BIMP-EAGA Thanks Malaysia's Sabah State Govt For Reopening Sea Trading Route

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), Jan 18 (Bernama) -- The Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Business Council has thanked the Sabah Government for its move to reopen the sea trading route on Feb 1, after the state government imposed a ban on the route last April. BIMP-EAGA chairman Roselan Johar Mohamed said he was happy that the Sabah chief minister (Musa Aman) would declare open the trade route on Feb 1. "This means that some serious negotiations which had earlier taken place are now over, and it is safe to trade with our good neighbors, namely the Philippines and Indonesia. "Over time, our trading practices will be enhanced and our modus operandi will be improvised to the next higher level," he said in a statement here Wednesday. Roselan Johar also encouraged existing members to check and observe the new requirements as the state government has come up with new rules and regulations pertaining to the trade. "All these are designed to make the trade more appropriate and safe for all concerned," he said. At Tuesday's Sabah Security Working Committee meeting which was chaired by Musa, it was decided to reopen the Eastern Sabah Security Zone for commercial activities, effective Feb 1. Last April, the ban was imposed on the trading route as a precaution following a series of kidnapping incidents in the waters off Sabah's east coast. -- BERNAMA