Two-year detention for secession call

KUALA LUMPUR: A two-year detention order was imposed on two Malaysians and an illegal immigrant who were held in July for inciting the secession of Sabah from Malaysia.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said today prior to the detention, the men who were part of an illegal group from the defunct Sulu Sultanate in South Philippines, had recruited new members to support their cause.
He said investigations showed that with its growing membership, the detainees were allegedly making early preparations to demand for the secession of the state from Malaysia on behalf of the Sulu Sultanate.
He said the detention order was issued under Section 19A of the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 against the detainees who are of Suluk and Bajau descent yesterday.
Khalid said in a statement that the men will be held at a rehabilitation centre for two years.
For decades, the defunct Sulu Sultanate had preyed on Sabah, attempting to lay claim to the state.
Calling for its secession from Malaysia is the latest threat made on the state more than a year after the Lahad Datu incursion where 250 Suluk militants intruded into the east coast of Sabah, triggering a bloody confrontation with Malaysian security forces for about two months.
In an unrelated case in Shah Alam, another Facebook user, who allegedly questioned and insulted the supreme powers of royalty, was arrested for sedition early today at the TSB Commercial Centre in Sungai Buloh.
Shah Alam police chief ACP Azisman Alias said the man, said to be in his 30s, was held under Section 4(1C) of the Sedition Act and is being quizzed by police for the alleged comments he made against the sultans.