The police have found out that several individuals in Sandakan and Semporna in Sabah have been sending money to Jolo Island in the Philippines to support militants, deputy inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said today.  

He said these people were under surveillance and would be arrested for treason.

azlan The sending of money to finance militants in Jolo was a serious offence and those involved could be arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), he told a news conference at the operations command at Felda Sahabat 16, near Lahad Datu.

He said they could be prosecuted under laws which provided for life imprisonment or the death penalty upon conviction.

“My advice to these individuals is to stop doing so (sending money) as it amounted to treason. The police will not hesitate to act,” he said.

Khalid did not disclose the number of individuals or the amount of money involved, but said the penalty under the law was the same for any sum of money sent.

On the statistics pertaining to the ‘Ops Daulat’ government offensive against the Sulu terrorists in Sabah, he said 429 individuals had been arrested and 116 of them were being held under Sosma, while 42 had been released.

NONE He also said that 42 bodies, including those of two children, had been brought out of the operations area in Kampung Tanjung Batu while 29 bodies had been buried.

Khalid said 20 heads of households were taken to Kampung Tanduo today, accompanied by officers from the Lahad Datu District Office, to enable them to check on their houses and other property.

This was part of an evaluation process being undertaken by the National Security Council and the district office, with assistance from the State Security Council, he added.

On the Sulu terrorist who surrendered in Kampung Tanjung Batu yesterday, Khalid said the malnourished state of the individual was reflective of the condition of the remnants of the terrorists hiding in the village.

“As such, we hope that the other terrorists hiding in the undergrowth and swamps will also surrender, now that they do not have any food and do not receive orders from their commander who has been caught,” he said.

- Bernama

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