Sabah curfew enters 29th phase

KOTA KINABALU - The sea curfew in Sabah’s east coast is moving into its 29th phase since it was imposed in July last year, this time extended to include another 5,792 square km of area around Beluran.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said that the new phase, which starts on October 9 — now comprising Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan and Beluran — was extended as of last month to accommodate the large presence of foreign and local researchers in the three islands off Beluran.

“The extended area was to ensure that the 140 or most monthly international visitors to the Lankayan, Tegipil and Billean islands under Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA) were not targeted by terrorists,” he said.

The 7pm to 5am curfew, now covers 319, 879.1 square kilometres, while the sea border has been extended from 362 nautical miles to 390.6 nautical miles and the coastal border from 335 nautical miles to 413.2 nautical miles.

A 6pm-to-6am curfew was first imposed on July 19 following a spate of kidnappings and an attack by armed foreigners along the state’s porous eastern flank.

It has been extended every two weeks since, and recently shortened to 10 hours from 7pm to 5am beginning August 18.