Smuggling is the main internal threat: Esscom
Published on: Friday, October 09, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: The involvement of some local communities in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone) in smuggling activities is the main internal threat in the said area.Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) Commander DCP Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun said Esscom had identified the threats in Esszone, among them being smuggling, kidnapping for ransom and piracy."Smuggling is prevalent and has become a source of income for some communities in Esszone. The four main districts which see active smuggling activities are Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Tawau.
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"These smugglers are orchestrated by certain influential quarters who gain tons of money every year. "If the local village heads, agencies and Village Development and Security Committee chairmen themselves allowed the presence of PTIs (illegals) with the excuse that they are relatives, then it would make this matter worse," Abdul Rashid said when delivering a talk on National Security through Esscom's Experience during the Sustainability on National Security Seminar, at Intan (Sabah Campus), Wednesday.Aside from the smuggling of prohibited items, there is also human trafficking."Previously, with only RM120, the smugglers could bring in people from the southern Philippines to Sabah, now the rate has gone higher, around RM370 as they had to face more difficulties to get through the borders.
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"There are more than 140,000 PTIs in Sabah. Should this matter be not tackled, then it would cause social problems in the future. "Before the Kg Tanduo incident, the Lahad Datu market became the meeting place for Agbimuddin Kiram (leader of the Sulu attack on Lahad Datu) and his supporters. It also became a place for them to find funding. The Lahad Datu market was dominated by more than 80 per cent PTIs.
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"This problem arose as the various enforcement agencies were not united. That's where Esscom plays its role, to lead an integrated operation."But unfortunately, Abdul Rashid said, there are still certain agencies which are hesitant to join them.Recalling the intrusion at Lahad Datu, he said, one of the main reasons it happened was complacency."Why did it happen? Why did an armed group of people intrude Sabah and made demands and claims?"It's because we were complacent. It was easy for us to trust anybody. We didn't carry out our duties."Even after Jamalul Kiram III had stated his claims, we were still in a state of comfort. We didn't realise how big a responsibility we have on this land.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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