Sabah Most Wanted

Lift Borneo travel warning, Malaysia urges

Malaysia has asked Australia to retract an advisory warning its citizens against travelling to the Borneo coast.
Malaysia says that claims the Borneo coast is at risk of a terrorist threat are inaccurate.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says he is confident that there are "no untoward incidents" occurring in Sabah state on the Malaysian side of Borneo island, which is shared with Indonesia.
"We can't do anything if a foreign country wants to issue travel advisories, but in the case of Sabah, we're sure the security situation there is under control, with many police and military personnel being deployed there," he said.
Mr Najib has told the official Bernama news agency that there has been no intelligence report from the Malaysian security authorities suggesting a threat to the region.
He says Malaysia hopes Australia will heed his assurances and retract the travel advisory.
"Any travel advisory would cause worry among foreign tourists and, therefore, it's our responsibility to do something so that this will not continue," he said.
"We have to do something so that they can withdraw the travel advisory as soon as possible."
Australia and the United States periodically reissue advisories warning their nationals not to travel to the Borneo coast, saying they are concerned that militants are planning to kidnap foreigners there.
- AFP