise; “exhibition” includes every display of goods, books, pictures, films or articles to which the public has or is intended to have access, whether on payment or otherwise; “explosive” — (a) means gunpowder, nitroglycerine, dynamite gun‑cotton, blasting powder, fulminate of mercury or of other metals, coloured fires and every other substance, whether similar to those abovementioned or not, used or manufactured with a view to producing a practical effect by explosion or a pyrotechnic effect; (b) includes fog-signals, fireworks, fuses, rockets, percussion caps, detonators, cartridges, ammunition of all descriptions and every adaptation or preparation of an explosive as above defined; (c) includes an explosive within the meaning of the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021; and [Act 3 of 2021 wef 01/07/2025] (d) includes any material for making any explosive and any apparatus, machine, implement or material used or intended to be used or adapted for causing or aiding in causing any explosion in or with any explosive, and any part of any such apparatus, machine or implement; “firearm” means any lethal barrelled weapon of any description from which any shot, bullet or other missile can be discharged or which can be adapted for the discharge of any such shot, bullet or other missile and any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing, and includes any component part of any such weapon as aforesaid; “Minister” means the Minister charged with the responsibility for internal security; “offence under this Act” includes an offence under any regulations made under section 72; “officer in charge of a division” means any police officer appointed as such and, when any officer so appointed is unable through absence, illness or otherwise to perform his duties, means the police officer designated, under the authority of the Commissioner of Police, to act for him; “periodical publication” includes every publication issued periodically or in parts or numbers at intervals, whether regular or irregular; “police officer” includes an auxiliary police officer and a special police officer appointed in accordance with any written law for the time being in force; “promoter”, in the case of an entertainment or exhibition promoted by a society, includes the secretary and officials of such society and, in the case of a society organised or having its headquarters outside Singapore, the officials in Singapore of such society; “proprietor” includes the owner, tenant or other person in possession or control of premises and any person who receives payment for the use of premises; “protected place” means any place or premises in relation to which an order made under section 51 is in force; “publication” includes all written, pictorial or printed matter, and everything of a nature similar to written or printed matter, whether or not containing any visible representation, or by its form, shape or in any other manner capable of suggesting words or ideas, and every copy, translation and reproduction or substantial translation or reproduction in part or in whole thereof; “public place” includes any highway, public street, public road, public park or garden, any sea beach, waterway, public bridge, lane, footway, square, court, alley or passage, whether a thoroughfare or not, any unalienated land, any rubber estate, any plantation, any land alienated for agricultural or mining purposes, any theatre or place of public entertainment of any kind or other place of general resort admission to which is obtained by payment or to which the public has access, and any open space to which for the time being the public has or is permitted to have access, whether on payment or otherwise; “public road” means any public highway or any road over which the public has a right of way or is granted access, and includes every road, street, bridge, passage, footway or square over which the public has a right of way or is granted access; “security area” means any area in respect of which a proclamation under section 48 is for the time being in force; “security forces” includes the Singapore Police Force, the Special Constabulary, the auxiliary police force, the Singapore Armed Forces, any local forces established under any written law in force in Singapore, and any force which is a visiting force for the purposes of Part 1 of the Visiting Forces Act 1960 and in respect of whom all or any of the powers exercisable by the Singapore Armed Forces or their members under this Act have been made exercisable by an order made under any such law; “supplies” includes ammunition, explosives, firearms, money, food, drink, clothing, medicines, drugs or any other stores, instruments, commodities, articles or things whatsoever; “terrorist” means any person who — (a) by the use of any firearm, explosive or ammunition acts in a manner prejudicial to the public safety or to the maintenance of public order or incites to violence or counsels disobedience to the law or to any lawful order; (b) carries or has in his possession or under his control any firearm, ammunition or explosive without lawful authority; or (c) demands, collects or receives any supplies for the use of any person who intends or is about to act, or has recently acted, in a manner prejudicial to public safety or the maintenance of public order.