Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal said the time has come for Malaysia to stop taking a defensive attitude as these criminal activities had clearly affected the tourism sector as well as the security of locals and foreign workers who came to Malaysia to find a living.

“They (foreign workers) came to work in Malaysia and they also do not want to be kidnapped.

“It will not work if we keep playing defensive. I think its time for us to go on offensive,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters at a membership form handover ceremony for new members to join Warisan in Kalabakan division here today.

Shafie also proposed government-to-government cooperation involving Indonesia and Philippines over the matter.

In this regard, he would be asking security forces to step up their operations in Sabah.

“I will be having a meeting with the security division on Monday and I want operations to be improved,” he said.

On Dec 5, four armed men in a speedboat attempted to rob a trawler, Magtrans II, in the waters of Pegasus Reef in Kinabatangan.

The suspects fired two shots randomly at the trawler which hit Magtran’s skipper on the left thigh.

Apart from that, a fishing boat owner also reported four of his workers, comprising a skipper and three fishermen, have gone missing from the same waters on the same day.