PORT KLANG - In another security fallout that is likely to further rock Prime Minister Najib Razak's beleaguered administration, a Japanese vessel was robbed by armed pirates wielding pistols and machetes some 16 nautical miles off Pulau Ketam, a fishing village and weekend-tourist spot.
According to national news agency Bernama, the captain and crew did not suffer any injury but three of the 18-member crew were abducted.
"I hope Najib won't resort to blaming the latest fiasco on anonymous quarters seeking to sabotage Malaysia-Japan ties," Opposition lawmaker Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
He was referring to the recent abduction of a Chinese tourist from a Sabah island resort, where Najib - facing bad press over his regime's botched handling of the missing airplane MH370 - had tried to pass off as a bid to sabotage Malaysia-China ties but did not name any suspects.
Lax security an open invitation to international criminals
Indeed, it will be tough for the Najib regime to explain the latest breach in Malaysian security. The nearness of the piracy attack to urban Malaysian shores will be the greatest cause for alarm.
"We cannot blame this on remote or difficult-to-man coastlines like those in Sabah or Sarawak. Pulau Ketam is part of Selangor, our most developed state. It is mind-boggling. I think it is obvious we are looking at a structural problem of weak governance, outdated processes, corruption, inefficiency and incompetence at our security institutions," Tian added.
"It is a breakdown that must be addressed by the federal government because these shortcomings have become so obvious, investors and tourists have already started thinking twice about choosing Malaysia while the bad hats and thugs from around the world will be encouraged to come here and create havoc because they know there are loopholes and weaknesses they can exploit."
Robbery well planned, oil siphoned off to 2 tankers
According to Malaysian marine police, five men - two of them armed with pistols and one with a machete - siphoned off two million litres of diesel from the Japanese vessel in the wee hours of Wednesday.
It is learnt that in the 1 am incident, the robbers also abducted three of the 18 crew of the ship which was on its way from Singapore to Myanmar with five million litres of the fuel.
Port Klang Marine Police commanding officer DSP Norzaid Muhammad Said said the robbers siphoned off the fuel to two tankers, taking between seven and eight hours to do, after tying up the crew including the captain.
"They then left the ship," he said.
Norzaid said the captain, after freeing himself, informed the diesel supplier in Singapore of the robbery.
The supplier lodged a report at the Johor Baharu police station which relayed the information to the marine police in Port Klang, he added.
"We sent our personnel to the location and found the Japanese vessel at Pulau Angsa. The ship was brought to the North Port here for further investigation," said Norzaid.
It is not clear if the pirates were of Malaysian origin or from neighboring Indonesia or Philippines.
Indonesian crew missing
But according to the Star newspaper, the crew only managed to free themselves several hours after the incident.
It was while doing a headcount that they realised that three of their Indonesian crew-mates were missing.
"The crew members comprised Indonesian, Thai, Myanmar and Indian nationals. But the Indonesians were nowhere in sight.
"We suspect that they have been kidnapped by the suspects.
"The ship has now has been anchored and we are investigating the case," said Norzaid. - Malaysia Chronicle
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