Defence Minister Najib Abdul Razak today refuted a foreign press report which alleged that small detachments of the Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants have been stationed at the southeastern Sabah islands of Sipadan and Pandanan.

"There is no truth to it. The islands of Sabah are secure. We have placed a lot of security personnel on these islands and are patrolling the surrounding waters and airspace as well.

"We can safely say the situation is under control," said the minister after officiating a conference in Kuala Lumpur entitled 'Meeting the Technology Challenges of the New Economy'.

Najib added that there is still a need to be "vigilant all the time, but there is no cause for alarm".

Operating from southern Philippines, the Abu Sayyaf extremists abducted nine Malaysians and 12 foreigners from the Sipadan island in April last year, and three Malaysians from the Pandanan island five months later. The group still holds a Filipino dive master hostage.

Extreme caution

Foreign news agency AFP reported today that the US State Department had warned its citizens to take 'extreme caution' in the area ([#1] US worried about Philippine rebels in Malaysia [/#], April 10).

The department's [#2] website [/#] yesterday posted a public announcement on Malaysia under 'Travel Warnings', cautioning its citizens of the persistence of threats from the group although the Malaysian government has increased police and military presence there since last September.

US embassy spokesperson James Warren told malaysiakini that the advisory was the second on the matter, with the first published six months ago around the time of the second hostage crisis.

"The present advisory tells our citizens that although they are able to go to those areas, they should exercise extreme caution," said Warren, adding that although the danger level had subsided, the terrorist group is still active in the area.