Minister says Esscom has since 2013 successfully fended off the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group on numerous occasions.
Despite the prevalence of kidnapping for ransom cases off Sabah waters, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kasim insists that the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) is efficient.
Speaking in Parliament today, Shahidan said Esscom had successfully foiled numerous attempts by South Philippines’ terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, which is believed to be responsible for acts of kidnapping for ransom.
“In 2013, six kidnapping attempts were foiled while in 2014, three attempts were thwarted, and up until May 2016, six kidnapping for ransom cases had been foiled.”
He was responding to a question posed by Lim Guan Eng (Bagan-DAP) who asked about the total annual allocation provided to Esscom, as well as the number of militants detained by the security force.
According to Shahidan, since the formation of Esscom in 2013, a total of RM49.9 million in management expenditure and RM97.5 million in development expenditure had been allocated to the unit.
The minister also said five coastal surveillance radar systems had been developed to upgrade security measures and to expand Esscom’s radar coverage in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone).
“They can see us and we can see them. That (the kidnapping) happens because the area to cover is wide.”
Answering a further question by Lim, Shahidan explained that the government was working hand in hand with its Philippines counterparts to rescue the four Malaysians abducted by the terrorist group.
The four – Wong Teck Kang, 31; Wong Hung Sing, 34; Wong Teck Chii, 29; and Johnny Lau Jung Hien, 21 – were among nine crew members of a barge returning to Malaysia from the Philippines when they were kidnapped.
“We are using multiple approaches to secure them. They are currently reported to be safe.
“We have been successful in preventing kidnapping cases in tourist spots and high-risk areas, (but) they are looking for soft targets and soft areas,” said Shahidan.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/05/23/shahidan-praises-esscom-for-foiling-several-kidnap-attempts/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.