Seriously, I don’t think he’d be caught anytime soon. In fact, I was watching The Fugitive (previously starred by Yong from NKF and originally starred by Harrison Ford), there were some scenes that resembles what the SPF are going through right now - especially the part where he escaped from an ambulance and just “disappeared” despite the police combing both ends of the tunnel.

Of course, if all goes according to the script, there’s little chance that the SPF will catch him anytime soon and that the only time left to catch him is when he’s come out from hiding and getting himself comfortable. Of course, this means he’d probably have the next plan to bomb up Singapore up and running by then.

Mas is really giving us a lot of problem. First the causeway jams, now the fingerprints. Singapore is beginning to turn into another US in paranoia. However, I don’t deny that it’s a need instead of just pretending that everything is gonna be ok… or everything’s gonna be alright.

ON Day 10 of the hunt for fugitive Mas Selamat Kastari, added security checks have been enforced at all checkpoints - which means showing your passport may no longer be enough.

As straitstimes.com found out, officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) at all land, air and sea exit and entry points have also started scanning travellers’ fingerprints.

Whether this is only done randomly or enforced on all travellers is unclear.

Taxi drivers ferrying passengers to Johor, plus some bus and lorry drivers, told straitstimes.com that checkpoint authorities started doing this in the last two days.

Taxi driver Tan Ah Tee, 54, who has been ferrying passengers across Woodlands Checkpoints for the last three years, said it is the first time he has encountered such a procedure.

He told straitstimes.com that both his passengers and himself have had to provide a fresh fingerprint for each trip he makes out of Singapore.

When asked for comment, ICA said: “Security has been enhanced at all checkpoints. We are unable to give further details due to operational concerns.”

“Further checks will be conducted on travellers, vehicles and baggage where necessary. This includes the scanning of fingerprints.”

With the weekend approaching and the March school holidays starting on Saturday, ICA expects throngs of vehicles to start flocking to Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints from Friday evening.

They have advised people to plan their trips around peak periods in the morning and evening to avoid the traffic crunch.

Those who have to make the trip during the busy periods are advised to practise lane discipline to ease congestion. Car pooling and taking the public transport are among other recommended ways to beat the jams.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 7th March 2008

This is really funny. I am not sure if the facility actually has the means to prevent an outward Armageddon but by publicising the location, doesn’t that make it a nice target for Mas "Limping Terrorist" Selamat and the likes? Of course, unless you are saying that there are no ammunition in the facility and all it does is just for people to practise their shooting… which I highly doubt so.

Speaking of Mas Selamat, he’s really made life inconvenient for a lot of people, especially for the poor lorry drivers who are stuck at the causeway. I’d be really pissed as well if I were stuck in an 80cm x 120cm compartment with carbon dioxide for "fresh air" and soot for "dessert toppings". Today’s the start of the weekend. I wonder how things will be like.

SINGAPORE achieved another milestone on Friday, with the commissioning of the world’s most modern underground ammunition facility at Mandai.

Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean officiated at the commissioning of the Underground Ammunition Facility (UAF), which is also Singapore’s first large-scale underground containerised facility to be designed and developed within a densely developed and urbanised area. It is equipped with the latest ammunition storage technology and systems.

Apart from safety and operational requirements, efficient land use and space management were key considerations in the design of the UAF, said a Ministry of Defence statement, which describes the UAF as ‘an engineering achievement which has set new standards in underground storage, safety and efficiency’.

By building an underground facility instead of a conventional above-ground facility, UAF freed up about 300 hectares of land - or about 400 football fields or half of Pasir Ris New Town.

Through good systems engineering, the UAF has also achieved efficiencies beyond land use.

‘The UAF requires 20 per cent less manpower to operate than a conventional facility by leveraging on IT and automation. The natural insulation provided by the granite caverns also achieves a 50 per cent reduction in the energy required for cooling compared to a conventional depot,’ said Mindef.

The team behind the UAF won a Defence Technology Prize last October.

The engineering team comprised members from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), and SembCorp Design and Construction. Other research centres which collaborated on the project include the Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore, as well as Sandia National Laboratories in the United States, FOI - the Swedish Defence and Research Establishment, and the Norwegian Defence Estate Agency.

The underground storehouse is carved from solid granite. A warren of subterranean road tunnels - big enough for container trucks to drive through - leads several storeys underground to 100m by 26m chambers.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 7th March 2008