M’sian security forces ready to escort tugboat back to Indonesia — CP

KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian security forces are ready to provide any assistance to the Republic of Indonesia, including to escort the TB Henry tugboat back to their country if requested, said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun.

According to Abdul Rashid, there has been no formal request made from our neighboring country but stressed that such request is always open for discussion.

“We are ready to assist them in any way we can but at the moment, there has been no formal request made,” he said yesterday.

Abdul Rashid was asked to comment on the proposal made by acting representative of the Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia, Tawau, Abd Fatah Zainal to seek help from the Malaysian security forces to escort the tugboat and its crew members back to the MalaysiaIndonesia border.

The request was made following the kidnapping of four Indonesian crewmen by armed men near Tawi-Tawi Island, Philippine on April 15.

In the 6.30pm incident, four out of 10 Indonesian crew members were kidnapped by armed men who were believed to have boarded their trawler which was on its way from the Philippines to Indonesia.

Moments after the incident occurred in international waters, six crew members were rescued by Malaysian security forces when their boat entered Malaysian waters.

Meanwhile, Abdul Rashid said the police were still recording statements from the five tugboat crew members who escaped and rescued in the incident.

However, he declined to make any speculation if the kidnappers were the same kidnap-forransom group that abducted four Sarawakians near Ligitan Island in Semporna on April 1.

“We can’t make any assumptions, let us complete our investigation,” he said.