KL to ask U.S. to retract warnings

KL to ask U.S. to retract warnings

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia will ask the United States to retract a warning to Americans against visiting resort islands off the eastern state of Sabah, Tourism Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fazdir said on Monday.

Abdul Kadir said he would soon contact U.S. ambassador Lynn Pascoe to explain that the islands are safe.

"I'll also invite him to visit Sabah to see for himself the situation here, with all expenses paid by the Malaysian government," he told reporters in the Sabah state capital Kota Kinabalu.

"Actually, Sabah is a safe destination for tourists," Bernama news agency quoted the minister as saying. Abu Sayyaf kidnappers from the southern Philippines grabbed foreign and Malaysian hostages last year in raids on Sipadan and Pandanan islands.

Last week the U.S. State Department warned its citizens to take "extreme caution" when visiting the islands and nearby areas on the mainland. It said the Abu Sayyaf "remains a security threat" to parts of Sabah.