KOTA KINABALU, Dec 15 – A police officer cut short his Chinese New Year holiday in order to attend to the Lahad Datu intrusion case, the High Court here heard Monday. Legal officer of the Sabah police contingent DSP Ang Seow Aun said upon hearing that an armed intrusion had occurred on Feb 12, 2013, he immediately made arrangements to return to work to assist in investigations. In 2013, the Chinese New Year celebration fell on Feb 10 and 11.
“On Feb 12, 2013, I was on holiday for the Chinese New Year celebration and late in the afternoon, I received a telephone call from the Lahad Datu district police chief Supt. Samsuddin Mat. He informed me of an intrusion incident at Kampung Tanduo and I immediately made arrangements to return to the Lahad Datu district police headquarters,” he said when testifying at the trial of 30 individuals linked to the intrusion by Sulu gunmen.
Ang, who was the Head of the Lahad Datu Criminal Investigation Division at the time, said he returned to the police headquarters the following day and went to Kampung Tanjung Labian with Samsuddin to assess situation. To a question by deputy public prosecutor Ishak Mohd Yusoff, the witness said he had checked the Police Report System for police reports lodged on the intrusion and found one lodged by one Mohd Ali Asmali.
“After I had looked at the police report (by Mohd Ali), I referred the matter to Head of the Sabah Criminal Investigation Department SAC Omar Mammah who instructed me to refer the matter to Bukit Aman Legal Chief Datuk Razali Basri. Datuk Razali then instructed me to classify the police report under Section 130C of the Penal Code and open an investigation paper,” he said.
Ang told the court that he was aware that three meetings was held between the security force and the armed intruders at Kampung Tanduo on Feb 14-16, 2013. In the dock are 27 Filipinos and three local residents who are facing one to multiple charges of being members of a terrorist group and waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
They are also alleged to have recruited members for a terrorist group or willfully harboured individuals they knew to be members of a terrorist group. The offences were allegedly committed between Feb 12 and April 10, 2013. The hearing, before Justice Stephen Chung at the Sabah Prison Department, continues Tuesday (Dec 15).
