Mas Selamat
CID investigates
It wants to know if there was 'criminal wrongdoing' in the escape of Singapore's top terrorist suspect. Littlespeck.
Mar 9, 2008

Commenting on public letters asking how Mas Selamat Kastri had escaped from detention, the spokesman of the Home Affairs Ministry said "We, too, want to get to the bottom of what happened".

The Director Corporate Relations, Mr. Toh Yong Chuan said in a letter published in The Straits Times today, said his Ministry's Committee of Inquiry would find out how he fled.

He also said that in parallel "we have launched a criminal investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to uncover whether there has been any criminal wrong-doing."

Mr. Toh continued: -
"We should await the outcome of the criminal investigation and committee of inquiry for the full facts and circumstances of how Mas Selamat escaped.

Readers also wondered if some information to the public could have been released earlier.

We understand the public's desire for more information.

When the incident was discovered, the top priority was to lock down Whitley Road Detention Centre, account for all detainees, and launch an immediate and thorough search of the entire site and vicinity.

Security at all checkpoints and border was stepped up.

The security assessment was that Mas Selamat was on the run, would seek to hide and try to leave the country, but he had no access to resources or a plan of action that would pose an imminent threat to the safety of any target in Singapore or the public.

Accordingly, the first public statement with information we could verify to be accurate at that time was released.

As the situation progressed, we could establish more facts with certainty and they too were released progressively, as long as the disclosure did not compromise any action undertaken."

For full letter:
http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_214652.html