KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is seeking the United Kingdom foreign office’s assistance to lift the travel advisory on visiting the state’s east coast islands.
A delegation led by Tourism, Culture and Environment Department Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew met with United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) director for South-East Asia and Pacific Charles Hay on the matter.
In a statement on Sunday (Nov 17), Liew said the FCDO said it would look into the request to lift the travel advisory.
Liew also invited Hay to come to Sabah to assess the security situation for himself.
“Hay said he would look into the matter and will update the state,” Liew added.
SHe said that the United Kingdom was among the nine countries that participated in Malaysia’s Home Ministry’s briefing and security survey programme at the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) in July this year and were provided first-hand experience of the safety measures in place along Sabah’s East Coast.
Hay, who served as the British High Commissioner to Malaysia in 2019, took note of the improved security situation in eastern Sabah.
The FCDO advisory advises against all but essential travel to all islands and dive sites off the coast of eastern Sabah from Sandakan to Tawau, including Lankayan Island, due to the threat of kidnapping. The advisory does not apply to the Sabah mainland.
Commercial shipping companies have been advised to adopt heightened vigilance when navigating the Sulu and Celebes seas. Most maritime incidents occur in the Sulu Sea in the area between Sabah (Malaysia) and Mindanao, the Sulu Islands and Palawan (Philippines), the advisory said.
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