MAS SELAMAT'S ESCAPE
Keeping faith in anti-terror cooperation
By Hoo Tiang Boon & Kumar Ramakrishna, For The Straits Times
MAS Selamat Kastari's audacious breakout from the Whitley Road Detention Centre was a startling and depressing turn of events in Singapore's efforts against terrorism.
According to reports, Mas Selamat made his getaway after he asked to use the toilet at the detention centre just before meeting his family during a scheduled visit.
He is still at large, and there is wide speculation that he will try to head for Sumatra, if possible, where remnants of his old Jemaah Islamiah (JI) network are believed to still exist and where there will be secluded 'safe houses' for him to lie low.
Mas Selamat, who had undergone military training in Afghanistan, is considered by many counter-terrorism analysts to be one of the more dangerous terrorists in the region today. He once harboured grandiose 'Al-Qaedian' dreams of hijacking a commercial aircraft in Bangkok and crashing it into Singapore's Changi Airport.
With direct links to the top echelons of the JI leadership, Mas Selamat was chosen by JI operations chief Hambali to head the group's operations in Singapore in 1999.
Mas Selamat was first arrested in Bintan in 2003 after fleeing to Indonesia in the wake of the Singapore Government's crackdown on JI operatives in 2001. It was only in 2006 that he was deported to Singapore after being arrested again by the Indonesian authorities in Malang.
DANGEROUS FIGURE
The longer Mas Selamat remains at large, the more legendary he will become among regional terrorist circles.Some may turn to finger- pointing in the wake of Mas Selamat's escape. This is unfruitful. Instead, what would be more important would be to look at the ramifications of his escape. Specifically, what does the escape mean, strategically and operationally, for counter-terrorism efforts in Singapore and the region?
First, the escape is likely to be hailed by existing JI members as an act of divine intervention - Mas Selamat, despite the odds against him, was able to miraculously beat Singapore's security system with 'spiritual assistance'.
Similarly, some extremists see Osama Bin Laden's continued ability to elude security forces - despite massive rewards for information leading to his capture and state-of- the-art intelligence technology - as the 'will of God'.
Mas Selamat's escape may well be interpreted in the same 'theological' manner. Indeed, like-minded individuals or groups with agendas similar to JI's may exploit the 'Mas Selamat escape' story for their recruitment and indoctrination purposes.
Second, JI has suffered a series of major setbacks over the past few years. The arrests of scores of its members - including prominent figures such as Abu Dujana, Hambali and Zarkasih - mean that while it remains a strategic threat, its operational capability has been severely damaged.
Now, as a result of this 'good news' (from JI's perspective), it is possible that JI will see the escape as a turning point.
The escape will, at the very least, constitute a timely psychological shot in the arm for JI's cadres. The longer Mas Selamat remains at large, the more legendary he will become among regional terrorist circles. This point should be borne in mind because he is one among a few JI radicals with bona fide 'strategic potential' in the sense that he is capable of re-generating a terrorist cell around him.
Third, there is concern as to whether regional counter- terrorism cooperation with Singapore might be affected. After all, Mas Selamat escaped after Jakarta handed him over to Singapore.
Singapore's strong reputation in homeland security matters has undoubtedly taken a hit. But it would be far- fetched to say that this reputation - founded as it is on robust fundamentals and a sterling track record - would be severely dented just because of one incident.
In fact, if there is a full and fair inquiry into the causes of the 'security lapse' that allowed Mas Selamat to escape - and preventive measures are taken to ensure there are no repeats - then some good may come out of this incident.
For instance, a government White Paper, identifying the key lessons to be learnt from this incident, would not only benefit operational agencies in Singapore and the region, but also signify a transparent and forward-looking attitude towards the whole episode.
In fact, the Government appears to be moving in this direction with the announcement of the formation of a committee of inquiry to investigate the matter.
Finally, it is possible that in escaping, Mas Selamat may have left a number of inadvertent signatures that would be invaluable to intelligence agencies in enhancing their operational insights into the wider network, if any, that might have lent him support.
The authorities have reason to believe Mas Selamat acted on his own, without the aid of a network, but the possibility has to be considered.
We must recognise that the war on terror is a long-term one. We cannot expect an unbroken string of counter-terrorism successes. There will be ebbs and flows.
Ultimately, what matters is that Singaporeans and our friends in the region rally together and keep faith in the ideals of tolerance and reason.
Article extracted from http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_212944.html on 7/3/2008, The Straits Times Online
MY REFLECTIONS
From reading this article, I have learned some new things. Firstly, I found out from my classmate that Mas Selamat had escaped exactly like how Took Leng How of the Huang Na case a few years back did - by asking to go to the toilet. This has led me to wonder why there should be a security lapse around the toilet, even in a detention centre. In my opinion, these people, who have commited crime, have also sent the message that in doing so, they are giving up their human rights of privacy and equality. Also, I would like to question why the police have not thought of this possible breach in security despite a past occurence. Of course, though, I am not questioning the credibility of the police force - after all they have protected Singapore's internal affairs safely for many years. Furthermore, a full inquiry will ensure that preventive measures are to be taken by all from now on, thus I feel that it is not all bad things that have come out ofMas Selamat's escape.
From another point of view, his escape is bad news for security forces around the world, especially in the South-eastern Asia region for now. Despite the Government's, and many people's beliefs, I, for one, am not sure whether to put my bet on his currently still trapped in Singapore or his having escaped back to Indonesia. One thing is for sure - his escape will make him a legend, just like the article says, and a group of people, specifically the extremists lying low, will definitely attempt to seek him out and join him. This could mean trouble for the global anti-terrorist movement. It is precisely for these reasons that not just Singapore, but the whole world wants Mas Selamat caught and put behind bars safely, not being able to cause further harm to society.
I fully agree with the article's last sentence and I believe that everyone will share in my view. In this time of technological warfare, it is not just Singaporeans, but everyone against the terrorists and their outrageous behaviour, to stand up together against the ones attempting to spark the world into the next World War.
