Victims in good health, brought to southern Philippines BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo |
- Victims in good health, brought to southern Philippines
- Four held to assist probe into Semporna kidnapping
- Two more Sunda clouded leopard collared for research
- CM orders all-out efforts to resolve latest kidnapping
- Man killed in van-pick-up crash
- Latest kidnapping affects tourism – chamber
| Victims in good health, brought to southern Philippines Posted: 04 Apr 2014 12:00 PM PDT LAHAD DATU: Two women, including a Chinese tourist who were abducted by a group of armed men from a floating water resort in Semporna, are in good health and believed to have been brought to the southern Philippines. Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) director-general Datuk Mohammad Mentek said based on ESSCom's intelligence, it had identified the location they were being kept as well as the abductors involved. "One of them is believed to be involved in the kidnapping case in Pom-Pom island, Semporna in November last year while the rest were involved in the kidnapping incident in Sipadan island in 2000. "Kidnappers out for ransoms are believed to be active and aggressive in southern Philippines," he said in a statement here yesterday. Mohammad said Esscom did not rule out the possibility that locals, who were originally from the Philippines, were involved in providing information to the group that committed the abduction at the floating water resort. On Thursday, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib was quoted as saying that a female Chinese tourist and a female resort worker from the Philippines were abducted from the Singamata Adventures Reef and Resort by a group of seven armed men about 10.30pm on Wednesday. The Chinese woman, who is also a student, was identified as Gao Hua Yuan, 29, from Shanghai while the 40-year-old Filipina worker was identified as Marcy Dayawan or Mimi. The 60-room resort which has been in operation for over 10 years is located about two nautical miles from Semporna town. Mohammad said last March 26, an ESSCom security patrol detected five boats, which were suspected to have attempted to enter Semporna waters to kidnap their victims. "However, due to the preparedness and patrols launched by ESSCom, we succeeded in preventing four boats from carrying out their intention," he said. Meanwhile, 15 foreign workers at Singamata Adventures Reef and Resort were arrested for not possessing any valid identification documents. Mohammad also urged the Immigration Department to call up and investigate the resort operator who was said to have employed these foreign workers. He warned that stern action, including bringing them to court, would be taken against any employer or resort operator who took in or employed any foreign worker who did not have valid documents. "Despite repeated reminders being issued, including during the recent meeting with Sabah tourism centres or resort operators, many still refuse to comply. So we will not compromise in this matter anymore," he said. – Bernama   |
| Four held to assist probe into Semporna kidnapping Posted: 04 Apr 2014 06:41 AM PDT KOTA KINABALU: Sabah police have detained a man and Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said two of them were arrested at "Two of the women were arrested at the resort while the other woman at a The man, whose age was not revealed, was arrested at a village in Semporna. Hamza said all the individuals concerned had been remanded to assist in Last Wednesday, at about 10.30pm, seven armed men stormed into the floating Police believe the two victims have already been taken to the southern We encourage commenting on our stories to give readers a chance to express their opinions; please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. While the comments here reflect the views of the readers, they are not necessarily that of Borneo Post Online. Borneo Post Online reserves the right not to publish or to remove comments that are offensive or volatile. Please read the Commenting Rules. |
| Two more Sunda clouded leopard collared for research Posted: 03 Apr 2014 06:20 PM PDT SANDAKAN: Two more wild Sunda clouded leopards were recently trapped and fitted with a satellite collar in the Kinabatangan, as part of a collaborative project between Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), WildCRU, Oxford University and the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC). This project, focusing on research and conservation of the Sunda clouded leopard in Sabah, is mainly funded by Sime Darby Foundation, with additional funding and support provided by Atlanta Zoo, Houston Zoo, Recanati-Kaplan Foundation, Robertson Foundation, Point Defiance Zoo, Rufford Foundation and The Clouded Leopard Project. Dr. Diana Ramirez, a veterinarian attached to the Wildlife Rescue Unit and DGFC wildlife, yesterday said that on February 1 this year, Jack, a male clouded leopard that was first collared last October, was caught again and they took the opportunity to change its collar. "It was good to see that the collar did not leave any mark on the animal's skin and that he was in very good health condition," she said. Dr. Laura Benedict, Wildlife Rescue Unit veterinarian who supervised Raja's anaesthesia and collaring, said that more recently, on March 22, they caught another male and named him Raja, the third male Sunda clouded leopard collared within this programme. Andrew Hearn, from WildCRU and PhD student at Oxford University, lead researcher on collaring study, meanwhile, said that they were all delighted to have been so fortunate to have collared these animals for conservation research. "Sunda clouded leopards are notoriously difficult to trap. It was an absolute pleasure to finally meet Raja in person, whom we first photographed with camera traps in the Kinabatangan back in 2010. "It will be fascinating, and, hopefully, incredibly useful for our conservation efforts, to see how these cats move through the human-dominated landscape of the Lower Kinabatangan," added Hearn. So far, he said, the results gained from the first ever collaring of a clouded leopard back in September 2013, have shown that the animal had crossed the Sandakan-Lahad Datu highway several times, venturing near human settlements as well, and is travelling a lot in this fragmented landscape. "By tagging several males and, hopefully, a female or two, we will also learn about territoriality and how those individuals share the shrunken habitat," Hearn added. Dr. Benoit Goossens, Director of DGFC and researcher at Cardiff University, leading the programme, commented that the collaring of these two males is part of an intensive satellite tracking programme to study the spatial ecology and habitat associations of the Sunda clouded leopard in the fragmented landscape of the Lower Kinabatangan, dominated by palm oil plantations and highly degraded forest. "Our research is playing an important role in conservation. Regardless of the level of efforts focused on maintaining and increasing the amount of natural habitat, we are ultimately fighting a losing battle. Therefore, understanding how wildlife is using this ever-changing landscape will help us in mitigating and hopefully reducing the level of threats posed by these changes," Goossens said. |
| CM orders all-out efforts to resolve latest kidnapping Posted: 03 Apr 2014 06:17 PM PDT KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Hj Aman wants all available resources to be directed towards Wednesday's kidnapping in Semporna. He said the police and the Director General of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) had briefed him on the case, which involved a female tourist from China and a Filipino resort worker from the Singamata Reef Resort in Semporna, on Wednesday. "I have directed the relevant authorities to gear up all efforts towards resolving this case," he said in a statement. Musa said security must be beefed up further especially via ESSCOM. "We must be vigilant at all times to ensure that our security is not compromised," he said. Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun when asked to comment on the matter simply said that the public should allow the police to investigate the matter before any further comments can be made. Meanwhile, Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) Exco member, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye opined that while the case concerned has serious complications for Malaysia's tourism and hospitality industry, it is best to leave it to the nation's security forces to deal with the situation. "MCPF supports all efforts by the security forces to track down the abductors following the launch of a massive hunt along the sea borders with Southern Philippines. "We believe it is best to leave it to our security forces to take whatever steps necessary to address the problem and to tighten security in our holiday resorts there with the cooperation of the resort operators and their guests. "Safety and security must never be taken for granted. Eternal vigilance is necessary to ensure Malaysia's safety and security," said Lee in a statement. |
| Man killed in van-pick-up crash Posted: 03 Apr 2014 06:16 PM PDT KOTA KINABALU: A local man succumbed to his injuries after the Nissan Vanette van he was travelling in collided with a Toyota Hilux pick-up truck at Jalan Kionsom, Inanam here early yesterday morning. Lukas Majuking, 42, from Kampung Kionsom, Inanam was pronounced dead at the scene due to severe body injuries. It is believed that the victim was heading to Inanam Town from Kionsom when the pcik-up truck driver apparently lost control of the vehicle as it swerved to the opposite lane in the 12.30am incident. Acting city police chief DSP Peter Anak Umbuas, who confirmed the incident, said the police were still carrying out investigation. He said the victim's body had been taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for a post-mortem and family members had been notified. He added that the Hilux driver who sustained minor injuries, had been remanded to facilitate police investigation. The case would be investigated under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. We encourage commenting on our stories to give readers a chance to express their opinions; please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. While the comments here reflect the views of the readers, they are not necessarily that of Borneo Post Online. Borneo Post Online reserves the right not to publish or to remove comments that are offensive or volatile. Please read the Commenting Rules. |
| Latest kidnapping affects tourism – chamber Posted: 03 Apr 2014 06:14 PM PDT by Chok Sim Yee. Posted on April 4, 2014, Friday KOTA KINABALU: President of Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) Datuk Michael Lui Yen Sang expressed his concern over yet another kidnapping of a tourist from China and a Filipino worker from a resort off Semporna on Wednesday night. He said the abduction by armed intruders was a replay of the previous abduction, referring to the kidnapping of a Taiwanese woman off Pom Pom Island merely five months ago. The victims, both women, were abducted from Singamata Reef Resort off Semporna by a group of armed gunmen on Wednesday. Lui said the incident would certainly affect the tourism industry, in addition to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. He said both incidents would severely affect tourist arrivals from China in the Visit Malaysia Year 2014. Lui said the fact that the armed gunmen could kidnap the women with such ease set off alarm bells on the security in the East Coast. "Sabahans are indeed greatly disturbed over the security problems despite security measures were beefed up recently," he said in a press statement yesterday. On the other hand, Lui urged Sabahans to remain calm and called on Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) to be vigilant so that the incident would not recur. Nevertheless, Lui expressed his support towards the government and the security forces in carrying out their duties to ensure the peace and security in Sabah. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |