Does airstrikes really end the Tanduo siege ?

By Irfan Danial Leddu

LAHAD DATU : The month-long siege of a small Kampung Tanduo near Lahad Datu is set to end today with military jet fighters reportedly "bombing" the area earlier today.

Sources said, the army has taken over from the police today and would leave the scene soonest possible for Sabah's porous sea border in anticipation of further incursions.

A joint statement by the top brass of Malaysian army and police is expected anytime today after Prime Minister Najib Razak had earlier given green light for a decisive end of the siege after eight Malaysian policemen were killed by armed Sulu invaders.

According to sources here, the Prime Minister himself could be issuing a statement later here today where effort to fly him to Sabah's east-coast unwrapped.

Najib had been under pressure to act decisively with former premier Mahathir Mohamad pushing him for a swift end for the group he described "un-islamic" and had no respect for life.

"They are violent. Not only did they kill our soldiers but mutilate even the dead... Malaysia should be firm and decisive (keras dan tegas)," Mahathir had said.

The opposition Pakatan Rakyat meanwhile bemoaned the ruling party's slowness to act to put to rest the siege and called for Parliament to meet as the nation's sovereignty is under threat.

Earlier today, reports of villagers from nearby kampungs Sungai Merah and Tanjung Labian fleeing their kampungs in trucks and lorries were carried by news sites and blogs.

The villagers were also quoted as hearing loud bombing sounds at around 8.18am in Tanduo with fighter jets swooping in at least four times.

"They started bombing the area this morning..." said one Nasir Asrama, 38, as reported by few blogs that have dedicated their space for the Lahad Datu siege.

It was not established if the loud "bomb" sound were bombs or from strapping from the jets.

The area surrounding Tanduo where about 130 armed Sulu men were holed-up since Feb 12, has virtually become a war zone where public including reporters were barred from coming near to it.

Roadblocks have been put up virtually every where in Sabah towns now, manned by more policemen than usual with heavy automatic weapons.

Surveys also found out that the police for the past two days had also put sand bags at road blocks camps as a pre-emptive measure. It is feared that, and it is the public perception in Sabah that some of these armed men were hiding either in boats at high seas or at secluded spots near water villages that have many Suluk-speaking "locals".