KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s ongoing dusk-to-dawn sea curfew, which will end on Saturday (May 20), has been extended for another 14 days to June 4.
The curfew, which was extended for the 211th time under Section 31(4) of the Police Act 1967, was first implemented on July 16, 2014.
Under the curfew, residents in areas covered by the rule are required to stay at home from 6pm to 6am, while outsiders are not allowed to enter the curfew zones.
Sabah police commissioner Comm Datuk Jauteh Dikun said that the curfew covers areas up to three nautical miles off the east coast districts of Sandakan, Beluran, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau.
The extension of the curfew was necessary, he said, due to the existing threats from cross-border criminals including from kidnap-for-ransom (KFR) groups.
He added the curfew was required in order to ensure terrorists or criminals from the southern Philippines did not intrude into Malaysian waters and subsequently oversee the safety of international researchers or foreign tourists visiting islands in Sabah.
"According to our intelligence sources, KFR groups as well as the Abu Sayyaf group were still attempting to enter the country’s waters and carry out kidnapping activities as well as other cross-border crimes," he said in a statement on Saturday (May 20).
"The curfew will also allow security forces to look after the safety of Sabahans and others who travel at sea and those living on land in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone).
"Besides that, it will enable us to enforce the law and monitor the movement of vessels as well as create a sense of security and confidence among chalet operators and fishermen through the presence of security vessels implementing this curfew," Comm Jauteh said.
He said he had also given the authority to the respective district police chiefs to issue permits to any applicant who fulfil the necessary requirements to conduct fishing activities or to ply through the water routes in the curfew areas.
The curfew was enforced 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.
