KOTA KINABALU: Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) director general Datuk Mohammad Mentek yesterday gave a definition of illegal immigrant sympathisers yesterday.
He described such individuals as those who were involved in cross-border crimes and those who harboured the criminals and illegal immigrants.
The director was asked during a briefing held with the Kadazandusun Murut community at Wisma Dang Bandang if the term illegal immigrant sympathisers also referred to those who provided education to stateless children.
To this, Mohammad described such effort as a good thing.
“I feel it is a good thing if an NGO takes the initiative to give them education until there is a definition on their status,” he said.
Mohammad also commented on his post as a director general of ESSCom and how it was important for him to try his best to fulfil his responsibilities.
He noted that it was impossible to make everyone happy and that people can say what they want.
“When we do something, we can’t make everyone happy … to me I just try my best,” he said.
“I create the policy framework. The directive is given by the division command, so there are no problems,” he said.
Mohammad also commented on the topic related to the local government and said that ESSCom needs their cooperation in demolishing the squatters that have been identified as the hideout of illegal immigrants within Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone).
“There have been many proposals to get the houses demolished but we need the local government,” he said.
On another topic, Mohammad mentioned that the area monitored by ESSZone includes 361 islands, 83 of which are located in Semporna.
He said that the challenge faced by ESSCom and the security forces was the limited view they have when conducting surveillance at sea.
“Our view is limited to 20 kilometers at sea because the earth is round … the border is also located near Sitangkai (in the Philippines) which is 45 minutes away from Tanduo. Pulau Pom-Pom is merely 15 minutes away from the border, and the distance between Singgahmata to the border is an hour and 15 minutes. That is why it is so easy for them (cross-border criminals) to get away to the border,” he said.
He recounted that such cross-border crimes were nothing new and in the 1970s when he was younger, there were already a lot of pirates operating near Semporna.
“We call them ‘Mundu’. When we hear the warning of incoming ‘Mundu’ everyone runs to the land. ‘Mundu’ then were more vicious than now. They kill and rob. In the 1950s, they came in broad daylight (to attack) and in 1986, the ‘Mundu’ went to rob in Lahad Datu also in daylight…however with the presence of the security forces, we have managed to reduce such incidences,” he said.
Unfortunately, there have been more kidnapping for ransom cases, he said.