KOTA KINABALU: Two Malaysians and a Chinese said to be scouting for the possibility of building a bridge from Sebatik Island to mainland Tawau have been arrested by Indonesian authorities for suspected spying.
The three men were detained along with three Indonesians after they were found in possession of sensitive naval base photos at the shared Malaysia-Indonesia island of Sebatik off Tawau, according to Indonesian media reports.
A July 22 statement issued by Nunukan Immigration Office officer Saut Dompak said the six men had claimed to be looking at the feasibility of building a bridge that links Sebatik Island to Sabah’s Tawau on the mainland.
The reports named the six suspects aged 23 to 45.
The two Malaysians and the Chinese are reported to have entered Nunukan in northern Kalimantan as tourists on a border-crossing visa on July 20.
One of the three Indonesians, aged 40, has dual identity documents – an Indonesian passport and a Malaysian identity card (IC), the reports added.
Saut said they had sought the assistance of the Malaysian consulate-general in Pontianak City, Kalimantan, to verify the authenticity of the Malaysian IC.
Initial investigations, according to the reports, indicated that one of the Indonesians had invited his colleagues – the Chinese who works for a construction company there as well as the Malaysians, one of whom is an engineer – to Sebatik to assess the possible project on July 20.
However, Indonesian navy officers reportedly found photographs of sensitive naval areas of their border post and marine headquarters in Sebatik.
The navy officers then handed over the three suspects to Immigration officers in Nunukan for further investigation on July 21.Saut said the suspects claimed they were only searching for the closest location for the bridge to be built from Tawau to Sebatik.
The Malaysians and the Chinese are being held for 30 days at the Immigration detention centre in Nunukan and will face charges for violating their tourist visa under immigration laws as they should have gone in with a business visa.
