Channel NewsAsia - 2 hours 23 minutes
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As police and army officers and their tracker dogs continued
their intensive search of the forested areas in various parts of
Singapore yesterday, the public kept their eyes peeled for fugitive
Mas Selamat Kastari.
He is believed to be still within the Republic’s borders and
having gone for more than 100 hours without shelter or food since
his escape last Wednesday afternoon is likely to break cover.
Believed to be on his own, this could be the crucial period when
an emotionally erratic and desperate man on the run, makes his
move, most likely under the cover of night.
Most in Singapore know his face many have received MMS photos of
the man from the three telcos but the police have added another
element to watch out for: Any person wearing ill—fitting clothes,
avoiding eye contact, or trying to conceal his appearance by
wearing a cap, sunglasses or coat.
Police say that Mas Selamat, a trained mechanic, is adept at
jumpstarting motor vehicles. “He would try to look for means of
transportation ... It is possible that he may be able to start a
car, motorcycle or even a motor boat given his background as a
mechanic,” a top police officer told reporters yesterday during a
briefing at the Special Operations Command (SOC) the first since
the escape that launched Singapore’s largest manhunt.
Said Assistant Commissioner Wong Hong Kuan, Director of
Operations: “We believe that he is unaided in his escape. Mas
Selamat needs money, food, shelter and clothing to try and escape
from Singapore.”
One new point: The former Jemaah Islamiyah leader’s limp in his
left leg is only noticeable when he runs or walks briskly.
AC Wong urged the public to be extra vigilant Mas Selamat could
have stolen a knife to arm himself and to report any thefts
immediately. If you spot him, call 999, but do not try to apprehend
him, was the advice from the police.
Why was the public only notified some four hours after the
escape?
AC Wong said the priority in “the first few hours” was to step
up border security and get the search going. “We needed to be sure
of what was actually happening, before giving out information. In
any operation, we always refine our tactics, including managing
communications to the public.”
Even as he spoke, more than 300 calls have been received by the
police, said Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, who was also
visiting the SOC base, to check on the morale of the search
party.
Paying tribute to the troops, Mr Wong said all leads provided by
the public were being followed up. No stone would be left unturned,
he assured Singaporeans.
Today understands that last Wednesday at about 5.15pm 70 minutes
after Mas Selamat escaped a bus commuter reported seeing a man,
believed to be the fugitive, at a petrol kiosk near the detention
centre.
Four hours before the prison break, a SingPost van was stolen
after the driver had left the engine running near the Woodlands
Civic Centre. The stolen vehicle has still not been found.
Authorities would not say if it was linked to the Mas Selamat
hunt.
“We are grateful for the support from Singaporeans, community
leaders and corporate bodies. All efforts count, big or small,”
said Mr Wong.
He acknowledged the inconvenience to travellers from the
100—per—cent security searches at the land checkpoints.
“I thank them for bearing with us,” he added. Border controls at
all land, air and sea entry ports as well as unauthorised
immigration points remain on high alert.
Singapore’s reputation “has taken a knock”, admitted Mr Wong.
“We must learn from mistakes so that we do not repeat them. We will
recover from this.”
The authorities do not consider Mas Selamat an immediate threat
as the JI network in Singapore has been crippled. “But in the long
term, who knows?” said Mr Wong.
The Internal Security Department has been speaking to Mas
Selamat’s family and asking them “a lot of questions to see if they
know anything”, he said. He was heartened by the spontaneous
community response, where many Singaporeans from all walks of life
took the initiative to disseminate pamphlets and posters on Mas
Selamat.
This was in addition to efforts by grassroots leaders to
distribute police fliers at various places such as town centres,
MRT stations and bus interchanges. In all, over 54,000 posters and
flyers have been distributed.
More than 1,000 officers are involved in the manhunt. SOC
Commander, Assistant Commissioner Raymond Yeo said the search could
go on “indefinitely as we have the manpower and the resources”.
The break—out has also dominated Internet chatter with more than
400 people joining five groups on popular social networking site
Facebook to discuss Mas Selamat’s escape.
Interpol has also issued a red alert for Mas Selamat on top of a
previous orange alert which means that any law enforcement officer
among the international police network’s 186 member countries can
help arrest him on the spot.
Indonesian authorities have mobilised its navy, army and police
around the Riau archipelago to track down Mas Selamat. Police
officers are monitoring the ferry terminals while naval ships are
checking trawlers and fishing boats. TODAY/
