Surrounded by guns: ST journalist recalls nerve-racking time, at final What’s The News? school programme
ST senior crime correspondent Zaihan Mohamed Yusof was sharing his experiences with students on Aug 28.
In 1999, when he was just five months into his career as a reporter, The Straits Times’ senior crime correspondent Zaihan Mohamed Yusof encountered the leader of Acehnese rebels during a conflict with the Indonesian military. Surrounded by firearms and suspected of being a Javanese spy, Zaihan quickly reassured the rebel leader, Teungku Abdullah Syafi’i, that he was Singaporean and Malay.
Surprised by Zaihan's clarification, Syafi’i burst into laughter and hugged him, saying, “Welcome back to your homeland.” The incident was shared by Zaihan during the What’s The News? (WTN) assembly programme at St Gabriel’s Secondary School on August 28. Student Caffrey Luah Jun Yu expressed his appreciation for the program, stating that it helped him understand the effort journalists put into their work and the importance of reading the news regularly to stay informed about the world.
The assembly programme, which ran its final session at St Gabriel’s Secondary in 2026, aimed to engage youth with current affairs and critical thinking. The programme, launched in 2025 as part of The Straits Times' 180th anniversary, is an interactive quiz for young people that encourages them to stay informed about issues that affect their lives and the world around them.
The initiative also includes assembly programmes in selected schools and a travelling showcase, which posed the question “Is AI changing the way you think?” during its final appearances at six schools between June and August 2026.
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