Form ‘team of negotiators’

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs an effective solution, such as a hostage negotiation unit, to stem the kidnapping trend in the east coast by Abu Sayyaf militants, said a criminologist here.

Help University Institute of Crime and Criminology director Datuk Akhbar Satar said the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) needed well-trained hostage nego­tiators and its own model to overcome the issue as a long-term solution.

“How long do we keep entertaining the ransom demands from kidnappers? We have been played out by the Abu Sayyaf and it is time we came up with an effective solution than bowing to them,” he said.