Mas Selamat Kastari

fatz

April 21, 2008         
DPM gives full account of Mas Selamat's escape


This is the open ventilation window inside the toilet, which Mas Selamat escaped from Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27. -- PHOTO: MHA

The window was not secured with grills, but instead the window handle was sawn off. -- PHOTO: MHA

The exterior view of the ventilation window. Mas Selamat could used the pipes to help him climb down from the window. -- PHOTO: MHA

The Committee of Inquiry found that there was a security weak point where the two perimeter fences meet the wall. Mas Selamat is believed to have scaled the fence and onto the roof of the walkway, before jumping over the fences. -- PHOTO: MHA

The initial search area around Whitley Road Detention Centre after Mas Selamat's escape on Feb 27.-- PHOTO: MHA

FUGITIVE terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari probably planned his escape over a period of time and seized the opportunity when a 'confluence' of factors gave him the break to flee from the Whitley Road detention centre on Feb 27, said Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng on Monday.

He gave Parliament a full account of the escape, based on the findings of the Committee of Inquiry (COI), which submitted its report to him on April 10.

The five-page executive summary of the report was also presented in Parliament.

The COI, said Mr Wong, had found 'no evidence of connivance or collusion' or any help given to the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader by anyone within the detention centre.

It took the JI leader under 11 minutes between 3.54pm and 4.05pm to make his escape - from the time he was brought to the toilet in the family visitation block and the time when the alert to his breakout was raised.

The three-member COI said a confluence of three critical factors led to security lapses, enabling the JI detainee to escape.

An unsecured ventilation window in the visitors block toilet was described by Mr Wong as a key 'security weakness' that allowed Mas Selamat to flee.

Mr Wong said he agreed with the COI's findings and accepted all its recommendations.

He added that he was satisfied that the COI had done a thorough job.

The COI had recommended improvements to strengthen security at the detention centre and this would be followed up to prevent another escape, said the minister, adding that all the physical lapses in the facility had also been dealt with.

In all, the COI recorded statements from 41 people and heard testimony from 36. It was given full access to all information and the detention centre.

Because of the many sensitive details, including the identity of the Internal Security Department and other security personnel and the precise work they do, he said the Cabinet has agreed that it is not possible to release the entire report 'without harming national interest and endangering the men and women who serve the nation'.

'We had also considered releasing the COI's report with the sensitive parts blacked out, but that was not feasible as the details are extensive. It would not only make understanding the report difficult, but also fuel the distraction of baseless speculation,' said the minister.

'However, we are very conscious that Members of this House and the public have a keen and valid interest in the findings of the COI. Hence, the Government has decided to release the executive summary of the COI report to show that the COI had carefully considered all the issues.'

Mr Wong said he was 'shocked and disappointed' when first informed of Mas Selamat's escape. He was in Parliament that day answering questions when he got an SMS alert on his mobile phone that the JI detainee had bolted.

He acknowledged that the escape was a major setback for the Internal Security Department and the Home Affairs Ministry.

'It is a dark stain on the record of success which ISD has achieved in the fight against terrorism,' said Mr Wong

'All the more when the mistakes have turned out to be so simple as to appear silly and incredible,' he said.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water

But he called for a 'fair and balanced' judgement on the ISD and Home Team personnel and urged Singaporeans who were angry and disappointed over the incident not to 'throw the baby out with the bath water'.

Mr Wong pointed out that it was the ISD which uncovered the clandestine JI terrorist network and its links to the Al-Qaeda in 2001. Before that, nobody had heard of the militant organisation.

He also credited ISA with thwarting 'an otherwise catastrophic attack' planned for early 2002 on Singapore when it disrupted the JI operational cells collaborating with Al-Qaeda operative Mansour Jabarah and JI bomb maker Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi, both of whom were later arrested by foreign governments.

'Even now, no doubt with morale sorely affected, the ISD and its officers continue to also pursue every lead and intelligence to further their counter-terrorism operations which have kept us all safe,' said Mr Wong.

But he hastened to add: 'Do not misunderstand me. I mention these facts not to absolve or excuse the ISD from responsibility for its officers' mistakes or lapses. I mention these facts because we need to be fair and balanced in our judgement and not 'throw the baby out with the bath water'.

'Yes, this episode of Mas Selamat's escape is a bad mistake and officers who did not carry out their duties as required will be held accountable.

'But ISD, the organisation and the many dedicated and committed officers who continue to serve in it, are resolved to pick themselves, recover their spirits and move forward relentlessly in their national mission. We must support them in this.'

fatz

April 21, 2008         
Confluence of 3 factors helped Mas Selamat to escape

THE Committee of Inquiry (COI) found that Mas Selamat was able to escape from Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27 because of the confluence of a number of factors.

The factors were released in the executive summary of the COI's report by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng in Parliament on Monday.

First the Gurkha guard escorting Mas Selamat did not stop him from closing the urinal cubicle door in the Family Visitation Block toilet.

Second, the ventilation window in the urinal cubicle from which Mas Selamat escaped had not been secured by grilles.

Finally, there was a security weak point in the perimeter fencing where the outer and inner perimeter fences converged with an enclosed staircase and walkway leading to the Family Visitation Block was not detected.

In addition, the COI found that the following factors might have contributed to providing Mas Selamat more time to make good his escape:

#  The two Gurkha guards and the Special Duty Operative (SDO) - a junior ISD officer - escorting Mas Selamat failed to respond immediately and decisively when they noticed Mas Selamat was taking too long in the urinal cubicle;

# The SDO failed to check if Mas Selamat had changed out of his detention attire into his civilian clothes. The COI believes that he must have been wearing at least two layers of clothing when he escaped from the toilet;

# No one was actively monitoring the two CCTV cameras covering the outer and inner perimeter fences at the rear of the Family Visitation Block.

The COI found no evidence that Mas Selamat had help with his escape.

The committee also believed that that Mas Selamat was testing the reaction of the Gurkha guards by closing the urinal cubicle door on previous occasions.

This would also have given him the opportunity to climb onto the ledge in the urinal cubicle to survey the rear of the Family Visitation Block.

The COI said that Mas Selamat had planned his escape on Feb 27 because he wore his detention attire under his civilian clothes before entering the toilet.

fatz

April 21, 2008         
No evidence of collusion and help given to Mas Selamat

WAS Mas Selamat Kastari's escape an inside job? Did he get help from anyone inside the Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC)?

The answer is no, according to the assessment of the Committee of Inquiry (COI) and a separate investigation and intelligence by the Internal Security Department (ISD).

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which also carried out an independent probe to find out if there was criminal liability on anyone's part, also concluded that there was no indication of criminal negligence, intentional omission and collusion by any of the staff at WRDC.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng told Parliament on Monday that determining if there was collusion by officers in WRDC was critical as this could lead to more escapes if it continued undetected.

Reporting the COI's findings, Mr Wong told the House when giving a full account of how the terrorist leader escaped on Feb 27: 'In the course of its inquiry, the COI found no evidence of connivance, collusion or assistance given to Mas Selamat, on the part of any individual.'

'The COI observed that no one individual had full control to bring about the confluence of the material factors at the time of Mas Selamat's escape.'

The COI, in its executive summary, which was presented by Mr Wong to Parliament on Monday, said that the routine use of the toilet in the family visitation block provided the JI militant with the opportunity to plan his escape.

It also concluded that had the confluence of factors not occurred on Feb 27, he would probably have put off his escape plan.

'Hence the COI believes that Mas Selamat had pre-planned his escape over a period of time and seized the opportunity provided him by the confluence of a number of factors at the material time,' said the committee in its summary.

The ISD, which also immediately launched its own internal investigation to establish if the detainee had received help in escaping, also did not find any evidence to suggest collusion on the part of ISD officers or the guards.

Could Mas Selamat have secured help after his escape?

Mr Wong said: 'While there is no intelligence to confirm this, the possibility cannot be dismissed and is indeed a scenario pursued by ISD even now.'

Officers responsible to be disciplined, penalised

He, however, said that officers responsible for the escape will be disciplined and penalised.

Mr Wong said this will include those at the junior officer level, all the way up the chain of command to the supervisory and management levels of the detention centre.

'There is a proper process for disciplinary action under the Civil Service or Police Force rules and this must take its course.'

The minister said the Commissioner of Police and the director of the Internal Security Department (ISD) have also been told to replace all the WRDC officers - as identified in the Committee of Inquiry report - who were responsible for Mas Selamat's escape.

No criminal charges against anyone: CID chief

Responding to media queries on the CID investigation, its Director Ng Boon Gay said in a statement on Monday: 'The escape was the result of the combination of several factors which were not in the control of any one individual.'

'In addition, there was no direct causation by any of the staff that resulted in the escape of Mas Selamat Kastari that constituted an offence of criminal negligence.'

'Furthermore, none of the staff had deliberately omitted to take any action which would otherwise have prevented the escape of Mas Selamat.'

He said that on completion of the investigation, CID consulted the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) on the case.

'AGC has considered the investigation papers and concluded that there is no basis to lay criminal charges under the Penal Code against any particular individual.'

But Mr Wong said this does not mean that no departmental disciplinary will be taken against the officers accountable for the lapse.

He has asked the Commissioner of Police and ISD Director to investigate the operational lapses realted to the escape and to ascertain accountabilities.

fatz

April 21, 2008         
10 measures to beef up security at Whitley Road detention centre

ALTHOUGH the Committee of Inquiry (COI) has found the security measures and procedures at the Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC) to be generally sound, it wants the operational weaknesses in the systems and processes to be strenghtened.

The three-member COI, led by former judge Goh Joon Seng, has made 10 recommendations to rectify the operational lapses which had led to terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari's escape on Feb 27.

Among the recommendation are:

# Build a new detention centre within the Changi Prison Complex.

# ISD to take overall command and control of all aspects of WRDC, including security.

# Establish a formal communication structure between the three groups (WRDC Administration, Gurkha guards and Operations Group) that run the detention centre.

# ISD HQ must clarify the roles and responsibilities of officers in all three groups at WRDC in relation to one another.

# WRDC Administration and Gurkha Contingent HQ to develop a comprehensive training programme for WRDC staff and Gurkha guards deployed at WRDC.

# Conduct regular audits to ensure that instructions are carried out and procedures followed through.

# ISD HQ to institute a system of checks and balances through regular review of WRDC security by Protective Security (PS) Command. The WRDC Administration must also seek approval from PS Command in writing before any change in escort procedures or use of facilities by detainees is approved.

# WRDC Administration and Gurkha HQ to jointly develop a response plan for major incidents and hold joint ground exercises regularly.

He said he had accepted all the COI's recommendations.

fatz

April 21, 2008         
DPM was answering questions in Parliament when escape alert came

DEPUTY Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng was in the midst of answering questions in Parliament on Feb 27 when he got an SMS on his mobile phone alerting him to Mas Selamat Kastari's escape.

'I was shocked and disappointed' when first informed of the Jemaah Islamiah's breakout, he said in Parliament on Monday.

'There is no doubt that Mas Selamat's escape is a major setback for ISD and for MHA. It is a dark stain on the record which ISD has achieved in the fight against terrorism,' said Mr Wong, who is also the Home Affairs Minister.

The ISD and Gurkha Contingent (GC) officers also felt acutely disappointed 'because they have fallen short of the high standards that Singaporeans have come to expect from them', said Mr Wong, adding that the security lapse at the Whitley Road detention centre 'came as a rude and painful shock to them'.

'All the more when the mistakes have turned out to be so simple as to appear silly and incredible,' he said.

Mr Wong pointed out that it was the ISD which uncovered the clandestine JI terrorist network and its links to the Al-Qaeda in 2001. Before that, nobody had heard of the militant organisation.

He also credited ISA with thwarting 'an otherwise catastrophic attack' planned for early 2002 on Singapore when it disrupted the JI operational cells collaborating with Al-Qaeda operative Mansour Jabarah and JI bomb maker Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi, both of whom were later arrested by foreign governments.

ISD's intelligence has also significantly supported the investigation into the Al-Qaeda and JI networks in the region and other parts of the world.

'Even now, no doubt with morale sorely affected, the ISD and its officers continue to also pursue every lead and intelligence to further their counter-terrorism operations which have kept us all safe,' said Mr Wong.

But he hastened to add: 'Do not misunderstand me. I mention these facts not to absolve or excuse the ISD from responsibility for its officers' mistakes or lapses. I mention these facts because we need to be fair and balanced in our judgement and not throw the baby out with the bath water.'

'Yes, this episode of Mas Selamat's escape is a bad mistake and officers who did not carry out their duties as required will be held accountable.'

'But ISD, the organisation and the many dedicated and committed officers who continue to serve in it, are resolved to pick themselves, recover their spirits and move forward relentlessly in their national mission. We must support them in this.'

Mr Wong also thanked the SAF and the Home Team for their commitment and efforts over the last seven weeks in the search for the fugitive, as well as the scores of Singaporeans who have rallied behind the efforts to help track down Mas Selamat.

Browneyes

memalukan aje

fatz2

Singapura : 22 April 2008         
         
PEMERINTAH SANGKAL DAKWAAN MAS SELAMAT SUDAH MENINGGAL

PEMERINTAH semalam menyangkal khabar-khabar angin dan soalan anggota pembangkang bahawa Mas Selamat Kastari sebenarnya telah meninggal dunia dan insiden dia melarikan diri sebenarnya satu helah untuk menutup kematiannya.

Mengembalikan soalan yang dikemukakan Encik Low Thia Khiang (Hougang) itu semalam, Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Encik Wong Kan Seng, berkata:

'Kalau Encik Low sendiri tidak percaya akan spekulasi umum bahawa Mas Selamat telah meninggal dunia, saya tidak tahu mengapa beliau ingin mengajukan soalan itu di Dewan ini.

'Jadi, tidak ada maknanya mengekalkan spekulasi itu di Dewan ini dan mengiktirafnya.'

Mas Selamat Kastari, 47 tahun, meloloskan diri dari Pusat Tahanan Whitley Road (WRDC) pada Februari lalu.

Sejak itu, ribuan anggota polis, tentera dan kontinjen Gurkha telah dikerahkan untuk menjejakinya.

Malah, lebih 10,000 poster turut ditampal di serata Singapura.

Menjawab soalan kedua Encik Low tentang sama ada sikap mudah puas hati telah menyebabkan Mas Selamat meloloskan diri, Encik Wong berkata dari semasa ke semasa masalah itu akan timbul.

'Insiden ini adalah satu daripadanya. Tetapi adakah itu bermakna seluruh kementerian (Ehwal Dalam Negeri) atau Home Team bersikap puas hati?

'Hujah itu saya rasa keterlaluan... dari semasa ke semasa, akan timbul kelemahan manusia, dan malangnya perkara sebegini berlaku (sekarang) meskipun kita tidak ingin ia berlaku,' kata Encik Wong.

sutera_abadi

sut dengo.. the gurkha yang mengiringi dia ke tandas telah dihantar pulang ke negeri nya....
memandangkan dia datang guna pas berkumpulan... so sesapa yg se group dengan dia juga dihantar pulang....
manakala officer yg incharge pada hari tersebut akan dipindahkan ke tempat lain.....
** mujurlah mereka tak diturun pangkat atau diberhentikan kerja ** Al-Hamdulillah...

fatz2

kalau betul...bagus arr mcm tu...jgn pulak kerana nak tutup mulut, dorang dihantar balik, pindahkan ke tempat lain....
maklum manusia ni...masa terlupa atau mabuk, ...suka terlepas cakap...

sutera_abadi

dorang dipindahkan atas sebab disiplin dan bukan kerana nak tutup mulut...
so far yg sut tau...  officer-officer tu seme memang bengang sejak kes selamat ni....
dan tak mustahil kalau si slemat ni dijumpai dan didetain di tempatkan ditempat yang sama....  
dia dipukul dengan lebih teruk kerana menyusahkan.... memalukan.... etc...etc...

Originally posted by fatz2 at 22-4-2008 08:30 AM
kalau betul...bagus arr mcm tu...jgn pulak kerana nak tutup mulut, dorang dihantar balik, pindahkan ke tempat lain....
maklum manusia ni...masa terlupa atau mabuk, ...suka terlepas cakap...

miezarra_27

saper kasi dia gergaji ek????? .... michael scoffield ker????  

fatz2

Originally posted by sutera_abadi at 22-4-2008 08:34 AM
dorang dipindahkan atas sebab disiplin dan bukan kerana nak tutup mulut...
so far yg sut tau...  officer-officer tu seme memang bengang sejak kes selamat ni....
dan tak mustahil kalau si slemat ...

tu la...bila la agaknya mas selamat tu dorang dapat tangkap semula ek.....

maybe jugak bila umo mas selamat masuk 55, dorang tunggu kat CPF building...

fatz2

handle tingkap tu dah memang digergaji mie....nak elakkan tahanan dari patahkan dah amik handle tu utk dibuat senjata
toilet tu sentiasa terbukak jer tingkap tu...

miezarra_27

oooo like that arr..???
bengang betul dorang nie ek???...
what a joke...!!!  nak elakkan buat senjata...
lain jadi nyer.. lagi teruk..!!  

[ Last edited by  miezarra_27 at 22-4-2008 10:03 AM ]

fatz2

sesekali takper agaknya....

fatz2

April 22, 2008         
PM Lee on S'pore's way: Get to root of the problem
When lapses occur, a mere ceremonial changing of the guard does not help
By Lydia Lim, Senior Political Correspondent

SINGAPORE should not encourage a culture in which ministers and officials resign each time a lapse occurs so as to appease an angry public, the Prime Minister said on Tuesday.

When mistakes happen, the focus should instead be on getting to the root of the problem and solving it, PM Lee Hsien Loong said in his first address to Parliament on the Feb 27 escape of JI leader Mas Selamat Kastari.

In some countries, ministers routinely fall on their swords when things go wrong, he noted.

This 'ceremonial change of guard' is seen as the solution, but the fundamentals remain unchanged and after a while, the problem pops up again, he said.

But in Singapore, 'we want to get to the root of the matter to solve it properly'.

In his 10-minute speech on government responsibility, Mr Lee also made clear that if a minister's lack of integrity led to a lapse, no matter how minor, 'he has to go'.

But if he was not at fault, then the Government must have the moral courage to stand by him, not sacrifice him for the sake of political expediency.

'The basic issue is whether the person is culpable. If so, we must act against him, however senior his position. But if he is not at fault, then we must have the moral courage to state so, and support him.

'This way, everybody within the organisation can be confident that when something goes wrong, they will not be sacrificed for political expediency,' he said.

Mr Lee addressed the House and fielded questions from four MPs, a day after Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng explained in detail how Mas Selamat had escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre.


maknanya...wong kan seng takkan letak jawatan la tu....

sutera_abadi

dah agak dahh....

Originally posted by fatz2 at 23-4-2008 04:35 AM
maknanya...wong kan seng takkan letak jawatan la tu....

fatz

TERROR

LAST TRACE OF MAS SELAMAT: He left baju kurung here in this forested area outside detention centre
Was Mas Selamat LUCKY
By Ng Tze Yong
April 23, 2008

THE story of Singapore's most infamous jailbreak is a story of a lady and a fox.

First, the lady. Her name's Luck.

On 27 Feb, it was Lady Luck that brought together a seemingly-invisible confluence of events which set out Mas Selamat's path to freedom.

Lay out the pieces, one by one.

First, the window with no grilles.

What were the chances that the contractor, who was instructed to put grilles on every window in Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC), would misunderstand the instructions of Internal Security Department (ISD) officers?

What were the chances then, that the WRDC superintendent, of all people, would order sawing off the window handle as a quick fix?

Next, the Gurkha guards.

Of all of them, how did Mas Selamat find himself on his big day with one who allowed him several minutes at the loo, and who ran off to get help instead of kicking down the door as soon as he felt something was amiss?

What were the chances that his colleague did likewise, running off again to find another officer?

And what were the chances that the ISD officer turned out to be a woman, and who had then to run off to find a male colleague to kick down the toilet door?

The delay helped to give Mas Selamat 11 minutes of getaway time.

Not that he even needed so much.

A Gurkha guard who re-enacted the escape for the Committee of Inquiry took just 49 sec to get from the toilet to outside the WRDC double row of fences.

At the fence, Lady Luck's invisible hand was at work once again.

Just 20m from the toilet window, Mas Selamat would have spotted a point where the perimeter fencing joined the wall of an enclosed walkway.

And of all things, this enclosed walkway had a flat roof that offered a way to leap over the fences to freedom.hmy3:

As he hobbled his way up on the roof and over the fence, no one saw a thing. Reason: The CCTVs captured nothing. They were yet to be commissioned.;)

What were the chances of all this coming together?

Infinitely minute, if you ask the ordinary Singaporean convinced about the nation's super-efficiency.

And why not? Even the math supports it.

Mathematicians have something called the theory of probability. It goes something like this:

Let's say there are two events, both with a one in 10 chance of happening. The chances of both happening at the same time is 1/10 times 1/10, that is 1/100.

If we talk about three events happening together, it's 1/10 times 1/10 times 1/10 - that is 1/1,000.

And so on and so forth, depending on how many events there are.

Do the math: 27 Feb was Mas Selamat's lucky day.

Browneyes

padan muka wong kan seng.. MP pembangkang  senyum aje dengar si pendek ni explain kat parlimen

miezarra_27

i think... dia dah sebei tempat ni awal2 lagi...
& dia pun dah dapat baca gerak geri jaga2 kat situ...