Police to call up Saiful’s dad over Anwar statement

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Police will be calling up Azlan Mohd Lazim to record a statement from him pertaining to a press conference he held here yesterday, said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

Azlan (picture), the father of Saiful Bukhari who had accused Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of having sodomised him (Saiful Bukhari), at the press conference had alleged that his son was part of a conspiracy hatched by someone in the Prime Minister’s Department to destroy Anwar’s political career.

Anwar was subsequently charged in court with committing sodomy on Saiful Bukhari but was given a discharge not amounting to acquittal at the end of the defence’s case. The prosecution has filed an appeal.

Khalid was speaking to reporters after launching a crime prevention campaign in Kuchai Lama here. Also present were Royal Malaysia Police National Key Result Areas (NKRA) chairman Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Mohmad Salleh and Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah.

On another matter, Khalid said to date police had received 205 reports against Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Tian Chua for allegedly accusing Umno to be behind the intrusion by Sulu terrorists in Lahad Datu.

He added that Johor police had opened investigation papers on the matter and that the case was being investigated under section 499 of the Penal Code (Defamation). — Bernama

IGP: Three boats intercepted, 27 detained in Ops Daulat sweep

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Malaysian authorities intercepted three boats carrying 27 passengers off the coast of Kampung Tanjung Batu this afternoon, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said today.

According to The Star Online, the passengers, who claimed to be fishermen, were arrested at about 2.10pm just as their boats were nearing the village, which is one of the key areas where "mopping operations" are being conducted in search of the Sulu army.

"They claimed to be fishermen but we are wondering what they were doing within the operational area," Ismail (picture) was quoted as saying in the report during a joint press conference with Armed Forces chief Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin.

He said the men, all unarmed, were sent to the Lahad Datu district police headquarters for investigation.

With today's arrests, the authorities have arrested a total of 106 people believed to be linked to the armed incursion in Sabah by the self-proclaimed royal army of the Sulu Sultanate in the Philippines.

Ismail added that the authorities have yet to determine the total number of casualties in the ongoing operation to flush out the Sulu soldiers.

Official figures have placed the current death toll at 61, including 53 Sulu gunmen and eight Malaysians.

"The forensic team should be able to carry out full investigations after the mopping up exercise is completed tomorrow (Sunday)," The Star Online quoted the IGP as saying.

Ismail also explained that the team was currently only taking photographs of the dead from a distance.

Earlier this morning, the IGP told reporters that a Sulu gunman was killed in an 8am shootout as he attempted to slip through a tight security blockade in Kampung Tanjung Batu.

But the IGP admitted that there was no sign yet of group leader Agbimuddin Kiram, the brother of self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III.

"We believe they were trying to avoid security forces by moving between both villages," he was quoted as saying, referring to Kampung Tanjung Batu and Kampung Tanduo.

Ismail added that the remaining members of Agbimuddin's group have likely been surrounded by Malaysian forces and are moving about in pairs or in small units.

Kiram clan refuses surrender, tells Sulu troops to stay in Sabah

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Despite reports of more Sulu deaths in Malaysia, the Kiram family has ordered its army to stay put and not accede to surrender, reminding them that their fight for ownership of Sabah was worthy of placing “honour above life”.

Jacel Kiram, daughter of the self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram, told Radio dzMM today that her uncle Agbimuddin Kiram and his band of soldiers will not leave Sabah despite coming under heavy gunfire from Malaysian security forces.

She appealed to the remaining members of the rebel group to stay loyal to Agbimuddin, the “crown prince” of Sulu, pointing out that their landing in Sabah on February 9 was merely their peaceful return “home”.

“Please remain... this is honour above life,” she was quoted as saying in an online report on Philippine media network ABN-CBS News. “Their only wish is to stay there... it is their home, they want to live there peacefully.”

Radio dzMM is the flagship radio station of ABN-CBS Corporation in the Philippines.
At noon today, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Ismail Omar told reporters in Lahad Datu that another Sulu gunman was shot dead at 8am as he tried to slip by a security cordon in Kampung Tanjung Batu.

This brings the Sulu death toll to 53, according to official figures from Malaysian authorities.
The Kiram family called for a ceasefire on Thursday, promising that their troops would stay on the defensive and not attack when faced with Malaysian forces.

But they stopped short of agreeing to leave Sabah, insisting that the east Malaysian state belonged to the Sultanate, based on historical records dating back to the 17th century.

Malaysia rejected the call for a ceasefire and ordered its security forces to destroy every militant, saying it would only hold its fire if the Sulu group agreeed to surrender unconditionally.

Faced with the ultimatum, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the militants had no other choice but to surrender.

Please remain... this is honour above life. Their only wish is to stay there... it is their home, they want to live there peacefully. — Jacel Kiram
Agbimuddin and his men stayed put, however, and reported back to the Sultanate yesterday, saying they were safe and on the run but were hungry.

According to media reports, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) kicked off its investigation on the Sabah violence yesterday, summoning Sulu Sultanate adviser Pastor “Boy” Saycon for questioning next Tuesday.

Several reports said the subpoena was likely part of the NBI’s pursuit of conspiracy claims in the ongoing armed conflict in Sabah.

Quoting the Sultanate’s spokesman Abraham Idjirani, The Philippine Star said yesterday that this was the start of the government’s “crackdown” on Jamalul’s followers, who are now bracing themselves for the possibility of facing criminal charges for starting the rebellion in Sabah.

The daily said the subpoena, signed by Intelligence Services deputy director Reynaldo Esmeralda, was delivered at 4pm yesterday to Saycon’s office in Makati by NBI agents.

Saycon, the Council for Philippine Affairs (COPA) secretary-general, has been linked to destabilisation plots in past administrations, according to ABS-CBN News in its online report yesterday.

“I suspect it would be because of the recent developments and the entry into Sabah,” Saycon told The Philippine Star, despite admitting he was yet to reach the subpoena.

“It is anticipated that supporters of the sultan will be charged. They are now preparing the ground for more subpoenas… the threat of the government has been lingering for the past two weeks.”

The political strategist also reported that the Sulu Sultanate had put together a team of lawyers to assist supporters who might be investigated or hauled to court over the Sabah violence, which Malaysian authorities said on Thursday had claimed the lives of 52 Filipinos and eight Malaysians.

“I think the government wants to put up a conspiracy without any basis and blame people instead of solving the worsening crisis in Sabah,” Saycon alleged, according to the English broadsheet.

Government has never asked security forces to stage a drama, says Najib

MALACCA, March 9 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak has slammed an opposition leader for accusing that the intrusion by a group of armed militants in Lahad Datu, Sabah since February 12 was a drama whereas members of the security forces had sacrificed their lives to defend the country.

The prime minister said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government had never directed members of the security forces to stage any drama but instead ordered them to defend and protect the country's sovereignty.

"Just think whether we can find actors who are willing to die in their act? Are there anyone who wants to volunteer to die?

 "I believe no one is willing to do such an act," Najib (picture) said in his speech at the official opening of the Federal Tower at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC) in Ayer Keroh here today.

About 20,000 residents in Malacca attended the official opening of the 21-storey tower built at a cost of RM208 million to accommodate the federal government departments and agencies in the state since August 2010.

Also present at the event were Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Dr Ali Hamsa.


Najib said that security issues should never be politicised because peace and national sovereignty were too valuable.

He said the people in this country should emulate the developed nations such as the United States where security issues had never been exploited despite the political differences that existed.

"The people there give their support to the men in uniform, they don't belittle members of the security forces," he said. He said national sovereignty and peace were crucial to enable the various transformation agenda to be implemented by the government in efforts to turn Malaysia into a developed nation.

The prime minister said the future of the country would be better if the people could give their full support to the transformation agenda which had been carefully drawn up and implemented by the government.

Najib said the government would not implement any policy or make promises that would be impossible to fulfill like the opposition that ostensibly wanted to give free higher education, abolish toll and the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans.

"As the English saying goes, there is no such thing as free lunch... meaning that if we want to give something free of charge, there must be another party paying for the service if we want to give it free to the rakyat," he said.

He said there were several countries in the world such as in the Scandinavian countries that could provide higher education free of charge to their nationals, but they had to raise the tax to reach as high as 75 per cent.

But it was different in Malaysia where the government succeeded in providing wide access to higher education to the people without needing to raise taxes, he added. — Bernama