12 held for burning Sabah flags

Police in Lahad Datu have arrested 12 men for burning state flags in the east coast town Saturday.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said they had received a tip-off at 8.40am that a group of men had burned six flags in front of the town’s market.

“Some of the men were also seen carrying yellow flags bearing the insignia of a red lion, believed to be the pre-independence flag of the Governor of Sabah”, he said.

He added that the flag has long fallen into disuse.

Noor Rashid said by the time police reached the scene, the men had already fled.

They left behind burnt remains of the flags.

Some of the men were then seen running towards the district police headquarters, where they were promptly arrested and investigated for illegal assembly, he said.

Noor Rashid added that those detained were aged between 14 and 41 years.

“We are still investigating the motive of the incident. “The alleged group leader has claimed to be a descendant of the Sulu Sultan,” Noor Rashid said.

Lahad Datu police immediately deployed more than 80 personnel around the town area following the incident.