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Coast Guard: 106 more Pinoys fleeing Sabah conflict arrive in Mindanao


At least 106 Filipinos fleeing the conflict between followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysian forces in Sabah arrived in Mindanao last Monday, the Philippine Coast Guard said Wednesday. The Coast Guard said the latest batch of evacuees, who were from Semporna in Sabah aboard the MV Magnolia Lilifloria, arrived at the Port of Bongao in Tawi-Tawi at 5:40 a.m. Monday. "The returnees are from the towns of Bongao, Siasi and Jolo in Sulu while others are from Zamboanga City," it said on its website. Personnel from the Coast Guard station in Bongao and representatives of Task Force Tabang Basulta and the Department of Social Welfare and Development also assisted the returnees. The government personnel likewise facilitated the documentation and medical assessment of the returnees. MV Magnolia Liliflora left Bongao Port at 8 p.m. Monday to transport some of the evacuees, while the others were turned over to DSWD Bongao. Several Filipinos based in Sabah had fled their homes in past weeks after Malaysian authorities started last March 5 an offensive to flush out Kiram's followers. The offensive stemmed from deadly clashes last March 1 and 2 that ended a three-week standoff. — BM, GMA News

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