Security forces caught them in a boat, about 12 nautical miles off Tambisan, Lahad Datu, Sabah police chief, Datuk Hamza Taib told a press conference.
All 32 have been detained under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), according to Hamza who added that the “kumpit” had been towed to Sandakan.
Meanwhile, the forensics team have discovered another 15 bodies at Tanduo and would be removed soon.
Tanduo was where a group of some 300 Sulu militants had landed before Feb 12 this year, after which a three-week stand-off took place as negotiations were held to get them to leave peacefully.
However, a shootout took place whereby two policemen were killed and following this, an all-out assault on the village by Malaysian security force took place.
The MNLF, militant group has claimed that its fighters who escaped the Malaysian security forces offensive against them had regrouped.
Borneo Insider had also reported that a thousand gunmen from the southern Philippines provinces of Tawi Tawi and Sulu were trying to slip into Sabah in small batches.
In KUALA LUMPUR, a senior lawyer Datuk N. Sivananthan has been appointed by the Philippine government to represent 15 of its nationals who are facing charges at the Tawau High Court for allegedly waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and involvement in terrorism.
Sivananthan, when contacted confirmed the appointment and said Kota Kinabalu-based lawyer James Tsai will be making an application at the High Court for him to be admitted on an ad-hoc basis to represent all the accused.
The case has been set for mention on April 12.
Sivananthan, 47, and James Tsai also will represent other Filipinos who are still being detained by police during the Ops Daulat.
Sivananthan was the first Malaysian to be admitted to the list of counsels at the International Criminal Court based at the Hague and he is the vice-president of the International Criminal Bar since 2010 and was re-elected for another two-years recently.
So far, 16 people have been charged in connection with the incursion with the first of eight Filipinos charged on March 20, followed by seven more on April 1.
A police corporal was also charged in the same court on April 1 with intentionally refraining from disclosing information on terrorist acts, under Section 130M of the Penal Code which carries a maximum seven years’ jail or a fine or both upon conviction.
According to official figures released by police up to yesterday, a total of 135 were arrested so far under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) and 70 other intruders were killed in shoot-outs with security forces.
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