Sulu Sea area risks becoming a terror haven, expert warns

PETALING JAYA — In the aftermath of the abduction of four Malaysian sailors off the coast of Borneo, security analysts have warned that the authorities must act decisively to secure the waters shared by Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, or they may become a base for terrorists and criminals.

Professor Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), said the countries in the area have failed to understand and respond to the nature of the threat. “The Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) cannot stand alone as the problem is (a) transboundary (one). It must be understood it is one component in a broad security zone,” he was quoted as saying by the Malay Mail Online.

“The tri-border area between Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia is overrun with various criminal and terrorist elements,” he said, adding that a military solution was needed given the severity of the threat.

Prof Gunaratna said the three governments must develop a strategy to dominate, control and secure the Sulu Sea or face a destabilised border zone.

“The terrorists are engaged in hostage taking with the aim of eventually turning the area into a ‘safe zone’ to conduct attacks against these countries,” he said.

On Friday night, four Malaysians on the tugboat Massive 6 were kidnapped by gunmen in the Pulau Ligitan waters off Semporna. The remainder of the crew on Massive 6, three Myanmar nationals and two Indonesians, were allowed to leave.

The abductees are reportedly being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf terror group on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, according to The Star Online. The report cited unnamed Filipino sources who claimed the Malaysians and their abductors, led by a veteran cross-border kidnapper known as Apo Mike, arrived in Indanan on Jolo on Sunday night.

The sailors were “unharmed” and under guard in the area where the Abu Sayyaf militants are already holding 10 Indonesians grabbed a week earlier from another tugboat, said the Malaysian newspaper.

Prof Gunaratna stressed the need for a military solution, as dealing with such threats was beyond the means of agencies such as the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and marine police under ESSCOM.

“Attacks will become increasingly severe unless these groups are dismantled with military force, specifically the Malaysian Navy. There are no other options. Only a strong military response will stabilise the situation,” he said. “These groups operating in the tri-border area, part of which is under ESSCOM, are capable of striking anywhere in South-east Asia and represent a serious threat to the region.”

Prof Gunaratna said several hundred fighters had been trained for such a purpose and some were known to have links to Islamic State.

“The Malaysian government should lead the way in dismantling these groups as they have more leverage than the Filipino authorities,” he said.

Dr Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the RSIS’ Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, noted yesterday that the three governments should better coordinate their anti-piracy measures.

“For example, if one country’s navy or maritime enforcement is in hot pursuit of the pirates, they should be able to cross the sea boundary into another country, and the latter should also assiduously aid in the pursuit and capture,” Dr Oh told TODAY.

Adding that the waters around Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are not totally safe either, Dr Oh said he advocates joint patrols of the most rampant maritime areas, to demonstrate resolve of the three countries to counter piracies.

National Defence University of Malaysia Assoc Prof Aruna Gopinath said the proximity of several countries in the area made it difficult to carry out enforcement.

“We have no ‘hot-pursuit’ agreement and so militants or criminals are able to slip between jurisdictions because borders mean nothing to them,” she said, adding they were cunning and capable of adapting to threats.

“Bear in mind many of these militants have grown up in this environment. They know the sea and islands intimately as opposed to enforcement officers and navy personnel.” AGENCIES WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KIM SO-HYUN