Skip to main content

Mas Selamat

A carpet-combing manhunt at all corners of Singapore is now on!

Detained JI member Mas Selamat escaped from police custody on 27 Feb 08 (4 p.m) !

A lapse in security at the Whitley Detention Centre on Wednesday was the cause for the escape of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) member Mas Selamat Kastari.

Mas Selamat had been taken from his cell to another part of the detention centre for a visit from his family. He then asked to be allowed to visit the toilet, where he escaped. This was the second incident in recent months that serious security lapses had occurred. Just last August, National Serviceman Dave Teo Min has escaped from his military camp, armed dangerously with a M16 rifle. Nevertheless he was caught eventually.
This incident highlights that security lapses do still occur in the seemingly impenetrable fortress: the Singapore’s security system.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Singapore Police Force (SPF) were heavily mobilized and deployed to nab the dangerous criminal. The vicinity where Mas Selamat escaped was heavily guarded with hundreds of soldiers and policemen.

Lots of resources and military manpower were spent just to nab a single man, it is inconceivable to think what would happen if an adversary chooses to attack Singapore during this period while its troops were heavily deployed to nab the JI criminal.

It is a relief that the incident occurred a week after the Singapore Air Show, else bad publicity would certainly be generated to the many international media and tarnish the reputation of Singapore.

Singapore has just clinched the inaugural Youth Olympics Games, the escape of such a dangerous JI criminal as Mas Selamat would certainly tarnish Singapore’s international reputation as a safe country.

At this point in writing, it was reported the search for Selamat was called off suddenly by Mindef around 7 pm. No reason by the authorities were given.

The hunt is still on for Mas Selamat!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Vernon Leong Jun Wei

What happens to the 31 year old bride groom, Vernon Leong Jun Wei? As the news of this latest unnatural and bizzare death developed, it seemed that Vernon did not jump from the 24th storey of Hilton Hotel as was believed earlier. There were 3 video camera footages which might prove otherwises for the cause of Vernon's death. The first video footage showed Vernon at the 24th storey, making his way hurriedly into the fire escape staircase. The next video footage showed Vernon at the 2nd storey which also holds some shops and the final footage showed an unconscious Vernon motionless at the ground of the hotel. Vernon was cladded casually in a T-shirt and pants and have left his hotel room while his wife was taking a shower. It seemed that he might be escaping from something or somebody or that he might be chasing after something or somebody. What did Vernon see and experience at his last moments? The police is still investigating the case. It is really a very tragical and sad

Kampong Lorong Buangkok

Amidst the blazing afternoon sun today, my Dear and I made our way to Kampong Lorong Buangkok. The visit was a timely one as there is such a high buzz being generated over the last kampong in modern Singapore. After alighting from Bus 854 from Eunos, it was not difficult to find our way to the kampong. The entrance of the kampong was distinct as you could see from the picture: the 'ulu-ness' (rural charm) is evident from the attap-roofed buildings and more unkempt conditions. A signboard with hand-written text welcome my Dear and I to the last kampong in Singapore: As we entered the kampong, I spotted a middle-aged woman talking to an old man. I had seen the old woman before on TV. She was none other than the owner of the kampong land. In the documentary, I learnt that the whole kampong land was passed to her by her late father. She has kept the land and have not gone on to sell the land to the government. If she were to sell the land, she would be an instant multi-millionair

Performance Bonus

It is the time of the year civil servants receive their performance bonuses (PBs). In the coming two weeks, civil servants will not only receive their performance bonuses, special ‘growth bonuses’, would also await them for the very first time. These PBs and growth bonuses are only applicable to performers, defined as officers with assessed performance gradings above the ‘D’ grade. Typically, civil servants receive their performance bonuses in March, a 0.5 month of bonus in July and a 13th month plus AVC in December. Are all the bonuses good? To be frank, the bonuses dished out in Civil Service are averages at best. With the various bonuses being given out in these months: July, December and March, a civil servant who would like to quit would most likely try to find a ‘suitable’ month to quit so as not to forfeit his bonuses. The December bonus is generally the most generous portion. To quantify for this bonus, an officer would have to be in service till the end of January ne