Remain calm, Sabahans told - Sulu revenge letter

Sabahans should remain calm as the au thorities remain vigilant over public safety.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the people should not be unduly worried over a letter pur portedly sent by Sulu militants threatening to launch an attack in Tambunan.

He said they should not believe in rumours which had been spreading after the letter was sent to Tambunan District Office recently.

“It is true that we have received the letter which carries the threat of terrorists from Sulu to invading Sabah. They say they will enter next month.

“I do not believe that it is a genuine letter from the terrorists and it is somewhat funny as no one would provide a date for them to come and cause violence. I consider it (the letter) as false,” he said after visiting several policemen being treated at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in Kubang Kerian here.

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Cops investigating letter allegedly from Sulu militants seeking revenge

Sabah state police have initiated investigations over a letter purportedly written by Sulu militants stating that they will come to Tambunan, in Sabah’s interior, for a revenge attack.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said Saturday that the police were tracing the source of the letter even though it was suspected it has nothing to do with the Sulu intrusion in Lahad Datu earlier this year.

"We have started our own investigations even though they have been no official police reports," Hamza said when contacted by telephone.

He said that police did not believe that the author of the letter had any links to the Sulu militants, and had acted of his own accord.

The authenticity of the letter is doubted, he added.

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Jeffrey tells RCI he was given list of 60,000 illegals who had ICs

A list containing the names of 60,000 illegal immigrants who were issued identity cards in Sabah was handed by an officer from the National Registration Department (NRD) to Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, the Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegals in Sabah heard today.

Jeffrey, who is the Bingkor assemblyman, told the inquiry that the list was handed to him in 1990 by an NRD officer who wanted something done about the way the identity cards were being issued to illegal immigrants.

“An NRD officer invited me into a room to talk to me personally. He told me that he was very, very sad as he was a Muslim but could not believe that such an incident was happening in Malaysia,” the president of the STAR party recalled.

“The officer handed me a stack of documents and told me that it contained the names of illegal immigrants who had been issued identity cards. These immigrants were going to be included in the electoral roll once they had registered.

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Assistant minister escapes unscathed in test drive gone wrong

A four-wheel drive vehicle carrying an assistant minister and two other passengers overturned when a test drive stunt went wrong at Travillion Mall here.

The mishap occurred at the opening of the Great Wall Tour of Borneo’s final leg to promote the China-made Great Wall vehicles.

Assistant Youth Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who was taken on a test spin around the venue after launching the event, was sitting in the front passenger seat while Green Oranges Sales and Services Sdn Bhd chief executive SM Mohd Azli SM Nasimuddin and YLH Autoworld Sdn Bhd executive director Hong Boon Pau were in the back seat.

The vehicle was doing a fast reverse spin when one of its rear wheels rose off the ground. It then rolled over and landed on its side, the front windshield and driver’s window were smashed.

Abdul Karim, Azli and Hong emerged unhurt but the driver suffered some cuts on his head and was brought to hospital.

Relating the incident, Abdul Karim said he thought the driver had been a little “overzealous” while reversing.

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Government spends RM84.9 million on Ops Daulat

The Defence Ministry spent a whopping RM84.9 million in Ops Daulat to resolve the intrusion of Sulu terrorists in Lahad Datu earlier this year, Parliament heard today.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein also told MPs that 5,610 army personnel were involved in the Ops Daulat operation.

He said this while responding to Sabak Bernam MP Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh, where the latter had asked what was being done to ensure the Lahad Datu incident does not happen again.

Ops Daulat, which was launched on March 5, eight policemen and two soldiers were killed while Malaysian security forces shot dead 68 armed intruders from the southern Philippines and arrested 173 people under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012. - July 4, 2013.

Mameng filed his IC forms in the jungle, Ahmad collected his IC at a coffeeshop

Malaysian identity cards were issued to foreign migrants who worked at a logging camp in Kinabatangan, while some others collected theirs at a coffee shop in Kota Kinabalu, the Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah heard today.

Mameng Saleng, 63, who was born in Sulawesi, Indonesia, told the five-man RCI panel he had received his identity card while working with a logging company. His supervisor had offered the workers citizenship.

"In 1983, the manager asked me whether I wanted a Malaysian IC and I agreed at once," Mameng told the RCI panel led by former Sabah and Sarawak Chief Judge Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong.

Mameng, who entered Sabah in 1981, admitted that all the documents related to the identity card were filled at the logging camp, although he still needed to go to the National Registration Department.

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Good and bad, Malaysian MPs on display today

Today, Malaysians got a glimpse of the best and worst of what their Members of Parliament can offer.

Both elected representatives who were in the limelight were from Sabah but their performance was as different as night and day.

In the best tradition of standing up to the drivel from the front bench was Kalabakan MP Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh. Usually, the BN backbenchers go easy on their ministers and deputy ministers from the ruling coalition but Abdul Ghapur threw away that convention after hearing Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar give a tepid, and frankly ridiculous explanation on why the Malaysian government was slow to react to the invasion by Sulu fighters into Sabah.

Since the intruders were from Philippines, the government had to consult Manila in the spirit of Asean, said the deputy minister.

"We needed to cooperate with them before doing anything, " he said, not expecting what was to happen next.

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Lahad Datu: Police detective nabbed after his phone was tapped

Malaysian police were intercepting the telephone calls of one of its Special Branch personnel soon after a group of people wearing camouflage uniforms were spotted at Kampung Tanduo, a remote coastal village in Lahad Datu district last February.

The High Court here heard on Tuesday that police had also intercepted the telephone conversations of other individuals between two men identified as Datu Amir Bahar and Raja Muda.

A Kuala Lumpur-based Special Branch administrative assistant told Judge Ravinthran Paramaguru that she was tasked to listen to the recordings of the intercepted calls to be translated and transcribed into Bahasa Malaysia.

Testifying as a protected witness on the second day of the trial of Detective Kpl Hassan Ali Basari, the Special Branch administrative assistant said the intercepted calls she had listened to and translated were in Suluk.


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Sabah pygmy elephants confirmed poisoned

Handout pic from the Sabah Wildlife Department on Jan 29, 2013, showing Baby Joe, the only pygmy elephant still alive from the herd of 14 found dead at the Gunung Rara Forest, near Tawau, Sabah.

The 14 pygmy elephants which were found dead at a forest reserve near Tawau, Sabah, in January were killed by severe poisoning, Sabah State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Masidi Manjun said yesterday.

Chemical analysis by Australian experts showed that the elephants' remains contained high levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, iron and chromium, Masidi was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India (PTI).

He added that the authorities were still trying to track down the culprits.

"These metals are usually found around mining, smelting or waste disposal operations. However, this does not make sense as there is no such activity in the area," Masidi said.

White powder substance found near the body of one of the dead elephants also contained the same ingredients, said Masidi in his winding-up speech at the State Assembly sitting yesterday when replying to a question from Kapayan assemblyman Dr Edwin Bosi.

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Lahad Datu: Esscom dismisses claims of clashes with 400 Sulu gunmen

Malaysia has dismissed claims by Philippines media of clashes between security forces and some 400 Sulu gunmen in the east coast Lahad Datu district.

Eastern Sabah Security Command director (Esscom) director Datuk Mohamad Mantek told The Star Tuesday that claims of clashes were "absurd."

"No such thing happened," he said, adding that an incident of such magnitude would not have gone unnoticed.

"There were no intrusions and neither were there movements of people. Nothing at all," he said.

Such claims were mischievous and meant to cause unease, he added.

Mohamad said the public should check with the nearest police station or Esscom should they come across such claims.

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Nurul Izzah entry ban lifted, say Sabah cops

Sabah police confirmed today that the state has lifted its ban on Nurul Izzah Anwar entering the east Malaysian state.

State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Hamza Taib reportedly confirmed this with Astro Awani today but did not offer further information on why the ban was retracted.

The police chief also claimed that no other individuals apart from Nurul Izzah were placed on a travel blacklist, despite information found in leaked correspondence between Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman’s office and the state’s Immigration Department.

“As far as the police have mentioned, no other individuals were banned apart from Nurul. But even then, that ban has been retracted,” DCP Hamza told the station.

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Nurul Izzah rubbishes claims of planned Sabah protest

Federal lawmaker Nurul Izzah Anwar, barred from entering Sabah on Thursday, described allegations that PKR planned to have a demonstration at KDCA “as fabricated and utterly ridiculous”.

“The allegations are meant to tarnish my character and justify the unjustifiable deportation of BN dissenters,” she said in a brief message.

“I deplore the fact that the Sabah Barisan Nasional government is repeating such fabrication without an ounce of responsible fact-finding,” she added.

The Lembah Pantai MP and PKR vice president was responding to an article in Borneo Insider quoting sources that she was planning to head a PKR demonstration at the KDA during the state-wide Kaamatan.

Her denial comes soon after Penampang MP Darell Leiking said that the accusation is a “lie and rifled with speculation”.

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11 passengers still missing, 179 survivors

Survivors of an overturned boat accident are seen on a riverbank of Rajang River in Belaga, Sarawak State on Borneo Island, 28 May 2013. An overcrowded river ferry capsized 28 May in eastern Malaysia, leaving an unknown number of people feared missing. Some passengers swam to safety but more might be trapped inside the boat.



Survivors' accounts say 11 passengers are still missing in the express boat accident in the Rajang River near Belaga yesterday while 179 others managed to swim to shore as at this morning, said Sarawak Police of Commisioner Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.

He said the search and rescue (SAR) operation involving 100 personnel from the police, fire services, health department, welfare department and Kapit Resident's Office, 11 rescue boats and 18 divers were still continuing at the accident spot, at the Jeram Tukok/Jeram Bungan, about four hours journey upriver from Sibu.

"We have yet to confirm if those still missing are trapped in the sunken express boat or have been swept away by the swift river currents upriver," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Sarawak state legislative assembly sitting here.

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Overloading continues despite boat tragedy

Despite the tragedy a day earlier, express boat operators in Kapit continue to overload their boats with people and goods on Wednesday as folks find their way back to the hometowns for the weekend Gawai celebrations.


The boats are still being overloaded with people and goods a day after one capzised along Balui river leaving 14 people still missing.

And the rush home for the weekend Gawai celebrations has added pressure on the situation.

The scene at the jetty here on Wednesday was a serious cause for concern.

There were parents carrying babies and passengers bringing at least two bags on board the boat. Even a heavy generator set was seen among the belongings. Officials from the Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) were helpless to control the situation.

The ticket price had also doubled due to the demand. Most of the passengers were aware of Tuesday's tragedy but said they had no choice but to take the river boat.

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Search and rescue ops for Belaga boat survivors resumes tomorrow

This picture of a large crowd boarding the ill-fated boat was taken an hour before the boat left Tanjong Giam Bungan.Villagers getting ready to locate the 23 missing passengers of the capsized boat.The capsized boat submerged in the river

The search and rescue (SAR) operation for survivors of the ill fated express boat that sank this morning in the Rajang River near Belaga, will resume at first daylight tomorrow, said Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.
As of 9.30pm tonight police confirmed there were 181 survivors while another 23 passengers were believed to be still missing in the accident after the overloaded vessel crashed into a rock and sank at the Jeram Tukok/Jeram Bungan, about four hours journey upriver from Sibu.

"The SAR operation, involving police personnel and other relevant agencies, was halted at 6pm due to darkness," he told Bernama here.

Based on initial findings, he said, police believed the express boat was overloaded with more than 200 passengers, who were returning for the Gawai Dayak festivities.

The identities of those still missing were sketchy because there were no official figures of passengers on board as the express boat operator was believed to have not kept a manifest, he said.

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Local woman among eight charged with terrorism Lahad Dadu Jamalul Kiram's nephew, woman among those charged over Sulu gunmen intrusion

Two locals and eight Filipinos were charged with various terrorist offences in a closed High Court proceeding at the Tawau prison today.

Among them was a local woman who faces a possible life imprisonment upon conviction of harbouring a group of terrorists.

Norhaida Ibnahi, 46, was charged under Section 130K of the Penal Code with harbouring a group of terrorists between February 9 and March 22 at an unnumbered house in Kampung Sri Melor, Bugaya, Semporna.

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LAHAD DATU: Defence ministry identified three opposition leaders as culprits

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said two of three suspects were leaders from the opposition parties based in the Peninsula while the other is in Sabah



The Defence Ministry has identified three opposition leaders as culprits behind the armed intrusion by Sulu terrorist in Lahad Datu, Sabah.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said two of three suspects were leaders from the opposition parties based in the Peninsula while the other is in Sabah.

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Sulu militants said to have set up guerilla base in Sabah

Handout file photo of Malaysian troops on patrol to flush out the militants in Sabah.

The followers of the sultanate of Sulu have set up a guerilla base in the hinterlands of Sabah after eluding Malaysian authorities for several weeks.

The Philippine Star reported, citing sultanate spokesman Abraham Idjirani, that the Malaysian military and police knew about the base but could not pinpoint the exact location because the jungle in the area is vast.

It reported Idjirani as saying yesterday that the new stronghold was in a strategic location with enough sources of food and water, and with adequate shelter for nearly 500 men.

The base was reported to Idjirani during a conversation the other day with Agbimuddin Kiram, the sultanate-appointed rebel leader now hiding in Sabah.

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Sabah is safe, no threats- Armed Forces chief

Armed Forces Chief Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zain assured Malaysians and the international community that Sabah and the state's east coast was free of terrorist threat.

He said he and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar would like the public to know that the areas are safe and everything will be done to ensure the situation continues to remain safe.

"I would like everyone to know that Sabah and Sabah's east coast are safe and we've eradicated any threat," he told reporters after briefing Chinese community leaders on the safety situation, here, today.


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Tian Chua says ‘ridiculous’ to be barred from Sabah for own safety

PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang said today that being barred from entering Sabah for his own safety was akin to being detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for his own protection.Dr Moktar Ajam, secretary of the Sabah State Affairs and Research Office in the Chief Minister’s Department, as saying today that Chua (picture), better known as Tian Chua, was barred from entering the Borneo state for his own safety.

“It’s ridiculous, like putting people under ISA for their safety,” said Chua at a press conference at the PKR headquarters here.