SINGAPORE : Businessman Richard Chan usually leaves it to his wife to pick their
daughter from the Singapore Chinese Girls' School (SCGS). But on Thursday
afternoon, he decided to accompany his wife to the school.
With Mas Selamat Kastari - terror detainee-turned-fugitive - still at large, Mr Chan
did not want to take any chances.
"I may have not sent my daughter to school if I had known earlier," he told
TODAY.
In what Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng described as a "security lapse",
Mas Selamat, head of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network here, gave his
guards the slip while he was being taken to the toilet at the Whitley Detention
Centre, which is near SCGS.
The massive manhunt for the 47-year-old fugitive, who walks with a limp,
continued on Thursday.
"Extensive police, the Singapore Armed Forces and other security resources are
still deployed and no efforts will be spared to track him down," the Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA) said last night.
The soldiers were brought in on Thursday to help the thousands of
policemen, Gurkhas and men from the elite Special Operations Forces
already deployed cover a wider area.
As the security forces continued to maintain its presence in the area around
the detention centre, SCGS yesterday issued a letter to parents assuring
them that extra precautions had been taken to ensure the students' safety.
Said SCGS principal Low Ay Nar: "Cars allowed into the premises are
scrutinised more stringently.”
Despite the beefed-up security in some areas, it seemed to be business as
usual in many parts of Singapore. In Geylang Serai, several people
interviewed said they were not worried.
The owner of a textile outlet, Mr Hashim Mohd Noor, believes that Mas
Selamat will be caught "sooner or later
Shopkeeper Chng Keng Chai, in his 80s, added: "I am not worried. If I see
him, I'll call the police.“
TODAY's checks suggested that many Singaporeans were more curious
about the escape itself.
As Mr K C Cheriyan, director of a childcare centre at Goldhill Avenue and a
former military man, said: "How do you escape from such a facility? How is it
possible?"
Other questions that have cropped up: Was Mas Selamat acting alone? Why
was he not restrained with handcuffs or electronic tags? Shouldn't there have
been fail-safe measures in the first place? Would his escape lead to greater
security threats here?
Four government MPs also had some questions for Mr Wong in Parliament on
Thursday.
Among them was Dr Teo Ho Pin, who wanted to know what was the level of
security imposed on Mas Selamat during his detention. "This has raised concerns
about our police force's vigilance, and security operating procedures," he said.
MP Ho Geok Choo - noting the possibility that there could be a network
operating in the background to help Mas Selamat escape - asked Mr Wong
what more the Home Ministry could do to prepare Singaporeans in the event of
an emergency.
Mr Wong urged the House "not to speculate" until an independent investigation
had completed its work.
He also warned that anyone who helps Mas Selamat would be committing a
"grave offence". Under the Penal Code, a person who harbours a fugitive faces a
jail sentence that may extend to 15 years or even a life term, as well as a fine.
TODAY understands that Mas Selamat's posters — with his picture and a number
to call — are being put up in places such as bus interchanges and MRT
stations.
Singapore's neighbours were yesterday also on alert, with Malaysian security
forces beefing up patrols and distributing the JI leader's photos to various
enforcement agencies. An Indonesian presidential spokesman told online
news portal detik.com that Jakarta was coordinating very closely with
Singapore’s security and intelligence agencies.
Even as Singaporeans are waiting for answers to the "how", security experts
are already grappling with the question, "what next?"
Some believe that Mas Selamat — who once plotted to hijack a plane and
crash it into Changi Airport — has four options: Hide and wait until there is a
lull in the manhunt; make a dash for it and try to escape to a neighbouring
country; or, if he feels cornered, Mas Selamat might resort to taking a
hostage or even a reckless act of terror.
Mr Clive Williams, a professor with the Australian Defence Force Academy,
predicted that Mas Selamat would try to reach Indonesia. "Because if he
stays in Singapore, he’s going to be arrested fairly quickly," Mr Williams told
AFP
29 February 2008
There have been many cases of
terrorism around the world, throughout
history. One of them being the infamous
9/11 incident.
However, what are some of the impacts
of terrorism?
Loss of lives and property
 Behavioral and emotional problems in
children
 Post traumatic stress disorder in victims
 Perception of degree of personal
security
 Perception of confidence in the
government

So, which National education (NE)
message is terrorism linked to?
Therefore, we should not take terrorism
lightly.
There are many more impact of terrorism
other than the few listed and it will affect
us in many ways. Who knows whether it
will happens to us one day?