Esscom denies gunfire exchanges in east coast Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: The Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) has refuted claims that Malaysian security forces were involved in gunfire exchanges with Filipino gunmen in Sabah's east coast.

Its commander Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun said the rumours were not true, stressing the people to remain calm.

"The situation in Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (Esszone) is under control, especially in Sandakan and Semporna," he said.

The rumours were circulated through social network sites including Facebook, causing panic among the netizens.

The rumours claimed a group of gunmen from the southern Philippines had landed at Kampung Luboh, Batu 12 Sungai Manila in Sandakan‎ on Dec 25.

A recent rumour mentioned about shooting incidents in Semporna, which is said to have been occurred last night.

Rashid said action would be taken against those spreading such rumours and advised the public to contact nearest police station to verify claim.