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Anyone caught aiding him will find himself in serious trouble with the law.

A Ministry of Home Affairs spokesman told The Sunday Times that the person will face imprisonment for life, or a jail term which may extend to 15 years, and will also be liable to a fine.

Aiding the escape of, or harbouring, a prisoner is a breach of Section 130 of the Penal Code.

In Parliament last Monday, Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng gave a detailed account of how Mas Selamat was likely to have escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27.

He noted that even as the authorities confirmed that no one helped the Jemaah Islamiah leader break out from the centre, there is a possibility that he could have secured help after his escape.

Said Mr Wong: 'While there is no intelligence to confirm this, the possibility cannot be dismissed and is indeed a scenario pursued by the Internal Security Department (ISD) even now.'

The question that has not ceased being asked: So where is Mas Selamat now?

Terrorism experts The Sunday Times spoke to said that the 47-year-old fugitive could well be getting help now to evade arrest.

'The chances are high that someone is harbouring him,' said Dr Rohan Gunaratna, head of Singapore's International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research.

'That is why the Government must repeatedly announce the severity of harbouring a person of Mas Selamat's notoriety.'

The group most likely to assist him, experts say, are people who are sympathetic towards his situation.

If help is indeed being given, it is also more likely to come from a group than a lone person, they speculated.

Mr Saifullah Khan, research analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), added that harbouring a man of Mas Selamat's profile is tough, especially in an HDB flat, since neighbours' suspicions would be easily roused.

'In flats, people can see and hear what is going on. But if a group of people living in the same area work together, it'll be easier to harbour such a man,' he said.

If harboured in a secluded spot with low human traffic, Mas Selamat could possibly go undetected for 'an indefinite period', experts said.

Dr John Harrison, an assistant professor at RSIS, said: 'He would keep a low profile, careful not to draw unwanted attention to the flat. Others will then feed him food and information.'

If indeed harboured, the experts speculate that Mas Selamat would lie low till 'things die down' and then make his escape out of the country.

Others, however, believe it is unlikely he is holed up in a flat or building. Rather, they believe he is still roaming Singapore's forested areas.

One survival expert, who wanted to be known only as Mr Tamilselvam, said that someone with Mas Selamat's jungle skills could easily survive in Singapore's forests for up to two years.

Mr Tamilselvam, 57, who used to be an instructor to the Singapore Armed Forces commandos and conducted jungle survival training for soldiers, said that iguanas, squirrels and edible plants are available for food.

Also, items like groundsheets and water bottles, which are sometimes left behind by soldiers during training, could be hoarded by the fugitive and come in handy.

Mas Selamat, who reportedly received military training in Afghanistan, would also be careful to travel only in the day to prevent sustaining injuries at night.

Said Mr Tamilselvam: 'It is most important that he doesn't injure himself. If he needs medication, things could get complicated.'

But Dr Gunaratna thinks it unlikely that Mas Selamat is still hiding in the forests.

Even with his jungle expertise, he thinks that it is hard for Mas Selamat to survive in a jungle for long since he is used to operating in an urban environment.

Meanwhile, the Home Affairs Ministry said that members of Mas Selamat's family have been interviewed by the police and ISD.

It also reiterated that targeted searches based on intelligence and leads in forested areas are still ongoing.

'We will continue our search for Mas Selamat for as long as it takes until he is apprehended,' said a spokesman.

It added that tightened security at coastlines and checkpoints will continue to deny him any chance of fleeing the country.

Experts, too, felt that the fugitive is still somewhere in Singapore.

But on his possible future movements, International Crisis Group analyst Sidney Jones said: 'If he could find a way to get out of Singapore, then Indonesia would probably be his first choice.

'There, he has friends and contact, a network that can hide him, and knowledge of the area.'

mavistoh@sph.com.sg

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