Malaysian police believe Raja Muda alive, still in Lahad Datu

Malaysian police believe Raja Muda Azzimudie (Agbimuddin) Kiram, brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, is still alive and in the Lahad Datu district in Sabah and likely could not get past the tight cordon there, a Malaysian news site reported Wednesday.

Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib also said Agbimuddin is not likely to abandon his followers, who remain the subjects of Malaysian mopping-up operations, The New Straits Times reported.

"That is why we have a high confidence that he is still here. Our security at sea is very tight and there is no way he could have escaped," the NST quoted him as saying.

Agbimuddin is leading the armed Kiram followers in Sabah.

Malaysian forces continue to hold operations in Sabah to flush them out, after Kuala Lumpur rejected a ceasefire offer from the sultan.

Teenage boy killed, considered a terrorist

Meanwhile, Hamza said a teenage boy gunned down at Sungai Bilis last Sunday was likely one of Kiram's followers.

Hamza said the boy was among the "terrorists" as he exited from the war zone area.

"We could not confirm whether he was a Malaysian or a foreigner as he did not have any identity document on him... As far as we believe he was a terrorist," he said.

Meanwhile, a separate report on The Star Online quoted Hamza as saying police will verify the identities of families living in Kg Tanduo before letting them return.

"If they have no rights on that land, we may not allow them (to return)," he said.