Report on plan to invade Sabah fake news – Manila

KOTA KINABALU: Manila has denied a report of an alleged plan to invade Sabah by militia from the southern Philippines.

Its defence secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, said the report was “fake news”.

Jerrica Angela Manongdo, a spokesperson for the Philippine military in Sulu, meanwhile said the media report had “no basis”, Arab News reported.

Manongdo also said while local officials in Sulu had indeed held a meeting earlier this month, it revolved around strengthening the archipelago’s maritime borders and disaster response.

“Local chief executives are in charge of recruitment of fishermen or seafarer volunteers to conduct maritime patrols in collaboration with the military in Sulu to help improve border control against terrorists and any other lawless elements,” she was quoted by the Riyadhbased daily as saying.

Manongdo went on to say that they didn’t know the motive behind such reports.

The South China Morning Post recently reported that there was a secret meeting among 19 mayors of the Sulu archipelago to discuss plans to invade Sabah.

Quoting a senior regional security source, the meeting is said to have taken place on Dec 1 and conducted by “a locally elected official of Sulu province”.

It supposedly involved talks over recruiting up to 600 men in order to establish a “Royal Sulu Army”.

On Friday, Malaysia’s Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) will increase preparedness and security control in Sabah east coast to the highest level following allegations of possible intrusion by certain parties from the Philippines to the state.

Hishammuddin said based on MAF’s operations and intelligence, so far there has been no clear indication or solid evidence supporting media reports on the allegation of possible intrusion in Sabah.

Meanwhile, Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Frankie Poon has asked the state government to take serious note of invasion threats to Sabah, and put up stringent prevention measures to avoid any incidents.

Poon said the report of an alleged secret plot to attack Sabah recently was disturbing and concerning for many Sabahans, despite the fact that security officials had responded by saying the threats were false.

“I urge the state government to implement a massive video surveillance system system all over Sabah to oversee and act as security watch, to stop and to prepare for any counter measures towards any attempt to disrupt the peace of Sabah as soon as possible,” he said in a statement.

He said past incidents of kidnappings and the Tanduo intrusion were still etched in every Sabahan’s mind.

“I have always believed and said that the primary concern of a nation is security, followed by health and education,” he said.

Poon added that Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor must put his foot down and calm all Sabah residents, as well as local and foreign investors alike.

“A reassuring message from the chief minister will go a long way,” he said in adding that Hajiji should not have said that he was not aware of such a plot when asked about it in the recent state assembly meeting.

Poon also said the police should open up an investigation paper on the report by the South China Morning Post to find out the real story behind the allegation.

Local chief executives are in charge of recruitment of fishermen or seafarer volunteers to conduct maritime patrols in collaboration with the military in Sulu to help improve border control against terrorists and any other lawless elements.

— Jerrica Angela Manongdo, Philippine military spokesperson