Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and its parent company Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) should stop coercing the people of Sabah, particularly in Sandakan, to accept the controversial proposed construction of a coal-fired power plant in Sandakan, said the state's former deputy chief minister and former state science and technology adviser Tham Nyit Shen yesterday.

Instead, the authorities should start exploring other alternative sources of energy that are readily available in Sabah, including hydro and natural gas, he added.