Four men have been arrested in Semporna on suspicion of being militants, but there is as yet no information on whether they have links with the self-styled Royal Sulu Army.

 

NONE The arrests took place about noon at a house near the Sri Wangsa army camp on Jalan Lapangan Terbang, about 3km from Semporna town.

 

According to a police officer, the operation was conducted by a strike team from the Sabah police headquarters after a tip-off.

 

The officer, who declined to be named, told journalists that the men are suspected to be illegal immigrants from the Philippines, and that one of them also had drugs in his possession.

All four - two Suluks and two Bajaus - were unarmed when police moved in with M16 machine guns, MP5 submachine guns and small army knives.

 

NONE One of the men was wearing a white T-shirt with a BN logo on the front, and an image of Semporna MP Shafie Apdal - the rural and regional development minister - on the back.

The officer said that although all four showed documents to prove that they have the right to be in Sabah, the authenticity of the papers needed to be verified.

 

He also said police have received numerous reports of sightings of ‘armed intruders’ since last Sunday's gunfights at Kampung Sri Jaya and Kampung Simunul in Semporna.

 

This had resulted in the death of 12 people - six police personnel and six foreign intruders. The police were said to have walked into an ambush when entering the village.

Situation in town

 

More businesses are re-opening in Semporna town, with the authorities continuing to persuade the operators to do so.

The Information Department in Semporna sent officers around in a car this morning, using loud hailers to convince people that the situation was under control.

At Jalan Jakallurah, most of the shops had reopened and people were back on the streets, while grocery shops and restaurants were full of customers.

 

However, some jewellery stores were only operated for half a day, for fear of robbery.

 

Bakar Majid, a officer with the Semporna Land Office, said he usually goes out in the mornings to stock up on necessities, but not in the afternoon because “it’s a bit dangerous”.