WASHINGTON DC (13 June 2001) -- The US State Department has issued new warnings advising travelers to avoid Sipadan and Pandanan islands in the Sabah region off the east coast of Borneo of Malaysia. The travel warning cites recent tourist kidnappings and specifically names Sipadan Island and Pandanan Island, two resorts that cater primarily to divers. The Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf rebels launched attacks on both Sipadan and Pandanan Islands last year kidnapping 24 dive tourists and resort staff. A Sipadan Island dive instructor remains hostage well over a year after he was abducted. Last month, the Abu Sayyaf struck again, kidnapping 20 tourists from a luxury resort on the island of Palawan in the southwestern Philippines. The latest US State Department travel warning for Malaysia is as follows: Malaysia
June 13, 2001 The Department reiterates its concern about attacks by members of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the Southern Philippines near the Malaysian State of Sabah. The ASG remains a security threat to areas of Malaysia near the Southern Philippines. On May 27, 2001, members of the ASG kidnapped 20 people, including three American citizens, from a resort on the Philippine island of Palawan and took them by boat to Basilan Island in the Southern Philippines. Since April 2000, the ASG has taken a number of people hostage, including foreign tourists on the Malaysian islands of Sipadan and Pandanan. The Department's current Public Announcement for the Philippines indicates there is concern that the ASG may attack U.S. citizens and others again. The group is under attack by the Armed Forces of the Philippines at this time. | | Since September 2000, the Government of Malaysia has increased the number of police and military personnel deployed in the southeastern part of Sabah. It has also placed small detachments in various places, including the islands of Sipadan and Pandanan, where armed gunmen kidnapped hostages on April 23 and September 11, 2000, subsequently transporting them to the islands of the Southern Philippines. However, the region is remote and large in area, and assistance in security matters may not be readily available. U.S. citizens traveling to the islands and in the coastal areas of eastern Sabah should be aware of the persistence of threats from the Abu Sayyaf Group, and should exercise extreme caution if they travel to that region. U.S. citizens traveling to the islands or in the coastal region of eastern Sabah in Malaysia are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. As the U.S. Embassy is quite distant from this region, U.S. citizens may wish to contact the Embassy by telephone at 60-3-2168-5000, or by e-mail at klconsular@state.gov. For further general information on travel to Malaysia, consult the Department's latest Consular Information Sheet, at http://travel.state.gov. Travelers to the Malaysian State of Sabah should also consult the current Public Announcement on the Philippines. This Public Announcement replaces the Public Announcement for Malaysia dated April 9, 2001, to expand the region included in the Announcement and to provide updated security information. It expires on December 6, 2001. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
