CM: Security on Sabah’s East Coast at the Highest Level

3 June 2025

KOTA KINABALU: The level of security along the east coast of Sabah remains at its highest, with no untoward incidents reported in recent years.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor stated this during a courtesy visit by Malaysia’s Ambassador to France, Datuk Eldeen Husaini Mohd Hashim, at his office in Menara Kinabalu on Tuesday.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister also expressed his pleasure upon hearing that Sabah continues to be a key destination for French travellers, ranking third in European tourist arrivals to the state after the United Kingdom and Germany.

French tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year recorded a 26.8 per cent increase to 2,116 visitors, compared to 1,669 during the same period last year, with the number continuing to rise.

Hajiji expressed confidence that ongoing promotion, undertaken more proactively and aggressively, will certainly contribute to further growth in French tourist arrivals to Sabah.

Datuk Eldeen Husaini, who hails from Kuala Lumpur, was appointed as Malaysia’s Ambassador to France in April 2024. He has previously held various senior positions, including serving as Malaysia’s Ambassador to Cambodia.

Hajiji and Eldeen discussed various opportunities for strategic cooperation between Sabah and France, including in the tourism sector, which would bring mutual benefits to the people of Sabah.

Also present were the Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, who is also the Chairman of the Sabah Tourism Board (STB); STB Chief Executive Officer, Julinus Jeffery Jimit; Director of International Promotion (Americas, Europe, Oceania) at Tourism Malaysia, Akbal Setia; and Director of Tourism Malaysia Paris, Zalina Ahmad.