Teo
KOTA KINABALU: The barter trade ban has helped to pressure the kidnap for ransom group in the Southern Philippines to release the hostages, said the Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Teo Chee Kang.
“Leaders of the Southern Philippines themselves said that prices of basic items and household goods have skyrocketed due to the trade ban, simply because it is much more costly to get their daily needs from other parts of the Philippines than from Sabah.
“Such measure taken by the Sabah State Government has produced results,” he said in a press statement yesterday.
However, Teo, who is also the president of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), stressed that such ban should not be permanent.
“As the ex-Mayor of the Davao, the new President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte pledged to fight drugs and crimes, he should see wiping out of cross border crimes and putting the southern region to order as his top priority, instead of laying a claim on Sabah, Teo said.
“When security is no more an issue, I am sure the State Government will review the ban for barter trade,” he said.
After more than two months in captivity by their Abu Sayaff captors, Wong Teck Kang, 31, his younger brother Wong Teck Chii, 29, Wong Hung Sing, 34 and Johnny Lau Jung Hien, 21, were brought back to Sandakan early Wednesday morning.
The four Sarawakians from Sibu were grabbed from the MV Massive 6 tugboat off Pulau Ligitan by armed masked men on April 2 as they were returning to Tawau after delivering timber to Manila.
Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) president Datuk Michael Lui said the release of the four Malaysian hostages who were kidnapped last April was good news and a gift to their families, especially at a time when the Chinese community was celebrating Duan Wu Jie yesterday, a traditional Chinese festival in which eating zong zi (Chinese dumpling) is part of the customs.
In a press statement yesterday, Lui expressed his excitement over the release of four hostages.
“This is indeed good news and gift to the families to be reunited (with the hostages), especially when the Chinese are celebrating the traditional dumpling festival today.”
Lui also saluted the Malaysian and Filipino negotiators who secured the release of the four from the militant group after several rounds of negotiation.
“Their efforts must be remembered and appreciated.”
At the same time, Lui said the chamber was glad to see a series of positive measures taken by the government to strengthen security in Sabah waters, especially in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) where such measures seemed to be effective.
Lui hoped that the government would continue to further beef up security in the ESSZone to ensure Malaysian waters would not be intruded upon, be it at sea, air or land in order to safeguard the country’s security and sovereignty.
“We must fully support the Malaysian security agencies to boost the personnel’s morale in tackling the recurring abduction incidents,” he added.