Police in Sabah have launched a massive hunt for followers of the late Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, over allegations they are planning to cause trouble in the area, a Malaysian news site reported Thursday.
Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) personnel and a special police task force are involved in the hunt, Malaysia's The Star Online reported.
“They are mainly in the east-coast areas, such as Semporna and Lahad Datu,” said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman.
But he declined to give further details of the operation or say how many of the militants are believed to be there.
Last year, Kiram's followers engaged Sabah and Malaysian authorities in a standoff and deadly encounters, prompting Malaysian authorities to launch an offensive against them.
While Kiram died late last year, he ordered his followers to continue their efforts to reclaim Sabah.
The Star Online report said police presently believe Kiram's followers are planning to cause trouble in Sabah and raise funds through crimes like robberies and kidnappings.
Recent incidents
Last Oct. 30, two suspected Kiram followers were killed in a shootout with police at the Penampang Baru township. Both were described as Filipinos aged 42 and 50.
“Both were illegal immigrants,” Jalaluddin said, adding that one man had a false Malaysian identity card while the other had a Philippine passport.
He added they are not discounting the possibility the Kiram followers have links to a kidnap gang led by the Muktadir brothers.
The Muktadir brothers – Badong, Ali "Brown," and Nikson – are believed to be behind kidnappings in the state over the past few years.
The report cited speculation that the Kiram followers may have recruited former Moro National Liberation Front members.
Meanwhile, a sea curfew enforced in six districts on the east coast of Sabah in July, has been extended to Nov 22.
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