Three Fugitives on Tekong Captured

20 Mar 2004

3rd fugitive being escorted out of SAF Ferry Terminal.

All three fugitives on have been arrested after an intense three-day manhunt by the Armed Forces and the .

The final suspect was caught this evening at about 4.45 pm by Gurkha officers along the south-eastern coastline. The 24 year old Indonesian had earlier been sighted by SAF helicopters at the eastern end of the reclaimed land.

The suspect was wearing a green T-shirt and khaki bermudas. He was found carrying RM$48, $48,500 Indonesian rupiah and S$6 in a pouch. The suspect also subsequently led police officers to the spot where he had discarded his pistol. The pistol has since been recovered. The suspect will be charged in court on Monday, 22 Mar 04, along with the second suspect caught this morning.

This operation was carried out in a deliberate and systematic manner. It had involved putting a sea cordon around the island, and then combing the entire island systematically by SAF and

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Police personnel. Aerial detection by helicopters had helped to cue the troops on the ground. This progressively narrowed down the area in which the fugitives could be hiding.

Said SAF Spokesman, LTC Bernard Lim, "Besides the objective of capturing the 3 fugitives, the SAF had also taken this operation as another opportunity to test the deployment of our forces and validate coordination procedures with the Police, in case there should be any development in the future which might require a large scale deployment. From this point of view, this operation achieved its purpose."

Said Commander, Supt Jerry See: "The good working relations with the Royal Malaysia Police have enabled us to respond to the incident swiftly. There was also good exchange of information in the course of our operations. The operation has also highlighted the resilience and professionalism of our officers in responding to challenges under adverse condition and unfamiliar terrain."

SAF's UH-1H doing aerial surveillance.

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