PM Lee says JI fugitive Mas Selamat's escape a setback
SINGAPORE : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that the escape of Jemaah Islamiyah leader Mas Selamat Kastari is a setback and is something that should never have happened. Making his first public comments on an issue that has gripped Singaporeans, Mr Lee on Sunday also called on the people to "close ranks and bounce back, chastened but stronger and more on guard". With Mas Selamat still on the run after 12 days, it is not surprising the hunt for the missing fugitive remains the talk of the town.
In his first public comments on the issue, Mr Lee said the authorities are not absolutely sure yet what happened. But they will find out what went wrong and "fix it". A Committee of Inquiry has been set up to look into how the escape occurred. Mr Lee said, "As Minister Mentor said, we are not infallible. If we are not careful, we make mistakes. When we do, we better find out and put it right. I think that the security agencies are taking it very seriously - ISD certainly.
"I think the police and the Gurkha unit and the SAF forces, which are now (trying to) catch him, they are (carrying out) the operation with a lot of resources and close cooperation. I have been talking to the ministers responsible and I think we have a good chance of catching him, provided he is still in Singapore."
When asked if he believed that Mas Selamat is in Singapore, Mr Lee replied, "We have no reason to believe that he has left." However, while security forces will learn and grow from this, Mr Lee said such a mistake must never be repeated. Asked if it has affected the country's reputation, Mr Lee said, "It's not done (any) good for our reputation, but I don't think people believe that we are just like any other place where you can have television sets and other things in jail these days...we are different, this was a lapse.
"What to do, it has happened."
Meanwhile, Mr Lee said it was good to see how Singaporeans of all races had come together to distribute flyers to residents and maintain watch. And he called on the population to overcome this setback and close ranks. (CNA)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
soooo, the PM has finally decided to show his face in Singapore after going AWOL for 12days. dont know whats he up to, but he finally managed to say make a comment on the missing JI leader in Singapore. i seriously wonder where has he gone to during this two weeks. the words in bold, i did it on purpose. the way he mentioned that bolded phrase was more like a sarcarstic remark than a crude remark. But... what can we do about it? he's LHL anyway, he makes comments as he pleases, and we public cant do anything about it. oh well.
Anyway on a more serious note, If you happen to see this JI leader around, dont, DONT act hero and confront him, he may be armed and dangerous. Being on the run for more than a week, i suppose that he would have a knife up his sleeve or even a gun.
-if i were the Ji leader, i would have left Singapore once i had the chance. the first day.
-Still hiding in Singapore? i think someone is helping him buy the stuff he needs (ie food). for all you know he might be even hiding in someone's apartment. thats another reason why is he so hard to be found.
-Notice that the Crime Library has came up with a reward of 4000 bucks, NOT THE GOVERNMENT. they believe that we should be held responsible for what we has done. i think the DPM would be freaking out by now.
Hope he gets caught!
Daryl
