Suspension of activities at all islands off Sabah

[The Wolf]

Ok ok, relax. The trouble's supposed to be over at Lahad Datu, not here. As far as the accuracy of information on the Internet or even in the local (our Borneo papers) media are concerned, no one's sure what is true and what's not. I know someone's who is pretty high ranking in the police force in Sabah and even he said to take everything with more than just a pinch of salt because both sides are using disinformation in the fight.

Not over yet in Lahad Datu. Cordon and operations are still in effect.

Mind boggling...someone in Egypt telling us what is going on in Sabah and telling us it's safe when it clearly isn't. Bizzare.

 

[The Wolf]

1) Nobody on here stated there was a diving ban['/quote]

I can pick out several media reports and posts elsewhere from people saying there WAS a ban. This is also just an internet forum, its hardly "official". So completely conflicting information hence the need to get an official response.



Even more reason to get an ACCURATE response off the people ACTUALLY running the businesses there rather than complete unknowns on message boards though surely....



Who gets the local media both TV, internet and printed, works with and deals with officials in the area who had also heard the same reports.



So be it but currently a lot of tourists are fine. This really doesn't sound any different from Egypt although there its usually the police doing the shooting and torturing.



Which is why i ask for OFFICIAL information as opposed to the rants of complete unknowns on message boards whose political bias, qualifications and direct experience are completely unverifiable. Yes there maybe a problem there however there is no way to verify exactly how much of a problem, where or its effect without getting informing from as many different sources as possible to make a decision.



Yet all dive centres are citing official government documents, all dive centres agree it's going to happen (although one claims it already has) and some media outlets have actually published the document in question AND have an official confirming it....

Im fairly sure you have no idea of the logistics in organising or trying to plan a trip from the other side of the planet as really there is no way to address the multitude of conflicting information online other than to actually ask the people directly. It's not something you can plan with one days notice and just do or not do on a whim. There's significant financial cost along with time cost. Add that to the likely camera ban and mean there is now time pressure - its go soon or risk never.

Yes, of course we don't know what we are talking about. Yet, here you are, on a dive forum asking for advice and updates. I could load more photos of the gun fights in Lahad Datu and Semporna. But I think these would suffice for now. And for the record, BAE Hawk and F-18 Hornets have been used on bombing missions in Lahad Datu and have been carpet bombing the cordon area last week and the army have brought in APC's and 4 battallions of men flown in from Sarawak and West Malaysia.

That's how serious the situation is/was.

 

[Progen]

Is Dark07 Malaysian too? Don't know whether you noticed me mentioning this but I happen to be Tawau born.

 

[Quero]

Guys, the way I read it, String is not downplaying the seriousness of the situation, but only is saying that the dive resorts he contacted are functioning normally. They have reassured him directly that they plan to remain open and in doing so they are suggesting that they have confidence that Malaysian authorities have the situation under control despite the fact that it's not yet resolved. Dark07, it's understandable that you're shaken up and feeling the effects of living with a tense situation for weeks on end, but don't read more into String's comments than what affects him directly. He just wants to go to Malaysia to do some diving and support the local economy if it's reasonable to do so. Don't discourage him needlessly, for goodness sake!

 

[String]

Mind boggling...someone in Egypt telling us what is going on in Sabah and telling us it's safe when it clearly isn't. Bizzare.

At least READ what i typed rather than deliberately ignoring it. I pasted the contents of mails off 3 people/businesses who are directly located in the area that might or might not have been affected. You know, the people that should actually know these things. Some people in Sabah actually telling whether its safe in Sabah. Rather than just accepting as fact the statements from one unknown on an internet message board. This was a direct result of hearing completely contradicting information again via various internet forum AND local media. It's fairly prudent to actually try to obtain first hand information rather than just guess.

Nobody is doubting there is a security situation in an area there. That much is a given. The question is/was is it affecting the diving and tourist areas (hence the title of this thread). The replies all seem to be a resounding no.

 

[Progen]

... one unknown on an internet message board. ...

Just my two cents (or maybe less) worth but perhaps 'stranger' might have been a better word. 'Unknown' can be taken to mean an unimportant person which might also be construed as a nobody.

 

[Centrals]

Nobody is doubting there is a security situation in an area there. That much is a given. The question is/was is it affecting the diving and tourist areas (hence the title of this thread). The replies all seem to be a resounding no.

If you want to prove the point. Why don't you just go and see for yourself?

 

[Progen]

Actually, if the topic's on whether the intrusion was affecting diving around THAT part of Sabah, then the answer's yes. According to my instructor, they were all on standby to evacuate at short notice although there were still divers at the resort (Pom Pom Island Resort) and they had informed them the same. However, it seems that a lot of people had confused Kota Kinabalu with Lahad Datu / Semporna which are at two opposite ends of Sabah. Quite a good few hundred kilometres apart and had the trouble been anywhere near to Kota Kinabalu, Sabahans can rest assured that the federal government over at Kuala Lumpur will be mobilizing huge numbers of troops down.

 

[The Wolf]

Actually, if the topic's on whether the intrusion was affecting diving around THAT part of Sabah, then the answer's yes. According to my instructor, they were all on standby to evacuate at short notice although there were still divers at the resort (Pom Pom Island Resort) and they had informed them the same. However, it seems that a lot of people had confused Kota Kinabalu with Lahad Datu / Semporna which are at two opposite ends of Sabah. Quite a good few hundred kilometres apart and had the trouble been anywhere near to Kota Kinabalu, Sabahans can rest assured that the federal government over at Kuala Lumpur will be mobilizing huge numbers of troops down.

You are right. And the fact remains, the situation was so bad, they had to send over 5 battallions of infantry and logistics across to Lahad Datu, Semporna and Kunak because it was getting out of control and the police were finding themselves in a situation they could not contain.

---------- Post added March 19th, 2013 at 04:08 PM ----------

Guys, the way I read it, String is not downplaying the seriousness of the situation, but only is saying that the dive resorts he contacted are functioning normally. They have reassured him directly that they plan to remain open and in doing so they are suggesting that they have confidence that Malaysian authorities have the situation under control despite the fact that it's not yet resolved. Dark07, it's understandable that you're shaken up and feeling the effects of living with a tense situation for weeks on end, but don't read more into String's comments than what affects him directly. He just wants to go to Malaysia to do some diving and support the local economy if it's reasonable to do so. Don't discourage him needlessly, for goodness sake!

No, don't believe i am shaken up at all by this. This was expected. After the 2002 events, anything was possible and it happened again twice in the past 4 years. And there have been other incidents along the way which left the security on the east coast wanting. Too slack. And a lack of assets and resources to enforce some sort of security net to prevent people coming in and going out as they pleased.

What bothers me is how long it took them to negotiate with these terrorists. This should have been settled within the first 48 hours. Anything longer and its a lose-lose situation for Malaysia, which is what we are now seeing because this whole episode is going to cost the malaysian tax payer a million or so ringgit per day now to have 5000 troops and the cost of logistics and both sea, air and ground assets in the area.

This could have been avoided.

That;s the wild wild west of Borneo for you..


---------- Post added March 19th, 2013 at 04:10 PM ----------

Is Dark07 Malaysian too? Don't know whether you noticed me mentioning this but I happen to be Tawau born.

Might be down the road from you big guy...taman semarak at jln kuhara. Renting a double here. I however finish my contract at the end of August and it looks like it's bye bye Borneo and on to Brunei next.

 

[Progen]

...

Might be down the road from you big guy...taman semarak at jln kuhara. Renting a double here. I however finish my contract at the end of August and it looks like it's bye bye Borneo and on to Brunei next.

That means we're going to intersect somewhere because I'm in Kuching now but finishing my (non-existent) contract at the end of August and flying over to Kota Kinabalu for a diving internship.