Malaysia announces establishment of Eastern Sabah Safety Zone

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-3-25 15:54:07

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced Monday the establishment of an Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (ESSZONE) to ensure the security in the eastern Malaysian state.

Speaking at the Police Day Celebrations held at the Police Training Academy (Pulapol) in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, the prime minister said the setting up of the zone, which came into effect immediately, would cover 10 districts of the state, including Lahad Datu, Kudat, Semporna and others.

This came after the standoff, which lasted more than a month in the state, following the intrusion of the region by Filipino armed militants in early February.

The militants, who are followers of the former Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, landed in Sabah's eastern coast to stake the claim on the land, resulting in clashes between Malaysian security forces personnel and the militants.

Local media reported that a committee under the country's Home Ministry will manage the safety zone and will be headed by the chief minister of Sabah and assisted by a chief executive officer.

Malaysian security forces have been conducting operations in the state over the past weeks to flush out the militants from the area.



The self-proclaimed Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, representing the Sultante of Sulu in the Southern Philippines, claimed the royal Muslim clan is the rightful owner of the state and is now demanding recognition from Malaysia.

The Sultanate had ruled a region in eastern Sabah from the late 17th century before the rights over Sabah were transferred to Britain. The state later became part of Malaysia after the country gained independence from Britain.

According to local media, Malaysian Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein earlier said the Home Ministry had been working closely with the Philippines' National Intelligence Coordinating Agency ( Nica) to exchange intelligence about the standoff.

Posted in: Asia-Pacific

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