Rumours of revenge attack sweep Lahad Datu

It was the stage just five months ago for open warfare on Malaysian soil that shocked a nation which had not seen bloodshed on this scale for decades, with 65 killed.

Lahad Datu went overnight from a sleepy, simple home to fisher-folk to become the target of jets, tanks, armed cops and soldiers who strafed villages occupied by armed foreign forces who claimed this territory for their own self-proclaimed sultan, who was safely ensconced in The Phillippines.

After the terror of being caught in the crossfire then, today the villagers feel not relief, but a new fear.

A visit by The Malaysian Insider yesterday to Lahad Datu found the headman of the villagers there nervous from the fear of a revenge attack that he and others here believe is imminent.

He reports rumours that the attack force leader, Agbimuddin Kiram, survived and is plotting a guerilla war that will put his villagers in the crossfire again.

Village headman Mahmud Mallang said: "The villagers have been coming to me with their fears and worries because they have heard rumours that Agbimuddin is planning to launch a revenge attack.

"There are about 1,200 villagers in two villages and they are a simple people, fishing and farming for a living. They have been through enough the first time round in March.”

He was referring to the armed incursion by Sulu gunmen who took over Kampung Tanduo here. Malaysian armed forces wiped them out and have since camped out there.

But Mahmud feels there is not enough of a force to tackle any revenge attack. His villagers believe many of the invaders hid their weapons when they realised they could not win a stand-up battle against Malaysian forces and have since blended into the populace to lie low.

The villagers believe that any day now these sleeper cells will attack.

The police may share their concern.

In March, senior police officers too expressed concern that the armed Sulu terrorists may have buried their weapons in the swamps and blended in with the villagers.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police officer said the Sulu terrorists knew that the odds were against them and may have decided to lie low until the situation calmed down.

"There is a strong possibility that they might resort to guerilla warfare instead, due to the superior odds that they were up against.

"The Lahad Datu incursion was an indication that going head to head with Malaysian authorities was bound to end in failure as they were outnumbered and outgunned.

"Hence, authorities fear that once the situation had calmed down and the majority of the soldiers returned to their barracks, the remaining Sulu terrorists may carry out guerilla attacks."

The Malaysian Insider visited the remains of Kampung Tanduo and discovered that the soldiers had been deployed there to prevent the Sulu terrorists from making their base there again.

The soldiers were tightlipped when asked about their deployment, merely stating that they were stationed there indefinitely and the original villagers were barred from returning.

Mahmud said there was a small force of soldiers deployed on the shores of the beach in Tanjung Batu but expressed his concern that they might not be able to repel invaders.

"We want the government to deploy more soldiers in the area and beef up security. At present, only the soldiers maintain the peace in the area as police do not patrol here."

It is understood that the government is currently negotiating with Felda to resettle the Kampung Tanduo villagers to a different location.

The Lahad Datu incursion began in February this year when more than 200 armed gunmen arrived by boats from Simunul Island, Tawi Tawi, in the southern Philippines.

The group claimed to be the Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and Northern Borneo and were led by Agbimuddin, the brother of Jamalul Kiram III, the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu.

Agbimuddin stated that their aim was to assert the unresolved territorial claim of The Philippines to eastern Sabah.

Skirmishes began on March 1 between Malaysian security forces and the armed terrorists, which saw nine Malaysians and 56 intruders killed. There were six civilian casualties.

Authorities said Agbimuddin was reported to have fled back to The Philippines although this has been denied by Jamalul and his followers.

So far, 29 men and a woman have been charged with various offences related to the intrusion including waging war against the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, being a member of the invading group, sheltering the invaders or recruiting individuals to become members of a terrorist group.

Authorities also detained more than 100 people under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012. Those who were not charged in court were later deported back to The Philippines to face charges there.

Village headman Mahmud said when the incursion was over, the villagers were the ones who were left picking up the pieces of their life in the shattered and charred ruins of their homes.

He said: "We do not want to go through that again, have our simple and tranquil lives disrupted once again."

by LEE SHI-IAN