LAHAD DATU, Dec 8 ― The downgrading of the threat assessment of the abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas from “potentially high” to “moderate” is a positive development, said Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) commander Datuk Victor Sanjos.

He said this was based on the Regional Cooperation Agreement On Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) report 2022 issued recently.

“This assessment is a very good sign. The last abduction incident in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESS Zone) was on January 15, 2020,” he told Bernama.

ESS Zone covers 10 districts namely Kudat, Pitas, Kota Marudu, Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau.

The coordination between ESSCom, Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysian Armed Forces and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in the ESS ZONE will intensify security controls to check crime at the country's borders with the Philippines and Indonesia, especially in the Sulu Sea.

Meanwhile, Victor said the move to rebrand the dusk-to-dawn curfew to the ESS Zone movement control order (MCO), and to reduce the areas placed under the list showed a positive impact on the foreign investment and tourism sector.

“I personally see these tourists as an asset of the ESS Zone. I must take care of this asset, ESSCom must take care of it, therefore it is important to provide safety or sense of security to all visitors in the ESS Zone.

“I believe that today they come as tourists and maybe tomorrow they come back as investors because they believe in the security and the economic opportunities in the east coast of Sabah,” he said.

He added that ESSCom was developing a security application specifically for tourists in the ESS ZONE and it was expected to be introduced next year.

Victor said a company had been assigned to design and develop the application which did not involve government allocations.

Victor said he would help in the development of the app based on his experience in establishing the Cyber Crime Investigation Division and the Computer Forensics Unit (Computer and Mobile Phone) of the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department in 1997.

The development of the app was well received by Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew, he said.

“We need the cooperation from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment and all those involved to help promote the app among tourists when it is launched soon.

“ESSCom just wants to ensure that the safety of these tourists is guaranteed, if there is a problem they (tourists) can let us know and they can install this application and uninstall it when they return if they want,” he said. ― Bernama