1st Question - How did he escape from such a "secure"
detention centre under the noses of his guards ?
Answer:
The authorities have yet to release any details so far. Only DPM Wong K S has said his escape took place in the space of only a few minutes. Incredible! This chap M S must rank with the Best of those who made real, fantastic escapes from prison camps. Many such great escapes are now stuff of legends...written into books and epitomised in movies.
Since none of us on the outside are any wiser...let's be patient and leave the explanation to some red-faced fella to tell us.
2nd Question - How has he eluded Capture so far? Thousands of policeman, elite forces, tracker dogs, and other auxilliary forces have thrown cordons around the immediate vicinity of escape and Bt Batok nature reserve to name a few places. They have conducted searches everywhere. EVERYWHERE???
No....sorry, not everywhere. They were searching only in places they thought he might be hiding out.
This is where M S outwitted them.....so far.
MS is an incorrigible, trained terrorist who spent much time [ 2 terms ] in Afghanistan. He received training from the Taliban and the Al Qaeda cells operating openly over there. You can be sure that the training included how to escape from prison centres and after that, how to elude capture.
Those of you familiar with the true story of "The Great Escape"movie starring Steve McQueen, James Coburn and other top stars will recall that it took place in a German POW camp. They were in enemy territory without the advantage of knowing the local language, geography, culture, no helpful local network etc... to aid their escape. Thus it wasn't surprising that most were recaptured and executed. Still, a handful made it and much can be learnt from these and other successes....both ways, how to escape and elude capture and how to prevent the same from happening.
MS had been incarcerated for a few years in Indonesia and then here in S'pore.
He has had too much time on his hands to plan his escape...possibly with the help of the existing J I network here or some "fringe" players and likely with secret communications filtered through his family meetings at the centre or worse, some other means.
So....how could he remain undetected in the face of such massive searches ?
To answer that....we need to go into his mind, to "think like he would and act as he could have".
The SOP of our forces in such an eventuality is no guessing game to him.
The JI members, many from our own S'pore, know everything there is to know about SAF and Police procedures, even Immigration procedures etc... How they would likely respond.
If he knew all that, with his cunning, he would have in place a pre-arranged post- escape RENDEZVOUS pick up point/place....which was already relayed to his network through...[?], way before the actual escape took place.
All it required was for him to remain in hiding, in a secluded place where tracker dogs cannot find his smell or trail.....until the predetermined time..., quietly emerge under cover of darkness at the pre-agreed location, be immediately whisked away preferably in a closed van....and to a temporary safe haven within S'pore still. If his operatives missed him on the 1st attempt..due perhaps to the presence of police, they would have arranged for a 2nd attempt, perhaps the next night and so on. All it takes is a few minutes or even seconds for that to happen...the whisking away! And he's gone...disappeared into thin air !
The only place near Whitley Detention Centre where tracker dogs may lose the scent of an escapee is.........THE BUKIT TIMAH CANAL !!!
IT IS THE DRY SEASON NOW AND WATER LEVEL IS LOW IN THE CANAL MAKING IT EASY TO WADE ACROSS OR WALK ALONG THE BANK IN EITHER DIRECTION. There are
adjoining "tributary" sunken drains large enough to hide anyone for sometime in their deep recesses within.
From the hidden spot, one can easily move out for a late night pick -up as the main road is beside the canal ! Too convenient ! Both Bt Timah and Dunearn Road have very convenient pick -up points for vehicles.
A week has passed by and I have not seen any searches in the canals yet. It already may be too late....or is it???
Wise Owl
