MANILA: The Philippine military yesterday disputed a newspaper report that its naval and coast guard forces killed 35 gunmen to stop them from entering the Malaysian state of Sabah.
Malaysia’s The Star quoted Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as saying at a news conference yesterday in Penang that Philippine troops shot the gunmen from southern Sulu province before they could enter Malaysian waters, after the gunmen had refused to turn back. Philippine regional naval commander Capt. Renato Yonque says the border with Malaysia has been “very quiet,” and “we have no information on that.”
Ahmad Zahid and his aides did not immediately answer calls to their cell phones.
Since March, Malaysian troops have battled armed followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III of Sulu who is claiming Sabah.
Police nab 3 Indians with bomb in car
A Philippine police official, meanwhile, says three Indian nationals are facing charges of illegal explosives possession after a powerful homemade bomb was found inside their car.
Regional police chief Benito Estipona says a mechanic found the device in the engine compartment Wednesday at a car dealership in Laguna province’s Alaminos township. The three men left the vehicle there for repairs.
He says the device was fashioned from C4 explosives connected to a detonator, battery and a cellphone.
Estipona said yesterday that police will continue investigating to determine those responsible for placing the bomb in the car, but the three men were liable for carrying the device. He said a government prosecutor will determine the extent of their criminal liability or whether they were the targets of a would-be bombing.
Philippine police disarmed the bomb when they found it in the engine compartment of an Indian businessman’s car after he drove the vehicle to a garage for repairs, officials said yesterday.
The car repair shop alerted police when a mechanic found the device after the Indian owner, a money lender, and two compatriots drove there for repairs, Senior Inspector Walter Ebora told AFP.
“We still cannot conclude what the motive was. They could be the targets or it could be an act of terrorism,” said Ebora, the police chief of Alaminos town, about three hours’ drive from Manila where the car shop is located.
Police described the bomb as made from military-grade C-4 explosives rigged to a mobile phone triggering device.
Officers took the three men in for questioning but Ebora later said they were being released pending further investigations. The three have lived in the area for several years and can speak the local language, he added.
Violence related to business or political rivalries is common in the Philippines, where there is an active black market for weapons, such as guns and explosives.
