Curfew in waters of ESSZone extended to July 22

The dusk-to-dawn curfew in the waters off seven districts within the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) has been extended to July 22, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun said today.

He said the curfew, from 7pm to 5am, covered the waters off the districts of Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan and Beluran.

“People in the area are required to remain indoors (and others are prohibited from entering or being there) during the curfew hours," he said in a statement.

Abdul Rashid said the curfew was extended to ensure the safety and well-being of the people of Sabah and the presence of security forces would instil confidence in the chalet operators and fishermen.

He also said that the curfew would ensure there was no infiltration of terrorists who could threaten the safety of international researchers and tourists visiting the resort islands in the area.

District police chiefs had been delegated to issue curfew passes to fishermen and to people in emergency situations, he said.

Abdul Rashid said feedback indicated that groups from southern Philippines which abducted people for ransom still attempted to infiltrate the waters of the ESSZone to commit cross-border crime.