http://news.asiaone.com/News/The+New+Paper/Story/A1Story20090510-140457.html
Sun, May 10, 2009
The New Paper
No $1 million pay-off for 3 S'pore bounty hunters
By Desmond Ng
POOR bounty hunters.
Now that Mas Selamat Kastari has been arrested by the Malaysian authorities, there goes the $1 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Months of hardwork, clandestine infiltration and covert operations have all gone up in smoke.
But that's part and parcel of bounty work, surely.
As it turned out, the three Singaporean bounty hunters who had quit their private sector jobs here to look for Mas Selamat last July had been looking in the wrong country - Indonesia.
Mas Selamat was captured in Malaysia last month.
And in all likelihood, Crime Library founder Mr Joseph Tan said the trio are still looking for him.
The three men have been volunteers with Crime Library since 2004.
Said Mr Tan: 'They (the bounty hunters) probably haven't received the news about Mas Selamat's capture yet. I'm sure they'll be disappointed because the $1 million reward is gone.
'Their gamble didn't go right. I think they'll be coming home if they know that he's been captured.'
Five months after Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre, two anonymous businessmen had approached the government and offered the $1 million reward out of their own pockets.
The amount is Singapore's largest-ever reward for the capture of a wanted person.
Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng had said then that the police force does not offer cash for information on fugitives, unsolved crimes or help from the public.
But it does not object to private companies or individuals making the offer for Mas Selamat's whereabouts, he added.
So, is anyone getting the $1 million reward?
Mr Wong said that no private individuals were involved in providing the lead.
It was intelligence leads provided by Singapore's Internal Security Department late last year which played a key role leading to the arrest.
Tempted by the $1 million reward, the three bounty hunters packed their bags and headed to Indonesia last July .
Mr Tan - the founder of this non-profit organisation - said that he last spoke to them in January this year.
Back then, the bounty hunters, who are in their 20s, were still in Kalimantan, Indonesia, looking for Mas Selamat.
And they've been moving around Indonesia for the last 10 months in search of him.
The trio work as a team. Their aim was to blend into local communities in Indonesia and to seek leads that might pinpoint the hideout of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader.
Mr Tan, 42, is acting as their spokesman and their point of contact in Singapore.
He declined to reveal more details about the men for fear of blowing their cover.
He said he did not have their telephone numbers and the bounty hunters were the ones who have been contacting him instead.
They contacted him about once a month last year, and only once this year in January.
No problems
Said Mr Tan: 'They will update me about their situation there, but never in great detail about their operation or where they are.
'They'll also tell me about how they're doing. But so far, they said they've no problems there.'
The trio, who are all single, had undergone commando training during their national service, he said.
And they had been depending on their savings to fund their search.
Said Mr Tan: 'When I last spoke to them, they said they were following up on some leads and were mixing around with the locals.'
Mr Tan said Crime Library will not get a cut of any cash rewards if the bounty hunters managed to find any fugitives.
The organisation has helped solve about 440 missing person cases since it was founded in 2001.
Mr Tan said that after Mas Selamat went missing last February, all the leads were pointing towards Indonesia.
That was why the men decided to try their luck there.
The reward had created a buzz in the security industry, including those in neighbouring countries.
Mr Ponno Kalastree, 61, managing director of security and investigations agency Mainguard International, had mobilised agents in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines to look out for Mas Selamat last year.
He said that he heard about the arrest yesterday and has since told his bounty hunters about it.
But most of them are in various countries looking for other fugitives, so they would not be recalled home simply because Mas Selamat has been found.
Some terrorists have been caught after rewards were offered for their capture.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the 11 Sep attacks, was captured in Pakistan in 2003 after a US$25 million ($37m) bounty was offered.
In 2007, four Filipinos were paid US$10 million ($15m) after Abu Sayyaf leaders Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Sulaiman were discovered and killed.
Sun, May 10, 2009
The New Paper
No $1 million pay-off for 3 S'pore bounty hunters
By Desmond Ng
POOR bounty hunters.
Now that Mas Selamat Kastari has been arrested by the Malaysian authorities, there goes the $1 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Months of hardwork, clandestine infiltration and covert operations have all gone up in smoke.
But that's part and parcel of bounty work, surely.
As it turned out, the three Singaporean bounty hunters who had quit their private sector jobs here to look for Mas Selamat last July had been looking in the wrong country - Indonesia.
Mas Selamat was captured in Malaysia last month.
And in all likelihood, Crime Library founder Mr Joseph Tan said the trio are still looking for him.
The three men have been volunteers with Crime Library since 2004.
Said Mr Tan: 'They (the bounty hunters) probably haven't received the news about Mas Selamat's capture yet. I'm sure they'll be disappointed because the $1 million reward is gone.
'Their gamble didn't go right. I think they'll be coming home if they know that he's been captured.'
Five months after Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre, two anonymous businessmen had approached the government and offered the $1 million reward out of their own pockets.
The amount is Singapore's largest-ever reward for the capture of a wanted person.
Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng had said then that the police force does not offer cash for information on fugitives, unsolved crimes or help from the public.
But it does not object to private companies or individuals making the offer for Mas Selamat's whereabouts, he added.
So, is anyone getting the $1 million reward?
Mr Wong said that no private individuals were involved in providing the lead.
It was intelligence leads provided by Singapore's Internal Security Department late last year which played a key role leading to the arrest.
Tempted by the $1 million reward, the three bounty hunters packed their bags and headed to Indonesia last July .
Mr Tan - the founder of this non-profit organisation - said that he last spoke to them in January this year.
Back then, the bounty hunters, who are in their 20s, were still in Kalimantan, Indonesia, looking for Mas Selamat.
And they've been moving around Indonesia for the last 10 months in search of him.
The trio work as a team. Their aim was to blend into local communities in Indonesia and to seek leads that might pinpoint the hideout of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader.
Mr Tan, 42, is acting as their spokesman and their point of contact in Singapore.
He declined to reveal more details about the men for fear of blowing their cover.
He said he did not have their telephone numbers and the bounty hunters were the ones who have been contacting him instead.
They contacted him about once a month last year, and only once this year in January.
No problems
Said Mr Tan: 'They will update me about their situation there, but never in great detail about their operation or where they are.
'They'll also tell me about how they're doing. But so far, they said they've no problems there.'
The trio, who are all single, had undergone commando training during their national service, he said.
And they had been depending on their savings to fund their search.
Said Mr Tan: 'When I last spoke to them, they said they were following up on some leads and were mixing around with the locals.'
Mr Tan said Crime Library will not get a cut of any cash rewards if the bounty hunters managed to find any fugitives.
The organisation has helped solve about 440 missing person cases since it was founded in 2001.
Mr Tan said that after Mas Selamat went missing last February, all the leads were pointing towards Indonesia.
That was why the men decided to try their luck there.
The reward had created a buzz in the security industry, including those in neighbouring countries.
Mr Ponno Kalastree, 61, managing director of security and investigations agency Mainguard International, had mobilised agents in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines to look out for Mas Selamat last year.
He said that he heard about the arrest yesterday and has since told his bounty hunters about it.
But most of them are in various countries looking for other fugitives, so they would not be recalled home simply because Mas Selamat has been found.
Some terrorists have been caught after rewards were offered for their capture.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the 11 Sep attacks, was captured in Pakistan in 2003 after a US$25 million ($37m) bounty was offered.
In 2007, four Filipinos were paid US$10 million ($15m) after Abu Sayyaf leaders Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Sulaiman were discovered and killed.
