LAHAD DATU, Dec 8 — The downgrading of the threat assessment of the abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas from ‘potentially high’ to ‘moderate’ is a positive development, said Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) commander Datuk Victor Sanjos.
This is based on the Regional Cooperation Agreement On Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) report 2022 issued recently.
“This assessment is a very good sign. The last abduction incident in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESS Zone) was on January 15, 2020,” he told Bernama.
ESS Zone covers ten districts: Kudat, Pitas, Kota Marudu, Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna, and Tawau.
The coordination between Esscom, Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysian Armed Forces, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in the ESS ZONE will intensify security controls to check crime at the country’s borders with the Philippines and Indonesia, especially in the Sulu Sea.
Meanwhile, Victor said the move to rebrand the dusk-to-dawn curfew to the ESS Zone Movement Control Order (MCO) and reduce the areas placed under the list positively impacted the foreign investment and tourism sector.
“I personally see these tourists as an ESS Zone asset. I must take care of this asset, and Esscom must take care of it, therefore, it is important to provide safety or a sense of security to all visitors in the ESS Zone.
“I believe that today they come as tourists, and maybe tomorrow they come back as investors because they believe in the security and the economic opportunities in the east coast of Sabah,” he said.
Victor added that Esscom is developing a security app specifically for tourists in the ESS Zone, which is expected to be introduced next year.
A company had been assigned to design and develop the app, which did not involve government allocations.
The commander will help develop the app based on his experience establishing the Cyber Crime Investigation Division and the Computer Forensics Unit (Computer and Mobile Phone) of the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department in 1997.
The app’s development was well received by Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.
“We need the cooperation from the (Sabah’s) Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Environment and all those involved to help promote the app among tourists when it is launched soon.
“Esscom just wants to ensure the safety of these tourists is guaranteed; if there is a problem, they (tourists) can let us know, and they can install this app and uninstall it when they return if they want,” Victor said.
— Bernama
