It's been almost 120 hours since his escape 6 days ago. Over the past few days, the search for Mas Selamat has activated over 1,000 uniformed personnels searching
almost every corner of Singapore.
Over the past 6 days, Singapore has reached out to the citizens of Singapore, and even the Interpol for assistance to locate him.
Even all the 3 telecom operator companies, Singtel, M1 & Starhub, joined forces and sent out messages containing Mas Selamat's photos via MMS to more than 2 million mobile phones subscribers.
But the question here is: "Are we, typical, normal citizens, trained to identify a person, as dangerous and as intelligent as Mas Selamat?"
The answer is "NO!", here's an article from [The Newpaper], which will explain why.
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THE NEWPAPER, 03 March 2008HE may resort to changing the way he looks, but fugitive Mas Selamat Kastari has one distinctive physical feature that works against him - his limping left leg.
Veteran private investigator Lionel De Souza told The New Paper on Sunday: 'Wearing a wig or shaving himself bald are some of the most common forms of disguises adopted. 'Some fugitives would dress down, wear inconspicuous attire and spectacles.'
But for Mas Selamat, who has short wavy hair, a dark complexion and is 1.58m tall, his limp will draw immediate attention should he be spotted in public places - no matter how he tries to dress down.
Sleuth Dennis Lee, 37, does not dismiss the possibility that Mas Selamat may even take to wearing his ethnic outfit, like a sarong.
The managing director of Covert Acquisition said: '(An ethnic outfit) is a relatively safe disguise because given the sensitivity of the situation, not many would want to risk mis-identifying a suspicious character.'
Sporting a beard, a moustache or a goatee are some common ways of obscuring the facial features. But unless he has an accomplice who would have prepared the necessary disguise kit, time would be a factor.
Mr Lee said: 'You need time to grow it.'
Another likely ploy that should not be overlooked, he added, is to look down-and-out. 'As the man walks with a limp, he may even dress scruffily and pretend to be a beggar.
'This way, he can also get money, which is important to sustain him.' So, how many Singaporeans have been actively looking at strangers around them in the past 72 hours?
The general feedback from 60 respondents polled randomly by The New Paper on Sunday: Well, we are alert. But honestly, we are not certain if we can recognise Mas Selamat even if we saw him.
Only five said they have committed the man's face to memory. The others suggested that variations of the man's possible disguised looks should be widely distributed.
NOT CLEAR ENOUGH
Teacher Alec Sim, 44, said: 'Except for The New Paper's page one photos (on Saturday), the mugshots we've seen were either flashed on TV briefly or were too small for clarity.'
His colleague, Miss Emily Png, 30, added: 'We are not professionally trained to spot disguises. The police may want to consider giving us some other angles of his faces.'
Cabby Eric Chan, 50, who has been driving for eight years, said: 'I'd always be on the lookout whenever an alert is sent out.
'But it'll be easier if we have a clear description, like the type of outfit the suspect is wearing. If he boards my cab sporting a disguise, I may not even realise it's him.'
Salesgirl Christina Fong, 25, said she saw a man with a limp at the hawker centre at Seng Poh Road on 27Feb, a day after Mas Selamat escaped.
'My first instinct was to call 999, but it turned out the man is a Chinese and he was with two family members.' HELPFUL
Madam Lee Hong Jeow, 56, a housewife, said she was concerned when she heard the news that an extremist had escaped, but she admitted that she was 'not looking out' for the fugitive.
'My husband said we should call the police if we spot any Malay man with a limp because he could have disguised himself, but, aiyah, he looks so common, just like any other chap, I may not even recognise him.'
Undergraduate Ignatius Chiang, 23, said: 'I think the authorities should consider flashing Mas Selamat's face at all public areas till he is caught.
'And maybe, some disguise expert can work with the police to come up with the various disguises the man could sport - like in the US.
'It will certainly be helpful than just two mugshots.'------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extract
[HE may resort to changing the way he looks, but fugitive Mas Selamat Kastari has one distinctive physical feature that works against him - his limping left leg.]How are we supposed to identify him, when there are thousands of other Singaporeans with a bloody limping leg?! HOW HELPFUL...
Moreover, a report in [Lian He Wan Bao] stated that Mas Selamat's limping left leg
is only obvious when he is running. Which means, when he is walking,
HE IS JUST LIKE ANY MALAYS WALKING ON THE FUCKING STREETS OF SINGAPORE!!!They talked about him dressing down, wearing a sarong, shaving off his hair and his beard and even pretend to be a beggar. But why don't they assume that Mas Selamat might have already stayed at a old man or old lady's house?
In my opinion, the chance is quite high, because the announcement of his escape was made hours after, which would have given him ample time to walk to areas such as Toa Payoh, Braddell, or even Chinatown area, come up with a lie to seek empathy from a kind old man or old lady, so that they will allow him to stay in their house.
With a place to stay, food to eat, place to bathe & sleep, he can slowly recuperate, start communicating with JI members and start re-building his plans.
Why would I say this? Because there are a big number of senior citizens who don't have the habit of watching TV, reading newspaper or even listening to the Radio.
The Government can certainly do a Nation-wide search in residential houses. It's gonna be a mad job, but at least it does not eliminate the chance of him already residing in a person's house.
Still, i want this bastard to be caught, slaughtered and have his remains placed in jail
FOR LIFE.
Because, seriously, with Singapore's high population density, he can activate a bomb
ANYWHERE and thousands of people can be blown away...
Very exquisite entrance and the interior is very elegant. We were greeted by a well-groomed female Manager, who showed us to a table for 4 next to the bar counter.
The design that is repeated across the Bar counter.
Veggie roll. This is quite a nice appetizer to start things off. The veggie is fine dice, and wrapped in a "popiah" skin that is slightly thicker. The veggie roll almost falls apart in your mouth, the moment your teeth chew it. Because this whole dish is very light, the veggie leaves a very refreshing after-taste.
Sliced cucumber. This is another great appetizer alternative to Veggie roll. It is served with a dash of minced garlic, sprinkled on top, so people who do not like to eat raw garlic, might not like this dish at all.
HK-style "Lor Mee" The presentation is very unique, and my friend gave it a thumb's up.
Almond tofu. I can say that this dessert dish is quite a disappointment. Nothing much to say about it, since it is not anything spectacular. We ordered this dessert because the durian rice ball was sold out. *SIGH....*
