Singapore releases foreign agent Dickson Yeo, says spying threat ‘neutralised’
- The former NUS PhD student was detained last December for acting as a paid foreign agent for China, and was also jailed in the US for spying
- The Internal Security Department said while his dealings were ‘clandestine’, he did not obtain classified information about Singapore, and is not a security threat
The Internal Security Department (ISD) said it had concluded investigations into the activities of Yeo and while it found his dealings with Chinese intelligence to be “clandestine” in nature, it also found that he did not manage to obtain and pass on classified information about Singapore to his foreign handlers.
“The threat that Yeo poses as a foreign agent is assessed to be effectively neutralised. As such, he does not pose a security threat that warrants continued detention,” it said.
The ISD added that Yeo has been released on a suspension direction – a ministerial direction to suspend the operation of an existing order of detention. The minister of home affairs however may revoke the direction and the individual will be re-detained if he does not comply with conditions stipulated.
Academic Dickson Yeo, who spied on the US for China, detained in Singapore
Yeo, who was a doctoral degree candidate at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, was first approached by his foreign handlers in 2015 through an online professional networking site.
They subsequently invited him to an academic symposium in China where he was approached to write reports for them.
Yeo went on to carry out various tasks given to him by his foreign handlers in exchange for “substantial amounts” of money from 2016 to 2019, including to source information and provide reports on issues of interest, which were primarily on global and regional geopolitical issues and developments, including issues related to Singapore.
The ISD said he was fully aware that his handlers were working for the intelligence apparatus of a foreign state.
Yeo approached various individuals in Singapore whom he thought would have privileged information on the issues and also set up a front company in the city state and placed job advertisements on social networking sites to identify potential writers and individuals for his foreign handlers.
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Yeo informed the individuals he approached that their tasks include doing research for various foreign clients.
“On the direction of his handlers, Yeo had also applied for sensitive government positions in order to enrich his reports with privileged policy insights and classified information. However, his attempts to secure employment in the public sector were unsuccessful,” said the ISD.
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The ISD said while attempts to target Singapore or use Singaporeans as proxies to pursue the interests of foreign states are not new, Yeo’s case shows how the threat has become more pronounced with the prevalence of social media, which has made it easier for foreign intelligence services to talent-spot, nurture and cultivate potential agents, even from abroad.
“The threat has manifested widely in several other countries, where retired or serving civil servants and individuals in the private sector with access to classified or sensitive information, have been targeted by foreign intelligence services via social networking sites.
“Singaporeans must therefore remain vigilant to such dangers posed by foreign agents, who may use social media profiles to offer attractive business or career opportunities, or even try to obtain sensitive information,” said the ISD.
