Tan Sri Ismail Omar said the police are working with the military to hunt down 10 suspects, three who are armed, after they escaped from a police siege in Kampung Tanduo, near Lahad Datu where a Filipino Muslim clan claiming ownership of Sabah had dug in since entering the state on February 9.
"To date, the police have succeeded in capturing three intruders who tried to escape from police siege in Kampung Tanduo," he told a news conference in Lahad Datu.
The IGP said the police and the armed forces have the situation under control and are working together to end the conflict.
A statement of the IGP's briefing was made avalailable to The Malaysian Insider.
The manhunt, codenamed Ops Sulu, is being carried out in Lahad Datu, Kunak and Semporna.
Ismail said the security forces had been tipped off that a group of intruders had landed in the coastal area between Kampung Lormalang and Kampung Dasar Lama in Kunak, after the Lahad Datu incident.
He said police commandos have been sent in to conduct a ground assessment and to act against the Kunak group, which he said were hiding in a house there.
He said the third clash happened yesterday at 6.30pm in Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul in Semporna, and which was the deadliest, as the gunmen ambushed and shot dead five policemen who were conducting a sweep of the village.
Two of the intruders were gunned down in the shootout, Ismail said.
"Following this incident, the police have surrounded the area where the intruders are hiding," he said.
He also said the police would not be making public the details of the policemen who were killed out of respect for the victims' families.
He advised the residents living nearby not to panic and not to listen to rumours, urging them to contact the nearets police station or check the Sabah police website for further information.
The escalating crisis in Lahad Datu may not die down anytime soon as the self-proclaimed Sulu Royal Army is unlikely to admit defeat, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
ReplyDeleteOffering his condolences to the families of those killed in the growing conflict, Mahathir said the situation could worsen as the group of more than 150 Filipinos, supporters of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, are not likely to surrender or leave peacefully.
ReplyDelete"The situation may possibly get worse because looking at the Philippines and the people in these rebel groups, they're the type that will keep fighting even if they know they cannot win.
ReplyDelete"I'm very sad to hear of the deaths of our Malaysian armed forces and policemen because of this, they sacrificed their lives for this country," he told
ReplyDeleteRumours of an uprising among resident Southern Filipinos in Sabah have also surfaced following incidents of violence between armed men and villagers in the Lahad Datu area, with an elderly Southern Philippines man having been beaten to death after trying to take villagers hostage.
ReplyDeleteMahathir had on Sunday reportedly warned that the army may turn into guerrillas and launch sporadic attacks in the future.
ReplyDeletepasukan keselamatan akan pastikan keadaan terkawal dan keselamatan penduduk dijamin
ReplyDelete