'Semporna safe, no guns fired last night'
Semporna district police chief Mohd Firdaus Abdullah has dismissed claims that guns were discharged last night in this coastal town.
Semporna district police chief Mohd Firdaus Abdullah has dismissed claims that guns were discharged last night in this coastal town.
Contacted today, Firdaus said the police had not initiated any action against armed intruders suspected to be in the area.
“We have checked. There were no gunshots (as) claimed,” he said.
He said the only shoootings were at Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul two days ago, in which six foreign intruders were killed.
Firdaus also said people could not have been playing with fire crackers, saying “Chinese New Year ended long time ago”.
Some Semporna residents said they had heard several gunshots around 9pm yesterday within the town area.
The management of a hotel at which several journalists are staying had insisted that guests remain in their rooms, while the lights were switched off in the lobby.
This was to give the impression that the premises were closed for business, in order to prevent any untoward incident.
Commercial activities
Semporna, a stopover destination for tourists heading to Sipadan Island for scuba diving, had become a ghost town, with shutters pulled down at most shops after the shootout with the self-styled Royal Sulu Army on Sunday.
However, the market was crowded and many shops have opened for business this morning.
Firdaus explained that he had tried to convince shop owners to re-open for business, by driving around in a police car at 6am and using a loud hailer to convey his plea.
“I went with just one colleague because it is safe,” he said, stressing that the police will continue to patrol the small town, to ensure that security is maintained.
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