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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

If the police knew, why nothing done to prevent Sulu incursion?


A revelation that Malaysian police actually knew two weeks ahead of a planned Sulu incursion into Sabah last February but asked a district officer to keep quiet makes disturbing news.

It also begs many questions, the least of which is if the loss of lives, especially Malaysian security personnel, could have been avoided.

And how long has our national security been compromised by the disregard of intelligence and a breakdown in communication between Kuala Lumpur and the farthest reaches of the nation.

All this came to light when Lahad Datu district officer Zulkifli Nasir told the Royal Commission of Inquiry into illegal immigrants in Sabah yesterday that he had met district police chief Supt Shamsudin Mat in February and was told about the planned landing of the armed intruders.

"I was told that Lahad Datu was the main target of the armed intruders and informed that the issue was top secret. I was warned not to leak any news about the issue," he told the RCI five-men panel, led by former Sabah and Sarawak Chief Justice Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong.

But the 177th witness to the panel added, "Swift police action boxed in the armed Sulu terrorists in Kampung Tanduo and prevented them from attacking Lahad Datu."

Other sources have confirmed with The Malaysian Insider that police knew of the possible incursion after maritime traders who plied the waters between Sabah and the Philippines were not spotted for days ahead of the initial attack.

However, no one raised the alarm beyond Lahad Datu.

Malaysians were led to believe that this incursion was a complete surprise and that there were insufficient boots on the ground to cover our borders, especially the porous border between Sabah and The Philippines.

The then Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, even went on to say that the intruders were old men with no weapons. And that negotiations were the order of the day rather than risk a skirmish and an international diplomatic incident with these Filipino followers of one Sulu sultan.

But someone had known that they would arrive just before Chinese New Year. And made sure no one else was to know. Why?

Given that the police had intelligence of a possible incursion, there was no way they should have been caught off guard when this so-called ragtag Royal Sulu Army turned up at Lahad Datu in February 2013.

And no way two policemen from VAT 69 in  Ulu Kinta, Perak - Sergeant Sabarudin Daud, 46, and Asst Supt Zulkifli Mamat, 29, - would be dead now or even the six killed in action in Semporna.

The police and military rank and file would be justified in being angry at the loss of lives of their fellow patriots. So would Malaysians now that they know police knew about the incursion way in advance.

Given what the RCI heard yesterday, it is imperative for the government to hold an RCI for the Lahad Datu incident. To find out what had happened and why no one thought it was best to prevent the incursion than let it play out to a bloody conclusion.

An estimated 235 Filipino militants turned up to wreck the lives of Sabahans and the families of the slain policemen and soldiers but no one stopped them before they could do it. Why?

It caused friction between two neighbours and revived the Philippines claim over Sabah. Why did someone allow that to happen?

There are many questions brought about by this disturbing piece of news months after the incursion. Malaysians need to get to the bottom of this matter because it involves trust in the police and national security, or lack thereof in both matters.

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