6,000 Maimbung, Sulu evacuees returning home after shootout, says gov

More than 6,000 residents of Maimbung, Sulu who were evacuated for their safety during a deadly shootout over the weekend are now being sent home, the governor said.

On Saturday former vice mayor Pando Mudjasan and his men exchanged fire with government forces who tried to serve a warrant of arrest on him. The encounter left one policeman and four people on Mudjasan's side dead.

According to Jun Veneracion's report on "24 Oras" on Monday, Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan said that some of the evacuees have started returning home. "Nagbabalikan na 'yung mga community, walang problema 'yan," he said. "'Yung iba ang gusto nila diyan na lang sila sa center para libre lahat pero papauwiin na namin lahat."

Mudjasan, who is still at large, is suspected to be a leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). He is wanted on murder charges and the government also has a warrant to search his premises for firearms and explosives. Authorities are now in pursuit of around 50 armed men.

"That’s why we are calling [on] the province of Sulu, especially sa municipal of Maimbung, na mapagmatyag," said AFP Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Major Andrew Linao. "We are on top of the situation and your government forces [are] ready to help and assist you to bring back normalcy sa probinsya ng Sulu." — BM, GMA Integrated News