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SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said the Committee of Inquiry's (COI) hearings on Mas Selamat Kastari's escape cannot be made public because it will have unrestricted access to the Internal Security Department's (ISD) classified information.
However, the government will release full details on how the Jemaah Islamiyah leader escaped and the kinds of precaution that have to be taken in the future.
DPM Wong, who is also the Home Affairs Minister, was speaking to reporters on Sunday on the sidelines of a constituency visit to Shunfu.
In the meantime, authorities are not letting up on the search for Singapore's most wanted man, Mas Selamat, who escaped from Whitley Road Detention Centre on 27 February.
It was announced on 2 March that a three-member Committee of Inquiry had been tasked to find out what led to his escape. These three members are retired judge Goh Joon Seng, ex-police commissioner Tee Tua Ba, and deputy secretary at the Home Affairs Ministry, Choong May Ling.
Recently, the Workers' Party suggested that President S R Nathan appoint a Commission of Inquiry under the Prisons Act instead so that investigations can be made public.
The opposition party added that the president could "direct that certain information not be made public".
Mr Wong explained that regardless of the Committee set up to investigate the incident, parts of the report will still have to remain classified.
He said: "The Committee will have to look into the security, the detention, the investigation as well as the intelligence gathering of the Whitley Road Detention Centre and the ISD officers. These matters cannot be made public.
"If it's made public, it'll compromise the confidentiality of the investigation as well as the intelligence gathered so far. That being the case, it's therefore important that the officers are able to speak their minds. Many of them are also classified appointments; this means they are not declared to the public."
Mr Wong noted that what is "more important is to provide the Committee with unrestricted access for it to conduct a rigorous, thorough and comprehensive inquiry. Conducting the inquiry in closed chambers provides for and ensures this. It is not an exercise at grand-standing or playing to the gallery".
"This does not mean that the public will not be kept informed of the inquiry and its findings. I have already said that when the COI completes its inquiry, we will give a full account on how Mas Selamat escaped and what has been done to prevent another escape," he said.
The deputy prime minister also added that there is no reason to doubt the independence of the Committee as the members are not about to put their own considerable achievements and good reputations at risk.
Mr Wong later gave an update on the CID's investigation as well, saying it is in the final stages. Its investigation includes interviews with several dozen witnesses and forensic examination of the escape scene.
The report will be submitted to the Attorney-General's Chambers, which will decide on appropriate follow-up actions.
- CNA/so
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