KOTA KINABALU: Police have dismissed social media chatter that two suspected Abu Sayyaf kidnap group members killed in the east coast Sandakan district last week had links with local politicians.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali said the incident had nothing to do with any politician or political parties but mainly due to employers hiring illegal immigrants without proper documents.

“It was just a careless mistake by estate owners for not checking the backgrounds of their foreign workers during the hiring process.

“This makes it easier for criminals as well as Abu Sayyaf members to mingle among other foreign workers.

"It makes it difficult for authorities to identify them as they do not have any documents to be in the country," he told reporters during a working visit to the Penampang district police headquarters near here Friday (Aug 27).

Comm Hazani urged all employers to thoroughly check on their foreign workers before hiring them to avoid similar incidents in Pulau Timbang, Sandakan last week and Beaufort on May 17.

He said the shooting incident in Beaufort on May 17 took place at an illegal squatter area at Taman Sri Arjuna about 100km from here.

Hazani said that hiring foreign workers with proper documents was important as authorities would be able to cross-check their identities and data with their foreign counterparts.

“This will also help to avoid wanted criminals or Abu Sayyaf members from taking refuge in our country," he said when asked to comment on viral social media claims that the incident in Sandakan was linked with a well-known politician in Sabah.

He said that action could also be taken against employers for hiring and harbouring illegal immigrants under the Immigration Act.

He urged the public not to spread false information, which could only cause panic among the public.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/08/27/no-politicians-linked-to-abu-sayyaf-say-sabah-police