Sabah cops hot on the heels of woman behind secession move

A Sabahan wheelchair-bound woman, who goes by the name Doris Jones, has been identified as being behind the secession move here.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman in disclosing this said that although they were not able to extradite her yet, the police here were confident of getting Jones for a sedition investigation.

“We have tried our best to interview and contact her, but we couldn’t get her.

“But leave it to us, we have our procedure,” he told reporters after attending the Sabah police monthly gathering at its headquarters in Kepayan, adding that they hope to get her to facilitate investigations for the Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) Facebook group.

On Sept 2, a police report was lodged by the Solidariti Masyarakat Sabah against SSKM, claiming it was planting “seeds of hatred towards Malaysia, Malays and Islam” and promoting secession through its videos and social media.

To date, some 12 reports regarding the SSKM group have been recorded, some reporting against, some in support of it, and others denying allegations.

“We will make arrests if there is any prima facie.

“We have no choice,” said Jalaluddin who declined to reveal how many people they have interviewed and were investigating.

A special task force was set up to investigate the group’s movements.

According to the Malay Mail Online, Jones said she had not received any contact from the police here, and that she would not hide from them.

She said there was no reason for her to be avoiding the authorities here, adding that: “It is their right to do so and I am waiting for them here in the UK, if they dare.”

Jones, a United Kingdom-based lawyer, is believed to be suffering from paroxysmal dystonia and is wheelchair-bound.

Jones’ controversial postings over secession and campaigns via social media pages and YouTube had claimed supporters and haters alike, and the followers for the SSKM page now had shot over 5,300 in the last 10 days, from just about 900.

The SSKM ‘closed group’ had over 16,000 members, including a state minister, former chief minister and journalists.

Following the report, Jones as a spokesperson for the group said they were ready to defend themselves in court and stressed that they were not using any form of violence and aimed to achieve its goals through legal means.