Friday March 8, 2013

Lahad Datu: Special area being set up to safeguard Sabah’s east coast

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LAHAD DATU: A Special Security Area is being set up in Sabah to safeguard the sovereignty and security of the state's east coast.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the establishment of the area which will include the districts of Kudat, Tawau, Kunak, Sandakan and Lahad Datu.

Najib also said an additional five battalions of soldiers and policemen would be deployed to Sabah. The ratio of soldiers to policemen would be decided later.

The Prime Minister said the proposal to establish the special area was agreed to by the Cabinet at its meeting yesterday.

Najib said the move was to boost the confidence of the people in Sabah that the Government would do everything to maintain peace and safeguard the country's sovereignty.

“Lahad Datu will be made the command centre and several temporary cabins will be placed there so the centre can begin functioning immediately. The centre, which will comprise officers from the military, police and the civil service, will be headed by (Sabah chief minister) Datuk Seri Musa Aman,” he said after attending a briefing on the ongoing “Ops Daulat” against the armed intruders here.

In 1972, the Government had set up the Rajang Area Security Command (Rascom) in Sarawak to thwart the threat of communist terrorists in the state.

The Rascom area, covering Sibu, Kanowit, Oya, Dalat, Bintagor, Sarikei, Julau, Song and Kapit, was declared a special security area by the then prime minister Datuk Abdul Razak Hussein.

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