Marine police only listened to news of skirmish via walkie-talkie, court told

From the Borneo Post (Mar 11): Marine police only listened to news of skirmish via walkie-talkie, court told

KOTA KINABALU: The High Court here was told yesterday that a team of marine police personnel kept abreast with the development of a skirmish between the security forces and Sulu intruders as it was happening at Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu on March 1, 2013 through a walkie-talkie.

Team leader, acting ASP Abdul Aziz Husin, said they heard that a skirmish had erupted in Kampung Tanduo at about 6am on March 1, 2013, about four hours after setting out on a PA16 patrol boat to patrol the waters off Felda Sahabat 16.

“At that time, we were about two nautical miles off Kampung Tanduo,” he added. Asked by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar if he had taken any action upon hearing about the skirmish, Abdul Aziz said no action was action.

“We continued with our patrol and monitoring operation at sea and heard the developments of the skirmish via the walkie-talkie,” he said when testifying in the trial of 30 individuals linked to the intrusion at Kampung Tanduo two years ago.

The police officer also told the court that the operation he was assigned to carry out with eight other marine police personnel on board the PA16 patrol boat ended on March 10, 2013.

The following day, Abdul Aziz said he was instructed to carry out another patrol and monitoring operation with five other marine police personnel on board a PSC5 patrol boat.

To another question by Mohd Dusuki, he said he received information at 8.35am on the second day of his second assignment from the Marine Police Operations Room that the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) had detained a man about 2.5 nautical miles off Kampung Tanduo.

He said his team was then instructed to pick up the man who was being detained on board the RMN vessel.

“We went to the location of the RMN vessel at 8.40am and arrived at the location at about 9.20am.

“I, together with two personnel, went on board the RMN vessel and met with its executive officer,” he added.

Abdul Aziz said the executive officer handed over the man, a wet black backpack containing clothing, a shabby dugout boat with an oar and a boarding form.

“As far as I can remember, the boarding form stated the name of the executive officer, location of arrest, date and the name of the detained man,” he said.

Abdul Aziz identified the man as Ismail Yasin, one of the accused in the case.

He told the court that he brought Ismail with the seized backpack and the boarding form, as well as the boat with its oar, back to Felda Sahabat 16.

He said the accused with the seized bag and the boarding form were then brought to the Cenderawasih police station where he also lodged a police report on the arrest, while the boat and its oar were left at the General Operations Force post at Felda Sahabat 16.

In the dock are 27 Filipinos and three local residents who are facing one to multiple charges of being members of a terrorist group, waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, recruiting members for a terrorist group or wilfully harbouring individuals they knew to be members of a terrorist group.

They allegedly committed the offences between Feb 12 and April 10, 2013.

The hearing before Justice Stephen Chung continues today at the Sabah Prisons Department. — Bernama

http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/03/11/marine-police-only-listened-to-news-of-skirmish-via-walkie-talkie-court-told/