WHY 'SECESSION' IS A NON-ISSUE FOR SABAH AND SARAWAK

Look at Singapore how they have advanced from a 3rd world though physically small, developed beyond the wildest expectation into  an economic giant without any natural resources. It has been Southeast Asia's most modern city for over a century. Singapore having similar history with Sabah Sarawak offers us many good examples of good governence.

The legal precedent created by the unilateral seperation of Singapore - a break away from the Malaysia Agreement 1963 opens the door for Sabah Sarawak to exit similarly. If Singapore can do it Sabah Sarawak can do it too. This is not "secession" . To break away from the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) is not "Secession".

In accordance with Article 160 of the current Federal Constitution ; Interpretation - the Federation is defined as 'the Federation established under the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957'. This definirion does not include Sabah Sarawak for the simple reason, Sabah Sarawak were/are never part of Malaya and never signed this agreement. As we all know Sabah Saeawak only signed the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

So legally for the past 52 years since 16 Sept 1963, Sabah Sarawak existed as Self-Governing States/Nations outside the jurisdiction constitutionally. There is no need for Sabah Sarawak to get out of "malaysia"; they are already outside : how to get out when they were never in on the first place; therefore the question of "secession" is a non- issue.

There can only be One Malaysia; based either on (1) The Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957 ..or.... (2) The Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Actually, "malaysia" as defined under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 was only conceived, proclaimed on 16 September 1963 and after that it was never realised , was abandoned and what was in place was the continuation of the Federation of Malaya 1957 withn a name changed to "malaysia" - Malaya and "malaysia" are one and the same international person - this was what the permanent representative of Malaya reported to the Secretary General of the United Nations on 16 September 1963 ; the day "malaysia" was proclaimed.

In order to adopt the Malaysia Agreement 1963 into the cinstitution, the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957 must first be abolished. This however is not as simple as it may seem, because if this agreement is abolished, it will set free the 11 states of Malaya free to independence; the oil rich states of Kelantan and Terengganu are too anxious to take full control and ownership of their oil wealth to be like Brunei and states like Penang, Selangor and Johor (industrially developed) would emulate the likes of Singapore.

Such being the case, from the current constitutional scenario, It is clear that ; there can only be ONE MALAYSIA ; constituted by :-

(a)  the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957 which does not include Sabah Sarawak...or......

(b)   the Malaysia Agreement 1963 which does not include the 11 states of Malaya.

Sabah Sarawak can continue as they were Self-Governing Status which was attained on 31 August and 22 July 1963 respectively from the British in peace without any interference from any party. The natural option that is open to them  can always be to seek Self-Determination if the people wishes to do so ; by submitting a Petition to the United Nations for a change of their status from that of 'Change in Status' to that of 'Independence' peacefully without any interference from any quarters legally in pursuit of the United Nations Charter for Decolonisation as of right to be exercised at will at any time of their own choosing as protected by International Law.

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"Ancaman dan Ugutan Terhadap Pemimpin Dahulu Kini Berulang Lagi"

Jikalau anda semua mahu tahu tentang bagaimana kerajaan persekutuan tanah melayu yang telah menyamar menjadi kerajaan malaysia mengugut dan mengancam pemimpin-pemimpin Nasionalis Kebangsaan di Negara Sabah dan Negara Sarawak dahulu ialah dengan cara yang mereka lakukan kepada pihak SSKM-SSU(UK) sekarang ini.

Liputan media siang dan malam daripada pemimpin-pemimpin malaya yang disokong oleh barua malaya di negara Sabah dan negara Sarawak untuk menghasut rakyat membenci golongan-golongan yang bercakap benar dan yang berjuang untuk menuntut hak.

Apa yang berlaku dahulu kini sedang berulang lagi pada zaman ini. Tetapi pihak kami akan memastikan teknik tersebut akan terkubur selamanya. Selagi Negara Sabah dan Negara Sarawak berada dalam persekutuan ini, selagi itulah mereka tidak akan berdiam untuk mengancam dan mengugut bangsa Borneo untuk tunduk kepada mereka... Inilah yang sebenarnya berlaku dahulu dan sekarang.

Bezanya sekarang ialah sistem komunikasi kini sudah maju dan segala informasi tidak lagi bergantung kepada satu sumber. Kita mampu membuat pembacaan lebih, membuat perbandingan serta kajian sendiri untuk menilai sejauh manakah kebenaran yang disampaikan oleh pihak SSKM ini dan sejauh manakah kebenaran tentang dakwaan pemimpin-pemimpin malaya dan barua malaya terhadap perjuangan SSKM ini. Maklumat sudah tersebar dan tinggal anda sahaja yang perlu memutuskannya. Mahu terhasut untuk membenci perjuangan ini atau mahu bersama-sama dalam perjuangan menuntut hak kita sebagai Bangsa yang Merdeka dan Berdaulat.

Anda akan mampu melihatnya... Perjuangan ini akan melahirkan Bangsa Negara Sabah dan Bangsa Negara Sarawak yang Berani dan Jujur dalam Perjuangan menuntut dan melindungi hak Bangsa Borneo.

Jangan sesekali memandang tinggi kepada kepimpinan malaya sebab mereka hanyalah golongan yang bergantung kepada sumber kekayaan Negara Sabah dan Negara Sarawak. 

Bukan kita yang perlu takut kepada mereka sebaliknya mereka yang perlu takut kepada kita...

Jikalau mereka masih mendakwa bahawa pihak SSKM-SSU(UK) ini terdiri daripada golongan minoriti, maka adalah menjadi satu cabaran untuk pihak kami menjadikannya kumpulan yang majoriti.

Demi Bangsa Negara Sabah dan Bangsa Negara Sarawak, perjuangan ini MESTI BERJAYA!

Sebarkan...

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More arrests could follow after 9 Sabah secessionists arrested, says IGP

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2, 2015 : The arrest of nine individuals who were handing out pro-secession brochures in Sabah should assist police in identifying the ringleaders, according to a Twitter posting by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar today.

“Nabbing the nine will lead us to the main culprit or culprits. Soon I supposed (sic),” wrote Khalid Abu Bakar today in response to a post by Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee.

Last night, he praised Sabah police for the arrest on the micro-blogging site.

“Well done Sabah police arrest nine individuals in Tuaran for distributing brochures instigating the people to get Sabah out of Malaysia. WELL DONE Boys,” read a post by Khalid.

Yesterday, The News Straits Times reported that the nine, who were suspected to be linked to the Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) movement, were arrested on Sunday morning and were released nine hours later on police bail.

According to the report, the situation outside the Tuaran district police headquarters was initially chaotic when police did not allow people claiming to be “friends” of the 9 to bail them out.

The Tuaran police station’s gates were apparently closed at about 3pm and a Light Strike Force was deployed within its compound after more people turned up at the station.

Among them were Yong, former Deputy Minister Datuk Kalakau Untol and a former state assemblyman Datuk James Ligunjang.

At about 5pm, 18 people were allowed to enter and all 9 of those arrested were released.

Ligunjang posted photos of the incident on his Facebook page, stating that he was among the crowd leaving the police station.

“Let it be known that we are prepared to pay whatever price to fight for the rights of the people,” read the post.

Source: http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/02/02/arrests-follow-9-sabah-secessionists-arrested-says-igp/

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Anwar’s position on issues affecting Sabah, Sarawak have shifted – Bumburing

KOTA KINABALU: Parliamentary opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim seems to have shifted his position on issues affecting Sabah and Sarawak since the 13th general election, APS president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Bumburing said.

“I am of the opinion that the people of Sarawak, and for that matter, the people of Sabah, would disagree with Anwar for saying that Sarawak is not a good example of an autonomous state in Malaysia,” the Tamparuli assemblyman said.

Bumburing added Anwar had based his analysis on the issue of poverty and corruption in the government to come to a conclusion that being autonomous, Sarawak had lagged behind the rest of the states in the country.

If that is what Anwar considered as the underlying reason for his analysis on Sarawak being still less developed compared to the other States, then why are the people of Sabah still poor today after basically losing her autonomy? he asked.

“I believe that Sarawakians still cherish the fact that, by and large, their autonomy as provided for and written in the Malaysian agreement had continued to be intact and preserved and they are ever ready to protect and defend their rights,” he noted in a statement yesterday.

According to Bumburing, Sarawak may be poor in a sense, but it is not because of them being an autonomous State. He added that Kelantan enjoys full autonomy and yet they are considered poor.

Anwar’s view on the issue of the autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak gave the impression that the people of Sabah and Sarawak may not be enjoying any sympathetic ears, even from a Pakatan Rakyat government, he opined.

“Anwar also avoided explaining the issue of the Malaysian Agreement, which stipulates an equal partnership between Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya, each time he is asked or confronted on the issue.

“He also did not say outright whether he supports the call by Sabahans and Sarawakians for a review of the Malaysian Agreement, which should have been done 40 years ago, but only briefly said that the unhappiness of the people had to be addressed,” he said.

Bumburing added that the ultimate reason behind the unhappiness of the people of Sabah and Sarawak is that the spirit of the Malaysian agreement had not been respected. On the issue of National Day, September 16th should be celebrated as the National Day because Malaysia only became a nation on that day and not August 31st. History cannot be changed.

The whole nation should celebrate this day and not merely declare it as a public holiday. Every year only Sabah and Sarawak celebrate September 16th while there are no celebrations nationwide. What is Pakatan’s stand on this? he asked.

According to Bumburing, Anwar also appeared to have shifted his stand on the illegal immigrant issue.

“During the election campaigning trail in Sabah he agreed on my point that many citizenships were given unlawfully to illegal immigrants in Sabah and he expressly said during most of his ceramahs that this has to be resolved,” he said.

“When he was called to testify during the RCI hearing, his tone was different. And now, he is talking about international norms and practices. My stand is that most countries do have migrant population, including Malaysia, but these are migrants who come into the country legally, except those displaced refugees.

“These legal migrants, after legally staying for so many years, can apply for permanent stay or citizenship via the normal process. However in the case of Sabah, Malaysian ICs were deliberately issued and given to illegal immigrants like ‘pisang goreng’ on the street. This is proven in the evidence adduced during the RCI hearings. It seems that now the government has put the whole RCI hearing and reports on the back burner.

“I have said in Parliament that the action by the government in giving away citizenship to foreigners is like inviting outsiders into our house and giving them a knife. The Tanduo intrusion can never be less than a stark reminder of what might happen in the future.

The government should not be unduly jittery on the so-called Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) group.

“I have said in the State Assembly sitting recently that the SSKM is likened to that of a son who was neglected by the father on his request for certain necessities for so long. After enduring a deaf ear from the father, he threatens to run away from home, raising red flag to the father to draw his attention. The real demand from the people is a review of the Malaysian agreement,” he stressed.

The government, he feels, should partake a positive approach by calling for dialogue and listening to the underlying issues instead of waging threats of arrest under the Sedition Act.

“Once again, I would like to remind the government that the real threat to national unity and integrity is the presence of huge numbers of immigrants in Sabah, many of whom were given ICs for short-term political expediency of those in power. The risk of a reverse takeover in Sabah is more than just a possibility in the future if the government does not take corrective step today,” he stressed.

On the arrest of nine people in Tuaran under the Sedition Act, Bumburing called on the government to relook their policy towards Sabah as a sovereign State within Malaysia.

As earlier said, the call by Sabahans for a review of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) has reached a pivotal point where the Federal Government must look into what short-changes they have made on Sabah in as far as State’s right is concerned as provided for under the MA63.

“These call for equality, for restoration of indigenous rights, which is clearly defined in the MA63, must not be construed as secession plot. It is not too late to call for a meeting among all the stakeholders and have a relook into the MA63 to rectify any wrongs that have been done,” he pointed out.

Source: http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/02/03/anwars-position-on-issues-affecting-sabah-sarawak-have-shifted-bumburing/

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Kenyataan RASMI SSKM-SSU(UK) berhubung dengan Insiden Penahanan Sukarelawan-Sukarelawati di Tuaran

Salam sejahtera dan salam perpaduan kepada semua Bangsa Negara Sabah dan Bangsa Negara Sarawak yang Merdeka dan Berdaulat. Saya Doris Jones mewakili sebuah Kumpulan sosial didalam Facebook dengan nama Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia yang kini sudah bergerak dibawah naungan sebuah badan NGO yang berdaftar secara SAH dibawah bidang kuasa Perundangan United Kingdom  of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) iaitu Sabah Sarawak Union (UK) ingin membuat satu kenyataan RASMI berhubung dengan Insiden Penahanan Sukarelawan-sukarelawan SSKM-SSU(UK) di Daerah Tuaran yang bertarikh 1 Februari 2015.

Pihak kami telah dimaklumkan bahawa penahanan oleh pihak polis terhadap sukarelawan-sukarelawati SSKM-SSU(UK) pada jam 10.45 am adalah disebabkan oleh beberapa alasan. Antaranya adalah kerana sukarelawan-sukarelawati telah memungut tandatangan dikalangan orang awam bagi petisyen untuk menuntut hak-hak Bangsa Negara Sabah dan Bangsa Negara Sarawak agar ia dikembalikan dan dihormati. Selain itu juga, mereka ditahan atas sebab baju yang dipakai oleh sukarelawan-sukarelawati adalah berunsur "kenegerian @ Sabahan".

Jumlah yang telah ditangkap adalah seramai 9 orang yang mana 3 orang adalah daripada NGO SSKM-SSU(UK), 4 orang daripada NGO Semangat Satu Perjuangan Rakyat (SSPR) dan 2 orang adalah sukarelawan baru. Aktiviti memungut tandatangan petisyen ini adalah jalinan kerjasama terbuka kepada semua orang yang menyokong perjuangan menuntut hak Bangsa Negara Sabah dan Bangsa Negara Sarawak. Ia disahuti dengan sukarela tanpa sebarang paksaan mahupun bayaran.

Berdasarkan maklumat yang diterima pada waktu tengah hari bersamaan hari Ahad itu, telefon bimbit sukarelawan-sukarelawati yang ditahan didalam balai polis tuaran telah dirampas bagi tujuan siasatan. Tiga orang sukarelawati telah digari menggunakan "plastic cuff".

Apa yang menyedihkan pihak kami ialah pihak Polis telah melakukan tindakan tanpa mengikut prosedur yang betul. Mereka dinafikan hak untuk mendapatkan peguam bela malah dipaksa untuk menurunkan tandatangan yang menyatakan bahawa mereka bersetuju untuk didakwa dibawah akta hasutan 1948. Tambahan lagi penerangan mereka telah dirakam. Selain itu, Pintu pagar utama balai polis Tuaran telah ditutup dan kelihatan anggota-anggota FRU telah bersedia seolah-olah menganggap pihak kami ingin merusuh ke dalam balai polis. Sebuah ambulans telah dipanggil polis untuk datang sebagai persedian jikalau berlaku sebarang kekecohan yang akan mendatangkan kecederaan.

Sokongan telah datang tanpa henti malah jumlahnya semakin bertambah sejak tengah hari sehinggalah ke waktu petang. Datuk Yong Teck Lee dan En.Amde Sidek telah dipanggil untuk memberikan khidmat bantuan guaman kepada 9 orang sukarelawan-sukarelawati namun kuasa guaman mereka telah dinafikan oleh seorang pegawai polis berpangkat Ch.Supt Fuad Bin Abdul Malik yang juga merupakan OCPD diluar pintu pagar balai polis Tuaran.

Berlaku perdebatan diantara pihak polis dengan penyokong yang telah datang. Pihak kami juga telah difahamkan bahawa En.Hasmin Azroy telah diugut oleh pihak polis kerana didakwa mengganggu siasatan polis. Apabila beliau menyoal pihak polis tersebut dibawah akta apakah mereka ditahan, pihak polis tersebut dengan jelas mengatakan "Tiada akta". Seterusnya En.Hasmin Azroy menjawab, jikalau tiada akta atas penahanan mereka, mengapa mereka tidak dibenarkan untuk mendapatkan guaman dan ditahan seolah-olah seperti penjenayah? Perdebatan terus berlangsung sehinggalah ke waktu petang yang telah menyaksikan kehadiran penyokong perjuangan menuntut hak-hak bangsa Negara Sabah dan bangsa Negara Sarawak telah meningkat sehingga 80 orang. Yang turut hadir bersama dalam perdebatan pada waktu itu juga adalah En.Jalibin Paidi yang merupakan Presiden NGO SSPR dan beberapa penyokong perjuangan ini.

Datuk James Ligunjang dan juga Datuk Kelakau Untol juga telah bergegas datang untuk memberikan sokongan. Yang turut hadir juga untuk memberikan sokongan adalah En.James Steven, Dexter Chin dan Stephan Gaimin.

Kesemua 9 sukarelawan-sukarelawati telah dibebaskan dengan jaminan 18 orang penjamin yang mana pihak polis telah meminta 2 orang penjamin untuk setiap tahanan. Mereka telah dibebaskan pada jam 5.45 pm dan disambut dengan lagu Kebangsaan Negara Sabah iaitu Sabah Tanah Airku.

Pihak kami juga difahamkan bahawa pada 13 Februari 2015 ini, kesemua 9 orang sukarelawan-sukarelawati telah dikehendaki untuk datang semula ke balai polis Tuaran untuk memberikan keterangan bagi membantu siasatan.

Kesimpulan daripada insiden ini, pihak kami mengecam sekeras-kerasnya tindakan pihak polis yang telah bertindak menahan sukarelawan-sukarelawati ini dan tindakan mereka boleh ditafsirkan sebagai mengganggu aktiviti SSKM-SSU(UK). Penafian guaman kepada penahanan ini jelas membuktikan perlanggaran hak asasi. 

Ingin pihak kami sampaikan mesej kepada kerajaan persekutuan tanah melayu (malaya) yang telah menyamar menjadi kerajaan persekutuan malaysia bahawa penahanan ini sedikit pun tidak akan membuatkan pihak kami berundur malah ia memberikan satu kekuatan lagi untuk berdepan dengan lebih baik jikalau insiden seumpama ini berulang lagi. Perjuangan ini tidak menyalahi undang-undang mahupun perlembagaan negara malah ia sebenarnya dilindungi. 

Jikalau ia menyalahi undag-undang dan perlembagaan negara, sila nyatakan dengan jelas dan bawakan hal ini ke makhamah untuk diputuskan. Saya sebagai pengasas kepada perjuangan ini mencabar pihak kerajaan menyamar ini untuk memfailkan saman kepada saya di UK agar perkara ini dapat diputuskan untuk menentukan siapakah yang sebenarnya bersalah dan melanggar undang-undang serta perlembagaan. Sebarang dakwaan haruslah ditujukan kepada saya dan bukan kepada sukarelawan-sukarelawati. Perbuatan mendakwa mereka adalah satu bukti yang jelas bahawa kerajaan menyamar ini hanya mampu untuk membuli dan mengugut rakyat negara Sabah dan rakyat negara Sarawak agar berdiam daripada bersuara menuntut kebenaran dan hak yang sememangnya milik bangsa Negara Sabah dan bangsa Negara Sarawak.

Sesungguhnya pihak antarabangsa sedang mengikuti segala perkembangan yang berlaku di negara Sabah dan negara Sarawak setiap hari.

Akhir kata, pihak kami daripada SSKM-SSU(UK) ingin merakamkan ribuan terima kasih kepada semua orang yang terlibat dalam pembebasan sukarelawan-sukarelawati yang telah memungut tandatangan petisyen untuk menuntut hak bangsa Negara Sabah dan bangsa Negara Sarawak. Penyokong-penyokong kepada perjuangan hak yang telah hadir di balai Polis Tuaran telah memberikan kekuatan semangat dan dorongan kepada perjuangan ini. Tidak lupa juga sokongan yang telah diterima melalui media sosial iaitu didalam Facebook dan Whatsapp. Pihak kami juga ingin memanjangkan penghargaan kepada pemberita yang datang untuk membuat liputan berita ini.

Ribuan Terima Kasih Tidak Terhingga pihak kami ucapakan sekali lagi!

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Nine probed for supporting Sabah secession group sets up legal team

KOTA KINABALU, Feb 3 — A legal team is being set up to defend the nine individuals under investigation for their alleged support of pro-secession movement Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM).

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee confirmed today that the nine are currently in the process of selecting their lawyers.

The politician said, however, that he was “not yet” a part of the legal team that will defend the group believed to be part of the controversial SSKM.

“They are choosing their lawyers and they have asked for help,” said Yong, adding that he has yet to meet with the nine since Sunday night, after their release from police custody.

Yong, whose party is known for its call for autonomy for Sabah, said he discovered from the nine that their mobile phones were confiscated when he spoke briefly to them at the Tuaran district police station on Sunday.

Nine individuals aged between 24 and 50 years were arrested in Tuaran on Sunday for handing out allegedly seditious pamphlets and mounting a signature campaign pushing for Sabah rights.

A brief commotion, including the singing of Sabah’s state anthem, took place outside the police station later when friends of the nine arrested, as well as several SAPP leaders, were denied entry.

The nine were later released on RM2,000 bail the same evening.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Zahid Hamidi had last year issued stern warnings to supporters of the call for Sabah and Sarawak to leave Malaysia, saying those involved in any secessionist movement will face the law.

UK-based lawyer Doris Jones, who has claimed to be the person behind the SSKM social media group, defended the group’s actions and said the presence of the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) during Sunday’s arrest was unnecessary.

“I declare that all our volunteers are free from arm weapons and why FRU are ready for them still in question,” she said in a Facebook post today.

Jones, who claims to be the founder of UK-based “Sabah Sarawak Union” said she found the incident “appalling,” and called on Putrajaya to bring the matter up to the  International Criminal court.

State CID chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Datuk Salehhudin Abdul Rahman when contacted by Malay Mail Online this afternoon said that the police are still investigating the incident and will submit their findings to the deputy public prosecutor’s office for further action.

The case is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act for printing, publishing, selling (or offering for sale), distribution, reproduction or importation of seditious materials.

Talk of secession became rife in August last year, with groups across several social media platforms organising themselves into a loose alliance and operating under the SSKM banner.

The movement gained traction, particularly among youths and youngsters in rural Sabah and Sarawak, who called for a review of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 that saw four distinct groups: The Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, and North Borneo — now called Sabah — combine forces to form one nation.

Source: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/nine-probed-for-supporting-sabah-secession-group-sets-up-legal-team#sthash.2AG3c3fj.wiePXzGb.dpuf

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‘Tuaran police seem well prepared for arrest of SSKM activists’

KOTA KINABALU, Feb 2, 2015: Police seemed to be well prepared for the Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) activists, judging from the backup and food for their long night of work.

“It was as though they (police) were expecting us. They had the FRUs (Federal Reserve Unit), ambulance and oddly, catered food,” Sabah Sarawak Union (UK) member Milin Biok told The Rakyat Post, adding that it was the first time they had any problem with the “authority”.

Although he was not one of them, Milin said the nine arrested were part of volunteers going around to collect signatures for a petition, established by the Sabah Sarawak people.

“This petition is an outcry over the injustice towards Sabah and Sarawak because for 51 years, the two states was sidelined compared to Malaya states,” he said.

He said they were calling for the review of the Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

However, Milin declined to elaborate furthermore the issues, adding that their teams of lawyers would be sitting soon to discuss on their next cause of action.

“We will come out with an official statement soon to stop all these speculations,” he said.

The nine Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) activists were detained for several hours at the Tuaran district police headquarters for questioning on Sunday.

It was learnt that they were nabbed while soliciting signatures for a petition seeking the secession of Sabah at the weekly tamu (open market) in Tuaran about 10am.

Former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, who was called by the nine to be their legal counsel and to bail them out, said he was informed of their detention about 1.30pm, and saw FRU personnel stationed at the main gate.

“We arrived there about 3pm and by that time, a crowd of some 50 people were already waiting at the gate,” said the Sabah Progressive Party president.

He alleged that the police had called for an ambulance to be on stand-by near the police station due to concerns that the huge turnout would turn ugly.

Yong said at 5.10pm, 18 people were asked to be guarantors, two for each detainee, and that the nine were released about 6.20pm.

Veteran Sabah politician Datuk James Ligunjang, who also came to the activists’ rescue, said Yong and himself had volunteered to be among the guarantors.

“I heard rumours that I was among the nine; it is indeed incorrect.

“I went to Tuaran because I was told that some.of the activists had worn the Hormati Perjanjian Malaysia (Respect the Malaysian Agreement) T-shirt, which I initiated as part of my campaign to gain people’s support for the review of the five decades old agreement,” he said.

Ligunjang said the activists, whom he described as “passionate Sabahans”, are expected to report to the Tuaran police station on Feb 13.

“Are we going to sue the police? For now, we cannot decide … we will cross the bridge once we get there,” he said.

Sabah State Reform Party (Sabah Star) chief Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan meanwhile expressed disappointment over the activists’ arrest, adding that the heavy presence of enforcers showed an inability to deal with such a situation.

“The activists were just voicing out the people’s grouses. This is probably their last resort after all past efforts had gone to deaf ears.

“Promises after promises from the federal government; that they will listen and consider what East Malaysians want, yet nothing is done,” he said.

Kitingan said the authorities seem to be practising favouritism.

“The police should be arresting those issuing identification cards to illegal immigrants, or maybe (Perkasa president) Datuk Ibrahim Ali who is obviously inciting people and who always comes up with controversial statements.”

He added that the authorities’ recent actions might backfire as it would encourage more rallies in the future.

Source: http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/02/02/tuaran-police-seem-well-prepared-arrest-sskm-activists/#ixzz3QhSgBPpq

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