SABAH chatrooms were abuzz today over the tense hostage-taking incident earlier, with many again blaming the state’s migrant problem as the root of its social ills. 

Many said Telipok, a sub-district under Tuaran near Sepanggar, has long been populated by illegal Filipino immigrants. 

They also held foreigners responsible for most of the state’s crimes.  

Clarence Sinsua of Penampang said Telipok had become a hot spot for dubious people, while Ansari Abdullah said “even the police are scared to enter Telipok Ria”. 

A former senior civil servant, Wilfred Lingam, meanwhile, blamed the huge presence of illegal migrants on the past Barisan Nasional government. 

Lingam cited the purported “Projek IC”, allegedly masterminded by Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he was the fourth prime minister in the 1990s. 

Projek IC was believed to be an attempt by the past federal government to increase the number of Muslims in Sabah. 

It was also supposedly an attempt to increase the number of voters for Sabah Umno. 

Ben CM, meanwhile, said the sudden influx of foreigners was the collective reponsibility of those who had been in power and those who are now in power. 

“It is my hope to hear from the Tuaran MP on how to solve and eradicate the Illegal immigrant problem in Sabah soon,” he said. 

He feared the hostage-taking incident in Telipok Ria today was only “the tip of the iceberg”. 

“Do we know how many blocks are there in Telipok Ria? A lot!” he said. 

Ansari, meanwhile, said: “A local tenant in Telipok Ria told me that his flat on the fourth floor was broken into and thieves had also scaled a pipeline into his flat. 

“Stolen cars were also found there with their parts stripped down,” A. Obon said. 

Politician Henrynus Amin said many found the Telipok area extremely dangerous. 

“Their description of the area is beyond words,” he said. – January 13, 2019.