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Eastern Sabah Security Zone

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The Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE) is a security zone in the Malaysian state of Sabah that was launched by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak on 25 March 2013 following the invasion by gunmen from Sulu that occurred in the eastern part of Sabah.[1] It includes the districts of Kudat, Kota Marudu, Pitas, Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau.[1][2] The Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) is the main enforcement authority for ESSZONE.[3]

  ESSZONE area.

The Malaysian Government has embarked on a programme to significantly upgrade the land, sea and air defence capabilities of the Malaysian Armed Forces in ESSZONE.

Scope of works

Land

 
DefTech AV8 Gempita armoured vehicle. 12 units are currently deployed in Tawau

Seven police stations will be established in the zone and five battalions of security forces with a PGA brigade will also be placed.[2][4][5] Datuk Seri Musa Aman has been appointed as the chairman of this zone.[6] The government has also approved an initial allocation of RM 200m to build infrastructure.[7]

In October 2014, the Malaysian Government announced that ESSCOM will be given a budget allocation of RM660 million (USD200 million). Amongst other things, this will fund the addition of one battalion of the General Operations Force (GOF) and one battalion of the army with 1,280 personnel and the construction of two new base camps: the GOF 20th Battalion Camp in Beluran and the Malaysian Armed Forces Camp in Lahad Datu.

Additional military and security operations equipment will be acquired, such as high-capability monitoring radar. 18 military infantry fighting vehicles (MIFVs) have been deployed in Kota Belud and 12 Gempita AV8 armoured vehicles are in Tawau.[8]

Sea

 
A PASKAL team is stationed on board the Bunga Mas Lima

Sea Bases and Mother Ships: An auxiliary ship, the Bunga Mas Lima, is currently stationed in ESSZONE as a sea base platform. It is equipped with a Fennec helicopter and a PASKAL quick reaction force team.[9] Several other ships were being refurbished to function as mother ships, with the ability to carry security personnel and high-speed boats to combat cross-border crime.[10] In May 2015, Petronas completed the conversion of the Tun Azizan, a cargo vessel (named in honour of the late Tun Azizan Zainul Abidin,former President of Petronas) into a sea base ship. It can accommodate 99 passengers and is equipped with accommodation facilities, an operations and communication room, air conditioning, fresh water system and military equipment.[11] The Tun Azizan is placed five nautical miles from the Southern Philippines to intercept, with its quick reaction forces, criminals attempting to escape to the Philippines. A decommissioned oil rig has been retrofitted into a permanent sea base, which is named after the late Tun Sharifah Rodziah,third wife of the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. Both bases are sited near sea routes frequently used by cross-border criminals.[12][13] These initiatives are funded at a cost of RM230 million through the PETRONAS Corporate Social Responsibility program.

Other Marine Assets: Thirty new bullet-proof Rigid Hull Fender Boats, costing approximately RM50 million in total, have been in service in ESSZONE since mid-2014. These boats are equipped with advanced specifications and high-end systems, such as forward looking infra red (FLIR) night vision capabilities.[14][15]

 
A Mark V Special Operations Craft. Nine of these will be acquired by from the US Navy.

Nine surplus US Navy Mark 5 Special Operations Crafts was to be acquired, according to the Royal Malaysian Navy's chief, Admiral Aziz Jaafar.[16]

Air

 
M134D Hybrid Gatling Gun. Ten of these have been purchased for the Malaysian Armed Force’s use, of which five have been installed on five Nuri helicopters deployed in ESSZONE

To provide better air logistical, surveillance and attack capabilities, the runway at the Lahad Datu airport will be upgraded to enable high-capacity aircraft to land and the Hawk fighter jet squadron from Butterworth will be relocated to Labuan. These will cost an additional RM50 million, bringing the total announced ESSZONE spending to RM940 million (USD290 million).[17]

Six attack helicopters, which will be either the Eurocopter Tigre or the Apache Longbow, will be acquired for ESSZONE operations. Four S-70A Blackhawk helicopters will be transferred from Brunei to the Malaysian Armed Forces.[18]

10 sets of M134D Hybrid Gatling Guns will be purchased to arm helicopters.[19][20] In a January 2015 media statement, the Malaysian Defence Minister announced that five S-61A-4 Nuri helicopters have been fitted with Gatling guns and five Eurocopter EC725 were being fitted with FNMAG 58 7.62 mm general purpose machine guns.[21]

Others

Floating balloon aerostats survelillance systems will be acquired to provide ESSZONE forces with 24/7 maritime domain awareness capability. Equipped with radar and Electro-Optical Infrared (EOIR) day/night cameras, these aerostats will enable the security forces to more quickly detect the small wooden boats used by criminals to travel into Sabah from the Southern Philippines.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "PM Announces Setting Up Of Eastern Sabah Safety Zone". BERNAMA. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Security area widened in east Sabah". New Straits Times. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  3. ^ "AG clears air on ESSZone, ESSCom confusion". The Borneo Insider. 3 April 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  4. ^ "UPDATE : GOF brigade to be stationed at ESSZONE". New Straits Times. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  5. ^ "PM pantau ESSZONE". Harian Metro (in Malay). 26 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Pelantikan Pengerusi ESSZONE satu tanggungjawab besar: Musa". Berita Harian (in Malay). 26 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  7. ^ "RM200m for ESSZONE". New Straits Times. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  8. ^ "ESSZone beefed up with new military assets". The Sun. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  9. ^ "Bunga Mas Lima sails to ESSZone". Malaysian Defence. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Ship to strengthen defence on Sabah's Esszone, says IGP". The Malay Mail. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Ship to strengthen defence on Sabah's Esszone, says IGP". Rentaka. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Hishammuddin to visit two key security posts in Sabah". New Straits Times. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Gunman involved in Semporna shoot-out with Esscom forces arrested". The Star. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  14. ^ "30 boats to beef up east coast security". The Borneo Post. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  15. ^ "Sabah gets 30 bullet-proof, high-tech boats costing RM50.7 million". Daily Express. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  16. ^ "Malaysia targeting 2019 in-service date for littoral combat ship". IHS Jane's 360. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  17. ^ "2015 budget: RM660m to strengthen ESSCom". New Straits Times. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  18. ^ "Brunei transfers S-70A Blackhawks to Malaysian Armed Forces". Borneo Bulletin. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  19. ^ "Malaysian Army To Acquire Six Attack Helicopters For ESSZONE Operations". Bernama. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  20. ^ "Zahid: Attack helicopters to boost strike capabilities of security forces in Sabah's east coast". The Star. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  21. ^ Media Statement by YB. Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Malaysian Minister of Defence on 23 Jan 2015
  22. ^ "Aerostats for ESSZone". Malaysia Defence. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
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