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Two S'porean businessmen offer $1m bounty for Mas Selamat's capture By Zakir Hussain A $1 MILLION cash bounty has been offered for information that will lead to Jemaah Islamiah (JI) fugitive Mas Selamat Kastari's arrest. Two businessmen have approached the Home Affairs Ministry to put up the reward, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng told Parliament on Monday. The businessmen have asked to remain anonymous because they do not want their families or business interests in the region to be a target. Mr Wong reiterated that while Police do not offer cash rewards, they will not object if private firms or individuals wish to do so. This is not the first time a bounty for Mas Selamat has been offered. In March, labour supply company Aasperon Manpower offered $50,000 for information leading to his capture, while Crime Library, a volunteer organisation that helps to find missing persons, offered $5,000. The United States has offered rewards in the millions for the capture of top terrorists with links to Al-Qaeda. These include JI bombmaker Noordin Top. Mr Wong, who is Home Affairs Minister, was replying to a question from Non-constituency MP Sylvia Lim on whether the Government had received or verified any information that Mas Selamat is now in Indonesia. Security agencies here have not received any information to confirm that Mas Selamat is hiding in Indonesia, or that he has left Singapore, he said. 'Nevertheless, we obviously cannot dismiss the possibility that Mas Selamat could have managed to escape Singapore for another country,' he told the House. Mas Selamat, the leader of the Singapore JI network, escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27. Mr Wong added: 'We will continue to work on all possible scenarios. Although there is no intelligence at present to substantiate it, as more time passes, the scenario of Mas Selamat being harboured by sympathisers inside or outside Singapore must logically be treated as increasingly plausible', he said. In a separate statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said it has agreed to the request of the two private individuals to manage the $1 million reward. 'As a policy, the Home Team security agencies, including the Singapore Police Force and Central Narcotics Bureau, do not itself offer cash rewards or bounties for information on fugitives and unsolved crimes, or for assistance by the public', the ministry explained. The policy, however, does not preclude private corporations or individuals from doing so if they are acting on their own volition to assist in the procurement of information pertinent to the police. 'The two individuals approached MHA for assistance to operationalise and manage their combined cash reward of S$1 million because they wish to remain anonymous. MHA has assessed these persons and their proposal to be serious and credible and has agreed to their request', the ministry added. Members of the public with information on Mas Selamat can call the Counter Terrorism Centre hotline at 1800-262 6473 or the police at 999. 'All information received will be kept confidential and will be verified and investigated', said MHA. Now then "pang pui"