Sabah has long been subject of a claim war between Malaysia and the Philippines. At one point, the Philippines had even staked their claim to the state by approving a bill to include it as part of their map on passports.
In the latest plot to claim the state between the two nations, it was reported that a secret plan for the Sulu militia to invade Sabah was believed to have been hatched in the southern Philippines.
It was alleged that a secret meeting of 19 mayors in the south of the Philippines was held to discuss recruiting 600 men to invade the state and send spies to scope out coastal towns.
Following the news of the alleged secret plan, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Idris Abdullah has denied the news reports about the plot to invade the state.
“Not true. Even so, we (Sabah police) will beef up security.”
Meanwhile, in Lahad Datu, Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) had apparently received intelligence reports since the beginning of the month about rumours of the secret plot.
ESSCom Commander Datuk Ahmad Fuad said his team is trying to get additional information on the “invasion” as well as to get confirmation of the rumours from security forces in the Philippines.
“These types of rumours crop up each time an election in the country (Philippines) approaches. It is feared that these rumours will be used as propaganda for the election there to win votes.”
However, he also said that ESSCom has never taken any threat lightly.
“In fact, we give serious consideration to every information or hearsay, and these will all be investigated.”
“This reflects the real commitment of the security forces in ensuring that Sabah’s sovereignty is not compromised by the malicious intentions of outsiders who want to cause chaos and tension in the state,“ he added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz has also told Parliament that the news of the secret plot cannot be verified yet.
“But I believe that for the government, any information and news, especially what was raised by Padang Serai, will be taken seriously.”
The secret plot to invade Sabah
According to a report, a senior regional security source said that the meeting was held on Dec 1 by a locally-elected official of Sulu province who gathered mayors of the Sulu Archipelago to discuss plans to set up a “Royal Sulu Army” to invade Sabah.
“The potential of the plan coming to fruition depends on how much political support and funds it can get from various parties.”
“Many stakeholders in the Philippines and abroad are willing to exploit this issue for their respective political and strategic interests,” the source said.
It was reported that out of the 19 mayors who attended the secret meeting, 11 agreed to the plan while the rest were neither agreeing to nor rejecting it.
The source further added that February 2022 was seen as the best time to invade to “commemorate” the Lahad Datu incursion in 2013.
They further claimed that the high ranking officials would provide men, and bear the cost of ammunition and logistics.
However, the source added that “no one” had infiltrated Sabah yet but warned that the Sulu plotters had sleeper cells there.
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