Politics & Society
Poor security at Singapore’s Internal Security Department
THE leader of the Singapore terrorist Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network, Mas Selamat Kastari, escaped from the Whitley Road detention centre at about 4.05 pm on Wednesday, said the Ministry of Home Affairs in a statement.A massive manhunt involving the police, Gurkhas and Special Operations Command forces, is underway to track down the escaped detainee, who walks with a limp.
‘He is not known to be armed. Extensive police resources have been deployed to track him down,’ said the ministry statement.
This is actually quite ironic - apparently the Internal Security Department has poor security within its own grounds. How did a limping man manage to escape from a detention center in world-class Singapore and still manage to be free after half a day of ‘massive manhunt’? Many questions come to mind immediately:
1. Why can’t they nail him down after many hours of “massive manhunt” in tiny Singapore? If he has a limp and is in prison garb, he couldn’t have been able to hide for so long… unless it was an inside job or well-organized escape.
2. Why don’t the authorities come clean about what actually happened that led to his escape? I think and hope they will, but maybe at a later stage after investigations have been done. It’s something that should be clarified to the public, because letting a terrorist escape is no small matter. Scapegoats Those with the responsibility to guard him should be held responsible and punished for allowing this to happen.
3. I noted that somebody mentioned in a discussion forum about how “hushed” this matter is being treated. If this happened in a country like the US, somebody would have to come out immediately and accept full personal responsibility for the folly. While in Singapore, we are paying top dollar for “good governance” but apparently when problems arise nobody wants to step out and admit failure in the organization or system. We shall see if any scapegoats responsible persons emerge at a later stage.
4. The longer the matter drags, the more likely this guy will be able to escape from Singapore or disguise himself to avoid being recognized. While he isn’t known to be armed, he has the intention and knowledge of making bombs… and if his escape was a planned one, he could well be underway to some serious misdeeds. Why don’t the authorities issue a lockdown for the sake of public safety? It could cost the economy some serious money, but the safety of many people are at risk - particularly in a place like Singapore with high population density.
Well, I think it can be a bit overreacting to do a lockdown… perhaps the situation is well-controlled with all the known accomplices of the man being closely monitored at this time to ensure he doesn’t come into contact with any of them. But as far as I understand anyway, not long ago some of the JI detainees were released as they were determined to be “no longer dangerous”. I wonder if they had anything to do with his escape.
Hope everything goes well and this guy gets captured soon. He should have been kept in isolation cell in Changi’s high security prison instead.
Discussion
17 comments for “Poor security at Singapore’s Internal Security Department”
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[...] Singapore: An Apology Means Little Until the Escaped Terrorist is Caught - This lush garden within: Poor security at Singapore’s Internal Security Department - The States Times: “The Fugitive” Rerun - BothSidesOfTheJohorStraits: Did Mas ‘breakout’, [...]
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[...] Singapore: An Apology Means Little Until the Escaped Terrorist is Caught - This lush garden within: Poor security at Singapore’s Internal Security Department - The States Times: “The Fugitive” Rerun - BothSidesOfTheJohorStraits: Did Mas ‘breakout’, [...]
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If you ask me, the bugger should have been denied access to all visitations. We are being too soft on these terrorists. No such pansy treatment at Changi airport thats for sure!
Now my mom is super paranoid can. Demanding i come straight home after school.
“Sorry we made a mistake” just doesnt cut it. The whole bloody army should have been mobilized to track him.
Whoa, relax. I guess they’d have liked to mobilize the ‘whole bloody army’ to protect us, but the army isn’t ideally suited to this sort of things…I doubt NSmen are trained for manhunts.
Relax man, your mom has a point.
from what i hear is that the place is not like a prison. its suppose to be some sort of rehab place so they try to make the surrounding more like a home than a prison. although that probably led to this guy running away but if we make the place like the US guantanamo prison wear gloves hoods chains etc. i think it will only make things worse.
anyway i also think the sorry didnt sound very sincere. why can’t our ministers apologise like japanese, korean and taiwanese ministers. stand straight without the podium and bow deeply and say sorry like you mean it
What we have learnt and should always remember are that the JI operatives are extremely dedicated and deadly disciples of Osama Bin Ladin. This particular JI operative was forged from the fires of Afghanistan and perhaps the most intelligent and cunning amongst the organisation. How else could he be their leader! That he has escaped is an indication of how dangerous JI operatives truly are. In my view, it is not the fault of our security forces. It is easy with the benefit of hindsight to criticise but bear in mind that even the CIA and the FBI could not prevent 9-11. Even the British M15 could not prevent the London bombings. We should rally behind and support our security forces and not undermine them.
ALERT: NL is going through the S’pore Daily, copy & paste the same old stuff on the blogs in the list. NL is a member of YPAP, he is doing his rounds.
http://www.youngpap.org.sg/abtus_execommittee.shtml
“He should have been kept in isolation cell in Changi’s high security prison instead.”
No, he should not have. He should have been accused and tried in a fair and open trial in a court of law, not held ad infinitum under an insidious Act under which he has not been accused of breaking any law. Right? Or are you an admirer of our detention-forever-without-trial laws?
Woon… yes you are right, I left that part out. I definitely don’t like the idea of detention without trial.
Alright… he should be tried in a court of law, then if found guilty (which he most likely will be anyway) put in high security prison in isolation cell. =)
“It is easy with the benefit of hindsight to criticise but bear in mind that even the CIA and the FBI could not prevent 9-11. Even the British M15 could not prevent the London bombings. We should rally behind and support our security forces and not undermine them.”
NL, you don’t seem to be able to keep an open mind when reading articles that seem critical. Is critical = bad? People and organisations learn from mistakes. It is clearly a mistake in this case, a serious mistake indeed - to let an internationally known terrorist escape.
No I do not undermine the Singapore security forces. I do have a lot of respect for them because they are indeed really efficient. Especially when they managed to thwart JI’s plans and capture them in advance.
But you and I know that this is something that should not have happened - are you implying that because CIA & FBI were not able to prevent 9-11, Singapore is thus justified to make mistakes too?
It is not even a fair comparison you are making - in the case of 9-11 it set a precedent for the rest of the world to sit up and be more aware of terrorist threats. There was probably no incident on that kind of level previously. In Singapore’s current case, it is more an issue of internal security within the grounds of a detention center that is holding terror suspects. I would think this latter issue is nothing compared to the former, and like many other netizens have pointed out - was it so difficult to keep a limping and unarmed man in detention?
NL, I respect your faith and beliefs towards your organisation and our country’s leaders - but you should really try to be more neutral - it would certainly make your arguments more credible.
mrbiao,
i agree with you that some people are taking criticisms too personally.
Yes the ISD has done a good job unearthing the JI cell before they could even enact their plans.
But past excellence does not give you a get out of jail free card. That is something our ministers are also grappling to understand. Past performance is not an indicator of future performance, neither is it an excuse to make mistakes.
To min wong: accept there was a mistake, take responsibility for that mistake, and make sure it doesnt happen again.
Our faith in the security forces of singapore will in time be restored…. so long as they are honest with us and work their socks off to make amends.
to pissed off CJC student
Cool down lah your mom care about you so want you to go home early and eat dinner lah.
But really leh, Toilet break is the classic Hongky movie plot leh.
At least come up with new ideas like karate chop or judo chop lah.
Might I suggest a pay cut for the overfed monkeys
Past performance is not an indicator of future performance. That sums up our security forces and ISD’s status with this “lapse” in security. Yes they were competent in the past but one single act of incompetence has set them back to the 1987 Marxist Conspiracy type of PR damage. Good for them as it would make them sit up.
The only way for their atonement now is that the authorities can capture Mas Selamat.
Nicholas Lazarus - if you want to convince others with your defense, you ought to do more than just copying and pasting the same message over and over again across the Internet. It does no merit and credibility for you and your comrades.
You should go back to your own blog and write an article with strong evidence to support your arguments. I’m sure people will be more impressed with that.
Mr Biao,
I thought your reply to Nicholas Lazarus has been gentleman-like and very courteous enough, yet this guy who is spamming the whole Internet upon all those blogs that criticise the govt on this and other issues, has never bothered to make any reply to you.
I have been informed by others that Nicholas Lazarus is now part of the “Counter-Insurgency” Team of the PAP engaged to launch its “Internet Offensive” strategy so as to discredit the bloggers and confuse or dishearten their readers.
So, the best treatment to these kind of people (or pests), I believe, is to delete every input they are trying to make in your blog.
Cheers and I enjoy your entries in your blog very much. Thanks for sharing. Keep up the good work and study harder to get a better grade though you may be on exchange program. Bye for now.
How can NL said that ‘IT’S NOT THE FAULT OF OUR SECURITY FORCES”? If it isn’t the fault of our security forces, then it is the fault of who? All ‘cos ISD’s “lapses”, that’s why Mas Selamat can be able to sun away, if not ‘cos ISD’s “lapses”, he’ll never be able to run away! So I hope NL’ll be more neutralistic, don’t just ‘cos you’re member of YPAP then you certainly’ll do your rounds.