Sabah Stand-off: Coastline needs Better Protection

By Samuel Yesuiah, Seremban, Negri Sembilan, New Straits Times
March 10, 2013

SABAH STAND-OFF: Coastline needs better protection.

IT is sad that our security forces suffered losses in Lahad Datu. Our hearts go out to their families in this time of bereavement.


The drama has taught us two lessons.
Firstly, the security of our country needs to be beefed up with better surveillance.

We have a long coastline and the maritime agencies (Royal Malaysian Navy, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the marine police) should be equipped to monitor the entire coastline of the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak.

The ease with which the 200-odd Sulu terrorists came and took charge of the village in Lahad Datu needs to be looked into seriously.

How did our maritime forces allow the Sulu vessels to enter our waters?

How did they evade our surveillance technology?

The second and more important lesson is the issue of illegal Filipino immigrants in Sabah. There are thousands of them in Sabah.

Towns such as Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Kudat and Lahad Datu have big Filipino communities. Most of them are illegals who are squatting.

The overwhelming presence of these immigrants should be checked and reduced.

Those without papers and valid documents should be deported back to the Philippines.

These immigrants are involved in crime and other undesirable activities in the big towns.

The government needs to monitor and check this growing menace.
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