Singapore, Nov 18 (IANS): Singapore, like many other countries, is not immune to the threats posed by the militant groups like Islamic State (IS) as it has extended far beyond the areas where it operates, said former deputy prime minister Wong Kan Seng while speaking at a seminar Tuesday .

He said Singapore has been fortunate to have the support of Muslim religious leaders and scholars, as well as volunteers and others to build trust and resilience in the society here, Strait Times reported.

"Their efforts have given us a strong foundation of communal trust and social cohesion which will help Singapore and Singaporeans stay alert against the threat and stay united in the event of any incident.

"To date, we have been successful in keeping the terrorism threat at bay. But I worry that the general public might think that the Syrian conflict, the IS are happenings far away, and would not affect us," he said, adding that every resident needed to be vigilant against this threat.

He said that the conflict in Syria and IS have given "new impetus" to existing jihadi groups in the region. And he noted that more than 350 southeast Asians are reported to have gone to participate in the Syrian conflict, including two Singaporeans.