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SINGAPORE: Singapore's security agencies believe that Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader Mas Selamat Kastari is still in Singapore.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng revealed this in Parliament on Monday, in response to a question from MP Lily Neo.
After listening to an hour-long explanation by Mr Wong, MPs spent the rest of the sitting seeking clarifications.
MP Inderjit Singh, Ang Mo Kio GRC, asked: "Can I ask who audits ISD (Internal Security Department)? Do they audit themselves and therefore create the weaknesses within the system?"
In reply, Mr Wong pointed out that as with all systems, once they are operated by humans, the systems can only be as good as the people who operate them.
He said: "We can have all the systems in place. But if the people don't follow them, I think some day, something will happen."
However, the home affairs minister assured the MPs that all the lapses identified in the Mas Selamat case have been dealt with, and it is unlikely that the same lapses will recur.
"Audits will be in place, not just by ISD, but also by the Prisons Department. Every year, they will do a regular audit of the place and I'm sure for the senior management in the ISD, they will also do regular audits by a separate group of people outside the Whitley Road Detention Centre," he said.
Mr Wong also spent some time addressing rumours that have been circulating around.
Opposition MP Low Thia Khiang asked if there was any truth to a rumour that Mas Selamat died during detention and that the government has simply staged the escape as a cover-up.
"Instead of telling me about this groundless speculation, may I ask Mr Low if he believes that Mas Selamat has died?"
"No, I don't," answered Mr Low, which put an end to the question.
While he acknowledged complacency in the operations of the detention centre, Mr Wong dismissed suggestions that his ministry had been complacent in supervising its departments.
He said: "Within individual units, there could be some slackening in some ways. I can't guarantee that would not happen because in any human organisation, there would be human weaknesses displayed and unfortunately, things do happen that we don't want to see."
MP Halimah Yacob, Jurong GRC, said: "There are good things coming out of it. We now know that we just cannot be complacent... we have to be vigilant all the time."
And while the home affairs minister did not reveal any operational details of ISD's current work, he said the information gathered – including those from counterparts in the region – has led them to believe that Mas Selamat is still in Singapore.
"Throughout the search in the last seven weeks or so, there were some findings that led to our security agencies believing that he is in Singapore. I can assure you that available means of collecting information about Mas Selamat have been deployed," said Mr Wong.
On the same issue, opposition MP Chiam See Tong asked why tracker dogs were not used in the manhunt.
Mr Wong replied that he is not an expert on tracker dogs and he could only inform the House based on what he has been told by the professionals.
He said: "The moment the escape was discovered, the guards turned out and searched the area, with lots of people on the ground. I was advised by professionals that in those situations, no value would be added by tracker dogs. I was also told that tracker dogs were deployed in certain locations in the vicinity of the Whitley Road Detention Centre."
However, Mr Wong added that he would pass Mr Chiam's views and knowledge about tracker dogs to the police and let them assess whether it would indeed be beneficial to use them in such situations.
- CNA/so
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