m. on April 1 or 750 more arrivals from the 11 a.m. March 27 update of 4,439, records from the Regional Human Rights Commission (RHRC) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) showed.
The RHRC’s “Sabah Evacuee Map” as of April 1 lists as among the new arrivals 143 persons who were “part of one big group that arrived in Taganak (Tawi-tawi) on unknown dates in different smaller boats.”
Two navy boats, PG 370 Jose Andrada and PS 36BRP Apolinario Mabini were dispatched to rescue them from Taganak.
Thousands had been fleeing Sabah for fear of getting caught in the crossfire in the operations Malaysian authorities launched against members of the “Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and Northern Borneo” to flush them out of Lahad Datu in Sabah.
The figure 5,189 does not include the 288 persons persons on board a commercial ferry who arrived in Zamboanga City on March 2 following their deportation from Sabah and whose deportation had nothing to do with the standoff in Lahad Datu.
The RHRC’s “Sabah Evacuee Map” (see attached map) shows a total of 5,189 evacuees, 288 classified under “organized” or those officially deported by Sabah, and the remaining 5,189 classified under “self” or voluntary evacuation.
The 5,189 evacuees arrived on 64 boats from Sabah, Tawau, Sandakan, Semporna, Perda and Lahad Datu.
Sulu posted the highest number of arrivals at 3,589 on board 22 boats, followed by Tawi-tawi’s 1,284 on board 39 boats and Basilan at 290 on board two boats.[]
