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SINGAPORE: A confluence of three critical factors led to
security lapses that resulted in Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) detainee Mas
Selamat Kastari’s escape from detention in February.
This was the conclusion of the Committee of Inquiry (COI) on Mas
Selamat’s escape from the Whitley Road Detention Centre on 27
February this year.
The findings of the three—member panel were presented by Deputy
Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng in
Parliament on Monday afternoon in a Ministerial Statement.
First, there was a physical security breach as the ventilation
window in the toilet — from which Mas Selamat made his escape — did
not have grilles.
Second, the guards watching Mas Selamat allowed him to close the
door of the urinal cubicle when they should not have done so.
And third, there was a physical weakness in the perimeter
fencing outside the Family Visitation Block, where the toilet was
located, which made it easier for Mas Selamat to get out of the
detention centre’s premises.
On the day of his escape, Mas Selamat was escorted by two Gurkha
guards and a Special Duty Operative — who is an Internal Security
Department (ISD) officer — from his cell to a locker room to change
into civilian clothes for his family’s visit.
At the locker room, the guards lost sight of him when he stood
behind a column of lockers to change. He was then escorted to the
Family Visitation Block, where he used a toilet, renovated in 2007,
to shave and comb his hair before meeting his family members.
He then entered a urinal cubicle, closed the door and turned on
a water tap inside the cubicle. One guard stood outside the cubicle
door, while the other was outside the main toilet door.
After a while, the guard outside the cubicle felt Mas Selamat
was taking too long. But instead of checking, he alerted the second
guard outside the toilet, who alerted the female Duty
Operative.
The Duty Operative then alerted a male Assistant Case Officer,
who ran in, kicked open the door and found Mas Selamat gone. The
ventilation window in the cubicle was left open.
Mr Wong said the delay by the guards and their failure to keep
Mas Selamat in sight was the second most critical security failure
which led to the terrorist’s escape. By this time, 11 minutes had
lapsed since he first entered the toilet.
The COI found that during renovations in 2007, grilles had not
been fixed to that particular toilet window due to a
misunderstanding between the ISD and the contractor.
The superintendent of the centre, who was alerted to this
weakness in May 2007, asked the contractor to saw off the window
handle as a security measure instead, which Mr Wong said was a bad
judgement on the superintendent’s part.
In addition, the CCTV coverage of the area was being upgraded to
add motion—detectors, but the cameras were not yet operational.
While there is no conclusive evidence as to how he had escaped
from the centre after that, the COI believes Mas Selamat may have
climbed onto the roof of an enclosed staircase which converges with
the perimeter fencing. He could then have jumped over the fencing
out of the centre.
The COI also believes that the JI leader had planned his escape
over time.
DPM Wong said: "Prior to his escape, during previous family
visits, Mas Selamat had partially closed the urinal cubicle door on
some occasions.
"On 5 February 2008, he had closed the urinal cubicle door
completely and turned on the water tap. The COI believes that these
actions by Mas Selamat could have been done to test how the guards
would react. This could also have helped him prepare for his actual
escape attempt.
"This planning had not been noted by the guards, possibly
because the guards are frequently rotated to avoid over
familiarisation or fraternisation with detainees."
The COI — comprising Mr Goh Joon Seng, a retired High Court
Judge; Mr Tee Tua Ba, a retired Commissioner of Police; and Dr
Choong May Ling, Deputy Secretary of Security at the Home Affairs
Ministry — was given full access to all information in its
investigations of Mas Selamat’s escape.
This included highly classified and sensitive information on
operational systems and processes, as well as access to interviews
with ISD intelligence and field personnel.
The committee submitted its report on 10 April and Mr Wong said
he is "satisfied" that it has "held nothing back" in its
conclusions and recommendations.
He added that in view of the keen and valid interest of MPs and
the public, an Executive Summary has been released on the COI’s
findings.
In response to a question from opposition non—constituency MP
Sylvia Lim, Mr Wong said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is expected
to make a ministerial statement in Parliament on Tuesday on
government responsibility for Mas Selamat’s escape. — CNA/so
