KOTA KINABALU: SATURDAY’S kidnapping in the waters off Semporna could have been avoided if the crew members of the trawler stormed by masked gunmen were able to send a distress signal, said Sabah police commissioner Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun yesterday.
He said the crew could have sent a distress signal if the trawler had been installed with the maritime distress safety system.
“I was informed that the trawler lacked security measures, such as the automatic identification system (AIS), which allows security forces to identify vessels in distress.
“If the device had been in place, Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) would have picked up a distress signal and dispatched security forces to the location.
“Security forces would have intercepted suspicious speedboats and, thus, the kidnapping could have been prevented,” he said.
Last month, Rashid met commercial and fishing vessel owners in the east coast and made it compulsory for them to install AIS on their boats to boost safety.
This followed a series of abductions at sea in the east coast, where kidnap-for-ransom groups targeted slow-moving vessels after security forces intensified security control at resorts and tourist islands.
Despite the advice, Rashid said, many vessel owners refused to invest in the security devices for fear that their movements would be monitored.
“This means boat owners don’t want the authorities to know their whereabouts at sea because they may be fishing outside the country or carrying out illegal activities.
“Cost is also one of the reasons why owners don’t want to install the device. They said AIS is too expensive as it costs between RM2,000 and RM3,000 a unit.”
On Saturday, a group of kidnappers, armed with pistols and M16 rifles, stormed the fishing trawler which had 16 people on board during curfew hours.
The incident occurred at 10.40pm when the trawler was anchored between Pulau Bodgaya and Pulau Bohey Dulang off Semporna.
The suspects raided the boat and seized baggage, handphones and wallets before grabbing three crewmen who held refugee status documents (IMM13 documents) and census letters, and fled the scene.
The boat’s owner lodged a report at 12.39am on Sunday.
Rashid said the trawler was registered and a curfew exemption permit had been issued to the owner, allowing it to fish during the curfew hours between 7pm and 5am.
Sabah Fishermen’s association chairman Jaini Ating urged the state Fisheries Department to find ways to guarantee the safety of fishermen.
“The government should ensure boat owners, when hiring foreign workers, recruit only those with valid documents.
“It should also be made compulsory for owners to provide the full details of crew members, besides installing AIS on their boats and adhering to the curfew order,” he said.
He said the association, which has 22,000 members, had yet to receive complete data on the number of boats that had installed AIS.
Following several kidnappings involving
fishermen, Jaini, who is also the chairman of Beluran Fishermen’s Association, said many refused to go to sea for fear of their safety and were waiting for the government to come up with solutions.
On Sunday, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had announced that a new radar system, AESA Spexer 2000, with stronger capabilities, would be installed in five locations in the state.
The system could link with AIS when they wished to ply routes along the east coast of Sabah.