No surrender yet

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Ops Daulat continues as police detain 50 under Security Offence Act

Tan Sri Ismail Omar

Tan Sri Ismail Omar

LAHAD DATU: Remnant of the Sulu militant intruders in Sabah have yet to indicate they want to surrender, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said yesterday.

The militants, from the southern Philippines, were holed up in Kampung Tanduo and Kampung Tanjung Batu near here, he told a 11.15 am news conference, also attended by Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, at Felda Sahabat 16, about 130km from here.

Later speaking at another joint press conference with the here, Zulkifeli said that as of 5pm, the armed forces were still waiting for word from the Foreign Ministry on the development that the intruders would surrender without conditions.

“We have contacted Wisma Putra and there has been no news since this morning…no indication (on the surrender) from the relevant party.

“As such, the Ops Daulat will continue,” he said adding that there had been no exchange of fire between the security forces and the enemies yesterday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who visited the Ops Daulat base at Felda Sahabat Thursday, said Malaysia rejected any offer of a cease-fire and the only option for the intruders was to lay down their weapons and surrender unconditionally.

At the same press conference, Ismail disclosed that more than 50 individuals suspected of having links to the militant intruders in Lahad Datu have been detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act.

He said the suspects, including women, were being detained in severallocations in Sabah but outside the ‘Ops Daulat’ area.

“They were detained under the new act (Security Ofences [Special Measures]Act 2012) and read together with (several sections of) the Penal Code,”

The Ops Daulat operation entered its fourth day yesterday with helicopters being used to despatch troops to locations in the vicinity to carry out the sweeping and mopping operations while fighter jets were flying above to monitor the situation.

Ismail said police were now obtaining information on the militant intruders from those detained to enable the security forces to achieve the objective of the operation.

However, he declined to disclose details of the arrest for fear that it could jeopardise the investigation.

“Regardless, the arrests were necessary because there were signs to link the suspects with the intruders,” he said. — Bernama