Mas Selamat's relatives aided escape

[Adrianli]

SINGAPORE: Leader of the Singapore arm of terror group Jemaah Islamiyah Mas Selamat Kastari had help after his escape from the Whitley Road Detention Centre, on Ferbuary 27, 2008.

 

Law Minister K Shanmugam revealed on Monday in a Ministerial Statement in Parliament that he was harboured by his own family, before escaping to Malaysia.

 

Three family members have since been convicted in court and jailed.

 

He said Mas Selamat had made his way to his brother Asmom's home in Tampines, a busy neighbourhood in the eastern part of Singapore.

 

He was greeted by his grown-up niece Nur Aini Asmom, who then persuaded her mother Aisah to allow Mas Selamat into their flat.

 

Mas Selamat subsequently stayed one night at his brother's home.

 

For harbouring the terrorist after his escape, Mas Selamat's brother, the brother's wife and their daughter, have been jailed between three and 18 months.

 

His niece, Nur Aini, who was a Malay language teacher, was sentenced to 18 months jail.

 

His brother, Asmom was given 12 months while his sister-in-law Aisah, three months' jail.

 

The three were arrested and charged last Wednesday, on November 10.

 

They were convicted of the charge and sentenced on November 18.

 

Mas Selamat's nephew, Mahadir, who had a lesser role in the matter, has been served a stern warning in lieu of prosecution.

 

These details were revealed in a Ministerial statement in Parliament by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam.

 

He said Mas Selamat made his way to his brother's home in Tampines on February 29, 2008, two days after he escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC).

 

He wanted to seek shelter and help from his niece, Nur Aini.

 

Mr Shanmugam said Mas Selamat thought that Nur Aini was living alone.

 

The Minister added that Nur Aini persuaded her mother to allow Mas Selamat to enter the flat.

 

She gave him use of her bedroom, provided him food and water, and also assisted him by destroying the clothing he wore to the flat, which included his WRDC-issued attire.

 

Nur Aini helped Mas Selamat disguise himself as a woman to evade detection and recapture.

 

She also gave him several items, including a map of Singapore that showed part of Malaysia.

 

Asmom gave him S$100 and RM100 to facilitate his escape from Singapore to Malaysia.

 

Asmom's wife Aisah gave Mas Selamat an EZ-link card and hair-net which he wore as part of his disguise, and some paracetamol.

 

Mr Shanmugam said the three had knowingly harboured Mas Selamat, an escaped prisoner of the State, who they knew was the subject of a massive manhunt.

 

They deliberately withheld information when they were interviewed by the authorities on March 3, 2008.

 

It was only in October this year, after being confronted with the facts, that they admitted to what had happened.

 

Mr Shanmugam said Asmom and his family's decision to harbour Mas Selamat and provide him with material support that enabled him to escape to Malaysia was very wrong, illegal, and had grave security implications.

 

Mr Shanmugam said Singaporeans will be understandably disappointed that Asmom and his family had helped Mas Selamat in his escape.

 

But he added that their actions are not a reflection on the wider Malay-Muslim community who had disapproved of Mas Selamat's deeds, and participated in the manhunt for him in 2008.

 

Mr Shanmugam said Singaporeans should not allow this episode to affect the trust and goodwill that has been built up over the years between the different communities.

 

Instead, he said this should reinforce how important it is for every Singaporean to unite and assist the security agencies to overcome the threat of terrorism.

 

As to how Mas Selamat made his way to his brother's flat and how he subsequently made his way to Malaysia, Mr Shanmugam said the account given by Mas Selamat is still subject to verification.

 

-CNA/wk/fa

 

[Vextan]

why didnt the police anticipated that he would seek help from relatives, and ambush him ? my friend's bf who was wanted for theft, he was ambushed by 6 to 7 police when he visited his gf in toa payoh hub.

[Copen]

After his escape, shouldn't the police be checking out his relatives/family's houses first?!

[Ahtong]

I thought Mas Selamat made a jail break aided by toilet paper then bolted for the Straits of Johor and floated across? He was on the loose in Singapore for 2 days and no one saw him? No one even thought of stationing lookouts at his relative's flats?

 

How much of the original story is true?

[Haziqko]

  On 11/22/2010 at 8:24 AM, Ahtong said:

I thought Mas Selamat made a jail break aided by toilet paper then bolted for the Straits of Johor and floated across? He was on the loose in Singapore for 2 days and no one saw him? No one even thought of stationing lookouts at his relative's flats?

 

How much of the original story is true?

 

 

We may never know the true story lah... but whatever it is these ppl had better do their job properly from now on.

[Ticklish8]

He wear tudung n go thru Causeway to JB? Nobody from ICA detected it?

 

Mmmmm fishy

Edited November 22, 2010 by Ticklish8

[Ahtong]

[Ticklish8]

And I thought govt so efficient. So Singaporean complacent again?

 

 

 

Vigilent supervision was lacking in connection to the scandal which saw two former SLA executives allegedly conspire with at least six others to cheat the statutory board of $12 million between January 2008 and March this year.

 

'There was human failure. There was human failure first in supervision, and second in audit,' Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Finance, told Parliament on Monday.

 

Vigilence was also lacking at the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (Ipos), which was cheated of S$286,000 by former SLA deputy director, Koh Seah Wee, when he was the assistant director of its Information Technology Department from July 2004 to March 2007.

 

Mr Tharman said that there is no reason to believe that these human failures are wide-spread.

 

He said the alleged cases at SLA and Ipos did not come about because of gaps in rules and guidelines in public sector procurement.

[Gendut]

Another big embarrassment for the one who cant sing.

 

Keystone cops could not be bothered to stake out and search these homes?

 

c--k up after c--k up after c--k ups. MAybe we can call this a new Singapore Standard (SSxxx). Some idiotic company would surely want to follow this standard, esp Singapore companies

[JumpySpeedFiend]

  On 11/22/2010 at 8:32 AM, Gendut said:

Another big embarrassment for the one who cant sing.

 

Keystone cops could not be bothered to stake out and search these homes?

 

c--k up after c--k up after c--k ups. MAybe we can call this a new Singapore Standard (SSxxx). Some idiotic company would surely want to follow this standard, esp Singapore companies

 

 

To be fair, how big is MSK's extended families? Might not be that easy to devote resources for massive stake out at multiple locations with the massive manhunt ongoing.

 

 

[Kingcopa]

  On 11/22/2010 at 8:38 AM, JumpySpeedFiend said:

To be fair, how big is MSK's extended families? Might not be that easy to devote resources for massive stake out at multiple locations with the massive manhunt ongoing.

Fair???? I thot i saw on the TV, they even activate Army Personnel for the search for MAS when he escape. I dun think that could be used as an excuse

[JumpySpeedFiend]

Another report from ST

 

  Quote

AFTER staying overnight at his brother's flat in Tampines on Feb 29, 2008 - two days after he bolted from the Whitley Road Detention Centre - Mas Selamat Kastari disguised himself as a woman wearing a tudung to evade detection and recapture.

 

His niece Nur Aini bte Asmom helped apply make-up on the leader of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah, and secured the tudung for him, said Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam in Parliament on Monday.

 

She also gave him several items, which included a set of clothes, a baseball cap, water, a snack, an illumination stick, air-tight resealable plastic bags to pack the items, and a backpack to store all the items.

 

She also gave him a map of Singapore - which Mas Selamat had asked for - that showed part of Malaysia.

 

Mas Selamat's brother, Asmom, who jointly owned the flat with his wife Aisah, only found out the escaped detainee was in his flat when he returned home from work in the early hours of March 1.

 

'He knew it was wrong to harbour Mas Selamat, but eventually decided to allow Mas Selamat to stay in his flat,' said Mr Shanmugam.

 

Asmom also gave Mas Selamat S$100 and RM100 to facilitate his escape from Singapore to Malaysia, as well as some traditional medicine before he left the flat.

 

Mas Selamat was caught in Johor on April 1, 2009 and held in a Malaysian prison until he was handed over to Singapore on Sept 24, 2010.

Edited November 22, 2010 by JumpySpeedFiend

[Ahtong]

If they can get NSF to do this, I don't see why they can't spare manpower to stake out his BROTHER's house

 

[JumpySpeedFiend]

  On 11/22/2010 at 8:41 AM, Kingcopa said:

Fair???? I thot i saw on the TV, they even activate Army Personnel for the search for MAS when he escape. I dun think that could be used as an excuse

 

Army personnel were activated to secure coastal lines if I remember correctly, they were not invovled in the search.

 

In any case, it is not that easy to prevent him getting in touch with his families unless we want to behave like a police state whereby we arrest all his siblings and relatives the very first thing after he escaped and take possession of the residences and to wait for MSK to come.

 

 

[Kingcopa]

  On 11/22/2010 at 8:48 AM, JumpySpeedFiend said:

Army personnel were activated to secure coastal lines if I remember correctly, they were not invovled in the search.

 

In any case, it is not that easy to prevent him getting in touch with his families unless we want to behave like a police state whereby we arrest all his siblings and relatives the very first thing after he escaped and take possession of the residences and to wait for MSK to come.

 

See post #13

 

I dun think need to go into the extend in arresting all his relative lah. But dun u think it is common to think of their relative when someone escape. Although it may be just one of the many possibilities but i think this possibility should not be ignore lor.

Edited November 22, 2010 by Kingcopa

[JumpySpeedFiend]

  On 11/22/2010 at 8:46 AM, Ahtong said:

If they can get NSF to do this, I don't see why they can't spare manpower to stake out his BROTHER's house

 

Are you suggesting that uniformed man to be deployed to stand guard outside the brother's house? it will deter MSK to approach the brother for sure but on the other hand, it is also one good way to piss off the brother too.

[Ahtong]

Bro, no one said to take over his relative's house. Just post a few plain clothes police to keep watch can already. If they can do that for a petty thief (see Vextan's post), I don't understand why they didn't do it for MSK.

 

Somemore this is his brother, not some distant 3rd cousin twice removed.

 

This is an epic screw up.

[JumpySpeedFiend]

  On 11/22/2010 at 8:50 AM, Kingcopa said:

See post #13

 

Saw and replied. Your point?