Sultan calls for ceasefire, Najib at ground zero

Najib Tun Razak is in Sabah today to see for himself the running of the "Ops Daulat" operation against armed intruders.

UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: Self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram lll, whose followers launched a deadly incursion into Malaysia last month, today called for a ceasefire, following a major offensive by Malaysian troops.

Jamalul Kiram declared a unilateral ceasefire for 12:30 pm (0430 GMT) and urged Malaysia to reciprocate, according to a statement read out by his spokesman in Manila, reported AFP.

Earlier today, Malaysian security forces have cordoned off all sea and land routes to prevent food and weapons supplies from reaching the armed intruders from the Southern Philippines.

The police, armed forces and navy have also nabbed intruders who had attempted to leave and enter Kampung Tanduo and Kampung Tanjung Batu to get food supplies, said Sabah Police Commissioner Hamza Taib.

“We have created a tight cordon around the area, with the help of the navy at sea and armed forces on land.

“Their food supplies are cut off because we have caught many of the intruders during their attempts to get food,” he told TV3 in an interview this morning.

“The intrusion occurred on Feb 12 and so far in the process of handling the situation, eight Malaysian police personnel and more than 30 terrorists have died since last Friday.

Commenting on yesterday’s reports of the armed intruders now impersonating members of the public, Hamza said the authorities did not deny the possibility and had cordoned off Kampung Tanjung Batu to ensure there were no residents there before going on the offensive.

“Even if there’s a way out, it’s only by sea. However, I admit that there are challenges as we’re dealing with human beings, so they may have some tricks up their sleeves,” he said.

In relation to the four men detained during the ambush in Kampung Simunul, Semporna, Hamza said police believed the suspects were linked to the incident, but have yet to determine the extent of their involvement.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will visit Sabah today to see for himself the running of the “Ops Daulat” operation against armed intruders, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.

Hishammuddin said Najib had expressed the wish to be at ground zero on the first day of the operations itself, and that he had been kept updated on developments by telephone.

“I and [Defence Minister Ahmad] Zahid [Hamidi] are looking forward to his visit. We have been updating him by telephone, but today he wants to visit ground zero,” he told a news conference at which Zahid was also present.

Hishammuddin said Najib would be updated on the operation and it was hoped that he would lift the spirits of the security forces personnel involved in the operation.