SANDAKAN – The Sabah government is developing plans to provide humanitarian assistance and solutions for the Bajau Laut people, whose houses in Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TSMP), Semporna were demolished last week.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the demolitions were necessary for security and sovereignty reasons.
“We have thought of something (assistance) good for them, but what had been done (demolition) was because of security, the sovereignty of the country,” he said when met by reporters at a function in Kota Kinabalu, today.
Hajiji urged the public not to politicise the issue, asserting that the Sabah government is capable of managing the situation and supporting the displaced Bajau Laut community.
Reluctant to provide further details, Hajiji mentioned that the government will soon announce its plan for assisting the affected community.
Earlier reports indicated that authorities demolished 138 illegal houses in the TSMP between June 4 and June 6.
The operation involved multiple agencies, including Sabah Parks, police, marine police, the Semporna district office, Eastern Sabah Security Command, the Immigration Department, the National Registration Department, and the Semporna District Council.
Public criticism arose after videos of the demolished houses being burned circulated, with human rights lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh condemning the actions as “barbaric.”
Sabah Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew asserted that the demolitions were for security purposes, but denied that the authorities had set the houses on fire. – June 11, 2024