Coastal eastern Sabah (part of Malaysian Borneo) was declared a Special Security Area in March after a series of gun battles took place between security forces and an armed group that invaded from the southern Philippines. At least 20 people were killed in the exchange.
The armed group supports Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, who heads a sultanate in the Philippines and also claims a historical right to rule a region in Sabah. Local security forces and police were backed by troops sent in by the Malaysian government, with more to be sent.
The US Department of State and the UK Foreign Office both have warned travelers to avoid the area around eastern Sabah’s coast, from Kudat at the northern tip down to the border with Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). The towns of Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau are included as well as dive sites at Sipadan and Mabul and the tropical rainforest of Danum Valley. (Most visitors to Malaysian Borneo stay on the west coast around the main airport in Kota Kinabalu.)