THE year 2017 saw no kidnappings involving Malaysians in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone) this year, among other notable security issues.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had, on September 29, announced that the government would deploy about 500 People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) members as a pilot project to assist in monitoring security in Esszone.

Zahid, who is also home minister, said 6,148 Rela members out of 121,888 registered in Sabah would be deployed to Esszone in stages in the future.

On Oct 12, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, along with his Indonesian and Filipino counterparts, launched the Trilateral Air Patrol operations over the Sulu Sea to tackle cross-border crime, including terrorist threats and kidnappings.

Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman, who is also co-chairman of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) Advisory Board, recently told the Sabah state legislative assembly that there had been no kidnappings in Esszone throughout the year.

The kidnapping of five fishermen by the Abu Sayyaf militant group in the southern Philippines off Lahad Datu on July 18, last year, was the last of such a case involving Malaysians.

In that case, all the men, aged between 24 and 63, were rescued by the Philippine military forces in March this year and returned safely to their families.

On December 4 this year, members of the security forces in Esszone gunned down a 31-year-old man, known as Commander Paliyak @ Yusuf, who was believed to be involved in a number of sea robberies and kidnappings in waters off Kunak and Lahad Datu since 2014.

According to Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun, 3.65 million tourists – out of whom  2.1 million were locals and 1.4 million foreigners – had visited the state up to October this year, a slight increase from the 3.4 million tourists recorded last year.

The year 2017 also saw the launch of two more work packages of the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway project by Prime Minister Najib Razak, bringing the total number of work packages launched so far to six.

On March 4, Najib launched the upgrading of the Sindumin-Kampung Melalia road alignment, spanning 28.4km, in Sipitang.

The project involved the upgrading of the existing two-lane road into four lanes, and the construction of two interchanges and three bridges to provide access to the oil and gas-based economic corridor between Sipitang and Kimanis.

Najib also launched the sixth package of the Pan Borneo Highway project stretching 19.6km to connect Putatan with Inanam on November 18.

Speaking at the launch of the Putatan-Inanam package, Najib said RM12.86 billion had been allocated for the construction of the 706km Pan Borneo Highway from Sindumin to Tanjung Simpang Mengayau on the west coast and from Ranau to Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tawau on the east coast. – Bernama, December 25, 2017.