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Was flat being watched, ask MPs
That Mas Selamat could go undetected in flat 'was not a security lapse'
By Jeremy Au Yong, Political Correspondent
THE work of Singapore's security forces came under scrutiny yesterday from MPs as they wondered how terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari was able to evade detection while spending the night at the home of an elder brother.
Mr Hri Kumar Nair (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) asked if the home of Mas Selamat's brother, Asmom, was under surveillance in the manhunt that followed the escape.
Nominated MP Viswa Sadasivan chimed in: 'Given the fact that there can't be that many immediate members of the family, on the day of the escape, shouldn't it have been standard operating procedure for the security forces to actually go down to the homes of the immediate family members?'
Ms Ellen Lee (Sembawang GRC) asked if police questioning of family members had been thorough enough, as the brother's family appeared to have managed to keep their cool.
In response, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam mounted a stout defence of the security forces, stating categorically that the authorities had acted correctly in the search for Mas Selamat.
To Ms Lee's question, he noted that interviews produce the best results when some facts are already known and the interviewee can be confronted with these facts. This was why a recent interview with Asmom's family yielded confirmation of their role in harbouring Mas Selamat when an earlier interview in March 2008 had yielded nothing.
To Mr Nair and Mr Viswa, he explained that Mas Selamat's loose network of friends, relatives and former Jemaah Islamiah (JI) associates was extensive, and included a few hundred people.
Mr Shanmugam declined to say if Asmom's flat had been under surveillance, arguing that this was a matter of operational security and 'not in the interest of our country for us to disclose these matters'.
He assured MPs, however, that his ministry had reviewed what was done, and he was 'satisfied that all the necessary steps had been taken'.
Giving their take on the revelations yesterday, security experts and political watchers said they did not think there had been a security lapse resulting in Mas Selamat managing to go undetected in Tampines.
Singapore Management University law lecturer Eugene Tan noted that Mas Selamat chose a counter-intuitive course of action. He said: 'If I were him, I suppose the last thing I would do would be to call upon a family member and risk implicating them. What I would do is try and leave the country.'
Security consultant Susan Sim said it was not realistic to expect the authorities to watch all of the terrorist's contacts simultaneously. She said: 'There are several layers in a manhunt. You start with previous comrades. Then you widen to people he worked with and extended family.
'Unless you have unlimited resources, there are only so many people you can watch at a time. Mas Selamat had hundreds of contacts. He was a bus mechanic. Do you go after all his former colleagues? Do you engage in a witch hunt, or act on the basis of information? We all like to connect the dots, but usually the lines are visible only after the fact.'
Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna, from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), believed that in this case, former JI members would likely have been watched first.
'Traditionally, the JI had used its members for escape, not family members. So guided by past information, the authorities may have given priority to JI members, especially since Mas Selamat had not been in touch with this brother for years,' he said, adding that having more personnel might be the only solution.
Even then, Mas Selamat might be able to slip past surveillance, Dr Kumar Ramakrishna, another RSIS terrorism expert, said.
'These terrorists receive training in counter-surveillance. Mas Selamat was probably very good at it,' he said.
For private investigator and former policeman Lionel De Souza, an HDB flat was a difficult place to conduct surveillance.
'It depends on the flat, whether it's an internal or external corridor and whether the flat is on a high floor.You need a minimum of three people to watch one target. There is no place to hide and conceal yourself while watching. You can sit at the void deck, but how long can you sit there? People will get suspicious,' he said.
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Was flat being watched, ask MPs
That Mas Selamat could go undetected in flat 'was not a security lapse'
By Jeremy Au Yong, Political Correspondent
THE work of Singapore's security forces came under scrutiny yesterday from MPs as they wondered how terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari was able to evade detection while spending the night at the home of an elder brother.
Mr Hri Kumar Nair (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) asked if the home of Mas Selamat's brother, Asmom, was under surveillance in the manhunt that followed the escape.
Nominated MP Viswa Sadasivan chimed in: 'Given the fact that there can't be that many immediate members of the family, on the day of the escape, shouldn't it have been standard operating procedure for the security forces to actually go down to the homes of the immediate family members?'
Ms Ellen Lee (Sembawang GRC) asked if police questioning of family members had been thorough enough, as the brother's family appeared to have managed to keep their cool.
In response, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam mounted a stout defence of the security forces, stating categorically that the authorities had acted correctly in the search for Mas Selamat.
To Ms Lee's question, he noted that interviews produce the best results when some facts are already known and the interviewee can be confronted with these facts. This was why a recent interview with Asmom's family yielded confirmation of their role in harbouring Mas Selamat when an earlier interview in March 2008 had yielded nothing.
To Mr Nair and Mr Viswa, he explained that Mas Selamat's loose network of friends, relatives and former Jemaah Islamiah (JI) associates was extensive, and included a few hundred people.
Mr Shanmugam declined to say if Asmom's flat had been under surveillance, arguing that this was a matter of operational security and 'not in the interest of our country for us to disclose these matters'.
He assured MPs, however, that his ministry had reviewed what was done, and he was 'satisfied that all the necessary steps had been taken'.
Giving their take on the revelations yesterday, security experts and political watchers said they did not think there had been a security lapse resulting in Mas Selamat managing to go undetected in Tampines.
Singapore Management University law lecturer Eugene Tan noted that Mas Selamat chose a counter-intuitive course of action. He said: 'If I were him, I suppose the last thing I would do would be to call upon a family member and risk implicating them. What I would do is try and leave the country.'
Security consultant Susan Sim said it was not realistic to expect the authorities to watch all of the terrorist's contacts simultaneously. She said: 'There are several layers in a manhunt. You start with previous comrades. Then you widen to people he worked with and extended family.
'Unless you have unlimited resources, there are only so many people you can watch at a time. Mas Selamat had hundreds of contacts. He was a bus mechanic. Do you go after all his former colleagues? Do you engage in a witch hunt, or act on the basis of information? We all like to connect the dots, but usually the lines are visible only after the fact.'
Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna, from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), believed that in this case, former JI members would likely have been watched first.
'Traditionally, the JI had used its members for escape, not family members. So guided by past information, the authorities may have given priority to JI members, especially since Mas Selamat had not been in touch with this brother for years,' he said, adding that having more personnel might be the only solution.
Even then, Mas Selamat might be able to slip past surveillance, Dr Kumar Ramakrishna, another RSIS terrorism expert, said.
'These terrorists receive training in counter-surveillance. Mas Selamat was probably very good at it,' he said.
For private investigator and former policeman Lionel De Souza, an HDB flat was a difficult place to conduct surveillance.
'It depends on the flat, whether it's an internal or external corridor and whether the flat is on a high floor.You need a minimum of three people to watch one target. There is no place to hide and conceal yourself while watching. You can sit at the void deck, but how long can you sit there? People will get suspicious,' he said.
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