Navy in Sabah’s east coast now battle-ready

Zam Yusa

 | December 28, 2017

Esscom’s planned Ligitan security post to be beefed up

Esscom welcomes green light on pursuits into Philippines

Zam Yusa

 | January 31, 2018

KOTA KINABALU: The Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) has welcomed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s go-ahead for Malaysian troops to enter Philippine waters in pursuit of terrorists.

On Saturday, Duterte declared that Malaysian and Indonesian vessels were now free to enter Philippine waters for this purpose.

Speaking to the media on his return from a state visit to India, Duterte said all Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur had to do was alert the Philippine armed forces about their operations to hunt down terrorists in Philippine territory.

“We’ve been waiting for this for a long time, since last year. We really welcome this new development.

“The clearance to enter our neighbours’ waters will be part of a trilateral maritime security agreement,” Esscom chief Hazani Ghazali told FMT, adding that the matter had been discussed by Malaysia’s defence and foreign ministers with their Philippine and Indonesian counterparts.

Hazani said the clearance to enter foreign waters would be a mutual agreement between all three countries.

“We hope security can be further boosted in the waters between the three countries.

“There will certainly be procedures to follow when we enter the neighbouring nations’ waters in pursuit of criminals and terrorists.

“We expect this to be a trilateral arrangement, so we can enter each other’s waters while chasing pirates, kidnappers and militants.”

The opening of maritime borders is expected to cut the lag time between when a Malaysian vessel halts its pursuit and when the neighbouring country continues the chase.

In his announcement on Saturday, Duterte said Philippine authorities would also assist in the operations carried out by Malaysia and Indonesia.

He added that he had informed his Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts about the matter.

“I also said if it’s terrorists, my advice to them is just blow them up.”

Esscom oversees security in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone), a special security area spanning some 1,700km of coastline in the east coast of Sabah.

Esscom and Esszone were formed following the 2013 Lahad Datu intrusion by militants sent by the so-called Sulu sultanate in southern Philippines to stake their territorial claim on Sabah.

The security in the waters between the three countries was at its highest level during the Marawi war between Philippine troops and pro-Islamic State groups, between May and October last year.

It was feared that terrorists would run away to Indonesia and Malaysia following heavy offensives by the Philippine military to flush them out of the city.

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Heightened security measures in Sabah waters show results

FMT 1 Feb 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: Improved security measures in Sabah and its surrounding waters have produced quantifiable results, according to a report in The Diplomat.

No kidnappings, for instance, took place the whole of last year and there has been no repeat of the 2013 incursion into Sabah by armed Sulu residents. And despite the Islamic State’s stated wish to target Malaysia, there has been no major terrorist attack. The report also noted the increased allocations to the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom).

Prime Minister Najib Razak had allocated RM250 million to Esscom, including RM50 million for coastal surveillance radar, under Budget 2018.

Esscom was set up soon after the 2013 attempt by about 200 men loyal to the Sultan of Sulu to reclaim Sabah for the sultanate ended with 68 deaths. It is tasked with the security of the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone), a 1,700km-long special security area along the east coast of Sabah that borders crime-prone southern Philippines.

“We are happy to say that no acts of piracy and kidnapping happened in the Esszone so far this year thanks to the vigilance of our troops and cooperation of citizens,” its chief Hazani Ghazali told FMT recently.

“We don’t compromise with the state’s security, so we are doing everything we can to increase our capabilities to tackle elements of crime and terrorism that approach our country. Our secret is that we frequently train and rehearse so that when the time comes, we’re ready for action. That is why we constantly keep our troops at the leading edge of combat capabilities,” he added.

This new defence architecture covers ten districts along the eastern coast, which are patrolled by police officers, army personnel, and members of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

The report in The Diplomat noted that more police stations and detention centres had been built in Sabah, and naval capabilities upgraded.

It said if militants were present on any notable scale within Sabah, they were lying low in the face of the enhanced security measures put in place.

It added that the authorities had refuted any suggestion that local Muslim communities were harbouring Islamic fighters from the southern Philippines.

“So far, the knock on effects of the instability to Malaysia’s east appear to have been limited, and Sabah’s tourism industry continues to thrive. The economic benefits derived from a stable environment make the region’s power brokers all the more determined to avoid a deterioration of security akin to Mindanao.”

It said the authorities in Sabah know they must exercise continual vigilance amid fears of terrorist infiltration driven by the risk of fighters returning not only from Mindanao, but also from the Middle East as Islamic State loses territory there.

Islamic State’s lingering regional ambitions remain a threat.

“Due to its geographical position, Sabah will remain at risk despite the best efforts of the security forces and law enforcement agencies. Its long and heavily indented coastline along with its proximity to the impoverished and lawless islands of the Sulu archipelago, awash with armed Islamist groups, will continue to make Sabah an attractive gateway for militants intent on not only resurrecting past territories, but with eyes on carving out new ones.”

Navy in Sabah’s east coast now battle-ready

FMT 

Zam Yusa

 February 21, 2018

KOTA KINABALU: The navy’s Second Fleet headquarters (Mawilla 2) based in Sandakan is now ready for duty in Sabah’s east coast, after being relocated from Kota Kinabalu recently, its commander said.

Rear Admiral Abdul Rahman Ayob said he was satisfied with the readiness of the fleet and its crew in facing off any situation at sea.

“It is important that we are ready for any eventuality and threats, especially in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (EssZone) in the state’s east coast.

“Yesterday, we finished an exercise for our fleet and I’m satisfied with the level of preparedness,” he told FMT.

According to the rear admiral, Mawilla 2 completed the second series of its Borneo War Exercise at Sulu Sea.

The exercise involved five navy ships — the KA Tun Azizan, KD Todak, KD Baung, KD Sri Johor and KD Sri Perlis — as well as the CB90 assault boat and Silverbreeze intercept boat.

The KA acronym represents “auxilliary ship”, as opposed to the main fleet of “royal ships”, KD.

“This was our first exercise this year and second one after the relocation of our fleet from Kota Kinabalu,” said Rahman, who participated in the exercise aboard the KD Todak.

The EssZone spans 1,700km of coastline of Sabah that faces conflict-prone southern Philippines.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte recently announced that Malaysian and Indonesian security agencies, including their navies, can now enter his country’s waters in hot pursuit of criminals.

The EssZone encompasses land and maritime areas, partly covering the Sulu and Celebes Seas, well-known as a hotspot for kidnappings and sea-jackings by trans-border criminal groups from southern Philippines.

Security at the EssZone was at its highest level during the five-month Marawi war between Philippine troops and pro-Islamic State groups amid concern that militants would flee to Sabah.

Thanks to efforts by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (EssCom), which is in charge of security in the EssZone, no incidents of kidnapping and robberies were recorded last year