KOTA KINABALU: Sabah takes a strong stance against violence, said state assistant Youth and Sports minister Datuk Fairuz Renddan.
He was referring to the case of a male student found dead in a dormitory room at a vocational college in Lahad Datu.
The victim was allegedly beaten by classmates during the incident.
"This incident occurred in the college dormitory and reportedly involved many dormitory residents.
"We urge the police and the Higher Education Ministry to conduct a thorough and detailed investigation so that appropriate action can be taken against those involved.
"Such incidents can be prevented if students and dormitory residents have discipline and a high level of tolerance.
"Any misunderstandings among dormitory residents should be immediately reported to the dormitory warden.
"This is important to ensure that unwanted incidents like those in Lahad Datu do not recur in the future," he said in a statement.
The victim, Mohammad Nazmie Aizzat Muhd Narul Azwan, 17, was found unconscious by the dormitory warden at 6.50am.
Fairuz said that schools and the Education Department also need to address cases of physical bullying reported in state secondary schools.
"Schools and the Education Department are also urged to ensure disciplinary action is taken against guilty students and not to compromise with bullying and violence involving school students."