Mas Selamat Kastari

fatz2

S'pore authorities get over 1,100 phone tips for fugitive JI leader
Posted: 12 March 2008 1507 hrs



SINGAPORE : Singapore authorities have received more than 1,100 tips from the public in its manhunt for an alleged terrorist leader who escaped jail two weeks ago, police said on Wednesday.

Mas Selamat Kastari, the alleged leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) cell in Singapore, vanished on February 27 after asking to use the toilet in the Whitley detention centre.

More than 1,100 phoned-in tips had been received from the public as of Monday after police appealed for information on Mas Selamat, police director of operations Wong Hong Kuan told AFP.

A number of false alarms have been triggered by information that Indonesia-born Mas Selamat walks with a limp. People have also sent in tips via e-mail.

Security forces were still conducting searches almost island-wide, with a focus on forested tracts, though it was not "neglecting the urban built-up areas," Wong told AFP.

The search involving police, the military and the Gurkha soldiers is the biggest manhunt in the history of Singapore. Pictures of the wanted man have been plastered across Singapore and even sent to mobile phone subscribers.

Security forces in neighbouring Indonesia and Malaysia were also on the lookout for Mas Selamat, but Singapore insists that he is unlikely to have fled the country.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday that Singapore remained optimistic it can capture him. Mr Lee said: "I've been talking to the ministers responsible and I think we have a pretty good chance of catching him, provided he's still in Singapore."

Meanwhile, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore should brace itself for an attack if Mas Selamat manages to flee Singapore and rejoin his JI comrades.

47-year-old Mas Selamat was accused of plotting to hijack a plane in order to crash it into Changi Airport in 2001, but he was never charged in court. He was being held under an internal security law that allows for detention without trial.

Interpol has issued an international red alert for Mas Selamat.

- AFP/vm

fatz2

March 12, 2008         
Govt promises to give public full account of Mas Selamat's escape


The search for Mas Selamat continues at Jurong Penjuru Dormitory. -- ST PHOTOS: KUA CHEE SIONG

THE Ministry of Home Affairs has promised to give the public a full account on how Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre and what has been done to prevent a repeat.

A ministry spokesman, responding to a query from The Straits Times which had asked for its reaction to a call from the opposition Workers' Party (WP) chairman for a full public disclosure on the inquiry into the Feb 27 jail breakout, said: 'Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng has stated that after the Committee of Inquiry completes its inquiry, we will give a full account to the public on how Mas Selamat escaped and what has been done to tighten security to prevent such a thing from happening again.'

In a statement issued by its party chairman Sylvia Lim on Tuesday, the WP called for an alternative panel to be set up by the President to look into the escape of terrorist Mas Selamat, who has been on the run for two weeks now.

Instead of the committee that was set up by Minister Wong, the WP has proposed that President S R Nathan appoint a Commission of Inquiry under the Inquiries Act so that investigations 'can proceed in public as the President shall direct'.

Ms Lim, who is a Non-nominated MP, noted that Mr Wong's COI is being set up under the Prisons Act.

This is not wrong, since the Whitley Road Detention Centre is considered a prison under this law, said Ms Lim.

However, she pointed out: 'The Prisons Act states that such inquiries shall not be open to the public. The Committee will submit its report to the Minister, and no part of the proceedings may be released to anyone except with the Minister's written permission.

'This raises important questions as to how much the public will eventually be told, since the Minister retains the discretion to release the findings as he sees fit.'

Independent committee

As announced by the government, the independent committee is headed by former High Court judge Goh Joon Seng and will look into how Mas Selamat, 47, broke out of the detention centre a fortnight ago and recommend changes to prevent similar breakouts.

'In a matter of such high public interest as the escape of a high-risk terror suspect from a government-run facility, what assurances or checks are there that the public will be given full information?' asked Ms Lim, who is also a Non-Constituency MP.

'In the interest of transparency, other governments have conducted public hearings into sensitive matters such as intelligence failures.'

Since Independence, seven Commissions of Inquiry have been formed, including one on the Sentosa cable car accident in 1983 and another on the Hotel New World collapse in 1986.

In recommending that the President appoint a commission of inquiry under the Inquiries Act, Ms Lim noted that this would 'allow the inquiry to proceed in public as the President shall direct'.

'If there is concern that release of certain sensitive information will jeopardize the national interest, the President may direct that certain information not be made public,' she added.

She asserted: 'Since Singaporeans have been marshalled to assist the authorities to hunt for Mas Selamat, the least the Government could do is to keep us fully informed of the inquiry and its findings.'

But Ms Lim also gave credit to the security forces, saying they have been 'hard at work in an island-wide manhunt' and that the immediate priority has 'rightly' been placed on Mas Selamat's recapture.

****************************************************

women are from Venus, Mas Selamat is from Mars.



[ Last edited by  fatz2 at 13-3-2008 03:46 AM ]

fatz2

March 13, 2008         
WAS FUGITIVE LIMPING ALONG THIS ROAD?
'I think I saw Mas Selamat'
A Straits Times reader describes what she saw on Thomson Road an hour after detainee escaped



A FORTY-YEAR-OLD mother of three was on her way home from work the afternoon Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre when she spotted a limping man along Thomson Road.

She was on Mount Pleasant Road, a short distance from the detention centre, when she saw him approach a stranger.

Although she saw him on Feb 27, it was not until three days later that she realised he might have been the fugitive Jemaah Islamiah leader.

A lecturer in communication skills, she said it was a report in this newspaper that prompted her to call the police. She asked not to be named.

This is what she told YEO GHIM LAY and CHONG CHEE KIN:

'I had just finished my work that day and was heading back to my home in Bishan. I work in Stevens Road and usually knock off at about 4.30pm to 4.45pm.

I was at Mount Pleasant Road and waiting to turn into Thomson Road when I had to stop at the junction. That was about 5pm.

I saw a Malay man on the other side of Thomson Road, walking on the pavement against the flow of traffic on that side.

He was walking towards the bus-stop in front of the St Joseph's Institution (SJI) International school.

He had a limp in his left leg. He was dressed in some sort of brown or beige outfit which looked like a T-shirt. He was a little on the plump side, but not fat, and wasn't very tall. He looked very similar to the description they released later of Mas Selamat.

He didn't look well dressed - he was very scruffy, like a vagrant.

There was a Chinese woman dressed all in white walking on the pavement towards him and she was talking on her mobile phone.

When they came towards each other, he held out his hand, looking like he was asking for money, but she ignored him.

I stayed to watch because I was worried he might do something to the woman.

But then he started crossing the road. There wasn't a pedestrian crossing, and he put up his hand to ask the approaching motorists to let him pass.

He stopped at the middle of the road, where there was a barricade. He was facing me then, and I could see his face from the front.

He looked very disoriented, very dishevelled, like he was in a daze. He didn't look like he knew where he was going, or like he was looking for someone.

All this took a few minutes and I had to move off because there was a car behind me.

I'm not sure where the man went after that.

It didn't occur to me at the time that this could have been the terrorist who escaped, because the news didn't come out until that evening.

I only realised that he might have been Mas Selamat on Saturday morning, when I read in The Straits Times about a similar possible sighting near the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped in Toa Payoh Rise, just down the road from where I had been.

There was a side profile picture in the papers, and it looked like him. He wasn't clean shaven, had a beard, and looked scruffy.

I called the police. That afternoon an investigating officer met me and took me to the place. I showed the officer where I saw the man.

If the man I saw was Mas Selamat, it didn't look like it was a planned escape. He didn't look like he was waiting for someone to pick him up.'

**********

women are from Venus, Mas Selamat is from Mars.

fatz2

March 13, 2008         
Labour-supply firm puts $50K bounty on Mas Selamat
By Sujin Thomas

A LABOUR-supply company has put a bounty of $50,000 on escaped terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari's head.

Aasperon Manpower, which recruits workers from countries such as China, India and Bangladesh for the hospitality and manufacturing industries among others, said the money would go to the person who provides information which leads to the capture of the Jemaah Islamiah leader.

It is believed to be the highest offer to date.

Aasperon Manpower director Ferrine Chew told The Straits Times that the decision to offer the reward came from her having seen police officers combing a field next to the Kranji Expressway under a heavy downpour over the weekend.

She said: 'We cannot join the police in their search, so the least we can do is to raise awareness of the situation. It's not productive, if this keeps dragging on.'

She said the sum came from company funds as well as contributions from employees.

sutera_abadi

Anyone knows what happen to bini dia selepas melawat Mas Selamat ni???
menangis ke, laki hilang... atau gembira laki dapat lari???
atau ditahan???

LoLiPoP

soklan...tak agak

deaf4ever

Originally posted by sutera_abadi at 17-3-2008 10:27 AM
Anyone knows what happen to bini dia selepas melawat Mas Selamat ni???
menangis ke, laki hilang... atau gembira laki dapat lari???
atau ditahan???

Sokkabar bila eh? smalam eh? masuk gambo bini dia, tapi ditangkap secara candid la masa kat Indon ngan escort ngan gard indon kot. Then gambar anak lelaki dorang pun ada.

Pada aku kan, bini dia ok je la, tapi konpem mesti ada orang peratikan bini dia buat phone call or gi mana2 kan.

deaf4ever

Originally posted by sutera_abadi at 17-3-2008 10:27 AM Anyone knows what happen to bini dia selepas melawat Mas Selamat ni???menangis ke, laki hilang... atau gembira laki dapat lari???atau ditahan???

Sokkabar bila eh? smalam eh? masuk gambo bini dia, tapi ditangkap secara candid la masa kat Indon ngan escort ngan gard indon kot. Then gambar anak lelaki dorang pun ada.Pada aku kan, bini dia ok je la, tapi konpem mesti ada orang peratikan bini dia buat phone call or gi mana2 kan.

fatz

S'poreans united in hunt for Mas Selamat: Minister
HOME Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng says home team spirit is more alive in such an adversity.



Mr Wong said every Home Team agency is on high alert today and is helping in
any way it can. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG

SINGAPOREANS are united in the hunt for terrorist Mas Selamat, and the Home Team spirit is most alive in such an adversity, said Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng on Tuesday.

While he acknowledged that the escape of the Jemaah Islamiah militant has dented Singapore's reputation, he said the community's trust in the Home Team remains high.

He also urged the Home Team officers not to lose heart 'for they have done much to be proud of', said Mr Wong, who is also the Home Affairs Minister at the Home Team workshop on Wednesday.

The annual workshop gathers officers from the four Home Team sectors to review their operations and explore how they should go forward.

In his address, Mr Wong told the Home Team forces: 'The hunt for JI terrorist, Mas Selamat, is a matter of top priority. No doubt his escape has dented the reputation of the Home Team and Singapore. But in such an adversity, we have found the Home Team spirit most alive, and Singaporeans united in the hunt for Mas Selamat.'

He said every Home Team agency is on high alert today and is helping in any way it can. For example, CNB and SCDF officers have been assisting ICA officers in conducting vehicle checks at Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints.

SCDF's Polyma Lighting Units, used mainly to provide lighting for fire and rescue operations at night, are deployed to support Police in the night searches. CNB also lent their intelligence and investigation expertise and assistance to put their ears on the ground to pick up any leads.

Even as the minister spoke, a search team was combing the forested areas along Lornie Road on Tuesday, as the hunt for the JI fugitive enters the third week.

Home Team programmes put to test
Mr Wong said the hunt for Mas Selamat has also put to test various Home Team projects, in particular the Operational Terrain Mapping (OTM) programme, which has been developed over the last three years.

The mapping has built up a comprehensive database of terrains in every sector to help to tackle crime and terrorism.

'These efforts have helped our officers develop a deeper awareness and understanding of the ground terrain, its hotspots and vulnerabilities and to identify and establish contact with key people in the various local institutions like churches, temples and mosques within the sector,' said Mr Wong.

'The efforts that you have invested in collecting and developing this living OTM database, which maps the social and physical geography of the area under each sector, has paid off valuably in support of the current search efforts.'

'Our sector officers were able to identify 121 vacant or abandoned buildings within a day and the search against these sites was mounted expeditiously.'

'This swift response would not have been possible had we not already marked these buildings in our terrain maps. Another example was the location of cordons and road blocks.'

He added that as the search operations expanded islandwide in response to public calls, the officers were able to swiftly set up cordon lines and road blocks which were pre-identified in the terrain maps, and quickly lock in the search area.

The minister also highlighted the community outreach efforts to combat the terrorist threat.

These included merging SCDF and Police watch groups into what is now called Security and Safety Watch Groups, and the Community Engagement Programme. These efforts have the Home Team acquired a wide network of contacts.

'Your efforts at building more bridges to the various communities and to prepare them for a crisis have contributed to the rapid mobilisation of community support we have seen in this current situation,' said Mr Wong.

He commended the many groups and organisations which have stepped forward to help distribute more than 210,000 pamphlets on Mas Selamat.

'What was significant was that there was also considerable bottom-up mobilisation by various community organisations themselves.'

'These developments over the last two weeks give us comfort to know that the CEP orientation of Home Team sector programmes we have been pursuing have paid dividends in this real time of need,' added the Minister.

'The unity of focus in the response of our people inside and outside the MHA Home Team over this escape episode, gives me hope that we are making good progress to achieve an extended or national Home Team.'

'Such a Home Team plus comes of age when all who calls Singapore home, feel they have a stake in the safety and security of the country and of fellow Singaporeans.'

fatz

Key database useful in hunt for Mas Selamat
By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 18 March 2008 2014 hrs



SINGAPORE: Officers searching for escaped Jemaah Islamiyah leader, Mas Selamat Kastari, are using a database to make their hunt more effective.

Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre some three weeks ago. The 47-year-old is alleged to have been the mastermind of a plot to crash a hijacked plane into Changi Airport.

The database used in the hunt contains key information such as the location of vacant buildings in Singapore and possible hideouts used by illegal immigrants.

These details come under a programme called Operations Terrain Mapping, which has been updated over the last three years by Home Team officers who registered their observations and contact networks on the database to tackle crime and terrorism.

There are also plans to enhance the IT system that centrally stores and shares such terrain information to allow the Home Team to share some parts of the database with other ministries and possibly grassroots organisations in the future.

This was revealed by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng on Tuesday at a workshop for some 700 Home Team officers from agencies like the Police Force and the Internal Security Department.

Mr Wong said: "Our sector officers were able to identify 121 vacant or abandoned buildings within a day and the search operations conducted against these sites were mounted expeditiously. This swift response would not have been possible had we not already marked these buildings in our terrain maps.

"Another example was the location of cordons and road blocks. As the search operations expanded islandwide in response to public calls, our officers were able to swiftly set up cordon lines and road blocks which were pre-identified in the terrain maps. This enabled us to swiftly lock in the search area while other officers commenced the searches."

He added that these officers will face more complex tasks in the future, but efforts to build stronger relationships with various communities will pay off.

In fact, the deputy prime minister said such partnerships have already contributed to the fast mobilisation of the community in the search for Mas Selamat. Many organisations have stepped forward to help distribute over 210,000 pamphlets on the fugitive.

With more officers involved in the on-going search for Mas Selamat, the attendance at this year's Home Team workshop was lower compared to last year.

Despite the security breach that led to Mas Selamat's escape, Mr Wong told his audience that the Home Team spirit is still very much alive.

He said: "Indeed, without excusing the lapse which led to Mas Selamat's escape, our Home Team officers should not lose heart for they have done much to be proud of. The work of the Home Team must go on because life goes on in society, whether it is to combat crime, drugs or fire hazards or deal with those who break the law."

The Home Affairs Ministry also said on Tuesday that it has checked with its Indonesian counterparts and found no information to validate a report in the Jakarta Post that said Mas Selamat was already in East Java.

On a separate note, seven groups received the Home Team Achievement Awards at the workshop.


- CNA


akhirnya, yg akan ditemui adalah tulang belulang manusia dan selepas dihantar utk pemeriksaan DNA, didapati ia match dgn DNA mas selamat...
dibuat kesimpulan, sama ada  mas selamat mati kelaparan, mati bunuh diri atau cedera sewaktu di hutan

sebenarnya, m.s. memang dah mati awal2 lagi....

fatz

Home Team falls in to nab terrorist
Agencies, including CNB and SCDF, are contributing tools and know-how
By Teh Joo Lin


LET THERE BE LIGHT: In order to aid the police in their night searches, the SCDF has contributed powerful Polyma Lighting Units mounted on trailers. -- ST PHOTOS: LAU FOOK KONG

FROM officers who collar drug abusers to those who put out fires, personnel from every Home Team branch have been roped in to hunt down escaped terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari.

Apart from the police, other Home Affairs Ministry agencies involved in the search include the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.

Each agency is on 'high alert' and 'helping in any way it can', Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said yesterday.

He was speaking at this year's Home Team Flagship Workshop at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Apart from additional manpower, each agency is also bringing to the table expertise and equipment from their regular fields of operations that will be useful in the manhunt.

Through cracking drug rings, for example, the CNB has honed its intelligence gathering and investigative skills. It has now put its 'ears to the ground to pick up any leads', Mr Wong said.

The SCDF has deployed its powerful searchlights to aid the police in their sweeps after dark. It has also provided hand-held thermal imagers, which enable officers to detect people in darkness.

Other groups and ordinary Singaporeans have also stepped forward to help out. The united response of those inside and outside the Home Team was heartening, said Mr Wong.

'Indeed, without excusing the lapse which led to Mas Selamat's escape, our Home Team officers should not lose heart, for they have done much to be proud of,' he said.

virgomal

ntah2 memang dah mati masa kat dlm

opsssssss

Ratu_Lybeau

Originally posted by virgomal at 19-3-2008 11:08 AM
ntah2 memang dah mati masa kat dlm

opsssssss

exactly what i have in MIND....  

sutera_abadi

Yang aku dengar plak versi lain....
Dia memang hidup lagi....
cuma dia ada mengamalkan "ilmu".... (ilmu belut)...
sepanjang 2 tahun dia kat dalam... dia berzikir aje....
and most probably... ilmu dia tu dah kebal (Agaknya)...
tu yg dia licin macam belut...
anyway... wallahualam...

Originally posted by virgomal at 19-3-2008 11:08 AM
ntah2 memang dah mati masa kat dlm

opsssssss

fatz

Originally posted by sutera_abadi at 19-3-2008 01:37 PM Yang aku dengar plak versi lain....Dia memang hidup lagi....cuma dia ada mengamalkan "ilmu".... (ilmu belut)...sepanjang 2 tahun dia kat dalam... dia berzikir aje.. and most probably..

memang betul tu sut...dari siasatan rahsia, isd dapati guard yg jaga dia tu sempat amik gambar sebelum mas selamat larikan diri....gambar tu pulak dah bocor ke tangan public ...inilah dia saat2 akhir sebelum dia hilangkan diri

fatz2

March 19, 2008         
JI FUGITIVE'S WHEREABOUTS
Mas Selamat is in E. Java? Report not true
S'pore's Home Affairs Ministry dismisses report in Jakarta Post

JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S most-wanted terrorist Noordin Mat Top and Singapore's fugitive Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader Mas Selamat Kastari are seeking refuge in Tuban, East Java, reported The Jakarta Post yesterday.

But asked about this latest report on Mas Selamat's whereabouts, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs spokesman yesterday said: 'We have checked with our Indonesian counterparts and there is no information that suggests that the report is true.'

Mas Selamat, a Singaporean who spent time in Indonesia, was arrested in Malang, also in East Java, in January 2006 and deported to Singapore.

He was then detained under the Internal Security Act at the Whitley Road Detention Centre.

On Feb 27 this year, the 47-year-old escaped from the centre, sparking a nationwide manhunt.

Yesterday, citing unnamed police sources, the Indonesian daily said that Noordin, a Malaysian, was seeking treatment in Tuban for liver disease, and police had traced him to his hideout and the clinic that he went to. But he dodged arrest.

'The doctor treating him confirmed that Noordin is suffering from liver disease,' said one of the sources quoted by the Post.

The report added that the police had intensified security in East Java after tracing Noordin's whereabouts, especially following reports that Mas Selamat had sought refuge in the province.

'We believe Kastari would not be far from where Noordin is, but we are focusing more on Noordin because Kastari is wanted by the Singaporean police,' said the unnamed source.

Besides his close ties with Noordin, Mas Selamat is also close to a number of JI figures and suspects involved in bomb attacks in Indonesia.

These include Yazid, a JI member who received military training in Afghanistan, Indonesian JI figure Said Sungkar, Mukhlas, alias Ali Ghufron, and Abu Dujana.

Mukhlas and Abu Dujana had previously helped provide for Mashadi, 16, Mas Selamat's eldest son who studied at the Al Mutaqqin Islamic boarding school in Sowan village in Jepara, Central Java.

The Jakarta Post quoted another source as saying that Mashadi is still studying at the school from which Dzulkarnain, alias Ustaz Daud Abu Rusdan, JI's chief of army, graduated.

But, the school's spokesman Hasyim As'ari denied the charge.

'My students, totalling 900 or so, are mostly orphans and come from poor families outside Java. There is no problems with their identities,' he said.

Mr Bambang Haryono, 43, a motorcycle repair workshop owner in Malang who had previously employed Mas Selamat at his workshop, also told the Jakarta Post that he had no special relationship with Mas Selamat, who called himself Salim.

'I didn't even know he was a fugitive being pursued by the Singapore police,' said Mr Bambang.

'At the time, I was helping him find a job and, during his stint at my place, he received only meals for his work.'

He added that he and Mas Selamat became acquainted at the Sudirman Mosque in Malang.

'Kastari didn't say much about his background,' said Mr Bambang.

'He was keen on speaking about automotive matters in his Malay accent because he used to work in a workshop in Singapore.'

fatz2

Two youths produce Mas Selamat T-shirts
By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 22 March 2008 0019 hrs


SINGAPORE : Two enterprising young Singaporeans have come up with a T-shirt printed with the face of Jemaah Islamiyah fugitive Mas Selamat Kastari.

Mas Selamat's escape from detention has also prompted over 1,600 e-mails and phone calls to the police.

And now, Mas Selamat may soon become Singapore fashion's latest "poster boy", thanks to two enterprising youths.

Ashwin Tiwari said, "A T-shirt was a logical choice. Something that you know people can wear and it's also fun..... We don't make a lot of money....since it's locally made, it's very expensive."

The creators hit on the business idea when the "Mas Selamat group" they created on social networking site Facebook saw over 1,000 new members in just a few days.

The T-shirt creators said there is a serious message behind it.

Ray said, "The initial phase after his escape received a lot of media attention. But after that, it kind of died down, so perhaps this is a way to keep people engaged to a problem Singaporeans are facing."

And the idea seems to be catching on - the pair have received over 60 orders for the T-shirts, which cost S$16 each. - CNA/ms

fatz2

March 22, 2008         
Tighter immigration checks hit JB businesses
Takings dip by up to 75% as S'poreans avoid massive Causeway jams
By Arlina Arshad

ON A typical weekend, many Singapore cars can be seen at the Mobil petrol station close to the Johor Baru immigration checkpoint or heading for the town's malls.

Yesterday, the petrol station was serving more J-plate vehicles than S-plate ones. The town's restaurant owners, retailers and cabbies have also noticed slacker business over the past few weekends.

Three words explain this: Mas Selamat Kastari.

Petrol station cashier Rozana Mohd Din, 33, is certain that the heightened security following the escape of the 48-year-old Jemaah Islamiah terrorist is responsible for this.

The more thorough checks on travellers and vehicles passing through the Woodlands Checkpoint are keeping Singaporeans away.

Ms Rozana noted that the petrol station usually serves 100 Singapore cars on weekdays and 150 on weekends. She is seeing only half of that number now. 'It's so unfair that businesses here have to suffer because of one man,' she said.

Other JB businesses complained that takings had fallen by 20 to 75per cent. All expect this month to go down as one of the worst sales months in recent times.

When The Straits Times visited JB town centre yesterday, business at the food stalls appeared brisk. But stallholders said the customers were not quite as free spending as Singaporeans.

Hawker Ahmed Abdullah, 45, who sells Indian food, said: 'Singapore customers may come only once a week, but they spend a lot. They come with friends and order whatever they fancy on the menu.

'They can spend RM30 (S$13) in one sitting. Malaysian customers take a long time to decide - and when they do, they spend RM3.'

At City Square, cash registers were not ringing despite the ongoing sale. Boutique assistant Lim Kim Moi, 35, whose boss had chided her for the poor sales, said: 'Now, I am forced to be pushy and get the Malaysian customers to buy.'

Taxi drivers, too, were cooling their heels in a long line of cabs outside the JB checkpoint yesterday.

Cabby Masdan Rudin, 35, said: 'On weekends, I usually take 15 Singaporeans to Senai airport and bus terminals. Now, it's down to 10.'

The worst thing for these businesses is not knowing when the jams will ease and the crowds return.

DVD seller W.Y. Tan, who has suffered a 75 per cent drop in takings, said: 'If it's going to be like this for the next two months, I might have to start selling char kway teow.'

arlina@sph.com.sg

fatz2

March 23, 2008         
HUNT FOR MAS SELAMAT
Woodlands businesses hit by jams at checkpoint
Shoppers avoid the area; residents have to bear with honking from angry motorists stuck in jams
By Samantha Eng


SHOPS WITHOUT CUSTOMERS ARE NOW A COMMON SIGHT in Woodlands Centre Road Market. Businesses there have suffered a big drop in sales as shoppers, mostly Malaysians, are deterred by the traffic jams. -- ST PHOTO: WANG HUI FEN

FROM bustling marketplace to walkways so empty one can bowl.

This is how shop assistant K.F. Kwok describes the change in atmosphere at the Woodlands Centre Road market, with businesses affected badly by the massive traffic jams leading to the Woodlands Checkpoint.

Ever since Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader Mas Selamat Kastari's escape from the Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27, security checks at the checkpoint have been tightened.

These include fingerprint scans for all adults and a full inspection of all vehicles entering and leaving the country.

The jams, sometimes lasting up to eight hours, have not only angered motorists but also the shopkeepers in five blocks - 1A to 5A - in Woodlands Centre Road. These four-storey blocks house a mix of shops and flats.

'This place is so quiet we can now bowl along the walkways,' Madam Kwok, 50, complained.

Said Mr Deng Rong Hua, 73, who sells clothing in the Woodlands Centre Road market: 'I've lost some Malaysian customers because they dare not enter Singapore due to the jams.'

Malaysians make up half of his customers and he has suffered a 10 per cent drop in sales.

Another shopkeeper, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Tan, said her provision shop's business has taken a very big hit.

'Here in Woodlands, the bulk of our business comes from Malaysians. Now that they are deterred by the jams, who is there to buy from us?' she said.

Trucks ferrying supplies to the shops in Woodlands Centre Road have also been held up by the jams.

Said Mrs Tan: 'During the first week of the jams, I could not get my supplies. I now get my supplies on time only because I advise the drivers to come by the back road where there is no jam.'

She hopes that things will return to normal soon, noting that the jams have eased in the past three days.

Tenants in the food centre are also unhappy.

Hawker Noraishah Moemohetahir, who sells Muslim food, said the jams were the 'worst I've seen in my 25 years here'. She has suffered a 50 per cent dip in business.

Residents, too, are singing the blues.

Ms Nor Azura Sohami, who lives in a unit above the shops, is fed up with the 'endless honking' from angry motorists in the jam.

The 23-year-old single mum, who normally keeps her front door open, has taken to closing it to keep out the noise and pollution.

She also complained that 'none of the taxi drivers is willing to drive me home and the buses don't turn into our road anymore'.

SBS Transit corporate communications director Tammy Tan confirmed that the buses make a detour when the jam gets too bad.

The two affected bus services are 160 and 170.

Taxi driver Lim Cheng Her, 50, said that while he does not turn away Woodlands-bound passengers, he will try to drop them off 'at the nearest place where I can avoid the jam'.

Another cabby, who did not wish to be named, admitted that he made illegal turns in Woodlands Centre Road after dropping off his passengers.

'If we're stuck for more than two hours, how are we going to make enough to cover the day's rental?' he said.

For resident Pradeep Kumar, 40, it was his six-month-old baby's welfare that most concerned him.

'The honking starts as early as 3am and wakes my baby up. How is he supposed to sleep peace- fully?'

sameng@sph.com.sg

fatz2

Another JI member detained under ISA
By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 23 March 2008 1847 hrs

SINGAPORE: Another Jemaah Islamiyah member has been detained under Singapore's Internal Security Act.

Rijal Yadri Jumari, 27, was arrested in February for his involvement in the terrorist group, the Home Affairs Ministry said on Sunday.

The ISA order against Rijal was issued three days ago.

The Ministry said Rijal is known to have been working with foreign JI elements. It's believed they were in discussion to regroup and revive the Ji's clandestine network.

Rijal is a member of JI's "Al-Ghuraba" cell which aims to develop young members to become trained operatives and future leaders.

Rijal himself was talent-spotted by the JI to become a future leader in the organisation. He was also schooled at JI's overseas madrasahs.

In 2000, Rijal went to Afghanistan where he trained at Al-Qaeda's Camp Farouq in Kandahar. He learnt how to handle weapons, explosives, surveillance and guerrilla warfare.

While in Kandahar, Rijal even met Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden on several occasions.

After returning to this region, Rijal was on the run when security action against the JI was stepped up. Rijal was arrested with the cooperation of regional authorities.

Also on Sunday, the Home Affairs Ministry said another ISA detainee, Anis Mohamad Mansor, was released on 10 February when his Order of Detention expired.

It said Anis, who has been detained since February 2004, had cooperated with investigations and responded well to rehabilitation, which included religious counselling. - CNA/ir