KOTA KINABALU – Sabah police commissioner Datuk Idris Abdullah today denied news reports that 19 mayors from the southern Philippines are involved in a plot to invade the state.
“Not true. Even so, we (Sabah police) will beef up security,” he said briefly in a WhatsApp message to Bernama today.
Earlier, there was a media report of a meeting believed to have been held in southern Philippines to hatch plans to send an armed militia to invade Sabah.
The newspaper, quoting the South China Morning Post, said a secret meeting involving 19 mayors was held to discuss plans to recruit 600 men to launch the attack on Sabah and send spies.
According to the report, it is understood that the meeting was arranged by a senior local government official in southern Philippines.
Meanwhile, in Lahad Datu, Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) had received intelligence reports since the beginning of the month about rumours of the secret plot.
ESSCom commander Datuk Ahmad Fuad Othman said his team was trying to get additional information on the “invasion” and get confirmation of the rumours from security forces in the Philippines.
“These types of rumours crop up each time an election in the Philippines approaches. It is feared that these rumours will be used as propaganda for the election there to win votes,” he said.
However, he also said, ESSCom has never taken any threat lightly.
“In fact, we give serious consideration to every piece of information or hearsay, and these will all be investigated.” – Bernama, December 9, 2021
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