KOTA KINABALU, July 1 — Malaysian security forces engaged in a shootout with armed intruders near Semporna’s Pom Pom Island, some 45 minutes off Sabah’s east coast early yesterday morning.

According to Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) commander Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun, the incident occurred after police personnel stationed at the island heard the sound of a pump boat at about 3am.

He said the policemen then shone flashlights in the direction of the noise and heard gunshots coming from that direction about 200m away.

“They returned fire and a few seconds later, the policemen heard the sound of the engine fading away into the distance.

After several seconds, they approached the location but the intruders managed to elude security forces in the dark, heading towards Pandanan and Mataking Island and possibly to the borders of the Philippine Sea.

No injuries were sustained by the Malaysian police or General Operations Force involved in the shootout, and witnesses could not determine whether the suspects were hit or the numbers involved.

Authorities believe these were intruders or cross-border criminals, but are investigating the possibility that they were living in the nearby islands.

On November 15, 2013, Taiwanese tourist Lim Min Hsu, 57, was shot dead by armed intruders from southern Philippines while vacationing on the island’s resort while his wife, 58-year-old Chang An Wei, was kidnapped. She was released a month later.

Rashid said the area, popular with beach-loving tourists, was protected by security forces in several locations around the region, which was under a curfew zone imposed since July last year.