I think the ESSCOM is not functioning too well. The Abu Sayyaf are making monkeys out of us. They are really making fools out of all Malaysians especially ESSCOM.
Last year in February the Sulu intruders just waltzed into Lahad Datu and created quite some havoc.
Sulu people all the way in Kuala Lumpur knew that something was about to happen. A Sabahan girl (a Sulu from Semporna) who worked for a friend quit suddenly just days before the Sulu attack and returned home. She said her father asked her to return urgently. I think their people knew something was cooking.
The gomen hastily set up the ESSCOM - Eastern Sabah Security Command - to be entrusted with the security and peace of the east coast of Sabh. ESSCOM was announced on March 7th 2013.
Then in November last year, hardly nine months after the Lahad Datu attack, the Abu Sayyaf attacked the Sabah islands again, killed a Taiwanese man and carried away his wife, who was released for a substantial money ransom about 36 days later.
Yesterday, hardly five months after that last attack, the Abu Sayyaf attacked the Singamata Reef Resort which is located 4 km off the Sempoerna mainland. They have carried away a Filipina resort worker and a tourist from China. We do not know how long it will take for them to be released.
The Lahad Datu attack in February last year was planned by terrorists identifying themselves with the Nur Misuari group - who is a friend of Anwar Ibrahim. They had been left out of the peace memorandum between the Phillipine government and the Bangsamoro which had been brokered by Malaysia. The attack against Lahad Datu was in revenge for being left out of the peace process.
Nine days ago on Thursday, March 27th 2014 that peace process took another major step forward when the treaty was signed between the Phillipine government and the Bangsamoro, witnessed by our PM. Again the Abu Sayyaf and the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) were left out.
I suspect this attack in Sempoerna is in revenge over being left out again. Plus the fact that they grabbed a Chinese national shows some careful thinking on the part of the terrorists.
Last year in February the Sulu intruders just waltzed into Lahad Datu and created quite some havoc.
Sulu people all the way in Kuala Lumpur knew that something was about to happen. A Sabahan girl (a Sulu from Semporna) who worked for a friend quit suddenly just days before the Sulu attack and returned home. She said her father asked her to return urgently. I think their people knew something was cooking.
The gomen hastily set up the ESSCOM - Eastern Sabah Security Command - to be entrusted with the security and peace of the east coast of Sabh. ESSCOM was announced on March 7th 2013.
Then in November last year, hardly nine months after the Lahad Datu attack, the Abu Sayyaf attacked the Sabah islands again, killed a Taiwanese man and carried away his wife, who was released for a substantial money ransom about 36 days later.
Yesterday, hardly five months after that last attack, the Abu Sayyaf attacked the Singamata Reef Resort which is located 4 km off the Sempoerna mainland. They have carried away a Filipina resort worker and a tourist from China. We do not know how long it will take for them to be released.
The Lahad Datu attack in February last year was planned by terrorists identifying themselves with the Nur Misuari group - who is a friend of Anwar Ibrahim. They had been left out of the peace memorandum between the Phillipine government and the Bangsamoro which had been brokered by Malaysia. The attack against Lahad Datu was in revenge for being left out of the peace process.
Nine days ago on Thursday, March 27th 2014 that peace process took another major step forward when the treaty was signed between the Phillipine government and the Bangsamoro, witnessed by our PM. Again the Abu Sayyaf and the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) were left out.
I suspect this attack in Sempoerna is in revenge over being left out again. Plus the fact that they grabbed a Chinese national shows some careful thinking on the part of the terrorists.
Here are some facts of the latest attack as reported in the media :
- a Filipina and a female Chinese national were abducted
- seven gunmen attacked Singamata Reef Resort, shots were fired
- 40 room resort built on stilts, 4km from Sempoerna town
- Police belief they had inside help **
- Abu Sayyaf group behing this attack
- angry because they were left out of peace agreement
- attack comes soon after 1st anniversary of setting up ESSCOM
- last kidnap victim in Nov 2013, a Taiwanese, was taken to Jolo Island
- this time attackers suspected to have escaped to Tawi Tawi Islands
- Abu Sayyaf based on Basilan Island in southern Phillipines
- MILF is Moro Islamic Liberation Front
- BIFF is Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters
As you can see the Phillipines is very near to Sabah. The closest Phillipine islands are just 20 minutes off the Sabah coast. Plus there are hundreds of tiny islands that dot the sea. Policing this area poses many challenges. We have no choice but to safeguard our territory.
The Lahad Datu attack (Feb 2013), the Pom Pom Island attack (November 2013), the disappearance of MH370 (March 8, 2014) and now the attack against the Singamata Reef Resort (April 3, 2014) will kill off Chinese and Taiwanese tourists coming to Malaysia. They are the largest number of tourists now coming into the country.
The Lahad Datu attack (Feb 2013), the Pom Pom Island attack (November 2013), the disappearance of MH370 (March 8, 2014) and now the attack against the Singamata Reef Resort (April 3, 2014) will kill off Chinese and Taiwanese tourists coming to Malaysia. They are the largest number of tourists now coming into the country.
In the age of a tai chi civil service hiding behind SOPs and KPIs, I believe the ESSCOM does have SOPs in case of attack. What happened to ESSCOM's SOPs?
By now there must be Quick Response Team (QRTs) in place. Atau tak ada kut?
Everyone has handphones. Surely ESSCOM must have received news of the attack almost instantly.
Were any aircraft scrambled?
Were any interceptor boats sent out immediately?
Were there any 'picket boats' or patrol boats playing goalkeeper near the Phillipine islands?
They escape to the same islands - Sitangkai, Sibutu, Tawi Tawi, Jolo, Basilan.
A reader has suggested that ESSCOM place old or disused oil rigs (which can be bought cheaply almost for scrap value) as floating speed boat bases out at sea. This way whenever an attack happens and an alert is sounded, our speed boats can cut off escape routes more easily. This is not a bad idea because in Mabul there is a dive resort (Seaventures Dive Resort) that operates out of an old oil rig. Here is a picture :
We also need "hot pursuit" arrangements with the Phillipine government. If our boys are in hot pursuit they only need inform the Phillipines to chase the enemy into Phillipine territorial waters.
This is a dirty game. This is unconventional warfare or irregular warfare. We cannot apply the regular rules of engagement.
The Abu Sayyaf are proactive. The Police believe they had inside help in this attack in Sempoerna. Some senior people believe that until today the Abu Sayyaf have hidden weapons on the mainland in Sabah. This is what they did during the Lahad Datu attack in February last year. They are believed to have hidden high powered weapons in Sempoerna town and other places.
Our boys have to be proactive too. We need a solid intelligence network that stretches into the Phillipine islands. We need to constantly listen in to telephone calls. They communicate by cell phones, satellite phones and radio. Tapping communications is the key. We need people who can speak Sulu, Tausug and other dialects of the southern Phillipines.
We need a solid intelligence network into the mosques, suraus, floating villages, the bazaars and the kampongs all along the east coast of Sabah.
But those are military solutions. Shooting people, arresting people, fighting with people. There are more peaceful, far better, much easier and longer term solutions to the Moro problem.
The Moros are poor. Very very poor. Really dirt poor. They have few possessions and have very little to hope for. Piracy, kidnapping and murder for hire are the few job opportunities that they have.
My own view is this peace treaty between the Moros and the Phillipines is another nail in their coffin. The peace treaty gives them some autonomy and freedom. To do what? They are not in a position to help themselves.
How do you destroy someone who does not know how to take care of himself? You give him freedom. In no time he will be lost. You sentence him to death. That is what this treaty will eventually do.
The Phillipines has 100 million people, out of which almost 97 million are Catholics who live elsewhere. The Moros are only about three million people, they are Muslims, they speak a different language and they live 1000 km from Manila - the center of Phillipine power. Plus the Phillipines is a democracy. This means 97 million Catholics do not need three million Moros for anything at all. Zero.
If an alien spaceship appeared out of the sky tomorrow and sucked up all the three million Moros will it have any negative impact on the vast majority in the Phillipines? I dont think so.
The Moros need help. And I think only Malaysia can help them. We have to invest money in the southern Phillipines and in the Moros. Malaysian companies have to be encouraged to invest in plantations, fisheries, dive resorts, beach resorts, tourism, ice cream factories, shoe manufacturing, boat making, fishing supplies etc in the southern Phillipines.
This has to be seen as an investment in our country's security. If we can help to create jobs for the Moros in their own country, they will be less inclined to become pirates and kidnappers.
Our defense budget for Sabah should also include setting up trade schools and colleges for the Moros to get an education. Vocational skills, trade skills and other crafts through which their young people will find better job opportunities.
Please do not build any madrassahs. We do not need madrassahs. We do not need the "Islamic brotherhood" investing money in the area. I am aware of "Islamic" NGOs visiting the area. There is also an attempt to get GLCs (also "islamic") to invest in Mindanao. This religious approach always spells disaster. Let us just use a simple business approach. Stop all this religious identity crap.
Here is a little bit far out outside the box suggestion. We can also claim the southern Phillipines and annexe the area as part of Sabah. We must remember that the entire southern Phillipines used to belong to the Malay Sultanate of Brunei. Agree or not, the Sultanate of Brunei is one of the Raja-Raja Melayu.
I heard a Moro intellectual say that Manila is rooted in the arabic 'Amaa-nillah' which means 'in Allah's trust'. He said Manila is not a Spansh word. Neither is it Tagalog. Before the Spaniards, the Moros held sway up to Manila and beyond.
Historically and culturally the native Moros have closer links to Sabah and Brunei than they do to the rest of the Phillipines. (Actually there is no genius needed to figure this out. Why do you think the Moros have been fighting the Phillipines for 300 years now? When the Spanish colonials 'annexed' the Moros as part of the Spanish Empire, they swallowed a very poisonous pill. The Moros will never claim a Phillipine identity.)
If we annexe the Moros there will be three million extra Muslim voters in Sabah. The BN should like the idea. I feel that this peace treaty between the Moros and the Phillipines will eventually lead to the Moros seceding from the Phillipines. First they will get autonomy, then they will demand independence. Then they will feel isolated. Since Malaysia is just next door and far better developed, it is a question of time before they ask to join Malaysia.
The same will eventually happen in Southern Thailand. So Malaysia is going to grow in territory and population. As I said before, "never play politics with the Malays".
In the meantime, we need to fend off the Abu Sayyaf. The ESSCOM has to get their act together.
By now there must be Quick Response Team (QRTs) in place. Atau tak ada kut?
Everyone has handphones. Surely ESSCOM must have received news of the attack almost instantly.
Were any aircraft scrambled?
Were any interceptor boats sent out immediately?
Were there any 'picket boats' or patrol boats playing goalkeeper near the Phillipine islands?
They escape to the same islands - Sitangkai, Sibutu, Tawi Tawi, Jolo, Basilan.
A reader has suggested that ESSCOM place old or disused oil rigs (which can be bought cheaply almost for scrap value) as floating speed boat bases out at sea. This way whenever an attack happens and an alert is sounded, our speed boats can cut off escape routes more easily. This is not a bad idea because in Mabul there is a dive resort (Seaventures Dive Resort) that operates out of an old oil rig. Here is a picture :
This is a dirty game. This is unconventional warfare or irregular warfare. We cannot apply the regular rules of engagement.
The Abu Sayyaf are proactive. The Police believe they had inside help in this attack in Sempoerna. Some senior people believe that until today the Abu Sayyaf have hidden weapons on the mainland in Sabah. This is what they did during the Lahad Datu attack in February last year. They are believed to have hidden high powered weapons in Sempoerna town and other places.
Our boys have to be proactive too. We need a solid intelligence network that stretches into the Phillipine islands. We need to constantly listen in to telephone calls. They communicate by cell phones, satellite phones and radio. Tapping communications is the key. We need people who can speak Sulu, Tausug and other dialects of the southern Phillipines.
We need a solid intelligence network into the mosques, suraus, floating villages, the bazaars and the kampongs all along the east coast of Sabah.
But those are military solutions. Shooting people, arresting people, fighting with people. There are more peaceful, far better, much easier and longer term solutions to the Moro problem.
The Moros are poor. Very very poor. Really dirt poor. They have few possessions and have very little to hope for. Piracy, kidnapping and murder for hire are the few job opportunities that they have.
My own view is this peace treaty between the Moros and the Phillipines is another nail in their coffin. The peace treaty gives them some autonomy and freedom. To do what? They are not in a position to help themselves.
How do you destroy someone who does not know how to take care of himself? You give him freedom. In no time he will be lost. You sentence him to death. That is what this treaty will eventually do.
The Phillipines has 100 million people, out of which almost 97 million are Catholics who live elsewhere. The Moros are only about three million people, they are Muslims, they speak a different language and they live 1000 km from Manila - the center of Phillipine power. Plus the Phillipines is a democracy. This means 97 million Catholics do not need three million Moros for anything at all. Zero.
If an alien spaceship appeared out of the sky tomorrow and sucked up all the three million Moros will it have any negative impact on the vast majority in the Phillipines? I dont think so.
The Moros need help. And I think only Malaysia can help them. We have to invest money in the southern Phillipines and in the Moros. Malaysian companies have to be encouraged to invest in plantations, fisheries, dive resorts, beach resorts, tourism, ice cream factories, shoe manufacturing, boat making, fishing supplies etc in the southern Phillipines.
This has to be seen as an investment in our country's security. If we can help to create jobs for the Moros in their own country, they will be less inclined to become pirates and kidnappers.
Our defense budget for Sabah should also include setting up trade schools and colleges for the Moros to get an education. Vocational skills, trade skills and other crafts through which their young people will find better job opportunities.
Please do not build any madrassahs. We do not need madrassahs. We do not need the "Islamic brotherhood" investing money in the area. I am aware of "Islamic" NGOs visiting the area. There is also an attempt to get GLCs (also "islamic") to invest in Mindanao. This religious approach always spells disaster. Let us just use a simple business approach. Stop all this religious identity crap.
Here is a little bit far out outside the box suggestion. We can also claim the southern Phillipines and annexe the area as part of Sabah. We must remember that the entire southern Phillipines used to belong to the Malay Sultanate of Brunei. Agree or not, the Sultanate of Brunei is one of the Raja-Raja Melayu.
I heard a Moro intellectual say that Manila is rooted in the arabic 'Amaa-nillah' which means 'in Allah's trust'. He said Manila is not a Spansh word. Neither is it Tagalog. Before the Spaniards, the Moros held sway up to Manila and beyond.
Historically and culturally the native Moros have closer links to Sabah and Brunei than they do to the rest of the Phillipines. (Actually there is no genius needed to figure this out. Why do you think the Moros have been fighting the Phillipines for 300 years now? When the Spanish colonials 'annexed' the Moros as part of the Spanish Empire, they swallowed a very poisonous pill. The Moros will never claim a Phillipine identity.)
If we annexe the Moros there will be three million extra Muslim voters in Sabah. The BN should like the idea. I feel that this peace treaty between the Moros and the Phillipines will eventually lead to the Moros seceding from the Phillipines. First they will get autonomy, then they will demand independence. Then they will feel isolated. Since Malaysia is just next door and far better developed, it is a question of time before they ask to join Malaysia.
The same will eventually happen in Southern Thailand. So Malaysia is going to grow in territory and population. As I said before, "never play politics with the Malays".
In the meantime, we need to fend off the Abu Sayyaf. The ESSCOM has to get their act together.
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