PARLIAMENT After the latest kidnappings, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim hailed the success of Esscom as the abduction took place offshore and not on land.

The abduction occurred near Pulau Ligitan off Semporna last Friday.

He said previous kidnappings would take place near the shore and on the land, while the recent one happened in the middle of the sea.

He was responding in Parliament on an emergency motion to debate the abduction case brought by Nassun Mansor (BN-Silam).

"These pirates have failed to kidnap (the people) at the normal places on land – tourist spots, fish ponds; now they have shifted (their operation)," said Shahiddan.

The pirates have shifted the crime scene to the waters where the enforcement team would need more time to reach the spot, he added.

"They (kidnappers) are looking for places to find an easy target. This showed that the actions Esscom (Eastern Sabah Security Command) took were successful," he said.

"They are trying to find a way to get Malaysians,” he added.

"What commercial ships must do now is to press the button to call (the enforcement team when an abduction takes place) so we can act immediately," he said.

He also said that Esscom, which was set up to stop intrusion at the early stage, had achieved its goal.

"We have stopped the intrusion, but what has happened now is a cross-border crime. We will try our best to resolve it," he said.

The minister also noted that the authorities were only alerted more than two hours after the 6.30pm incident while the kidnappers could reach home within an hour.

He also pointed out that Malaysians were more valuable to these kidnappers.

The minister argued that the security issue was a collective responsibility of all the parties involved.

Shahidan added the Sabah special security committee, which is chaired by Chief Minister Musa Aman, decided yesterday on several issues following the incident.

The barter trade at the Sabah's ports and the transhipment in the Esszone will be frozen immediately for the time being, he said.

The ferry services between Kudat and Palawan will be stopped, while stern action will be taken against those who breach the curfew.