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Warning of strong winds, rough seas in <b>Sabah</b> – BorneoPost Online <b>...</b> Berita Sabah - News 2 Sabah

Warning of strong winds, rough seas in <b>Sabah</b> – BorneoPost Online <b>...</b>

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 01:02 AM PST

Posted on February 3, 2014, Monday

KUALA LUMPUR: The weatherman has warned of strong winds, of between 40 and 50 km per hour, and waves as high as 3.5 metres in the waters off Labuan and Sabah, covering the Interior, West Coast and Kudat districts, from Friday to the following day.

The Meteorological Department said in a statement today that such weather conditions were dangerous for small boats and sea sports and recreational activities.

The department also said that similar conditions would prevail in the waters of Condore, Reef North, Layang-Layang and Pahlawan up to Friday. – Bernama

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Call for high security IC in <b>Sabah</b> - The Borneo Post Online

Posted: 23 Jan 2014 03:51 PM PST

KOTA KINABALU: STAR Sabah is urging the State government to implement the high tech, high-security identity card (IC) for Sabah as it is workable to secure the State's sovereignty and weed out fake ICs and MyKads.

STAR Sabah chief Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan made the proposal yesterday following the recent Federal government's decision to issue the uniform high-security identification card for all government staff in a move to check impersonation and forging of identification documents of government employees.

"The civil servant's high-tech ID which can be ready in 30 minutes and the recent Home Ministry's plan to issue 2.5 million i-Kad with biometric security features for foreign workers proves that a high-tech, high security Sabah IC can be used to resolve the long-standing illegal immigrant problem in Sabah.

"The fake ICs and MyKads have even surfaced in the Peninsula with the emergence of fake Sabahans, foreigners holding fake ICs impersonating Sabahans," he said in a statement.

With the failure of the federal government to resolve the problem, Jeffrey said, the legal and moral duty to protect and safeguard Sabah's sovereignty and security and to safeguard the rights and interests of genuine Sabahans now rests with the Sabah government.

As such, he proposed that the State government initiate steps now to implement the high-tech, high security ID for Sabahans and another similar ID for all non-Sabahan residents in Sabah.

"From legal sources, the Sabah government has the authority to issue the Sabah IC and there are no prohibitions under the Federal Constitution.

"The Sabah IC and non-Sabahan Resident ID is the only way to ensure that the security and sovereignty of Sabah and genuine Sabahans are genuinely protected," stressed Jeffrey.

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<b>Sabah</b> seas for tourism in conservation - The Borneo Post Online

Posted: 20 Jan 2014 09:22 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is expected to attract 3.4 million visitors and generate RM6 billion in tourism revenue this year.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun told press members after launching the book: "The Sensational Seas of Sabah" by Scubazoo yesterday that they expected to exceed last year's revenue of RM5.7 billion from the industry this year.

"At the same time, the ministry also expects to exceed last year's tourists arrivals of 3.2 million," he said.

He then went on to say the revenue generated from the tourism sector had now exceeded the logging industry, which was once the state's major revenue generator.

"The income from the logging sector was once RM2 billion but last year, it generated only RM1 million – it was due to the decision of the present Chief Minister who decided to cancel the logging concessions in Sabah several years ago. It was a bold step to ensure that the forest was conserved and less trees were cut," he said.

He described the decision by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman as a wise one and that Sabah was now reaping the fruits from that wise decision since the income generated from the tourism sector now exceeded that of the logging sector.

"In the logging sector, we realised that once the last tree was logged, that was the end," he said.

He then called on the industry and the people of Sabah to support efforts to look after the state's natural heritage and not let the quest for more profit to deter them from doing what is right.

"We need the strength to look after our islands, our nature and disallow acts that lead to degradation – that is why we limit the number of visitors on Sipadan to 120 people daily and to the Kinabalu Peak to 192 people daily. If our quest was for more profit, we will soon lose Sipadan and Kinabalu. I hope the industry will support this," he said.

He also said as a result of the conservation efforts undertaken by various parties in Sabah, the state was now endowed with a rich natural heritage that is unmatched by many other countries in the world.

"And what we have underwater is not enjoyed by other places in the world," he said.

Meanwhile, Jason Isley, the managing director of Scubazoo said their newly launched book was geared towards enticing tourists to visit less visited islands in Sabah and reduce the pressure on Sipadan Island.

He said the book presented some 300 powerful and emotive images gathered throughout a journey along the stunning coast of Sabah.

"Beginning in the south west on Tiga Island in the South China Sea, we travel to the Tip of Borneo and the Sulu Sea before making our way south through the Celebes Sea where our final dive destination is the world famous Sipadan Island," he said.

In describing the condition of Sabah's coastline, Scubazoo operations manager Simon Enderby said he could see a lot of improvement in the conditions of the reefs that were once decimated.

"In just a short time of rehabilitation efforts by resorts, corals have come back. You can see a lot of improvement," he said.

He added that these could be seen on islands like Langkayan and Selingan.

He also attributed the positive changes to awareness programmes that have led to a reduction in the number of people using fish bombing methods to catch fish.

"Over the years, Sabah has done well to contain dynamite fishing," he said.

Also present at the event was Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.

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