Why is Mas Selamat arrest a Straits Times scoop?

Why is Mas Selamat arrest a Straits Times scoop?

Why was terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari's arrest first reported in the Straits Times?

One would have expected the government to announce the news, especially after the scandal he caused by escaping from a Singapore prison more than a year ago.

Granted he was rearrested in Malaysia by Malaysian police. But they were tipped off by Singapore intelligence, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng was quick to say after the Straits Times reported the arrest today.

So Singapore can take credit too for his arrest. All the more reason why the government could have broken the news.

But instead the news surfaced in a newspaper that is not known for investigative stories, particularly regarding the government.

The terrorist was arrested on April 1, the Straits Times reported quoting "regional intelligence sources". It added:

A senior Malaysian government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the arrest…

What the report didn't say is who the "regional intelligence sources" were.

Did they include Singaporeans as well as Malaysians?

The report was quick to give credit to Singapore intelligence. It said:

A source said that the Singapore side had picked up a lead on Mas Selamat's trail towards the end of last year and pursued it.

When they proved to be a credible lead, they passed on the information to the Malaysian authorities…

The report did not say whether the unidentified source was a Singaporean or a Malaysian.

The Straits Times, being a Singapore newspaper, naturally highlighted the good work done by the Singaporeans.

This is the third time Mas Selamat has been tracked down by Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD), it said.

The terrorist's arrest is a feather in the caps of all those involved. So why was the news broken by a newspaper and not through official channels?

Why did Singapore's deputy prime minister appear on television to confirm the news instead of announcing it? Was it out of politeness that neither government wanted to be first with the news and the story ended up as a Straits Times scoop?

This way everybody wins. One could see the deputy prime minister smiling on Channel NewsAsia.

While the news has been picked up by the BBC, CNN and other foreign media, not everyone in Singapore is making a beeline for the Straits Times despite its scoop.

I was surprised to see stacks of unsold copies at a news stand and two other shops in my neighbourhood in the evening. I had bought a copy at the interchange on my way home expecting to find none near my place.

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