Several Countries Downgrade Sabah East Coast Travel Advisory To Level Two - Mohamad

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 (Bernama) -- Several countries which had previously issued level three travel advisories for the east coast of Sabah have downgraded the classification to level two, according to Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He said the positive development reflected a restoration of foreign confidence in security conditions in the area, which had previously been affected by numerous kidnapping-for-ransom incidents.

“Previously, about 25 countries had issued a level three travel advisory - meaning ‘do not go’ - advising against travel to Sabah, due to kidnapping-for-ransom cases.

“However, as a result of the government’s security measures, involving the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), the police and the Ministry of Defence, there have been no such incidents over the past four to five years,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Mohamad was responding to a question from Datuk Verdon Bahanda (Independent-Kudat), regarding the government’s efforts to revise the travel advisory status on the east coast of Sabah, issued by countries such as the United States, Japan and South Korea, to boost productivity and tourist arrivals in the state.

He said the development had also had a positive impact on the tourism sector in the area, with the number of foreign tourist arrivals increasing by up to 18.9 per cent, particularly from Japan and South Korea.

Responding to a supplementary question from Verdon on efforts to have the travel advisory completely lifted, Mohamad said that the government, through the Foreign Ministry, the Home Ministry and the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, continues to engage with the countries concerned, to strengthen their confidence in the security situation along the east coast of Sabah.

“Whenever there is an opportunity to discuss bilateral or multilateral relations, we take the chance to explain how the situation in eastern Sabah has improved, and is no longer as it was previously, when security was threatened by pirate activities.

“We also take the initiative to bring foreign representatives based in Kuala Lumpur, particularly from countries which have issued travel advisories, to visit the area, so they can see for themselves that the security situation is stable,” he said.

-- BERNAMA