DOING THEIR PART: Volunteers (from left) Rosna Hasan, 38, and Noormah Ismail, 49, give out posters of Mas Selamat at Tampines MRT station. About 100 people, including grassroots leaders and members of the Khadijah Mosque committee, chipped in to help. -- EDWIN KOO

By 3.30pm yesterday, about 100 volunteers had responded, including grassroots leaders, members of the Khadijah Mosque committee, staff from Malay-Muslim welfare organisation Taman Bacaan, representatives from local merchants and hawkers, and other concerned individuals.

They fanned out from the Khadijah Mosque in Geylang Road to distribute 10,000 'wanted' posters of Mas Selamat Kastari to make it clear that the escaped detainee was an enemy of the people, regardless of race or religion.

'I came up with the idea at about midnight. I then sent out SMSes to 10 individuals including five MPs, and by 5.30am I got my first response,' said Mr Abdul Halim, president of Taman Bacaan.

Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed responded positively to Mr Abdul Halim's appeal for support in this community endeavour.

Soon, nine others, including Madam Cynthia Phua, an MP for Aljunied GRC, and Dr Fatimah Lateef, an MP for Marine Parade GRC, SMSed their support and mobilised volunteers to join in.

The group gathered in the Khadijah Mosque auditorium yesterday afternoon, when Mr Abdul Halim spoke about how giving out the 'wanted' posters was a simple way the community would be able to join this national effort.

Mr Zainul added: 'We come together as one multiracial team, and we show that we have full confidence in the Government and we want to do what we can to help.'

It was this same sense of community bonding that inspired Mr Abdul Halim's late-night idea.

He said it came to him after the speech by Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng in Parliament appealing for every Singaporean to come forward to help apprehend Mas Selamat Kastari.

The group then split into teams and fanned out across areas such as MRT stations at Tampines, Paya Lebar, Bugis and Koven as well as food centres in Paya Lebar, Pasir Ris, Punggol and Haig Road to hand out the posters.

Geylang Neighbourhood Committee president Fu Chuan San, 66, covered Haig Road and the Paya Lebar area. 'This is important because the safety of the lives of Singaporeans depends on the capture of Kastari,' she said.

Taman Bacaan employee Noormah Ismail, 49, asked some people to put up posters at the lift lobby of their flats and even gave out a few extras for the people to pass on to their family members.

By 7pm, all 10,000 posters were given out. Most people who were approached by the volunteers were in favour of what they were doing.

Said Mr Roy Tay, 40, a manager of an engineering company: 'It will let people be really aware of what this man's face looks like.'

A nursing student from Nanyang Polytechnic, who wanted to be known only as Miss Wong, 21, said that giving out posters would press home the need for everyone to do their part.

diothman@sph.com.sg