worrier wrote:I am an American contemplating an expat assignment in Singapore. We would be sending our children to the American school, and we may join the American club. We would likely live in a
condo or neighborhood with many westerners. Should we bother to paint the bullseye on our foreheads? I'm up nights worrying that we'd endanger ourselves--and especially our children--being there. Anyone else worried about this?
I will not log in for this one, but all I will say is that if anyone should worry then it should be me, and I was for a while before i first arrived. I was back packing in a country when i fell into the wrong crowd, this guy I shared my room with was connected to a network.
I became very suspious of this guy becuase of all the questions related to the military and what went down in Bosnia, He was very critical of UK, strangely he asked me to go with him around midnight to a bar, where he met up with a group of 5 or 6, he never invited me into the grp, which i thought very strange, so I just left, I was actually being set up.
I am actually trained in anti-terrorism, the next day the guy left, and I was folllowed and hunted down over a 5 day period, I was able to escape and inform police, police didn't take it serious, and I warned them something was going down, and it was against the UK, because of Bosnia. No one listened, 2 months later they assisinated a high ranking British envoy.
You mustn't worry, they will not target you or your family, if anything it will be MRT, USA or British interests here in Singapore.
Just be aware of the fact that the odds of it happening are quite high, and it could just as well happen where you are, if you are a real worry take some medicine, Some people do suffer from fear all the time believe me, I suffer every time getting on a plane, after crashing in a helicopter many years before, but life goes on.
The muslims here are very friendly towards myself and we chat on a daily basis, I very rarely see many expats, yet i do feel safe, but never drop my guard, but that is more to do with training, which becomes second nature. Once a policeman always a policeman!
This is an opportunity you should jump at, you will be a family out of 4 million others, I personally live within the muslim community here in Singapore and not in the expat areas, and i can sleep at night, I don't even know any expats at all. No time all work and no play.
I believe you and your family will settle in, if you give it a chance, and the experience will be very good for all.