Sabah sea curfew extended to July 9

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's ongoing dusk-to-dawn sea curfew has been extended another 14 days to July 9.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Idris Abdullah said the curfew covers areas up to three nautical miles off several districts; Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan and Beluran.

Idris said residents in these districts were required to stay at home from 6pm to 6am within this period, adding outsiders were not permitted to enter the curfew zones.

The further extension of the curfew was needed, he said, due to possible threats from cross-border criminals including from kidnap-for-ransom (KFR) groups.

“Based on the information gathered, we have found that KFR groups as well as the Abu Sayyaf group are still attempting to enter Malaysian waters and carry out kidnapping activities as well as other cross-border crimes,” he said, in a statement here on Thursday (June 23).

He noted the curfew was vital so that the nation's borders were not breached by terrorists or criminals from southern Philippines.

Idris said this would subsequently secure the safety of international researchers or foreign tourists visiting islands in Sabah.

“The curfew will allow security forces to look after the safety of people who travel at sea and those living in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone),” he said.

The implementation of the curfew would also enable the authorities to better enforce the law and monitor the movement of vessels, he added.

In turn, he said, this would create a sense of security and confidence among chalet operators and fishermen through the omnipresence of security vessels enforcing this curfew.

Idris said the respective district police chiefs have been given the authority to issue travel permits to applicants who fulfilled the necessary requirements to conduct fishing activities or to ply through the water routes in the curfew areas.

The curfew was first implemented on July 19, 2014 following a spate of kidnappings that saw the beheading of Sarawakian Bernard Then Ted Fen and the killing of several others, including a policeman and tourists.