Police are trying to ascertain why the kidnappers targeted sea gypsies off Sabah's east coast.
An Esscom boat patrols the waters off Sabah. The two fishing boats were stopped by the gunmen in speedboats at 2am.
Sabah police chief Omar Mammah said the gunmen, in dark clothing, boarded the boats and fled with the 10 fishermen, all believed to be Bajau Laut, a community of sea gypsies who are mostly without documents.“The abductors, all armed, got onto the boats before taking off with the fishermen at about 2am. The incident occurred far from the shore, near the international border off Felda Sahabat in Lahad Datu,” Omar told FMT.
The Bajau Laut are a subgroup of the Sama-Bajau people who traditionally hail from the many islands of the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines. Most of them are stateless and live at sea off Lahad Datu and Semporna. The reports said the two fishing boats were believed to be heading to Semporna from Lahad Datu’s Tambisan waters when the gunmen, in speedboats, stopped them.The remaining six fishermen who were not taken was later rescued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency .
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Abu Sayyaf abduct 10 fishermen who violated curfewTwo fishing boats in Lahad Datu's Tambisan waters were hijacked by heavily armed gunmen at 2am.
Read more »
Speed up ESSCom restructuring, demands Shafie | The Malaysian InsightKidnapping incident today highlights need for smarter use of resources against Abu Sayyaf militants.
Read more »
Executives linked to 1MDB jailed in Abu Dhabi | Malay MailKUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Two high-profile figures in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal were jailed for financial crimes in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that former head of Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) Khadem Al Qubaisi was...
Read more »
Abu Dhabi jails 2 key figures in 1MDB scandal for ‘financial crimes’ | The Malaysian InsightFormer IPIC executives jailed for offences not linked to Malaysian scandal.
Read more »
Jail terms for two Abu Dhabi execs linked to 1MDBKhadeem al Qubaisi and Mohd Badawy al Husseiny convicted of financial crimes relating to IPIC.
Read more »
Two executives linked to 1MDB scandal jailed in Abu DhabiDUBAI (BLOOMBERG): Two executives linked to a Malaysia wealth fund scandal were convicted of financial crimes and sentenced to prison in Abu Dhabi, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Read more »