Another Kiram follower killed in clash in Sabah — report

Another follower of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III was killed in a clash with Malaysian security forces which conducted mopping-up operations in Tanjung Batu in Sabah on Thursday.

Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Zulkefli Md Zin said the clash occurred at 11:30 a.m., New Straits Times reported.

Zulkefeli said a Malaysian soldier suffered minor injuries during the skirmish after bullet fragments hit his left hand.

Zulkefeli said 63 Kiram followers have been killed since armed clashes broke out on March 1. However, he said only 30 bodies have so far been recovered.

Malaysian security forces had been conducting offensive operations against Kiram's followers since March 5 following deadly clashes on March 1 and 2.

Woman found in mopping-up ops area

Meanwhile, Malaysian forces also took into custody a woman found in the area where mopping-up operations were being held.

Zulkefli described the woman as someone in her 40s. He said she was unarmed when found, but not able to answer questions.

The New Straits Times report said the woman was "almost skeletal-looking" and had not eaten or slept properly for 13 days.

She was also "in a state of paranoia due to sleep deprivation and malnutrition," and was taken to a hospital.

Zulkifeli said that since the Kiram followers arrived in Sabah, eight women had been "detected" in Kampung Tanduo. Of the eight, one was killed and another was detained.

Eight kiram followers facing death penalty

A day after they were charged before a makeshift Magistrate's Court in Lahad Datu, eight followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III were charged before the High Court in Tawau Thursday morning.

Charges of terrorism and waging war against the King were read before the High Court, according to a report on Malaysia's state-run Bernama news agency.

Thursday's proceedings came a day after the eight were charged before the Magistrate's Court. The Bernama report said the case was ordered transferred to the Tawau High Court.

During Thursday's proceeding, the court set April 12 for mention, to see who the counsels for the accused will be.

A separate report on New Straits Times said this will allow the accused to seek legal assistance from "family members, the Philippine Embassy, the Bar Council of Malaysia, or the Sabah Law Association." 

No plea was taken before High Court Judge Paramaguru Ravinthran during the 45-minute hearing, where Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail led the prosecution, The Star Online reported.

Haggard, heads down

New Straits Times reported the eight were handcuffed and in straitjackets, with heavy police escort.

"They appeared haggard, with their heads down," the report said.

It added one of the two elderly Kiram followers was not made to wear a straitjacket but was handcuffed.

Security was tight for the eight, who were taken to the site aboard two trucks with heavy escort, it added.

Death penalty

On Wednesday, the eight were charged for waging war against the King and engaging in terrorism. The charge of waging war against the King carries the death penalty upon conviction.

Malaysia had been going after Kiram's followers with offensive operations since March 5. The offensives stemmed from deadly clashes on March 1 and 2. - VVP, GMA News