I won’t guarantee the safety of tourists in Sabah, says Tourism Minister Nazri

Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz says the Sabah kidnappings had dented the country's image further than the loss of the MH370 plane.

Certain places in Sabah remain unsafe for tourists, Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz admitted today.

He said he was not willing to guarantee the safety of tourists in the state as long as the two kidnapping cases remained unsolved.

“I will not order tourism officials abroad to promote Sabah.

“Personally, I will not visit Lahad Datu. I do not want to ask for trouble,” said Nazri in wrapping up the 2015 Supplementary Bill  for his ministry in Parliament today.

He said so in reply to a question by Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (PKR-Kuala Langat), who wanted him to convince tourists to visit the country.

Nazri said foreign tourists had admitted that the Sabah kidnapping had dented the country’s image further than the loss of the MAS MH370 plane.

“I do not want to be responsible for guaranteeing the safety of tourists in Sabah because if one gets kidnapped, I will be blamed.

“People in Beijing or Taiwan do not know where Lahad Datu or Sipadan is — all they know is that Sipadan is in Sabah, which is a part of Malaysia,” he said.

“They are not aware of the distance between Kota Kinabalu and Sipadan.

“As far as they are concerned, it’s in the same area.

“How am I to convince tourists that previous cases have been resolved?

“It also involves the kidnapping of a policeman guarding the waters off Sipadan. Is that safe for tourists?”

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