KOTA KINABALU: Five crew members of a Malaysian-registered tugboat, which was raided by Filipino gunmen at Ligitan waters, arrived in Tawau this morning.
Sabah police commissioner Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun said the two Indonesians and three Myanmar nationals were unharmed. Police are currently recording their statements.
“The tugboat is in Tawau at the moment and we will check the data from its global positioning system to establish the exact location where the boat was invaded, whether it occurred in Sabah waters or in Philippines waters,” he said.
Yesterday at 6.15pm, eight gunmen stormed the tugboat with nine crewmen and kidnaped four Malaysians from Sibu, Sarawak.
The Malaysians were identified as Johnny Lau Jung Hien, 21; Wong Teck Chii, 29; Wong Teck Kang, 31; and Wong Hung Sing, 34.
Abdul Rashid said it was unclear why the kidnappers only captured the four men and released the other crew members.
“The police are working closely with Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) and other enforcement agencies in mobilising security forces and assets."
Abdul Rashid said police have noticed a shifting trend in the modus operandi of kidnappers following the strict enforcement of Esscom in Malaysian waters.
“Kidnap-for-ransom groups are now taking the easy way by targeting ships that are passing near the maritime boundary,” he said, adding the Malaysian boat was bound for Tawau.
The incident took place several days after Abu Sayyaf gunmen raided a tugboat and captured 10 Indonesian crewmen in the Philippine waters over the weekend.
According to the Philippines Inquirer, the armed men declared that they were members of the Abu Sayyaf.
Quoting a military source, the gunmen spoke broken English and Filipino and that the perpetrators also seized laptop, cash and mobile phones from the victims.
Meanwhile, the 7pm-5am curfew hour has been extended until April 17. The sea curfew, which has entered its 40th phase, is enforced in Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan, and Beluran.
Friday's kidnapping involving Malaysian hostages is the first this year. Last year on May 14, gunmen linked to Abu Sayyaf militant group stormed a seafood restaurant in Sandakan and kidnapped the owner Thien Nyuk Fun, then 50, and her Sarawakian customer Bernard Then Ted Fen, then 39.
Thien was released by her captors on November 8 after a ransom was paid. However, Then, an electrical engineer from Sarawak, was beheaded by the gunmen in a remote area on Jolo island on November 11.