Eradicating kidnappings and cross-border crimes in the Sulu Zone (Sulu Sea) and the waters off Malaysia is not an easy task, says University of Malaysia Sabah’s Sabah Strategic and Security Research Centre director, Dr Zaini Othman.

He said this was because criminal activities had already been taking place in the waters since the period of the Sulu sultanate and the Brunei empire, as the area was regarded as one of the main trade routes between the East and Europe.

“Historically, in the area known as the ‘Sulu Zone’, kidnappings are not something new.

“It was sort of a ‘trade’ in the era of the Sulu sultanate and Brunei empire, because the Sulu Zone is a trade region gathering merchants from China, Europe and others.

“If we look at it, we are dealing with a change in the behaviour of the kidnappers.

“They are also keeping pace with advances in technology, in line with the response taken by the authorities.

“When the authorities tighten their enforcement, they also take measures to circumvent these controls,” he told Bernama yesterday.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by The Borneo Post

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