Kota Kinabalu: Malaysian security forces were involved in a shootout with a group of suspected intruders near Pom-Pom island on the east coast of Semporna.The shootout occurred after a team of policemen from the General Operations Force heard the sound of a pump boat near where they were stationed at about 3am Monday.Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) commander Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun, when contacted, said the policemen shone their flashlights towards the direction of the noise when they suddenly heard gunshots.
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"They returned fire and a few seconds later, the policemen heard the sound of the engine fading away into the distance," he said."The intruders, who were about 200m from the policemen, managed to escape in the incident. We believe these were intruders or cross-border criminals, but we will investigate if they were actually people living nearby," he said, adding that none of the policemen were hurt.Rashid said they were many security forces being stationed at different locations around the area as it was within the 7pm to 5am sea curfew implemented to curb cross-border crime and intrusions into Sabah's sea border.It is understood that a member of the Perlis royalty stayed a night on the island on Tuesday but it could not be confirmed.
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The island also hosted a 15-strong Chinese group last Wednesday. It was an attempt by former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh to do his bit to convince them that it is safe to holiday in the east coast under improved security following a spate of kidnappings. Borneo Airlines was set up by Harris to tap the China market.It is not known if the suspects had been tipped off about the guests by collaborators.
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"No, not afraid," said Shanghai-based Borneo Airlines PLC Marketing Manager Jannie Wang who took the tourists to Pom Pom Island Resort & Spa, scene of a fatal kidnapping raid in mid November 2013, for two nights. "The Malaysian Government has deployed police and security forces. So safety-wise there is confidence."Clients of course had raised concern about the kidnapping incident but I said the kidnapping issue has been resolved, Malaysians are not that unconcerned about the safety of tourists," Wang said. Bookings in Pom Pom dipped badly after Filipino kidnappers shot dead Taiwanese industrialist Lim Min Hsu, 57, in a midnight raid on Nov. 15, 2013, and abducted wife Chang An Wei, 58, who was released in December that year after unspecified ransom was paid. The 12-hour travelling time from Shanghai to Pom Pom was compensated by crystal clear sea water, beautiful corals, well conserved marine life, the entire beaches and island to themselves since there are only 24 chalets with a maximum visitor population of 50 people. "Very much a match to Maldives," she said. "This alone is a great selling point."The only weakness is Pom Pom lacks full Internet access – very important to Chinese tourists , no wifi in rooms, only in restaurant and rest area, which probably suits western tourists who don't like to know too much once out in natural places like this but Chinese tourists like ever body to know their whereabouts in the world," Wang noted the difference."They whatsapp everything and get thrills out of the torrents of responses, such as, hi: we are in the Maldives of Southeast Asia - a place you don't know !" "Actually , the biggest promotion difficulty concerns MAS, the psychological barrier over the mysterious disappearance of MH370 which has never been found," Wang told Daily Express."Many say they are keen to come but the next question is: which airline, you say MAS, they say no," Wang related. "The Chinese market is huge but how to sell Sabah is a headache. Number 1, airline problem; Number 2, transportation not very convenient," said Wang, citing absence of direct Shanghai –Tawau flight, requiring transit KK, a short haul flight to Tawau, land and sea trip. "Twelve hours all in to get to Pom Pom – comparable to going all the way to Maldives direct in 10 hours only," Wang noted. "Plus, if price is on the high side, people reason isn't Maldives better?" Wang noted. Visibility of the islands in Semporna like Pom Pom is also very low compared to world famous holiday destination Maldives."So I have to sweet talk people into discovering an island like Pom Pom which people have no idea about, she said. "You need to push : hi brother, you want to go? Where? In Malaysia, a different place in Malaysia, Sabah, outside Sabah, there is an island, very beautiful, very pretty, the Sea water is turquoise green, the seabed full of corals and fish. Then they might say places full of fish and corals are many," Wang recounts her experience.Cost then comes into play."At the moment, price still tends to on the high side because lodging is calculated on individual basis – renminbi 4,000 per person per night, plus MH fare 2000 Shanghai-KK and becomes hefty after adding transport to Tawau to Pom Pom.""Since one night gives visitors no impression, you must arrange two nights but cost becomes high. You do renminbi 6,000 for Pom Pom, people do 5980 for Maldives, fare and hotel included, where is your competitive edge when people feel Maldives is a world famous island holiday destination but Pom Pom has no name , very few people know it." TV ads is an expensive business easily running up to renminbi 100,000."You can dump that investment in but can you recoup the money expended?" But being the prime pusher of this route from Shanghai, Wang hoped official support will come forth for a Sabah based company's Shanghai branch. Wang criticises a less than total visa waiver which applies only to groups but not individual Chinese travellers to Malaysia. "It's not logical because it adds add cost to tour companies and drives Chinese to Thailand, " she pointed out."For example, if I book 20 seats per week on MH flights, even if they are individual travellers, I must send a travel guide – a rule which applies to groups . So can you not see it raises my expenditure?""Since you have visa-free entry policy, why not across the board? She suggested."Visa-free entry for all means we gain a lot of time in recruiting clients. I can sell right up to the last minute so long as there are vacant seats. Tomorrow we go, today I still can accept buyers but not when it takes three days to get a visa processed," she explained. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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