SABAH RCI The people in Semporna, including some civil servants, still seek protection and intervention from an ambiguous ‘Sulu sultan’ to resolve their problems with authorities, the area’s district officer (DO) said today.

Semporna district officer Abdul Ibnu Kadir Baba said that he has to date received more than three “official letters” from the Sulu sultan to date since he became the DO in 2007.

“Once I asked a family of civil servants to move out because the state land was going to be used to build a public building,” he said.

“But they complained to the Sulu sultan and I received an official letter from the sultan of Sulu instructing me not to demolish that housing on state land,” Ibnu told the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into illegal immigrants in Sabah.

"The civil servants there believe in the existence of the Sulu Sultanate," he said.

He also said that the so-called Sulu Sultanate has "regular meetings" with the Sulu folk in Sampoerna as well.

"When the incursion in Kg Simunul happened, I have heard from others that there were administration promises that were made by the Sulu Sultanate should it capture Kg Tanduo and Sampoerna," he said.

Abdul Ibnu went on to describe Sampoerna as a "very dangerous district" due to its proximity with Philippines and the constant influx of foreigners there.

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