About 80 per cent of houses in Tanjung Labian zone which were damaged during the terrorist intrusion in Lahad Datu last February have been repaired, Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) director-general Mohammad Mentek said today.

He said the repair works were carried out by agencies under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.

"On houses which were destroyed in the incident, there are 77 of them and I am made to understand that new houses will be built in stages with the cooperation of the National Security Council," he told reporters after a meeting with the village heads and community leaders in Tanjung Labian zone.

The villages are Kampung Lok Buani, Kampung Tanjung Labian, Kampung  Sungai Merah, Kampung Tanagian, Kampung Tegupi, Kampung Sungai Bilis and Kampung Tanjung Batu, with a population of about 5,000 people.

The meeting was also attended by ESSCOM Intelligence directors Ahmad Nadzer Nordin and Mohd Noor Osman and its director of security and public order division Abdul Rashid Harun.

Commenting on the meeting, held to obtain feedbacks on security condition there, Mohammad said the situation there was safe and residents were now back with their normal lives.

"The people are doing their normal activities and they have high confidence in the level of security there," he added.

He said ESSCOM planned to organise various activities which would involve the participation of local residents.

- Bernama