Kidnappers demand RM4mil for fishermen
No deadline set so far for ransom, say police
KOTA KINABALU: A kidnap-for-ransom group believed to be responsible for the recent abduction of two Indonesian fishermen has demanded a ransom of RM4mil.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah said family members received a call from the captors at 10.24am on Sept 18, a week after the abduction.
“The wife of one of the victims, who is in Sulawesi, received the call from the Philippines.
“No deadline has been set so far. Maybe negotiations will be carried out among several parties, including the victims’ families,” he told a press conference at the state police headquarters yesterday.
“We are beefing up security from north of Kudat to south of Tawau.
“So far, the suspects have not issued any threats.”
Meanwhile, police are still studying the feasibility of lifting the ban on pump boats as suggested by the new Parti Warisan Sabah-led state government.
Pump boats are small craft with converted or recycled motorbike or car engines which are much cheaper than “proper” outboard boat motors.
They are popular in the seas between Sabah and the southern Philippines and are normally used by small-scale fishermen and also by suspicious characters.
Pump boats were banned sev-
No deadline has been set so far. Maybe negotiations will be carried out among several parties, including the victims’ families.
Datuk Omar Mammah
eral years ago following a series of cross-border crimes on the east coast of Sabah, especially kidnappings.
This maritime border with the Philippines is only an hour away by boat from the mainland.
Semporna town in eastern Sabah is seen as the gateway for cross-border travel, especially to the troubled chain of Sulu islands in the Philippines.
A few months ago, the state government announced that it might lift the ban to help poor fishermen.
Samsul Sagunim, 40, and Usman Yunus, 35, were on their fishing vessel when they were taken by armed kidnappers off the coast of Semporna during curfew hours at about 1am on Sept 11.