The delegation with ESSCom officials.
Masrani presenting a souvenir to Major General Lechmere Roberts.
LAHAD DATU: Twenty students from the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), United Kingdom visited the headquarters of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) here yesterday.
The delegation, led by Major General Sir Sebastian John Lechmere Roberts (senior army representative) comprised 19 senior military officers from various countries including Sudan, Lebanon, Italy, Estonia, Egypt, Ghana, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Kenya and the United Kingdom.
On arrival, they were warmly received by director of ESSCom defence division, Major General Datuk Masrani Paiman and other senior officials of ESSCom.
The visit was to provide students with more information about ESSCom, especially on the concept and implementation of the integrated operation by various agencies and its procedures to address challenges and issues.
Masrani gave a briefing on the roles and functions of ESSCom, including the challenges faced in curbing transnational crime, particularly on kidnapping cases in Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (ESSZone).
Major General Lechmere Roberts, in his speech, said the delegation was satisfied with the briefing and was impressed by the commitment of Malaysia to address transnational crime, especially in ESSZone.
ESSCom, established on April 1, 2013 following the intrusion at Kampung Tanduo by Sulu terrorists, is responsible for coordinating the
operations by various security and defence agencies including the police, Armed Forces and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in protecting the security and sovereignty of people in ESSZone.
ESSZone comprises 10 districts on Sabah eastern seaboard, covering 1,733.7 kilometres from Kudat to Tawau and the districts include Kudat, Kota Marudu, Pitas, Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau.
The delegation later visited the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) complex in Lahad Datu.