Kiram camp insists Saturday's fatality in Sabah clash not its follower

The camp of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III on Saturday belied the claim of Malaysian authorities that a member of its royal army was killed in an encounter in Lahad Datu in Sabah Saturday morning. Sulu Sultanate spokesman Abraham Idjirani said the fatality may have been a Filipino civilian who got caught in the crossfire, radio dzBB's Rodil Vega reported. Idjirani dismissed as black propaganda the claim by Malaysian authorities. Earlier, Malaysian authorities claimed a follower of Kiram was killed in an encounter in Lahad Datu Saturday. Malaysian security forces claimed Kiram's followers are trapped in the military cordon and are moving about in small groups. "We are convinced that they are trapped in Kampung Tanduo and Kampung Tanjung Batu. We will continue to enforce the cordon and conduct the search, focusing on the two places," Armed Forces chief Gen. Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said, according to a report on New Straits Times. A separate New Straits Times report said police made another sweep of Kg Siminul water village where six Malaysian policemen and at least six Filipinos were killed in a gun fight last March 2. Police also inspected the neighboring Bajau village of Sri Jaya. The report said police returned to guard a forensic team to collect evidence at the clash site. In Kpg Sri Jaya, police conducted house to house identity check on people there, the report added. — LBG, GMA News