Esscom should concentrate on making changes to their patrolling shifts rather than ban night activities at sea..
KOTA KINABALU: Two leading tour associations here are unaware of the Eastern Sabah Security Command’s (Esscom) latest decision to ban night tours at sea.
Both Sabah Tourism Assocation (STA) and Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Sabah chapter said they had not received any notifications to date from Esscom.
Deputy chairman of STA, Freddie Lim when contacted said he was “not sure” of the ruling and how tour operators in the east coast were coping.
“We were not told of the ban, I am not sure how the operators are dealing with the ban,” he said.
Sabah Matta has also not received any notice of the blanket ban which requires any sea tour after 6pm to apply for permission from Esscom.
Said state chairman Robert Chong: “I’m not familiar about the exact situation there but so far, we have not received any official complaints from tour operators in the Esszone.
“It could be just a minority that is unhappy,” said Chong.
He said thus far no official complaint had been forwarded to Matta.
On Tuesday, it was reported that resort operators in Semporna were unhappy with the latest ruling.
They claimed Esscom was shirking its responsibility with its ban on lucrative sea tours after 6pm.
The operators lamented that Esscom was “not going to the root of the problem”.
They claimed the latest ruling, a result of multiple dialogues with Esscom following the spate of kidnappings, is not practical.
“Emphasis has been placed on security without factoring in the problems of costing, expertise and the complicated procedures faced by tour operators,” said an effected tour operator who declined to be named.
“Esscom should concentrate on making changes to their patrolling shifts rather than ban night activities at sea,” said another operator.
The new regulation was announced on April 15 by Esscom director-general Mohammad Mentek as a precaution against potential abduction cases at sea following the two kidnappings off the coast of Semporna earlier this month and last November.
The decision was met with approval from Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun, who will be seeking detailed information from Esscom regarding the matter.
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