Policeman shot, another kidnapped at Sabah resort

KUALA LUMPUR — Heavily armed gunmen fatally shot a Malaysian policeman and kidnapped another during a shoot-out at a dive resort on a Borneo island late on Saturday, a security official said yesterday.

In the latest in a spate of kidnappings in Sabah, eight gunmen wearing army fatigues barged into the Mabul Water Bungalows resort and ambushed marine police officers on guard, said Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) chief Abdul Rashid Haron. The four-star resort is popular with divers on Mabul island, which is off the south-eastern coast of Sabah and overlooks Sipadan island, which is 15 minutes away by boat.

Most resorts guests and workers were already in their rooms and asleep when the incident occurred. They stayed indoors until morning, The Star newspaper reported.

The gunmen, who had their faces covered, fled on a boat seen heading towards the southern Philippines, which is a short boat ride away, Mr Abdul Rashid said. He added that the assailants may either have been planning to kidnap someone at the resort or were targeting marine police after recent increased security on the island.

“We don’t know their motive. Maybe they were retaliating because we have tightened security in the area. I cannot rule that out.”

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted by The Malay Mail Online as saying that the intruders were carrying out a tit-for-tat strike against security forces. “The intruders wanted revenge because commandos from the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Royal Malaysian Police had penetrated their fortress and rescued a Chinese national recently.”

Singaporean dive operators TODAY spoke to said they had stopped hosting trips to the Mabul area due to security concerns.

Course director of Dive Atlantis Eugene Sim said he used to host trips to Mabul and neighbouring Sipadan about seven to eight years ago but stopped after kidnappings in the area. “After hearing of so many kidnappings ... a lot of people asked us (whether) it is safe to go. But we cannot answer,” added the 44-year-old who has been a diving operator for the ast two decades.

Diving operator Christopher Lee, 44, used to organise trips to Mabul and Sipadan but stopped about three to four years ago. “For safety (reasons), I will avoid that area,” he said.

A summary of Saturday’s incident by Sabah police commissioner Hamzah Taib to Malaysia’s Bukit Aman police headquarters, seen by The Malay Mail Online, showed the intruders may have had commando training. The brief also said random gunshots were fired at eateries, patrol boats and inside the Jeti Smart Water Bungalow Resort reception on the island at about 11.10pm on Saturday. The masked gunmen were armed with 7.62mm-calibre guns, read the brief, adding that shells were scattered all over the area.

It was not clear who was behind the attack, but previous kidnappings are believed to have been carried out by Abu Sayyaf militants. Such kidnappings have hampered tourism in Sabah, a popular destination for foreigners and a diving haven. The Sabah government has announced a curfew and travel restrictions in high-risk areas to bolster security.

On Thursday, security forces rescued a Chinese national abducted by five armed men on May 6 in Pulau Baik, Lahad Datu.

Last month, a 32-year-old Malaysian fish breeder and his Filipino worker were abducted by Filipino gunmen from their farm and believed to be taken to the southern Philippines.

The Abu Sayyaf, which operates out of the southern Philippines, has had links to international terrorist networks, including Al-Qaeda, but a US-backed Philippine military crackdown has weakened it considerably in recent years. The group has about 300 fighters and is now focused on ransom kidnappings.

Malaysia has said it would beef up the state’s porous maritime border following a slew of kidnappings in Sabah.

ESSCOM was set up in March last year, following the month-long assault on Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu, by militants from South Philippines that resulted in a death toll of 56 intruders, nine Malaysian security personnel and six civilians. AGENCIES WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AMANDA LEE