WASHINGTON - The United States yesterday renewed concerns over the safety of American citizens and interests in Malaysia, especially in Sabah, amid a terrorism threat in Southeast Asia.

The State Department's concern was incorporated in an advisory issued Wednesday following the kidnapping last month of two Malaysians and an Indonesian in southern Philippine waters off the coast of eastern Sabah.

They were believed to have been abducted from their vessel by the southern Philippines-based Muslim Abu Sayyaf group believed linked to Jemaah Islamiah, the al-Qaeda terror network's Southeast Asian wing responsible for deadly bombings particularly in Indonesia.

"Though the incident occurred in the Philippines, it is worth noting that it took place very close to eastern Sabah," the advisory said.

Since 2000, there have been several kidnappings in eastern Sabah's coastal areas with the Abu Sayyaf responsible for some of them.

It takes only about 30 minutes by boat from the southern most island of the Philippines to the eastern most point of Sabah.

Register with embassy

The State Department advisory encouraged Americans planning to travel to Malaysia to register with the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur and consult the department's information notices and alerts.

Americans planning to travel to Sabah should contact the embassy before departure by telephone, it said.

The advisory, which supersedes a notice issued in November last year, would be effective up to November 2004.

In October 2003, six Indonesian and Filipino workers were kidnapped from a coastal resort in eastern Sabah.

"These incidents reinforce the United States' concern for the safety of travelers to this region of Malaysia, the US advisory said.

"Sabah has extensive open waters between the mainland and offshore resorts, and emergency assistance may not always be available.

"For these reasons, American citizens should exercise caution when visiting the coastal areas of eastern Sabah," it said. - AFP