'Up to authorities to declassify report on crash that killed Sabah ministers'

Deputy Sabah Chief Minister Christina Liew said it was up to the relevant authorities to declassify the report on the Double Six incident which claimed the lives of 11 people, including former Sabah chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens, three state ministers, and an assistant minister.

Liew said she as well as Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal had previously already called for the report’s declassification.

"However, it is up to the relevant authorities to decide whether they want to declassify the report.

"It's been 43 years, I believe (the authorities) have their reasons for not wanting to reveal it to the public," she was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.

She said this today while representing Shafie at a ceremony at the Double Six memorial in Sembulan, Sabah.

The Double Six incident, which occurred on June 6, 1976, crippled the Sabah government when an aircraft carrying key state leaders crashed.

Apart from Fuad Stephens, the other state ministers who perished were Peter Mojuntin, Salleh Sulong, and Chong Thien Vun, along with assistant minister Darius Binion.

The crash, and the federal government's refusal to declassify the report on the crash, had fueled conspiracy theories as it happened at a time when Kuala Lumpur was negotiating for Sabah to hand over its oil rights in exchange for a five percent royalty.