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On September 10, 2001, I presented my credentials to President Nathan and officially took up my post as U.S. ambassador to Singapore. The following day, as the world watched in horror, terrorists murdered 3,000 persons in the U.S. In the days that followed, I and other Americans in Singapore were deeply moved by the spontaneous outpouring of sympathy and support. Flowers and cards poured into the Embassy and, along with Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and the Singapore leadership, thousands of ordinary Singaporeans came to the memorial service at the National Stadium. Little did we know at that time that the terrorists were also planning operations in Singapore. Fortunately the Singapore police were ahead of the terrorists and were able to stop their plans for truck bombs. This close call in Singapore reminds all of us of the importance of expanded law enforcement and intelligence efforts and the role of international cooperation. This enhanced vigilance has yielded results, breaking up terrorist cells from Singapore to Europe to the United States. One year ago, al Qaeda openly ran terrorist training camps in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and sent their graduates around the world, including to Singapore, to carry out mass murder. The terrorist sanctuary in Afghanistan has been destroyed through the joint effort of many nations, and a start has been made at rebuilding that country. Nations are not so different from individuals: the more we work together on tasks of shared importance, the closer our links become. The grand coalition of nations now working together against terrorism has built new ties between countries, bolstering U.S. relations with China, Russia, and many others. Counter-terrorism efforts become an important item of cooperation among Southeast Asian nations, and between ASEAN countries and the United States. This cooperation will only intensify, built on the solid foundation laid during the last year. Singapore, like the U.S., is a multi-cultural nation. In both our countries, harmony between persons of different faiths and ethnicities is a requirement for social stability and economic prosperity. I have been impressed at how hard Singaporeans work at building links between different communities. These efforts have paid dividends over the last year, as Singaporeans coped with the reality that fellow citizens with links to al Qaeda had calmly discussed the best way to bomb an MRT station. Just as with the World Trade Centre attacks, many of the victims would have been Muslims. Just as in the United States, Singaporeans have been able to understand that the terrorists were defaming Islam, not upholding it. The road forward against terrorism is not easy, and we will need to keep our efforts up for a long time. As we look back at September 11 one year later, and remember the victims and console the survivors, we should have satisfaction at the progress made to date. Singapore, the United States, and the other civilized nations or the world are working together to protect our way of life and the open, successful societies we have built. (The writer is U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. He contributed this comment to Lianhe Zaobao.)
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去年9月10日，我向纳丹总统呈递国书，正式出任美国驻新加坡大使。第二天，世人看到令他们震惊的场面——恐怖分子在美国谋害了三千条人命。 新加坡人在接下来的日子里自然流露的慰问和支持，让我和身在新加坡的其他美国人深受感动。 大使馆不断的收到鲜花和慰问卡，成千上万的一般新加坡人，也和吴作栋总理及其他新加坡国家领袖，出席了在加冷国家体育场为死难者举行的追悼会。 那时，我们根本没有料到恐怖分子也准备在新加坡进行恐怖活动。幸亏新加坡警察棋高一着，才使他们的卡车炸弹阴谋胎死腹中。 新加坡化险为夷的经验，提醒我们加强执法行动、情报收集工作、和扩大国际合作的重要性。提高警惕的结果，使我们成功的瓦解了新加坡、欧洲和美国的一些恐怖组织细胞。 一年前，卡伊达组织在受塔利班控制的阿富汗，公开设立军营训练恐怖分子，并把完成训练的成员派到世界各地，包括新加坡，进行集体谋杀活动。 恐怖分子在阿富汗的藏身之处，在各国的合作下已经被摧毁，重建阿富汗的工作也已经开始。 国家和个人有时候并没有多大的分别：我们越是在共同认为重要的工作上加强合作，关系将越变得密切。反恐怖主义的大联盟帮助各国建立了新的联系，巩固了美国和中国、俄罗斯及其他国家的关系。 反恐怖主义活动也成为东南亚国家间合作关系，和亚细安成员国及美国合作关系中的重要项目。过去一年所建立的稳固基础，将进一步加强这种合作关系。 新加坡和美国同样是多元文化国家。来自不同信仰和不同种族的人们必须和谐共处，才能确保社会稳定和经济繁荣。 新加坡人一向不遗余力的加强不同族群间的联系，让我留下非常深刻的印象。过去一年来，面对和卡伊达有关联的一些新加坡人曾经商讨炸毁地铁站的最佳方法的事实时，新加坡人的反应突显了这些努力的成果。 就像对世贸中心的攻击行动一样，很多受害者将是回教徒。和美国的情形一样，新加坡人明白恐怖分子的行动不是在维护回教，而是在诬蔑回教。 反恐怖主义是一项艰巨的工作，需要长期和不断的努力。今天是九一一事件一周年，在追悼罹难者和安慰幸存者的同时，对于到目前为止反恐活动所取得的进展，我们应该感到满意。 新加坡、美国和其他文明国家或整个世界，正携手合作捍卫我们的生活方式，和我们所建立的开放和成功的社会。 ·作者是美国驻新加坡大使，本文是他特为早报撰写的九一一周年评论。叶琦保译。
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