Report: Suspected Kiram follower shot dead in Sabah 'attack'

From GMANews (Mar 28): Report: Suspected Kiram follower shot dead in Sabah 'attack'

At least one more suspected follower of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III was gunned down following an encounter with security forces in Sabah Thursday morning, Malaysian police said.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib claimed the suspected Kiram follower tried to attack a member of the Malaysian security forces in the Semporna area.

But Hamza said the security personnel was "well-equipped" and was not harmed, according to a report on Malaysia's New Straits Times.

He said at least six people, including the slain suspect's wife and daughter, were arrested during the operation between 8 and 11 a.m.

The New Straits Times quoted Hamza as saying the suspected Kiram follower was shot after he "slashed" security personnel twice in Kampung Simunul.

He said the security forces were in the area to flush out Kiram followers. The area was the site of an encounter last March 2 where six Malaysian policemen were killed.

Deadly encounters on March 1 and 2 had broken a three-week standoff between Kiram's followers and Malaysian security forces.

Local economy disrupted

The ongoing Sabah conflict has taken its toll on businesses in the area, another Malaysian news site reported Thursday.

The Star Online quoted Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen as saying the clashes caused a drop in business by up to 35 percent in hotels in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau.

"[The drop] was expected. Some 800 tourists canceled their tour packages to Sabah," she said, but reassured the public Sabah is safe for travel, adding she had visited Semporna and Tawau last week.

A separate report on state-run Bernama news agency said the Menara Kayangan tower, a regular visitor attraction at the foot of Mt. Silam in Lahad Datu, was reopened to visitors last week after almost a month's closure.

But the report quoted a tourism center spokesman as saying the number of visitors declined.

"Prior to the temporary closure, the number of daily visitors was more than 100 and could even reach 500 during the weekend. For the past week, only about 20 people came," he said.

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