Carrying suspected armed followers of Kiram, two boats from Sabah stopped in Tawi-Tawi

Two boats carrying suspected followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III were intercepted Wednesday morning off Tawi-Tawi province by the Philippine Navy, television and radio reports said. According to reports, the Navy ships blocked the boats and were expected to bring the passengers to Bongao town in Tawi-Tawi for further investigation.

 

In his report aired on GMA News TV's News To Go, Chino Gaston said that although the initial information did not say how many were aboard the two boats, Navy teams found weapons and ammunition aboard the vessels. An initial investigation showed the two boats came from Sabah, according to Gaston's report.

 

 

A separate report aired on radio dzBB, however, said it was not immediately clear if the suspected Kiram supporters were heading for Sabah or were coming from there.

 

Philippine security forces have been patrolling the boundary of Mindanao and Sabah to prevent Kiram's followers from going there.

 

Earlier, the two Filipinos aboard a boat from Sabah, who were intercepted near Taganak Island in Tawi-Tawi, were already brought to Bongao for further investigation, according to Gaston's report. They are suspected supporters of the sultan who escaped from strife-torn Sabah, the same report added.

 

Malaysian security forces are still conducting operations in Sabah to flush out armed followers of Kiram who are still there.

 

Meanwhile, the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office said at least 400 more Filipinos displaced by the Sabah row arrived Wednesday.

 

The PCDSPO tweeted the 400 were aboard a ship that arrived in Bongao town.  — with Amanda Fernandez/RSJ, GMA News