Kota Kinabalu, Labuan coastal residents complying with MCO

Sabah Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency director Mohd Rosli Abdullah (left) and state air wing unit commander Ahmad Lokman Abdul during the inspection of coastal areas.

KOTA KINABALU: Air surveillance shows coastal residents in the state capital and Labuan are fully complying with the movement control order (MCO).

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) carried out surveillance with the Sabah police air wing unit today, scouring the waters and islands off the city and the shores of Labuan.

Sabah MMEA director Mohd Rosli Abdullah and state police air wing commander Ahmad Lokman Abdul took part in the surveillance, which lasted an hour and a half.

An aerial view of Kota Kinabalu city.

Rosli said he saw no major fishing activity except for small-time fishermen who were out at sea to catch fish for their daily consumption.

“Only traditional fishermen were spotted. Tourism spots at the islands off Kota Kinabalu also seem quiet and empty, without any leisure activities going on.

“And in Labuan, only vessels allowed to fish to ensure the local supplies are sufficient were seen,” he said here today.

Rosli said ferries, which normally frequent the waters to send passengers from Labuan to Menumbok, had also ceased operating.

An aerial view of Pulau Gaya, a densely-populated island off Kota Kinabalu.

“As it is now, the maritime community is following the MCO by reducing activities at sea,” he said.

The MMEA also inspected the Sabah fish marketing area, essentially the city’s general fish market, and found fishermen have no issues. - FMT