Visit By USS America (LHA-6) Shows Good Malaysia-US Relations

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The visit by USS America (LHA-6), an amphibious assault ship of the United States navy to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) base in Teluk Sepanggar, here, since Monday, shows good relations between the two countries via the long-standing defence cooperation. RMN Eastern Fleet commander, Vice-Admiral Syed Zahiruddin Putra Syed Osman said onboard the USS America ship was a crew of 2,500. “We can see the US navy personnel are excited to see and enjoy the various cultures of the people in Sabah, and there are also their family members from the United States who flew to Sabah to join them for a vacation in the state,” he said in a statement, here, Thursday. Syed Zahiruddin said the ship’s visit was indirectly contributing to Sabah’s tourism and economy, as well as introducing the state as a tourist destination. “About 20 buses and 20 vans from Kota Kinabalu have been provided for the convenience of the USS America crew to visit some interesting places in Sabah,” he said. He added that several activities were also being held during the stop-over, such as visit to the US ship by RMN personnel, friendly sports and welfare activities with the local community. Sabah is one of the two East Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. -- BERNAMA