PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday praised the Internal Security Department (ISD) officers for their commitment which eventually led to the arrest of Singapore's most wanted man Mas Selamat Kastari in Johor on April 1.

Said Mr Lee in a statement on Saturday commending them: 'I thank all the officers who have been involved in hunting for and tracking down Mas Selamat over this last year.

RELATED LINKS  COMMENTS BY PM LEE

'I never had any doubt that we would eventually find Mas Selamat, because I knew the quality and commitment of the officers working on this. ISD had recovered quickly from the mistakes which led to Mas Selamat's escape, put things right, and set themselves to finding and arresting him back.

'But nevertheless it is good that we have now got him. Our security agencies work quietly and anonymously, keeping Singapore safe. The public only hears about their work occasionally, for example when things go wrong.

'But we owe them more than most Singaporeans realise.'

Mas Selamat's latest arrest is his third since 2003, and each time information provided by ISD proved crucial, said Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng at a press conference on Friday.

In the latest arrest, Mr Wong said one of ISD's own leads helped to pinpoint where the escapee could be hiding. When it was generally satisfied that the information was credible, ISD passed it to the Malaysians.

Mas Selamat was first arrested in February 2003 when the Indonesian authorities caught up with him on Bintan Island. A botched escape attempt during his imprisonment left him with a broken left leg and a permanent limp.

He was not handed over to Singapore after he served his prison term and went missing for about five months.

He was captured a second time by the Indonesian authorities in early 2006 for using a fake identity card. This time, he was handed over to Singapore in February 2006.

He was held at the Whitley Road Detention Centre until his escape on Feb 27 last year.