KOTA KINABALU – Reports of an alleged secret plot to invade Sabah organised by a senior government official with the involvement of 19 mayors from the Sulu Archipelago have so far not been confirmed.
However, Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) commander Datuk Ahmad Fuad Othman said he will look into the matter to verify it.
He said ESSCom has obtained intelligence reports on a meeting held in the southern Philippines but added they needed to be verified further with their Philippines counterpart.
“Still, we will increase border control and patrols. But we wish to assure the public that there are no irregular movements off the waters of Sabah detected to date,” he said.
Fuad noted that talk of invasion by the so-called Sulu forces had been going on for years.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor during his winding-up speech at the state assembly today was also queried about a report carried by the South China Morning Post, to which Hajiji said that he has yet to receive any information on the matter.
The report, quoting a senior regional security force source, claimed the meeting was held on December 1 by a locally elected official of the Sulu province with the aim to recruit 600 men to invade Sabah.
“The (possibility) of the plan to attack Sabah coming to fruition depends on how much political support and funds it can get from various parties,” a source said.
“Many stakeholders in the Philippines and abroad are willing to exploit this issue for their respective political and strategic interests.”
The source said February 2022 was seen as the best time to invade, a time likely to have been chosen to “commemorate” an invasion of Sabah eight years ago by fighters from Sulu.
“The failure of the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate to obtain the consent of the Malaysian government to settle the proprietary rights over Sabah prompted the implementation of this plan,” said the source.
Eleven of the 19 mayors who attended the secret meeting agreed to the plan, while the rest sat on the fence, neither agreeing nor rejecting it. – The Vibes, December 9, 2021
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