Those behind the armed intrusion in Sabah are spreading rumours to lower the morale of Malaysia's security forces, said inspector-general of police Ismail Omar.

"This is a challenging time for the police to serve well.

NONE "When such news coming out, I see it as an attempt to lower the police morale but we will not be deceived by such ploy," he told a press conference this afternoon.

He said this when asked to comment on a rumour that a police officer had been arrested for sympathising with the intruders.

Ismail was also asked to respond to a wide range of claims made by the Royal Sulu Army and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) through the Filipino media.

They claimed that Filipinos living in Sabah have been mounting attacks on police stations and military trucks. They also claimed to be holding four Malaysian "officials" as hostages .

None of these allegations can be verified and details coming out from these groups are extremely sketchy.

"All of these are untrue, the situation is well and our control is good," he said.

'The enemy suffered more casualties'

Ismail also said he also briefed Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Defence Minister Zaid Hamidi who visited the operations centre here at Felda Sabahat, Lahad Datu.

"They asked about the morale of my officers especially after the casualties we suffered.

"I would like to say our morale remain high and we take this as a test.

"Don't forget that we have killed more enemies than the men we have lost. The enemy suffered seven casualties yesterday in Semporna and 12 casualties on Friday in Kampung Tandou, Lahad Datu," he said.

This evening, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim

Muad'zam Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah  extended heir condolences to the families of the eight police personnel who were killed.

In a statement issued by Istana Negara, Their Majesties also expressed their adness over the death of the police personnel killed fighting armed intruders and defending the sovereignty of the country in Lahad Datu and Semporna, Sabah.

They prayed to Allah to rest the departed souls in eternal peace and also hoped that the families would remain strong in coping with the deaths of their loved ones, Bernama reported.

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