“There’s no reason why we can’t expand what we’ve done in the Straits of Malacca to the Sulu Sea.”
Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.

“In my personal experience with the MH370 plane tragedy, the 10 Asean nations were the first to come to our aid.

“In matters of mutual security, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia have been cooperating in the Straits of Malacca.

“That’s why we intend to expand to the Sulu Sea,” Hishammuddin told reporters at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) Conference and Exhibition here today.

His comments follow the recent spate of hijackings and kidnappings in the waters between Sabah and southern Philippines.

Hishammuddin visited the DSA at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) where he also witnessed the signing of defence contracts worth some US$750 million, according to a report by Channel News Asia.

The defence ministry hopes to send six MDG530G helicopters to the Sulu Sea, fully equipped with a dedicated weapons system.

It has also signed agreements for a Coastal Surveillance System for Sabah’s eastern coastline and a Harbour Surveillance Underwater Detection System for the Royal Malaysian Navy Base in Kota Kinabalu.