Readers have asked how the escape occurred. We, too, want to get to the bottom of what happened.

This is why we have launched a criminal investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to uncover whether there has been any criminal wrong-doing.

The Minister for Home Affairs has also established a committee of inquiry under the Prisons Act, to discover how the escape occurred and recommend appropriate action to prevent such an incident occurring again. The committee of inquiry is headed by Mr Goh Joon Seng, a retired High Court judge and a member of the Council of Presidential Advisers.

We should await the outcome of the criminal investigation and committee of inquiry for the full facts and circumstances of how Mas Selamat escaped.

Readers also wondered if some information to the public could have been released earlier.

We understand the public's desire for more information.

When the incident was discovered, the top priority was to lock down Whitley Road Detention Centre, account for all detainees, and launch an immediate and thorough search of the entire site and vicinity.

Security at all checkpoints and border was stepped up.

The security assessment was that Mas Selamat was on the run, would seek to hide and try to leave the country, but he had no access to resources or a plan of action that would pose an imminent threat to the safety of any target in Singapore or the public.

Accordingly, the first public statement with information we could verify to be accurate at that time was released. As the situation progressed, we could establish more facts with certainty and they too were released progressively, as long as the disclosure did not compromise any action undertaken.

We thank readers who have made suggestions or offered help.

The spontaneous and strong community support demonstrates that the public understands the priority now must be to find and apprehend Mas Selamat.

Toh Yong Chuan
Director Corporate Relations
Ministry of Home Affairs