Hunt for fugitives off Singapore
An island just to the northeast of Singapore took on the appearance of a war zone yesterday as about 700 heavily armed troops and police from the city state searched for three fugitives who fled there after allegedly robbing a vegetable stall and stealing a boat in Malaysia's nearby Johor state.
The searchers included Singapore special forces and Gurkha troops, who were backed by two helicopters, six patrol boats, several military vehicles and a dozen dogs.
'No one expected a real operation when we were activated for duty,' a military sergeant told reporters as he prepared to enter the search area.
'It seems so unreal, having to load real ammunition and knowing that we are facing armed men out there.'
The troops were outfitted in full camouflage gear, bullet-proof vests and heavy packs, and carried automatic weapons. The fugitives, who are believed to be Indonesian, were reportedly armed with two handguns.
'It's going to be very difficult for them to swim away, that's why we are concentrating the search on the island,' said a police spokesman.
He added that the island was separated from the nearest land by about 5km of fast-flowing water. The three are suspected of stealing M$600 (HK$1,232) early on Thursday from a vegetable-stall owner in the Malaysian town of Sedili, then speeding by car to the Johor River.
There, they held up a tour boat operator for about M$8,000 in cash and jewellery and stole a motor boat. Eluding Malaysian patrol craft, they dashed for the Singapore island of Pulau Tekong, where they abandoned the boat. A fourth robber is believed to have fled by car.
The island is used as a training ground for Singapore military recruits and is covered by swamps and jungle. Training exercises were suspended after the search was launched.
By late yesterday, the search had been narrowed to 12sq km of the eastern part of the island, which they vowed to comb 'inch by inch'.
The Singaporean authorities said they were co-operating with their Malaysian counterparts and that the search would continue until the fugitives were caught, or there was proof they had left the island.
