Sabah police monitoring security following North Korean statement

Datuk Hazani Ghazali

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah police are monitoring any security developments following a statement issued by Charge d’Affaires of the North Korean Embassy in Malaysia, Kim Yu Song.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali said although there have been no incidents or disturbance at the moment, police are always on high alert to ensure security and safety of the people in Sabah.

“We are always working with other enforcement agencies in the state, including sharing information from time to time to counter any possible threats.

“The security in Sabah is at its best at the moment and we can continue our normal daily routine without any worries,” he told the media during the 214th Police Day celebration at the Sabah police headquarters in Kepayan yesterday.

Hazani made the remarks when asked about the directive issued by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador on March 23 for all police commissioners, state police chiefs and police department directors to monitor the current developments relating to the Malaysia-North Korea rift, following the statement issued by Kim.

Abdul Hamid had said that police were taking precautionary measures to avoid any untoward incidents happening in the country.

He said the police always adopt a cautious approach because many (security-related) incidents are associated with North Korea.

He said the move to increase and double surveillance and observation at sensitive locations will continue until a point and date where they feel comfortable that there are no such risks.

Abdul Hamid said he hoped the rift will be settled properly and if the North Korean government is dissatisfied, they could act according to international protocol.

The rift between Malaysia and North Korea happened when Pyongyang, on March 19, announced it had ended diplomatic relations with Malaysia, after a Malaysian court decided early this month that a North Korean businessman could be extradited to the United States to face money laundering charges there.

On the same day, Wisma Putra in a statement, said it regretted North Korea’s decision and as a response, Malaysia would close its main embassy there, after having suspended its operations in 2017.

The government also instructed all North Korean diplomatic staff and their families in Kuala Lumpur to leave the country within 48 hours on the same day.

Malaysia and North Korea forged diplomatic relations in 1973 and built further diplomatic and trade achievements until 2017, when Kim Jong-nam, the estranged brother of North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un, was assassinated in Malaysia.

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