KOTA KINABALU: United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) is claiming that a large migrant population and settlements in Sabah are causing the rise in kidnapping cases in the state.
Its acting president, Datuk Madius Tangau, said the Singamata kidnapping had yet to be resolved and the state was being challenged with a similar problem involving another Chinese national.
Yang Zailin, who is also the manager of the aquaculture company named Wonderful Terrace Sdn Bhd operating at Mile 7, Payang, Silam Lahad Datu, was abducted on Tuesday.
One particular concern is that the location of the aquaculture operation is in a rather isolated spot and yet kidnappers managed to locate and carry out this heinous crime unnoticed by the security authorities, said Madius who is the Tuaran member of parliament.
The kidnappers must have been in Sabah all this while, he opined adding, “Could it be possible that there is a coordinated effort to conduct kidnapping activities involving Chinese nationals with the objectives of straining further the relationship between Malaysia and China?
“From the looks of it, the coordinator could be residing in Sabah otherwise how could a total foreigner managed to locate an isolated and remote aquaculture business operation? If the above mentioned assumption is true then the security authorities in Malaysia could be handling a much bigger challenge than they would have imagined,” he said.
According to Madius, the challanges are being made much more complicated with the presence of a large migrant population and settlements around Lahad Datu, Semporna, Tawau and Sandakan.
“We believe many of these people are in possession of Malaysian MyKads. If not, why would the immigration authorities continuously allow them to reside in those settlements.
“And that is why UPKO, in our recommendation to the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) Panel on Illegal Migrants in Sabah, proposed that all MyKads be recalled and the onus is on them to prove that they are bone fide Malaysian citizens through a reregistration exercise,” he stressed.
Madius pointed out that the kidnappings were ample proof that the fear of Malaysian citizens on the threats posed by the presence of a large population of migrants who fraudulently obtained their MyKads is real.
The threats are now affecting not only the security of the locals but also threatening the economy of the country, especially tourism and foreign investment, he said.
Therefore UPKO urged the authorities to handle the spate of kidnappings very seriously with a much wider perspective of the security issues affecting the country. It also urged the government to expedite the release of the RCI report.
“In this connection UPKO will not accept the report if the UPKO recommendation of recalling the MyKads is ignored by the RCI panel. UPKO is very concerned that the RCI panel seems to be dragging their feet in completing the final report,” he said.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim recently disclosed that a full report of RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah would be presented to Yang di-Pertuan Agong on May 21.
He said the first presentation was made possible after several delays in hearing of the case due to the Lahad Datu intrusion.