Eastern Sabah Security Zone



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. It includes the districts of Kudat, Kota Marudu, Pitas, Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau. The Eastern Sabah Safety Zone Committee (ESSCOM) is the main enforcement authority for ESSZONE.

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.

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

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.

Sea
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. 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.

A refurbished oil rig will be sea based in the ESSZONE waters. This, along with the cost of refurbishing auxiliary ships, is separately funded at a cost of RM230 million through the PETRONAS Corporate Social Responsibility program.

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.

Air
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).

Six attack helicopters, which will be either the Eurocopter Tigre or the Apache Longbow, will be acquired for ESSZONE operations. In addition, 10 sets of M134D Hybrid Gatling Guns will be purchased for their Agusta A109 helicopters.

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.