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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/
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