KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian security forces have destroyed nearly 140 houses belonging to an indigenous sea-dwelling community off Borneo island's Sabah state in a major anti-crime crackdown, a local government ministry said on Friday.Sabah's Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment said '138 unauthorized settlements' were demolished between Tuesday and Thursday.
The area houses mainly the indigenous Bajau Laut, a community of mostly stateless sea-dwelling nomads who typically live along the coasts in stilt houses and huts.Activists have condemned the action against the Bajau Laut.'Does this situation create a more secure environment? How much of the nation's money has been stolen by the Bajau Laut for them to be treated like animals?' Mukmin Nantang, the founder of the activist group Borneo Komrad, posted on Facebook in Malay on Thursday.