Secret plot to invade Sabah? No, Sulu meeting was to discuss maritime security, say Philippine military
Published on: Friday, December 10, 2021
By: Zam Yusa
Soldiers fire a machine gun during a gunbattle with Filipino gunmen at Sungai Nyamuk where a stand-off with Sulu gunmen took place near Tanduo village in Lahad Datu in this March 12, 2013 photo released by the Ministry of Defence.
Kota Kinabalu: A meeting between the Sulu governor and 19 mayors from the southern Philippine province was to discuss strengthening their maritime security, according to a Philippine military statement, dismissing a news report that the Dec-1 discussion was a secret plot to invade Sabah.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Thursday reported the meeting was arranged by a senior local government official in the southern Philippines.
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A senior regional security source told the SCMP that the meeting was held on Dec 1 by a locally elected official of Sulu province who gathered mayors of the Sulu Archipelago to discuss plans to set up a “Royal Sulu Army” to invade Sabah.
Also on Thursday, Daily Express asked a Philippine regional military spokesperson in her chat group for the Philippine media to respond to the report, which she promptly dismissed.
“There was a meeting (by Sulu leaders), but [it] has nothing to do with Sabah or Malaysia,” Joint Task Force-Sulu (JTF-Sulu) spokesperson Lt Jerrica Manongdo said.
After the Daily Express asked her to elaborate, Manongdo issued a statement by JTF-Sulu in the chat group explaining the nature of the Dec-1 meeting.
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“On December 1, 2021, Sulu Governor Abdusakur M Tan and the 19 mayors of the province convened to develop a project to strengthen the maritime borders of Sulu,” said the statement.
“According to the Governor, the undertaking which will be called Bantay Dagat will involve the Municipal and Barangay local government units. The local chief executives will be in charge of recruitment of fishermen or seafarer volunteers that would conduct maritime patrols in collaboration with the military in Sulu to help improve border control against terrorist and any other lawless elements.
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“Further, it will also be utilised for disaster-risk reduction and management during calamities in the maritime and coastal areas. This initiative stemmed out of the inclination to continue improving of the island province's stability in terms of security and economic aspect.
“Felt down in the grass roots and up to key leaders, opportunities remain to arise that have allowed all internally displaced people to return to their respective barangays and for small-scale business - like beach resorts, pop-up restaurants, online selling - to prosper.”
The statement further added that amidst the relentless recruitment of Tausug army soldiers and military reservists to address terrorism and support development efforts, local government units are taking additional measures to increase the confidence of its residents and possible investors by enacting the Bantay Dagat project.
150 to 200 spies, 500 firearms
The SCMP report further said the potential of the plan coming to fruition depends on how much political support and funds it can get from various parties.
“Many stakeholders in the Philippines and abroad are willing to exploit this issue for their respective political and strategic interests,” the unnamed source told SCMP.
The source added that February 2022 was seen as the best time to invade to “commemorate” the Lahad Datu incursion in 2013.
Fifty-six Sulu militants, 10 Malaysian security officers and six civilians were killed during the intrusion meant to stake the Filipinos’ territorial claim over northern Sabah.
The source also said the implementation of the plan was prompted by the failure of the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate to obtain the consent of the Malaysian government to settle proprietary rights over Sabah.
It was reported that out of the 19 mayors who attended the secret meeting, 11 agreed to the plan while the rest sat on the fence.
“Each mayor is expected to provide 50 men who are skilled and brave in battle. The cost of ammunition and other logistics is to be borne by the high-ranking official who also promised to contribute 500,000 pesos (US$10,000) to build 100 speed boats that will be used to attack Sabah,” the source reportedly said.
According to the source further, the local official was believed to have supplied 500 firearms to local representatives in Sulu who would then distribute them to the militia.
The source also said 150 to 200 spies from Sulu were expected to be directed to Lahad Datu and Semporna – two key coastal towns where the invasion force might land.
In the 2013 incursion, an estimated 235 militants – some of them armed – landed at Lahad Datu on Feb 11.
“All the Sulu soldiers entering the waters of Lahad Datu and Semporna (in the new invasion plot) will be bringing in firearms,” said the source.
“The firearms will be buried in an area before being used to attack (targets).”
The source added that although “no one” had infiltrated Sabah yet, the Sulu plotters had sleeper cells in eastern Sabah.
The security source said intelligence gathering and security had been stepped up in Sabah since the discovery of the Sulu meeting.
The sovereignty of Sabah is the source of a long-standing dispute between Malaysia and the Philippines.
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