Lahad Datu a ghost town as night falls

People are staying indoors and many of the well-to-do residents have left the town.

LAHAD DATU: As dusk fell here, this scrappy municipality that is normally bustling on a weekend night, resembled a ghost town.

Police have confirmed that 12 “Sulu” gunmen, who were part of a large group from the Philippines claiming to represent the Sultan of Sulu and had forcedly occupied Kampung Tanduo, were killed in the shootout that also claimed the lives of two police officers.

But Sabah chief of police Hamza Taib told reporters that some 150 of the intruders are still holed up in the kampung and the tense stand-off that entered its 17th day today is still on, setting nerves on edge in the town and its vicinity.

Hamza said the shootout began after the five General Operations Force (GOF) members who began to tighten their perimeter around Kampung Tanduo stumbled on a group of the intruders who fired at them and they returned fire.

The skirmish happened at around 10am and lasted about 30 minutes, he said, adding that they had recovered some weapons from the intruders and are now maintaining their 10km cordon around the kampung.

In the town of Lahad Datu, the mood is sombre and nervous.

“People are scared and are staying indoors,” a longtime resident said, describing the situation as “a bit tense”.

Another office worker said the fear was palpable and reminiscent of the distress felt after the Sept 23, 1985 raid by some 15 foreigners dressed in military fatigues and armed with M-16 rifles, carbines, rocket launchers and hand grenades. They shot dead 10 people and injured 11.

“It’s just like after that attack,” said the man who requested anonymity.

According to him, many of the more well-to-do residing here have fled to Kota Kinabalu. The last plane out left before 6pm, he said, adding that many of the Datuks-Datuks have also gone.

Keeping low profile

All civilian air traffic to and from this east coast town had been halted since this morning, he said.

A long convoy of vehicles heading to Kota Kinabalu could be seen slowing down at a checkpoint at mile 32 where police are turning around any Lahad Datu-bound traffic.

“Only vehicles going west are allowed to continue their journey,” said one motorist.

Despite claims of curfew having been imposed here and in Sandakan after this morning’s shootout between Malaysian security forces and an armed group of foreigners claiming to be representing the Sultan of Sulu, police are keeping a low profile and there was no sign of it being enforced.

The whole of the east coast of Sabah, which shares a long border with both the Philippines and Indonesia, is no stranger to cross-border attacks and smuggling activities.

Local fishermen have also frequently fallen prey to marauders who patrol the open seas in fast pump boats and prefer a hit-and-run operation.

Sabah’s east coast towns of Semporna, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Kunak and Sandakan have all been attacked by the pirates who then speed off to nearby islands and across the border.

In the bloody 1985 incident, the 15 heavily armed foreigners raided the Malaysia Airlines office and the Standard Chartered bank in Lahad Datu and escaped with about RM200,000.