Police Have Deployed More Personnel To ESSZone In View Of Daesh Threats

TAWAU - Sabah police have stationed more personnel in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) to curb subversive elements and to prevent cross-border criminals from hiding in the state, said Sabah police Commissioner Datuk Ramli Din.

He said this was among the early measures taken against any possible crime that might occur in Sabah, particularly the ESSZone.

"This is to curb the influx of (Daesh) militant group members from Marawi (in the southern Philippines) to our area," he told reporters after handing out packets of rice to Tawau Disaster Committee chairman Alijus Sipil on behalf of victims of the recent fire in Kampung Hidayat, 4th Mile of Jalan Apas here, today.

Ramli also said police personnel have been on standby to brace any possibility of Abu Sayyaf leader, Isnilon Hapilon, fleeing to Sabah.

"We have heightened intelligence and preventive operations and so far, there have been no information on Hapilon entering the country," he said, adding that police had detained individuals believed to be involved in the militant group but refused to divulge the numbers.

In Lahad Datu, Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) pledged its commitment to give full cooperation to the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) to ensure operations of disaster management in the ESSZone goes on smoothly.

Its commander DCP Datuk Hazani Ghazali said among the preparations were deploying ESSCom personnel and assets throughout the collaboration period such as during the recent joint drill with Nadma.

"We are fully supporting any initiative by Nadma to have joint drills with all government (security) agencies in the ESSZone, as such an initiative could gauge the level of preparedness for each of the agency in disaster and security management," he said in a statement here today.

— Bernama