The Philippine Navy has seized firearms and ammunition from 35 suspected followers of the Sulu sultanate, one of them a woman, intercepted in waters around Andolingan Island in Tawi-Tawi this morning.
Navy spokesperson Lt-Commander Gregory Fabic said the patrol ship BRP Mariano Alvarez and the gunboat BRP Jose Andrada intercepted two boats west of Andolingan Island around 6.30am.
Fabic said initial reports indicated that at least one of the boats was headed for Sabah.
The suspects are expected to arrive in Batobato, Tawi-Tawi for investigation.
There have been reports of Tausug people heading out to reinforce the followers of the Sulu sultanate in Sabah since hostilities with Malaysian security forces broke out early this month.
Both the Philippines and Malaysia have set up naval blockades to prevent reinforcements from joining the sultanate’s followers in Sabah.
Before this incident, Philippine authorities said they had also intercepted 70 of the sultanate’s followers who were heading to Sabah.
Also, hundreds of Filipinos from Sabah have arrived in the southern Philippines after fleeing from what many of them say is a crackdown by the Malaysian authorities.
- InterAksyon
HOW IS IT THAT THE PHILIPPINES NAVY IS DOING THE MALAYSIAN NAVY'S JOB?
ReplyDeleteThe Sulus could not have invaded Sabah if the Malaysian Navy had been put on the alert and allowed to stop the entry of Sulus since the 1970s.
The current Sabah war and loss of lives could have been prevented.
The main justification for formation of Malaysia was that the federation would protect Sabah from foreign invasion.
But because of brotherhood ties, UMNO betrayed the Sabah people's trust.
The Sabah people have been dismayed by the abuse of their trust and independence rights since 1963 when UMNO began its manoeuvres for racial domination began.