Unfortunately Singapore – JI Detainee Escapes: State Not Intrusive Enough?
“Minister Wong sure has some explaining to do. First of which is how a limping middle-aged man could escape from an ISD run facility?”
Pleinelune – Great, Now They’ll Start Checking My Shoes
“Do us all a favour, Selamat Kastari (what kind of a name is that, some kind of self-named holiday?), and get therapy. Talk through puppets or blow up aliens on a computer. Take up sky-diving. Go get laid. Why in the world do you need to kill other people in order to work through your personal issues?”
The Sidelined Student – JI Detainee escapes from Singapore Detention Centre.
“Singapore spends billions on security systems, yet people can smuggle guns out of army, and terrorist leaders can LIMP out of detention centres.”
Her Gestures – Mission Possible. JI detainee Mas Selamat Kastari escapes from Singapore detention centre.
“For god sake, open your damn bloody eyes and be vigilant. Thats your bloody job. A small mistake can ruin the whole face!”
Irrational Rationale – What A Joke!
“How the hell do you escape from so many officers with guns and according to their sources… HEAVILY GUARDED?!?! I don’t know if I should applause this man’s ability to escape or criticize the “guarding.”
Thoughts And Pieces – Escape of Selamat Kastari
“I wonder what’s the reason that detainee like a the terrorist is not given the same ‘nice’ and ‘careful’ treatment. Maybe to them, terrorist can’t run away from Singapore.”
Missy Brown Eyes – Houston, We Have A Problem
“And he limps. For goodness sake, a man who limps (i.e. cannot walk properly), has managed to escape from detention using the lamest excuse possible: I need to use the toilet.”
In The Name Of Donuts – I Love Men In Uniform!
“We’re so gonna be laughed at by Malaysia and Indonesia and Philippines and Thailand but especially Malaysia — not that it’ll matter — but HOW DID HE ESCAPE ?”
Love One Two Three – Omg. The Terrorist Selamat Kastari escaped!!!!!!
“Why was the news released a few hours after he escaped? ”we thought he was not a threat to thepublic at that time”. erms.. he is a threat. he’s most wanted.so … yea.. he is a threat.!”
Rusty Almond – This Piece Of News Sent Shivers Down My Spine
“HOW THE HELL DID IT HAPPEN? HOW DID A LIMP MANAGE TO ESCAPE FROM OUR WORLD CLASS HOME TEAM?”
Yearniz – Is like really OMG !… Singapore is in danger again!..
“Man!…I’m freaking scared!….but in the first place , how did the terrorist escape out of the detention centre???”
Leave Out All The Rest – National Crisis?
“What worries me is that the place he escaped from is so near school. The security personnels were standing on the pavements inspecting every car this morning, which really worries me and made me think “Will we be next?”
Gravity – Ryuworks – Number 1 terrorist escapes from local detention centre
“I think the authorities have to seriously look into the security (or lack of) in this country where all its people are being led to believe that we have an extremely secured prison/detention system.”
Dumb Dumb Dumbellz – Highly dangerous terrorist leader on the loose
“I don’t understand how in the world he can escape?? This is Singapore!! Escape when he go toilet? Imao!!”
Peaskeeping – Terror leader escapes in Singapore
“Sorry I know this is supposed to be really serious and all, but up to Bt Timah!? That is quite exhilarating. Maybe he is eating at Al-Ameen and nobody knows. Haha. Tsk tsk.. Kidding.”
Majulah – Top JI Old Limping Man Escaped From World Class Singapore Detention Centre
“Would he be able to escape like how Took Leng How did after the infamous Huang Na’s murder case?”
Chemical Generation – An Apology Means Little Until the Escaped Terrorist is Caught
“The government was open about the arrest of JI members in the past, and ISD should be open about its horrifying lapses when the time comes soon.”
My Central Dogma – JI Terrorist Escapes from Detention Centre
“Seems to me like Singapore detention centre is only built for Singaporean detainees. In the first place, why put terrorists in a detainment centre? They deserve to be in a prison with better security.”
Military Life – The SAF and SPF are truly lumber 1!
“Singapore has become the laughing stock of the world as we keep telling everyone we are world-class in virtually everything from electronic road pricing to ease at which terrorists appear to be able to slip out of supposedly secure detention centres.”
Mr Biao – Poor security at Singapore’s Internal Security Department
“How did a limping man manage to escape from a detention center in world-class Singapore and still manage to be free after half a day of ‘massive manhunt’?”
Chraen – Singapore JI Leader Escaped
“Even after the police arrested so many JI members I’m sure there’re still more out there… and who knows what they’ll do now that their leader has returned…”
Cookiemonster – Alleged JI leader escapes from jail
“A terrorist has escaped from jail, and the finger of death should be pointed at none another than the errant force that claims to police Singapore, keeping it safe from nutters who like to play with bombs.”
Elmoism – JI terrorist leader escape = Black magic?
“The last I read, he wanted to bomb MOE. WTF? Ministry of Education? At Buona Vista? Of all places? What for? I mean i can understand American Club/Embassy, Yishun MRT station, Police HQ etc but MOE? What? He’s not happy that most of our scholarships go to non-Muslims? Can’t be right?”
Chao Mugger – Selamat
“Police, check Bukit Timah Hill and Central Catchment Areas, then get your guns around the island please. Singapore is not a big place.”
Philip Chua – Escaped JI leader
“Singapore has now dropped the ball big time and really is an international laughing stock.
This is the kind of thing that sends many ripples outward. Singapore cannot police its own state. Singapore cannot be seen as a credible and capable ally in the war against terror. Singapore is a vulnerable target for terror. I.e. Singapore is no longer a trusty haven for investment in Southeast Asia.”
Simply Jean – Security lapse led to JI militant escape, taichi, and other stuffs in Singapore and the region
“The sad truth is, if this guy manages to get his acts together, this will be more than a movie.”
Zuco’s Blog – YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING
“If there was a proper opposition in Singapore’s parliament, the minister of home affairs and the PM will definitely get seriously grilled like they do in the UK when some shit (like the lost of CDs containing sensitive government data) hits the fan. In Singapore, they will probably get a slap on their hands with no calls for their resignation.”
Darth Grievous’ Dark Domain – Mas Selamat, Militants, Guantanamo Bay and whatever…
“I suggest that if Mas Selamat is not caught – either dead or alive – in 3 days, the Minister of Internal Affairs should resign.”
Pseudonymity – Singapore Terror Suspect’s Escape From Whitley Detention Centre
“I guess what will be on everybody’s mind this time round is the question “How the hell did he do it?!”. To escape from a place where even truth cannot get out.”
Alvinology – Who is Mas Selamat Kastari?
“He’s unarmed and walks with a limp, how fast can this guy run? We seldom even hear of convicts escaping from Changi Prison, not to mention the Internal Security Department.”
Anonymous X Writes – Prison “Detention Center” Break: featuring JI detainee Mas Selamat Kastari
“So, assuming the level of security differs between that of a detention center with that of a prison, a question will surely be raised on why the supposedly dangerous criminal was hold in a detention center and not in a prison.”
Nomed Letters – Who let the prisoner out?!
“First, goodies, then outrage at surprise, now fear. You can try to get the Prime Minister to call for a general election.”
Where Bears Roam Free – The Great Escape or the Great Decoy?
“The Great Escapee would be caught soon as what the script has been written. If he is not caught, you can relax too. The Great Escapee isn’t much of a threat as what the government would like you to believe.”
Chia Ti Lik – How many JI members does it take to make a fool out of the ISD, SPF, MHA? The answer is ONE.
“HEADS MUST ROLL in this incident. I REPEAT HEADS MUST ROLL. Shall it be the Minister for Home Affairs? Or Shall it be his Perm Sec? Commander SPF? or Director ISD? HA HA HA”
Singapore Patriot – Mas Selamat’s prison break: Some questions for Home Affairs Minister
“Will the public be informed of the details of the investigation, or will Singaporeans be told that it was an honest mistake and to trust the MHA to know what they are doing?”
Blue Heeler – Did Mas ‘breakout’, or is this a cover-up? A conspiracy-theorist’s fantasy that is good enough for Hollywood?
“I think he LIMPED out of the detention centre IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, escaping from one of the most highly-funded, best-trained security forces in the region!”
Darth Grievous’ Dark Domain – A foul up and all we get is an apology!
“Is that all you can offer Singapore, after this guy has escaped, Wong? With 3 million Singapore dollars of pay p.a., an apology is not good enough. If you have any sense of shame and responsibility at all, you should just resign and shut the hell up for a long time.”
Hardhitting – JI leader escape in Singapore
“That’s all the news Singaporeans have. A dangerous man escaped from jail, is free in Singapore, and that’s all the news we have.”
Tiger 4 Blog – Singapore’s Very Own Prison Break
“For displaying such efficiency in stop James Gomez from leaving Singapore, they can’t even have keep a dangerous criminal in custody letting him escape at 4.05pm. IN BROAD DAYLIGHT! THROUGH THE TOILET!”
Singapore Life And Times – Toilet tales
“Heads may roll, but it wouldn’t be Mat’s, at least, not yet.”
The States Times – “The Fugitive” Rerun
“Therefore, kopitiam erudites put it all to a staged wayang, possibly lasting longer than the original’s 118 episodes, or whatever duration necessary, to deflect attention from the honest mistake in the Budget surplus estimate.”
Military Life – JI leader escapes while on way to (the toilet) meet his family
“The DPM’s explanation only makes it worst as it clearly shows the incompetence and lax attitude to physical security.”
Etrepoursoi – JI Detainee’s Escape: Another Argument Against the ISA?
“Why the different regime of treatment for ISD detainees? Conceivably because they are being detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (”ISA”), unlike regular convicted prisoners in Changi Prison.”
The Sun Shines On – The one that got away
“After our guys in green and blue get him, I expect some accountability.”
Hardhitting – Still no news
“If MPs from the ruling PAP can’t get answers from the government in Parliament, I highly doubt anyone else in Singapore has a chance of getting anything.”
Mr Wang Says So – The Great Escape
“Mas Selamat has managed to run away. But in the end, it will be Wong Kan Seng who makes the really Great Escape.”
My Singapore News – The ultimate weapon
““Offer a $1m reward for his capture, Dead or Alive, as the bounty hunters like to call it. I think many people will be motivated to do the chasing for the money.”
Singapore Kopi Tok – HOW TO NAB MAS SELAMAT KASTARI?
““For the safety of our children, loved ones and fellow countrymen, all of us have to join hands with the authorities to create a national cordon and nab this terrorist before he strikes.”
Looking For Lalaland – Why Wong Kan Seng is incompetent – and not just for the JI escape
“Forgive me if I show no mercy to Wong Kan Seng. He has failed on at least three occasions – mentioned above. And the minister has embarrassed the country on an international scale on at least two of those three occasions. Mr Wong, please do the right thing as a man of honour. Resign!”
New Sintercom – Freak Accident or Incompetence in the Mas Selamat Fiasco?
“Someone will take the blame and whoever it is high or low ranking in the Home Affairs Ministry, we must be mindful that he could just be the scapegoat in the great finger-pointing politically directed musical chairs that will start soon.”
IZ Reloaded – CNN headline: Terror suspect fled toilet
“Seriously, how can we trust our government now to protect us from terrorist attacks if they can’t even hold on to a terrorist suspect that is already under their custody? And worse, how can the authorities let him escape while he goes for a damn toilet break? Crikey!”
Grass In Snow – Prison Break, Singapore version!
“I cross my fingers to what he can do to innocent lives. How can such a dangerous person be allowed to escape? I am baffled.”
Simply Jean – Toilet Break 4: Mas “Limping Terrorist” Selamat
“Coming to a cinema near you.”
Sophie’s World – Selamat* Asean?
“It is heartening to see the cooperation of the three littoral states of Asean in tracking the fugitive despite many bilateral problems among them.”
The Itch To Write – Singapore’s fumble
“As a Singaporean I felt pretty disappointed by the whole incident and it reminds me of the disappearance of the 8-year old China-born girl, Huang Na, back in 2004.”
Majulah – MUST SAVE KASTARI! The Incident Shouldn’t Have Happened At All
“And what do you get at the end of the day? An apology.”
Glee Choo – Sad to receive news about terrorist leader suspect.
“Whatever, this is certainly a good reminder that Singapore cannot afford to lax or be complacent on any account.”
Sunshine And Morbidness – Watch out for limping man
“How on the freaking earth did we manage to let a 47-year-old uncle with a limp run away under all those eyes??!!! Unbelievable!!”
Auphilius – JI’s Leader At Large.
“Don’t approach him if you’d see him. Dial 999 and tell the authorities his whereabouts. Enough.”
Wah So Dam Hot – Terrorist Escape
“And the minister for home affairs made a speech to the mps at parliament. I saw a smirk on his face.”
Ovidia Yu – Mas Selamat bin Kastari’s Toilet Break & Some Things I Believe
“Wong Kan Seng says Mas Selamat bin Kastari’s escape was an ‘honest mistake’
The Daily Backtrack – Think happy thoughts
“I tell you now that the government has a built-in mechanism to deflect ill-will, it is called The Spin 2000- it is like Magneto’s helmet in X-Men, something so thick and dense that not even the cry of a million irritated citizens can penetrate it.”
Leounheort – Manhunts and Ministers, Questions and Perspectives
“The majority of the burden must naturally fall on the guards, for letting him escape. But whether or not Wong was partially responsible for letting Mas Selamat run free must first be determined, before we call for his resignation for this matter.”
Blue Heeler – A joke begins like this: T’was once a govt-appointed ‘independent’ Committee of Inquiry consisting of 3 current/ex-civil servants…
“I am saddened that our government, in a time of need to ‘police’ itself, turns to a self-appointed team of civil servants to form an incestuous ‘independent committee’ in a show of false transparency. Phoooey…..”
Gan Chau – Brains – a must for committing crimes!
“There is no necessity to demand for anyone’s head to roll……to err is human!”
Singapore Alternatives – The World Class Joke!
“We may not fault the minister of Home Affairs directly for the prison break although some bloggers do, but for the crisis management thereafter, the minister of Home Affairs MUST be responsible!”
Deen Yusof – Mas Selamat wants to watch the Olympics too!
“Since he escaped, shouldn’t the Commisioner give a “Shoot at Sight” order? For the safety of the people?”
Darth Grievous’ Dark Domain – Of Mas Selamat and Horsies…
“Yet, we haven’t seen anyone who has exercised the moral courage to resign, and this is completely shameful when we are now a international joke as far as security matters are concerned.”
Diary Of A Singaporean Mind – National Manhunt : Where is Mas Selamat?
“WKS as minister cannot possibly know the detention center that well – you expect minister to inspect every toilet there? You expect the minister to train every guard? He has already apologised and taken responsibility. However, the members of the Opposition are the ones I blame for this mess.”
Diodati – Caught with their pants down: the police and the media
“I still dream that the day will come that ministers in Singapore will take responsibility for scandals and mistakes of this magnitude and bow out of their positions. Is it so difficult to hold ministers and public servants to the same standards as anyone else earning a salary on the private market, especially considering that that’s their justification for their ostentatious wages?”
Mr Wang Says So – The Independence of the Inquiry Commission
“But Dr Choong May Ling is a bad choice. I do not know what she’s doing there on the committee. For goodness sakes, the woman is the current MHA Deputy Secretary. You cannot put the current MHA Deputy Secretary on the commission and call this an “independent investigation”. Clearly there would be potential for conflict of interest.”
Aidilomar – When pigs can fly
“I cannot remember the last time I read the Straits Times. I do remember at one time, I felt sickened by the sight of it and all those who read it with the utmost concentration. It was as if I came across the very Satanic verses itself. Thank God for small mercies – we still have the Internet and we can read alternative opinions.”
Singapore Life And Times – WANTED!LIMPING OR NOT
Somebody mentioned S$50,000 – S$100,000 as a likely sum for a reward in order to hasten Mas’ re-capture. But what profiteth a man if he gains the whole world but loses his life at the hands of this terrorist?”
New Sintercom – The Terrorist Escape
“As Singapore has so far not suffered any harm from the terrorists, Singaporeans tended to believe that terrorists mainly target the whites. But now with a home-grown terrorist breaking jail, they will realize that they are not totally immune from the perils of the terrorists.”
Singapore Kopi Tok – Will Reason ever Prevail?
Let the bureaucrats put forth their arguments and attempt at transparency and accountability before any mob lynching is meted out.”
Molly Meek – Mas & Why I’m Not Singapore
But tell me, is your primary concern to spin the whole issue into a feel-good frenzy deflecting all fingers pointing at you or to enhance security?”
The Void Deck – Mas Selamat Cabot – Let’s Get Calm and Get Him First
“Got angry calls of resignations left right and centre. Cant be coz man on grd fuckup but all the way to the top the chain of leaders all muz resign? Top level management shld bear the brunt of policy type of fuckups. Ground level ppl should bear the brunt if there is fuckups in procedure. Dat could be the rough rule in the finger pointing later.”
Yawning Bread – The great hunt limps along
“The more the government stonewalls, the more people will wonder what they’re trying to hide. We begin to wonder whether even the little information that has come out has been merely for the purpose of saving face, and if the chief motivation is to save face, how reliable is anything they have said?”
Journalism.sg – The other casualty of the Great Escape: mainstream media credibility
“Treating citizens as if they were brain-dead will not make them so; they will simply migrate to other media that take them more seriously.”
Alvinology – Prison Break Season 4
“Today is day five of Mas Selamat’s escape and there’s still no news of his arrest or even sighting. This guy is really making Singapore look bad.”
Simply Jean – Warning: Do not wear baju kurong over a beige round collared tee-shirt and a pair of brown long trousers
“If you do not wish to be picked up by the police, then you might want to avoid wearing anything beige or brown – doesn’t matter if it’s top or bottom.”
Recruit Ong – Dangerous man in S’pore
“In my opinion this shorty is more dangerous than Mas. Becos he is the one who has already done damage to S’pore and S’poreans, while Mas is still planning his. From bullying SDP to harassing peaceful protesters, he has done it all. And now S’pore’s reputation is tarnished yet again under his watch. The chance of him resigning? I think i have better chance striking one million toto than that happening hahaha!”
Blogswork – A Uniquely Singapore Toilet Break.
“The Great Singapore Escape is becoming fodder for Photoshop artists and mash-ups.”
Uniquely Singapore – Which is which
“They setup an “independent” Committee of Inquiry (COI) with someone from Home Affairs Ministry, shouldn’t they get someone else without giving us the impression of “conflict of interests” (COI).”
Utopia – “independent” committee of Inquiry
“Whatever conclusion they come out with, they will be praised and given a pad on the back by the very same Minister who called for such “independent” committee in the first place.”
The Sun Shines On – Resignations and the Apportion of Blame in the Escape Debacle
“In the Mas Selamat escape debacle, it all depends on who should be blamed how much and how the blame should be shared. Should the one at the top have the monopoly of the blame? Or the grunt right at the bottom of the food chain? Or someone in between as well as an accommodation to the public’s bloodlust.”
Where Bears Roam Free – Out with the whole truth and nothing but the truth
“I can’t believe what the police is telling (or rather not telling) us. This is ridiculous. First, they explained that the 4 hour delay in informing the public did not endanger us, because he was not an imminent threat. But they then proceed to say that he is a dangerous man and even put on a global alert.”
Darth Grievous’ Dark Domain – Mas Selamat Kastari – The Conspiracy Theories
“Well, the longer Mas Selamat Kastari (MSK for short) is on the run, the juicier the conspiracy theories that are spun.”
Tiger4blog – Singapore’s Very Own Prison Break II
The most probable reason I believe is that his escape may be to create a fear among the nation to bring the population back under the government control.”
Recruit Ong – The missing van
“We know the authorities have already failed miserably on their detention competence. But now the missing van can be used as a benchmark to assess their search and locate competence.”
Thinking Better Thinking Meta – “Mas Selamat” does not exist
“The only means by which my want for information can be satiated is an efficient and truthful answering of questions by the Home Affairs Ministry and the government.”
Cycling Turtle – The Mother-of-all News Report on Mas Selamat
“Maybe they’re thinking of hiring foreign talent to search for Mas (hint: get the cast from CSI Miami). I’m sure they’ll know more about Bukit Batok more than any heartlander in Singapore.”
Zephyr And The Tornado – The Singapore media is a total farce
“What the fuck are those ‘journalists’ playing at, providing bits of information regarding the man on a daily basis? How the hell does anyone expect the public, the 4 million pairs of eyes, to search of the man if information is dispensed like that?”
XMercenaries – Did Singapore allow terrorist network to fester?
“Is Selamat still in Singapore. The answer is “No”, so don’t waste my fucking time sending me MMS, and giving me super delayed telecasts about his limp that isn’t really a limp, or the clothes he wore 6 days ago.”
Pseudonymity – Don’t Give Us Crap!!
“I mean, we don’t fucking need to be told that it was due to complacency, we’re not infallible, etc, etc!!! We already know all that!! So what the fuck!! And this fucking crap takes up half of the fontpage in the Straits Times in its weekend edition!! I really don’t give a fuck what the “great old sage” of Singapore has to say! And if the fucking ass-kissers in the local media don’t really have anything worthwhile to report, then don’t fucking report!”
Molly Meek – Custodians: Terrorists and Other kinds of Terrorists
More communal bonding crap. More PAP Education National Education crap. If you MIW still don’t get it, let me just sum it up: I think it’s DISGUSTING.”
Verbalme – manhunt
I’m genuinely surprised at how many mis-steps the government and police have taken, from releasing the information that the guy escaped late, to the exact description of what he was wearing when he escaped late, to the lax security surrounding his escape.”
Insane Poly – Standing Up For Change.
Jeeze, you would think after the pay hike, our dear PM might feel obligated to give the nation a satisfactory explanation- to start earning that 7 figure salary. Instead we’ve heard nary a peep from him.”
The Sun Shines On – Blame the Custodians and Complacency
However, responsibility for one of Singapore’s most bizarre prison breaks would however not stick on the political masters, as MM Lee implied not so many words. When the board of inquiry eventually issues their report, let’s see to what extent MM Lee’s opinions played a role in their findings.”
Red Little – MAS SELAMAT: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
Until questions such as those I have raised are answered, one cannot even be certain if Mas Selamat actually escaped.”
Where Bears Roam Free – So whose complacency is MM Lee referring to?
How the events unfold from now on would be interesting. If the inquiry comes up with a report – and that report concurs with what MM Lee says – it hints that this whole wayang show is indeed a wayang show, because somehow, the script was already written and MM Lee in one careless moment, “predicted the findings” of the inquiry.
The Bosonic State – Three Thoughts on the Mas Selamat Fiasco
I didn’t receive the MMS of his face… how did the government know that I’m bad at recognising people?”
Molly Meek – Fantastic Conspiracy Theories about Mas
Mas Selamat did not escape. Neither did he die in custody. Rather, his abilities to convince people that he was totally harmless impressed an old man so much that he was invited to a tea party.”
Seraphic Radiance – The question of Mas Selamat and the ISD
“Well, we have a Guantanamo in miniature in Tanglin Road. It is time we rail against that too, or any attempts at building a society that respects human rights would just be rank hypocrisy.”
My Singapore News – No words from Mas Selamat’s family
“I have been trying to hear from Mas Selamat’s family and see what they have to say on his escape. After two weeks, still nothing heard.”
Simply Jean – Singaporeans get A+ for Mas Selamat’s escape?
“What?! You mean to say that the whole thing was staged? You mean to say that Mas is still in his cell – innocently being cursed and sworn at?”
Readings From A Political Duo-able – The Great Escape of Mas Selamat Kastari – Revisiting ISA
“The flurry of comments, whether, from reputable writers like Alex Au or anonymous bloggers such as Chemical Generation, however, reflected the most disturbing assumption generally agreed upon – the assumption that Mas Selamat Kastari is guilty as charge.”
Harish Pillay – What’s the coverup?
“I am further tickled by the almost instantaneous “I am sorry” by wks. I think, if he really means that, he should do the right thing and resign. Any decent democracy will have had that happen.”
Molly Meek – Confessions, Transcendence and the Rhetoric of Leadership
No, everyone is busy controlling the damage done to the reputation of the Party. What is at stake is not security. It is the Party.”
This page will updated periodically.
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