The body of Corporal Ab Rajah Jamuan who was killed in ambush by masked armed gunmen in Mabul Island, arrived at his home. -Bernama photo
KOTA KINABALU: A marine policeman was killed and a second kidnapped after armed gunmen opened fire at a resort in Pulau Mabul, Semporna in Sabah on Saturday night – a fresh escalation of violence in the tourist hotspot.
The shooting on Pulau Mabul is the latest in a spate of abductions in Sabah, home to some of the world’s top diving sites, with travel agents saying the violence has already hurt visits to the area.
“A major hunt has been launched to track down the criminals believed to have come from a neighbouring country,” Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun, operations director of Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) said yesterday.
Describing the deadly incident, Abdul Rashid said a police outpost guarding the resort was ambushed by at least six to eight masked gunmen wearing black t-shirts and military trousers.
“The group of heavily armed gunmen shot and killed a 32-year-old policeman and kidnapped another member.
“They escaped in a boat into neighbouring waters. We have launched a security operation to track down the criminals,” he said.
The dead policeman was identified as Corporal Ab Rajah Jamuan, while the missing personnel was Constable Zakian Aleip, 26.
Abdul Rashid Harun said the group used heavy arms in the attack at 11.10pm.
Speaking to reporters in Semporna, he said: “The group had wanted to kidnap someone at the resort but attacked the two policemen instead. This is the first fatality involving a security force personnel in preventing a kidnap here.”
According to Abdul Rashid, ESSCom did not rule out the possibility of the attack targeting security force personnel following tighter enforcement in the area with many suspects nabbed.
He said police with the aid of ESSCom were tracking down the group and stressed that ESSComm would step up enforcement for the security of Eastern Sabah.
“I wish to remind personnel of all security agencies in ESSComm area to be cautious and be prepared for any eventuality,” he said.
He also advised the people not to speculate on the incident and allow police to conduct their investigations.
Meanwhile,Tan Kok Liang, vice-president of the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents for inbound tourism said the latest incident was a “blatant challenge” to the country’s security.
“I urge the government to take firm measures to upgrade security. Of course such bold intrusions and the blatant challenge to our security will hurt especially diving-related tourism business,” he said.
Tourism is a major source of foreign exchange income for Malaysia — and Sabah in particular — and the industry is a leading sector for employment.
Expressing his condolences to the security forces, Tan said there had already been a 10 percent drop in tourist arrivals in the second quarter compared with the first three months of the year.
Sabah receives about 3.5 million tourist arrivals annually, including those from China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe.
The kidnapping of the policeman is the fourth incident of its kind in Sabah since April.
In June, a 32-year-old Malaysian fish breeder and his Filipino worker were seized by Filipino gunmen from their farm. They have not yet been freed.
In May a Chinese fish farm manager was abducted from his farm, while in April a female Chinese tourist and a Filipino resort worker were abducted.
All three have been released.
Malaysia recently revamped security measures in the region after the spate of abductions in Sabah.
The area is notorious for human trafficking and the smuggling of drugs and subsidised diesel oil.
A security zone was set up last year after guerillas from the southern Philippines staged a bloody assault in the area to stake a historical claim, leaving dozens dead including security forces. – Agencies