Najib: Surrender or else!

Najib: Surrender or else!

02 MAR 2013 07:10PM

PM Datuk

PETALING JAYA, March 2 — Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today issued an ultimatum to the armed intruders in Sabah to surrender or face action by the Malaysian authorities.

The prime minister said the time had lapsed to consider the demands of the intruders who claim to be members of the royal army of the Sultanate of Sulu in the Philippines.

The Malaysian government was firm in the matter because the crime committed by them was most serious, he told reporters after paying his last respects to the two slain police commandos at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Subang near here.

The commandos were killed in a gun battle with the intruders in Kampung Tanduo, 130km from Lahad Datu, yesterday. Twelve of the intruders were also killed in the shootout.

“I telephoned President Benigno Aquino III of the Philippines last night to state the stand of the Malaysian government on the matter after the gun battle yesterday.

“I said the government felt that the time to consider the group’s demands had lapsed and that they had the option of surrendering or facing the action of the authorities and security forces,” he said.

Najib said their armed intrusion into the country and the killing of two security forces personnel and injuring of three others was a serious crime.

As such, the government would not proceed with negotiations or consider their demands, he said.

Najib declined to comment when asked how much time would be given to the intruders to surrender themselves.

“”That I cannot reveal for tactical reasons,” he said.

Police commandos Insp Zulkifli Mamat, 29, and Cpl Sabarudin Daud, 46, were killed after they were shot by the armed intruders in Kampung Tanduo, 130km from Lahad Datu.

Twelve intruders were killed in the gun battle in which three other Malaysian commandos were injured. – BERNAMA