Plantation worker tells police he met several men who claimed they were part of a group of 37 people who had landed on the beach.
LAHAD DATU: A plantation worker lodged a police report after stumbling upon five armed men wearing camouflage pants at Block 8, Felda Sahabat 2 Oil Palm Plantation in Cenderawasih here yesterday.
Sabah Police Commissioner Ramli Din confirmed they received a police report lodged by the 52-year-old man and investigations were under way.
“”I will not underestimate the allegation and detailed investigations will be conducted. Security in the east coast of Sabah is still under control,” he said when contacted by Bernama.
It was understood that the complainant came across these five men around 6.20pm while working on the banana crops at the riverbank area at the plantation.
The gunmen who noticed the complainant asked if he was an Indonesian or a Filipino.
Upon hearing that the complainant was a Filipino, the men began to speak in Tagalog and one of them said that they had no other intention except to save people in Sabah and said 37 people have already landed on the beach.
Star Online said the report had sparked fears of a possible revival of the armed incursion by Filipino militants in early 2013.
The report said the labourer was told that the group had come to save the people in Sabah and not to bring about problems. It is believed that they were armed with M16 rifles.
The labourer said he was not harmed and was told to leave the place, the report added.
On Feb 9, 2013, a group of Filipino militants, following Agbimuddin Kiram, who claimed himself as “crown prince of the Sulu Sultanate”, entered by boat in stages at Felda Sahabat 17, Kampong Tanduo, Lahad Datu.
The area turned into a battlefield between the country’s security forces and the Sulu invaders who claimed they wanted to regain power over Sabah on behalf of the Sulu royalty.
The incident resulted in the death of 63 militants and 10 Malaysian security forces. – source by FMT
