DAP queries if some in the armed group have Mykad
Published on: Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah DAP urged the authorities to ascertain whether it is true that some among the Filipino militants holed up in Kg Tanduo, in Lahad Datu, are actually MyKad holders.Its Sabah chief-cum-Member of Parliament, Hiew King Cheu, said if true, then some of them are actually Malaysians regardless of how they obtained the document.He also said many people are still puzzled how the group estimated at between 200 and 400 managed to get through the layers of Malaysian defence, namely the marine patrols, the MMEA and the army.
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"According to people in Lahad Datu, the usual passenger number on these speedboats smuggling people is not more than 30."If even 150 militants landed, that means at least 5 speedboats had to do the dropping off. How come our Forces did not detect them?" he asked, adding this suggested that they are already in Sabah and that probably hundreds of thousands of them now have Mykad.The group is said to have landed on Feb. 9 and have demanded that Malaysia recognise them as the Royal Sulu Sultanante army and for Malaysia to promise not to deport the Suluk illegals "because Sabah still belongs to the Sulu sultanate." He said the impression to the outside world is one of our Forces being bullied by a small bunch of militants from a defunct sultanate.He said this is despite the Government having spent billions of Ringgit to equip the army, navy, air force and police with weapons, armoured vehicles, helicopters, fighter planes, warships and submarines.
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"The negotiations have going on for too long and are becoming very fishy as it is now more than two weeks," he said. "This is a lame approach by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to protect our national dignity and sovereignty. It just shows BN's complete weakness in handling a serious emergency situation.
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"Their action should have been swift and decisive to demonstrate our security forces strength and power." He said the security forces should have forced the intruders to surrender and put them behind bars under the country's law for entering Malaysia with deadly weapons. "Under the law those having 'unlawful possession of firearms' in contravention of the Arms Act 1960 is punishable by death penalty, imprisonment for life or 10-14 years imprisonment with whipping with not less than six strokes of the rotan depending on the case," he said. He said the patience of villagers are running thin as they were barred from entering their own village and back to their homes, while details of the so-called "negotiations" are withheld from public knowledge. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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