General Sutanto, the chief of police, said his officers were working closely with their Singaporean counterparts in the manhunt.

Following his remarks in Jakarta on Tuesday, military chief Djoko Santoso said the army had stepped up border patrols and set up roadblocks to catch Mas Selamat, in case he sneaks across the border.

He said the roadblocks had been set up to allow his men to check the identities of passers-by, as Mas Selamat was known to use disguises.

'It's too premature to say that he has slipped into Indonesia. But we are taking all precautions,' he told reporters during an official visit to Kuala Lumpur.

General Djoko told Bernama that tracking Mas Selamat and terrorist suspects in Indonesia was the job of the police force, but said that the military was providing backup.

'We are just cooperating with the police to hunt for fugitives as part of our responsibility,' he added.

But at the same time, the Jakarta Post said the high-profile jailbreak had led to grumbling among the top brass of the Indonesian police.

Former police spokesman Sisno Adiwinoto, who was installed as South Sulawesi police chief on Tuesday, told the paper that Indonesia had to deal with most of the fallout from the escape, although he did not elaborate on what he meant by that.

'The Singaporean jail is known for its extra maximum security, so how was he able to flee? That is what we need to question. What is behind all of this?' he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's The Star quoted Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan as saying yesterday that the Malaysian police were in close contact with their Singaporean and Indonesian counterparts and were keeping a lookout for Mas Selamat, but that there was no sign that he had entered Malaysia.

SALIM OSMAN