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This is something interesting from Malaysiakini.... Mas Selamat apparently swim to Johor a few days after escaping from Whitley. It means even after putting up the dragnet, Singapore side didnt manage to capture him.... hmmmm
| Fugitive S'pore militant held under ISA |
| May 8, 09 1:42pm |
The alleged leader of an Islamic militant group accused of plotting to crash an airliner in Singapore has been arrested in Malaysia after more than a year on the run.
MCPX 
Prime Minister Najib Razak said Mas Selamat Kastari, who escaped from a high-security detention centre in Singapore by crawling through a toilet window, was plotting new attacks on the city-state when he was detained.
"We apprehended him here, his main focus at the time was Singapore," he told reporters. "He was planning a lot of things in Singapore."
"I congratulate the police on arresting someone who is deemed able to pose a threat to security," he said.
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Mas Selamat was being held under internal security laws but would not confirm reports he was arrested on April 1 in Johor, which is separated from Singapore by a narrow waterway.
 "We are becoming an expert on him so hopefully this time he won't escape us, and the Singaporean experience will help," he said of the Indonesian-born militant who has escaped custody several times.
Police chief Musa Hasan said he was detained early last month along with two other suspected militants in a joint operation by Singapore and Malaysian police.
"We are in contact with our counterparts (in Singapore and Indonesia) and have informed them about what we have gathered from them," he told AFP.
Mas Selamat is said to be the head of the Singapore cell of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), an underground group linked to Al-Qaeda and blamed for the 2002 Bali bombing and other bloody attacks in Southeast Asia.
 Singapore officials alleged he was part of a plot to hijack an airliner in Bangkok and crash it into Changi airport - one of Asia's busiest - in 2001 following the September 11 attacks that year in the United States.
Now 48, he escaped from his high-security detention centre in Singapore on February 27 last year after squeezing through a toilet window that had no bars and climbing over a fence.
His flight triggered a huge manhunt, but a flood of tips from the public, some inspired by a bounty of S$1 million (US$647,520) put up by two local businessmen, turned out to be false alarms.
The affair made the strict city-state an object of ridicule and triggered a sweeping review of security measures.
Mas Selamat swam across Johor Strait
Najib said he had managed to enter Malaysia a few days after leaving the detention facility.
Singapore Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng told broadcaster Channel NewsAsia that Mas Selamat swam across the Johor Strait that separates the two countries, using an improvised flotation device.
The militant had not been formally charged at the time of his escape, and was being held under Singapore's Internal Security Act which - like the Malaysian equivalent - allows for detention without trial.
He had fled Singapore in December 2001 after a security operation against Jemaah Islamiyah but was arrested in Indonesia in 2006 and handed back.
"He is an extremely skilled and dangerous terrorist and the fact that he has been recaptured improves the security situation in Singapore and the region," said John Harrison, a security analyst at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
"This is irrespective of what he may or may not have been able to accomplish during his escape," he told AFP.
Harrison praised Singapore and Malaysian authorities for their cooperation and said they had kept the news under wraps to get more intelligence away from the media glare.
Sidney Jones, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, applauded the arrest, but said it did not erase the threat.
 "In some ways the bigger danger will still come from the people at large," she told AFP from Jakarta.
"I think we've got a number of little splinters. I don't think this arrest will change their strategies."
Rohan Gunaratna, a security analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, described Mas Selamat's arrest as a "very significant blow to the JI network because JI is trying to revive."
"Mas Selamat is a key icon of the Jemaah Islamiah organisation, he is one of the most dangerous terrorists in this region, his arrest is a major setback to the JI organisation," he told broadcaster Channel NewsAsia.
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He was caught in Skudai... wow quite near in JB..
PUTRAJAYA, May 8 (Bernama) – Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun
Hussein today confirmed that Mas Selamat Kastari, the suspected leader of the
Jemaah Islamiah militant group who escaped from a Singapore detention centre
last year, has been caught in Malaysia.
"Yes, I can confirm that he is under our detention and is being investigated
right now. But I can’t go into the detail because this is a sensitive issue
which involves three parties namely Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
"It also involves intelligence agencies of the three governments and it is
something that I do not want to jeopardise," he told a news conference here
today.
Malaysian authorities would ensure that Mas Selamat would not escape for the
second time, he said.
Meanwhile in JOHOR BAHARU, a source told Bernama that Mas Selamat was
arrested in an operation by the Johor police about a month ago.
Bernama was informed that special branch police officers arrested Mas
Selamat near Skudai, about 25km from the Johor Baharu city.
"We know that he has relatives staying in Skudai," the source, who is
familiar with the operation to nab the JI leader, told Bernama.
Mas Selamat had been the subject of a massive manhunt after he slipped out
of the Whitley Road maximum security detention centre in Singapore on Feb 27
last year.
He was alleged to have masterminded a plot to hijack a jetliner and crash it
into Singapore’s Changi Airport.
He fled Singapore in 2001 but was captured by the Indonesian police on
Bintan Island in 2006 and sent to the city-state.
Bernama was also informed that Mas Selamat was arrested under the Internal
Security Act but he was still in police custody and had not been sent to the
Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping, Perak where ISA detainees are held.
– BERNAMA
WKS Interview on Mas Selamat
Q: How do you feel, how does ISD feel, now that it took Malaysia’s help to have Mas Selamat arrested?
I’m glad that he is now arrested. We were informed of the arrest soon after the arrest by the Malaysians on the 1st of April and I also reported that to the Prime Minister. As I have said before, that so long as we can find some leads on him, some time or other, we will find him. He was arrested by the Indonesians in Feb [January] 2003 arising from the leads developed by the ISD and shared with the Indonesians. Then he was released prematurely when he was serving his sentence in prison for an immigration offence. And, again from ISD’s leads which were shared with the Indonesians, the Indonesian Police arrested him in Jan 2006. Eventually, he was sent back to Singapore.
Q: How do ISD officers involved and yourself feel?
Well of course we are happy that he has been arrested. ISD officers worked very hard even after the setback last year which was a painful lesson for all of them. They did not give up and they continued to work at it and they looked at every possible lead that they had. And for this particular one, they developed this lead on their own and eventually, they shared that lead which they think is the most credible on,e with the Malaysians. The Malaysians worked hard on that, and eventually found where Mas Selamat was and arrested him.
I must say that the excellent work done by the Malaysian Special Branch is really highly commendable. Between ISD and MSB, there’s a long standing co-operative cordial relationship and as a result of this kind of relationship, we were able to keep each of our country safe and also contribute to the safety and security of the region. And it is the same co-operative relationship that Singapore has with our partners in the region.
Q: When do you expect the Malaysians to release him so that he can be brought back to Singapore?
The Malaysians want to continue to interview him and we’ll let them do the job and when they feel that it’s time to send him back to us, we’ll be happy to receive him back.
Q: Earlier you’ve said that you have informed the Prime Minister when he was first arrested. What did the Prime Minister say?
The Prime Minister said, “Well, it’s good we finally got him.”
Q: How about the security situation now? What message would you like to give to Singaporeans? Like step up or step down the security?
Well, I think Singaporeans must not think that just because Mas Selamat is arrested and now in Malaysia, the threat of security, the threat of terrorism, will not be there anymore.
In fact I’ve said it for years, that the terrorism threat is real and that we are a prime target and therefore there is no question about letting our guard down. We must continue to be vigilant and continue to implement the security measures we have put in place. Singapore is a small country. It has a long coastline. It is porous and it’s easy for people and for goods to be brought in or even to leave Singapore. So we must not assume that just by the arrest of one person, Singapore will be safe from terrorist threat. No. Apart from Mas Selamat, there are other JI members who are still out there and we haven’t got them and there could be many others that we do not know, and we don’t know where they are, who they are and when they will come into Singapore. So we must not believe that with the arrest of Mas Selamat, we can let our guard down.
Q: Could you tell us how he escaped from Singapore? At this point, what you know.
From the very brief information that was provided, he swam across the Straits of Johor with an improvised flotation device. That is very brief information, we don’t know all the details and until he is brought back to Singapore and ISD interviewed him, we don’t have much information on that.
Q: How is the morale now for ISD and the Home team?
Of course we are very happy that one chapter is closed but we have learnt our lesson and we will continue to do our work.
Q: And when he’s brought back to Singapore, where will Mas Selamat be detained? Is he still under ISD?
He will be detained in Whitley Road Detention Centre. Today’s Whitley Road Detention Centre is very different from the one on 27 of February 2008. Many security measures have been put in place and that is the place we are going to put him.
lol, that's a good 1...
DnApeh ( Date: 08-May-2009 08:32) Posted:
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Many people expected price to go south, but it went north. Sounds like the current rally.
DnApeh ( Date: 08-May-2009 08:30) Posted:
| Price headed north. Bullish |
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Many people expected price to go south, but it went north. Sounds like the current rally.
DnApeh ( Date: 08-May-2009 08:30) Posted:
Price headed north. Bullish.
DnApeh ( Date: 03-Mar-2008 23:14) Posted:
technical analysis:
The price(prize) went through the gap(physical defect) encountering no resistance. It broke out of the bands and is now in unchartered territory. All the King's horses and all the King's men are now chasing the price, even all the aunties and uncles. Will it head North or South? Or will a Halt be called? |
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Price headed north. Bullish.
DnApeh ( Date: 03-Mar-2008 23:14) Posted:
technical analysis:
The price(prize) went through the gap(physical defect) encountering no resistance. It broke out of the bands and is now in unchartered territory. All the King's horses and all the King's men are now chasing the price, even all the aunties and uncles. Will it head North or South? Or will a Halt be called? |
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According to my colleague who read from Chinese News, he was caught about a month ago!
Mas Selamat get CAUGHT in M'sia !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
welll...we have another 2 joker went to test the system....lucky this time...they catch them back........ dont know will there be any heads to roll?
Elfie,
Your statement, "Since a paper has the right to edit what it publishes" contradicts the position PAP takes on foreign media when they publish something that 'offends' them. Most times these articles are either very trivial or speaking the truth. PAP insists on a right to reply and for the foreign media to publish it in full; without any editing; failing which, they will be hauled to our Spore courts and sued for obscene sums $$$. Our local media, of course, does not have this problem as the govt has them on a tight leash.
Herein lies the double standards.
http://catherinelim.sg/2008/05/28/letter-to-the-straits-times-on-the-mas-selamat-scandal/
for those of you who follow the straits times. catherine lim had posted a forum letter on the mas selamat escape. The last line of the letter was censored by the Straits Times.
What is revealing to me isn't just that censorship. Since a paper has the right to edit what it publishes, and it does not have to apologise for it. But read the comments by a Lawrence Leow, dated May 28th, on the blog.
True or not, i do not know. But if it is true, then, it is rather disappointing.
the surprise to me isn't that they lost Mas Selamat. The surprise would be if they catch him back, excluding via strokes of luck (ie, by genuine effort and intelligence).
Since really, Singaporeans tend to be possessed of a practical, don't-rock-the-boat mentality. "Kiasu, kiasee, kia zheng hu", being a common phrase levied. Especially our civil servants. We're not exactly known for imagination, sterling original intelligence, or derring-do. Just witness the stock replies in the Forum pages to complaints from the public. It's all about following traditional order. Not letting new things happen.
While people like Mas Selamat, whether right or wrong, are idealists through and through: they make things happen. In defiance of established order.
So the question is simple: How can a realist ever capture an idealist, when they cannot even begin to comprehend the mind of the latter? When all they are concerned about is being safe, being stable, not rocking the boat? Imagination is key, and imagination is lacking, even derided as "useless" or "second rate" to the old ways of doing things.
And the catch-22 of the old ways is that when it fails, it falls back to the old ways of sweeping things under the carpet, and "let's move on".
The question, again. How can a realist ever capture an idealist?
The answer was written in psychology way before already.
no stir shit issue leow, after the full investigation, demotion and sacking officers.
BTW, income tax returned me $349 as being credit balance. dun know why, paying blindly??? ha ha, initially looking at the credit on the POSB acc bal, I though I kena lucky draw. yes got letter fr inld revenue office stating the credit bal returned to me. first time encouter this thing leh. I had been paying tax for yrs loh, dun know the office got fall short for me the previous yr or not. how to check ha???and how to ensure u don't pay more?
paying bill via GIRO at times also dangerous lah. lately credit card centre charged me for late payment, but my bill deduction is via GIRO, auto one mah. I called to verify, and the staff said they will refund me the money next bill, but heng ah, I check they didn't return leh. Hv not gone to the office to check yet. can't get them on phone leow, as they need me to enter 6 digits pin no but they only given me 5. *(&*(&%))_())_(
No news about this for some time?
maybe we award them a best script writer too..... simply cannot believe this type of "honest mistake" to be make.... the place he stay ...look more like a holiday resort for this type of ppl......
Tailing with AK suggestion, there is another Zhun Zie's stroke to govern the former stroke leow. "Guide the fox into the room" ha ha. Simply loving your enemy also a war strategy or "chimology"
. Treating with this type of JI burgers, HONEST can work??? Cantonese wise saying " Always to be honest, eventually you will be a begger on the street"
tanglinboy,,
In his speech, PM is saying that 'HONEST MISTAKES' are perfectly acceptable and PAP politicians and top civil servants need not be accountable for it.
With this principle, the IRON ricebowl is made from the toughest steel.
I suggest WKS should forgo 1 yr of his pay as a reward, what do u think?
What happens if the tipster is one from JI??? We will be funding it???
I suppose it's like saying "We (the govt) don't negotiate with terrorists. We don't pay ransons".
Juz a stray tot.
I still don't understand why the government did not put up the award money on him.
