Sabah to declare curfew in high risk areas

Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman today announced that a curfew will be imposed on selected high risk areas on the Sabah east coast, following the latest abduction and robbery.

Although details are scant, Musa said the focus would be on the areas under the East Sabah Security Zone (Esszone).

Musa, however, did not name the exact locations, curfew hours or when the curfew will commence.

In a statement, he said that the state security council, which met today, had decided to take several steps including the following:

• Limit movement into the area according to time, location and circumstances and mandating police permits for movement in the control areas;
   
• Setting up curfew areas for high risk areas where no movement is allowed. Police will also monitor these areas;
   
• Setting up a 'forward base' in strategic areas to monitor water security;
   
• Reorganisation and redeployment of the East Sabah Security Command (Esscom), especially in terms of intelligence;
   
• Beefing up security forces assets, including deploying high speed boats in high risk areas; and
   
• Campaigns among the rakyat living in the Esszone.

Meanwhile, news of yet another kidnapping has been met with frustration, not least from the state's own tourism minister Masidi Manjun.

“There is no use talking already...Our hope is that the responsible parties see that this is a challenge to their credibility. Their crediblity at stake!” he said on Twitter.

Masidi, who is Sabah tourism, culture and environment minister, was responding to a user who asked why kidnaps continue to happen in Sabah.

He was asked how the armed men managed to infiltrate the border and where the East Sabah Security Command (Esscom) was when it happened.

This followed Masidi's announcement that a Chinese national and fish farm manager was abducted by a group of armed men in Pulau Baik near Lahad Datu at 2.45am today.

This morning's incident comes a year after the Sulu incursion in Lahad Datu and weeks after a Chinese tourist and Filipino resort worker was kidnapped from a resort near Semporna (above).

'Heads must roll in Esscom'

Meanwhile, Sabah DAP said that the repeated security bungles should warrant a resignation from Esscom director general Mohammad Mentek.

“If we follow the leadership example by Korea, I don’t know how many times Esscom director-general should resign from his post,” Sabah DAP vice chairperson Chan Foong Hin said in statement.

He was referring to the South Korean prime minister Chung Hong-won's resignation following the ferry capsize which killed at least 187 people.

According to Chan (left), the kidnapping also shows that Sabah assistant minister of tourism, culture and environment Pang Yuk Ming was “in denial” when he refuted Mohammad's earlier remark that there have been attempted intrusions into Sabah waters by southern Philippines kidnappers.

He also called on a “reform” of Esscom to give it more power especially in maintaining water border security.

Further, he said southern Philippines kidnappers easily commit the crime in Sabah due to local connections no thanks to the influx of illegal immigrants into the state.

Esscom's Mohammad in a statement said that Yang Zai Lin, 34, of Guangzhao was abducted this morning following a shootout.

He said the shootout occured close to Pulau Mataking when security forces from air and marine units tried to corner the kindappers' boat.

The kidnappers, however, managed to flee to international waters.

Yang has been employed for the past three years by Wonderful Terrace Sdn Bhd, a company owned by a Chinese national.