“This is a hijack! Don’t land in Singapore or we will blow the plane up!”
- Terrorist Shahid Hussain Soomro
Lessons on leadership: From the hijacking of Singapore Airline SQ 117
Here's the story...
1. Hijack begins
On March 26, 1991:
Singapore Airlines flight SQ 117 was hijacked by Pakistani terrorists soon after leaving Kuala Lumpur airport.
The plane landed in Singapore’s Changi Airport shortly after at 10.24pm.
With:
* 114 passengers
* 11 crew members on board.
2. Reason for hijack
They were held hostage by 4 men.
Lead by leader Shahid Hussain.
The terrorists doused the plane with alcohol and threatened to blow it up
Their demand?
To speak to former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto.
To release of a number of people jailed in Pakistan
3. Big shoes to fill
Singapore just had a new Prime Minister for 4 months.
His name is Goh Chok Tong.
He was just succeeding previous prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew.
The whole of Singapore was watching...
4. Sleep like a baby
“I was astounded. Hijacking of an airline was unheard of in Singapore”
Mr Goh recalls.
After getting off a call with the Permanent Secretary to get an update, Mr Goh did the “unthinkable”.
He went back home
And slept for full 7 hours without interruption
5. The secret weapon
He decided to leave the handling of the matter to his Executive Group, consisting:
* Former chief of defence force Ng Jui Ping
* Home Affairs Minister S. Jayakumar.
Turns out, Singapore had a Special Operations Force (SOF) set up years prior...
6. This elite fighting force was set up in 1985:
With the specific task of dealing with terrorism.
Up till that point, no one, except for a select few among the top echelons of government and military, knew of the existence of this secret group.
It was classified.
7. Stalling for time
Throughout the night from when the plane landed in Singapore, and stretching till the wee hours of the morning...
The group continued to use delay tactics by negotiating to and fro with the 4 Pakistani terrorists.
Meanwhile, during those few hours...
8. Preparing to storm the plane
The Special Operations Force (SOF) was rehearsing a storming operation in a similar Airbus plane model.
To prepare for the mission happening soon.
At about 6.45am, when the terrorists started to get impatient and irrational...
9. Shit getting real
They threatened to kill the co-pilot if they were not allowed to depart in the next 5 minutes.
It was time to stop stalling and go for the jugular.
Time was ticking...
The Sun was about to rise in a matter of minutes and would jeopardize their mission.
10. The rescue mission
At 6.50am, using the cover of darkness to approach the plane undetected...
The SOF blasted the plane doors open with detonators and tossed stun grenades into the plane.
In 30 seconds, all four hijackers were shot dead
11. Zero casualties
Every single one of the passengers and crew were unharmed.
The SOF's seven years of training paid off with precision
The cheers in the control room of the Executive Group, said Chief of Defence Ng, was like “a spontaneous roar in a football stadium.”
12. The update
A call was immediately made to Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Informing him that the crisis had been resolved.
All passengers were safe and all terrorists were eliminated.
No one knew that he had had a restful 7 hours of sleep.
[END]
Short transcript of an interview with Mr Goh Chok Tong recounting the SQ117 crisis.
His answers shed light on several lessons on leadership.
1. It's important to know when to intervene and when to let your team handle it.
There is wisdom in knowing when to step back
2. There is a time to probe and ask questions, and there is a time not to.
Staying calm and logical is crucial in crisis times.
3. You don't always need to show the world your capability or authority
The key is to get the job done as a leader.
Credit to: Peh Shing Huei
Book: Standing Tall “The Goh Chok Tong Years” Volume 2
Friend of mine gifted me this book.
Not my usual kind of read.
I’m only 3 chapters in so far and surprisingly, I’m enjoying it.
Any errors made above are my own.
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