PETALING JAYA: The United Kingdom’s travel advisory on Kudat, Sabah, has finally been lifted, more than a decade after the Lahad Datu incursion of 2013 which killed over 70 people, including 10 security forces personnel.
While the UK government is no longer advising against travel to islands and dive sites in the maritime area around Kudat, its advice against all but essential travel to islands and dive sites from Sandakan to Tawau, including Lankayan Island, remain in place.
This is despite a reduction in the number of kidnapping cases of tourists by cross-border gangs.
British High Commissioner to Malaysia Ailsa Terry said the change in the travel advisory was a testament to the efforts of the Malaysian government in improving security in eastern Sabah.
“This travel advice review has been a priority since I arrived in August this year and I am very pleased that thousands of British nationals who call Malaysia home or visit every year will now be able to see more of this amazing country,” she said yesterday.
The 2013 incursion by over 200 Sulu terrorists resulted in the deaths of 56 Sulu militants, 10 Malaysian security force personnel and six civilians.
