KOTA KINABALU – Sabah opposition leader Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal has urged the authorities to beef up security in Semporna after he received news of criminal activities in the waters there recently.
Shafie, who is Semporna MP, said it has come to his attention that some local seaweed entrepreneurs were robbed, kidnapped and threatened when selling their produce near the island of Pulau Siamil.
What is worse is that security personnel were allegedly the culprits of the crimes.
“If what has been reported to me is true, then it is very sad because our security teams who are supposed to protect our safety and public order have now become the perpetrators of criminal activities.
“What has happened to our security system?” he said in a statement today.
Shafie said that Semporna is known all over the world for its beautiful islands, as well as its agricultural activities.
Hence, he said it is vital for the Defence Ministry to place defence assets in hotspots such as Semporna.
“Don’t place important assets in faraway places that will take a long time to reach the focus destinations when there is an emergency,” he said.
Shafie said the government allocates billions of ringgit each year for the defence and security of the country, so it is impossible that the government is incapable of placing security assets in focus areas with frequent trespassing and robbery cases.
He urged the Defence Ministry and Home Ministry to take the matter seriously.
“Don’t compromise when it comes to the safety of the people,” he added.
Semporna district police chief Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah in a press group on WhatsApp said that he is not confirming the case or commenting on the matter.
The area is part of the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) which covers Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau.
The seven areas have been subjected to a protracted security curfew.
The zone’s surveillance and security are overseen by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) which was was established on April 1, 2013, following the intrusion of Sulu terrorists from southern Philippines in Tanduo, Lahad Datu.
The agency is responsible for coordinating the operations with the Royal Malaysia Police, the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in maintaining safety in the ESSZone. – The Vibes, September 2, 2022.
