On July 18, a tugboat belonging to a Tawau-based local company was found abandoned without five of its crew members in the waters off Dent Haven. This incident has sparked fresh fears of another kidnapping in the east coast of Sabah.
The fishermen found the engine of the tugboat was still running with nobody aboard. It is believed that the crew consisted of five Malaysians aged between 26 and 62.
It was gathered that the tugboat was ferrying sand from Semporna to Lahad Datu and expected to reach its destination.
Sabah Commissioner of Police said that police were investigating the reports and were waiting for confirmation from his officers.
The police chief also confirmed police were still investigating the matter.The contents of the boat were found mostly intact but strewn about. The authorities were in contact with the owner of the boat to investigate the missing crewmen. The police were checking whether the tugboat was abandoned by the crewmen over the possibilities of disputes with the owner or kidnapping.
Later, the tugboat was taken to the Lahad Datu marine base for further investigations. It is to be noted that several Malaysians and Indonesians have been kidnapped in the eastern coast of Sabah this year. The latest were 3 Indonesian crewmen of a fishing trawler in the waters off Lahad Datu on 9th July.
Earlier, on 8th June, 4 Malaysian crew members — brothers Wong Teck Kang and Wong Teck Chii, their cousin, Johnny Lau Jung Hien and Wong Hung Sing — were released by the militant Abu Sayyaf group after they were held captive in southern Philippines for about three months. They were kidnapped while sailing a tugboat between the Philippines and Sarawak.
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Source and Image Credit: The Borneo Post
