Eight men held in connection with kidnapping of fishermen in Lahad Datu, says CID Chief

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Eight men have been arrested to help in investigations into the kidnapping of 10 Bajau Laut fishermen (sea gypsies) in Felda waters in Lahad Datu, Sabah on Tuesday (June 18), saysCID director Datuk Huzir Mohamed.

He said six of those arrested are foreigners, aged between 17 and 60, who were spared by the armed kidnappers on Tuesday.

"The two locals arrested are the boat owner and the boat operator,” he told Bernama when contacted on Wednesday (June 19).

Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador said the boats should not have been in the country’s territorial waters at night time.

"They (fishermen) should know that the area is under curfew and is out of bounds.

"No entry, unless they inform the authorities on the details of their activities,” he told Bernama when met at the armed forces Aidilfitri celebration at Wisma Perwira ATM here today.

In the 2 am incident yesterday, the 10 fishermen were reportedly kidnapped by an Abu Sayyaf-linked armed group from two boats in Lahad Datu waters, while on their way to Semporna.

They are believed to have been taken to Pulau Sitangkai in southern Philippines, about 15 minutes’ journey from Tambisan waters in Lahad Datu.

The victims, aged between 17 and 60, did not have personal identification documents and only possessed the lepa-lepa document issued to nomadic fishermen.

Meanwhile, in KOTA KINABALU, Sabah police commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah told Bernama that the owner and handlers of the two boats were also under investigation for harbouring the fishermen, as they were foreigners without valid identity documents. - Bernama