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April 23, 2008
Investigation report raises more questions
I REFER to Tuesday's report, 'Gone in 11 minutes'. Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng described the mistakes that led to Mas Selamat Kastari's escape as 'silly and incredible' and rightly so. How else can one explain:

Why a window that is accessible by a ledge has no grilles installed, even though it was brought to the superintendent's attention more than once?

Why there was no operational closed-circuit TV while the system was tested?

Why a urinal section has a door which is not only unnecessary and unusual but, as proven, poses a security risk?

Why there is a tap in the urinal section when the washbasin is clearly outside, as it was reported Mas Selamat turned on the tap and kept it running? Or was there even a tap there?

Why a trained guard was not suspicious that an adult male needed to remove his trousers to urinate?

Why the same guard and two others outside the toilet took so long to realise something was amiss as it normally takes an adult male less than one minute to finish urinating? Perhaps one could make this mistake but three is unforgivable.

Except for the last two points which were a result of negligence by the guards, the others suggest higher authorities should shoulder the blame. While we appreciate that the results of the investigation were made public, they raise even more questions as the findings are unbelievable.

Sebastian Goh Chew Seng

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