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KOTA KINABALU – Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor has ordered police to heighten its surveillance on territorial claims for the state in the ongoing presidential race in the Philippines.
Despite expressing his overall satisfaction over the security situation in Sabah, Hajiji said claims for the state are often a hot topic brought up by Filipino presidential candidates to gain support from voters.
“The heat from the Philippines presidential election that will be held on May 9 needs to be monitored closely by our police, especially the Special Branch,” he said in a statement, here today.
Claims for Sabah emerged as a long-standing territorial dispute between Malaysia and the Philippines over much of the eastern part of Sabah.
The Philippines retains a “dormant claim” on the region on the basis the territory was leased to the British North Borneo company in 1878.
Hajiji, who conducted a working visit to the Sabah police contingent headquarters in Kepayan today, also discussed the reinstatement of the pump boat ban.
He noted that police need to prepare a paper and alternative solutions to be brought to the state security committee for approval in order to extend the pump boat ban.
The ban was executed by the Sabah government last year.
On other developments, the Sulaman assemblyman also ordered police to monitor and control the drug trafficking situation in the state.
Hajiji said this in view of the fact that Sabah is being used as a transit point for drug trafficking in the region.
He also supported the call for the power to approve firearm licences be given to the Sabah police commissioner similar to Sarawak, adding that he would bring the matter to the prime minister and home minister.
Hajiji also directed state secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong to look into police’s land application to set up a new marine police base in Kota Kinabalu and general operations force base in Nabawan, in the interior division.
Also present during the working visit were state federal secretary Datuk Sarul Bahiyah Abu, state internal affairs and research secretary Datuk Awang Shaminan Sahari as well as senior Sabah police officers including deputy CP Datuk Jauteh Dikun. – The Vibes, February 28, 2022