Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar has expressed "regret" over her photograph with Sulu 'princess' Jacel Kiram after sustained criticism against the PKR vice-president.

"I understand that families of the fallen servicemen in the Lahad Datu incursion, affected members of the Sabahan community, including Malaysians in general, are hurt by the photographs of me and Jacel Kiram and for this I am deeply regretful of.

"My sympathies and support have always been and will always be with our fallen heroes, victims of the incursion, and continuous affected communities due to the ongoing conflict and demands by the separatists," she said in a statement today.

Jacel is the daughter of self-declared Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, who in 2013 ordered the failed attack on Sabah to claim the territory as part of his 'sultanate', leaving nine Malaysian security forces dead.

Nurul reiterated her statement on Thursday that she did not request for the meeting with Jacel.

"I must reiterate that I did not seek out or set up any meeting, nor ever (been) acquainted before with Jacel Kiram.

"Instead, she was one of the 15 guests invited by my hosts - the council on Philippine affairs and the Asian Institute for Democracy, the office of the City Mayor of Manila, and the office of the Vice-President of the Philippines.

"Everyone present at the meeting took photographs with me in support of the United Nation Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's position which was for (jailed former opposition leader) Anwar Ibrahim to be immediately released," she said.

Nurul stressed that as a legislator, she had consistently defended the sovereignty of Sabah and Malaysia at all times.

Meanwhile, Sabah Umno Youth has lodged a police report against her at the Kota Kinabalu district police headquarters today.

Its chief Yamani Hafez Musa told Bernama that the wing is urging the state government to ban Nurul from entering Sabah, in response to her meeting Jacel.

"Nurul Izzah should be sensitive on matters concerning national security and sovereignty because they are serious and not merely a game," he told reporters after lodging the report, according to the national news agency.