32. Sulu sultan defies Aquino

Sulu sultan defies Aquino

Withdraw now, or face the consequences.
President Aquino yesterday warned Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III he would face the “full force of the law”—possibly including arrest—unless he withdrew his armed followers from Sabah, Malaysia, but the sultan was defiant, saying his men were staying put in the disputed territory.
Amid the President’s warning, officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) met with Malaysian diplomats in Manila and simultaneously sent one of its senior officials to Kuala Lumpur to help end the crisis.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told the Inquirer Tuesday night that among those who could face arrest and charges were “principals by inducement and principals by direct participation.” She said the sultan could possibly be charged for being a principal by inducement.
At a press conference before flying to Cagayan de Oro City, where he was to campaign for the administration’s senatorial ticket, Aquino called on Sultan Kiram to order his followers in Sabah to come home, saying the situation was nearing “the point of no return.”
“We are fast approaching that point,” Aquino said, apparently referring to the 48-hour extended deadline imposed by Malaysian authorities for the group led by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of the sultan, to leave the village of Tanduao village in Lahad Datu town.
The deadline was to expire at the last hour of Tuesday.
“This is a situation that can’t persist,” the President said. “This is the time to demonstrate that you are a true leader both in name and deed.”
- See more at: file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/sulu-sultan-defies-aquino.htm#sthash.sRbVJgzC.dpuf

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/65749/sulu-sultan-defies-aquino

 

Withdraw now, or face the consequences.
President Aquino yesterday warned Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III he would face the “full force of the law”—possibly including arrest—unless he withdrew his armed followers from Sabah, Malaysia, but the sultan was defiant, saying his men were staying put in the disputed territory.
Amid the President’s warning, officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) met with Malaysian diplomats in Manila and simultaneously sent one of its senior officials to Kuala Lumpur to help end the crisis.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told the Inquirer Tuesday night that among those who could face arrest and charges were “principals by inducement and principals by direct participation.” She said the sultan could possibly be charged for being a principal by inducement.
At a press conference before flying to Cagayan de Oro City, where he was to campaign for the administration’s senatorial ticket, Aquino called on Sultan Kiram to order his followers in Sabah to come home, saying the situation was nearing “the point of no return.”
“We are fast approaching that point,” Aquino said, apparently referring to the 48-hour extended deadline imposed by Malaysian authorities for the group led by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of the sultan, to leave the village of Tanduao village in Lahad Datu town.
The deadline was to expire at the last hour of Tuesday.
“This is a situation that can’t persist,” the President said. “This is the time to demonstrate that you are a true leader both in name and deed.”
- See more at: file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/sulu-sultan-defies-aquino.htm#sthash.sRbVJgzC.dpuf

Withdraw now, or face the consequences.
President Aquino yesterday warned Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III he would face the “full force of the law”—possibly including arrest—unless he withdrew his armed followers from Sabah, Malaysia, but the sultan was defiant, saying his men were staying put in the disputed territory.
Amid the President’s warning, officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) met with Malaysian diplomats in Manila and simultaneously sent one of its senior officials to Kuala Lumpur to help end the crisis.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told the Inquirer Tuesday night that among those who could face arrest and charges were “principals by inducement and principals by direct participation.” She said the sultan could possibly be charged for being a principal by inducement.
At a press conference before flying to Cagayan de Oro City, where he was to campaign for the administration’s senatorial ticket, Aquino called on Sultan Kiram to order his followers in Sabah to come home, saying the situation was nearing “the point of no return.”
“We are fast approaching that point,” Aquino said, apparently referring to the 48-hour extended deadline imposed by Malaysian authorities for the group led by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of the sultan, to leave the village of Tanduao village in Lahad Datu town.
The deadline was to expire at the last hour of Tuesday.
“This is a situation that can’t persist,” the President said. “This is the time to demonstrate that you are a true leader both in name and deed.”
- See more at: file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/sulu-sultan-defies-aquino.htm#sthash.sRbVJgzC.dpuf

 

Withdraw now, or face the consequences.
President Aquino yesterday warned Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III he would face the “full force of the law”—possibly including arrest—unless he withdrew his armed followers from Sabah, Malaysia, but the sultan was defiant, saying his men were staying put in the disputed territory.
- See more at: file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/sulu-sultan-defies-aquino.htm#sthash.sRbVJgzC.dpuf

 

 

Withdraw now, or face the consequences.
President Aquino yesterday warned Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III he would face the “full force of the law”—possibly including arrest—unless he withdrew his armed followers from Sabah, Malaysia, but the sultan was defiant, saying his men were staying put in the disputed territory.
Amid the President’s warning, officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) met with Malaysian diplomats in Manila and simultaneously sent one of its senior officials to Kuala Lumpur to help end the crisis.
- See more at: file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/sulu-sultan-defies-aquino.htm#sthash.sRbVJgzC.dpuf

Withdraw now, or face the consequences.
President Aquino yesterday warned Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III he would face the “full force of the law”—possibly including arrest—unless he withdrew his armed followers from Sabah, Malaysia, but the sultan was defiant, saying his men were staying put in the disputed territory.
Amid the President’s warning, officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) met with Malaysian diplomats in Manila and simultaneously sent one of its senior officials to Kuala Lumpur to help end the crisis.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told the Inquirer Tuesday night that among those who could face arrest and charges were “principals by inducement and principals by direct participation.” She said the sultan could possibly be charged for being a principal by inducement.
At a press conference before flying to Cagayan de Oro City, where he was to campaign for the administration’s senatorial ticket, Aquino called on Sultan Kiram to order his followers in Sabah to come home, saying the situation was nearing “the point of no return.”
“We are fast approaching that point,” Aquino said, apparently referring to the 48-hour extended deadline imposed by Malaysian authorities for the group led by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of the sultan, to leave the village of Tanduao village in Lahad Datu town.
The deadline was to expire at the last hour of Tuesday.
“This is a situation that can’t persist,” the President said. “This is the time to demonstrate that you are a true leader both in name and deed.”
- See more at: file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/sulu-sultan-defies-aquino.htm#sthash.sRbVJgzC.dpuf

Withdraw now, or face the consequences.
President Aquino yesterday warned Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III he would face the “full force of the law”—possibly including arrest—unless he withdrew his armed followers from Sabah, Malaysia, but the sultan was defiant, saying his men were staying put in the disputed territory.
Amid the President’s warning, officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) met with Malaysian diplomats in Manila and simultaneously sent one of its senior officials to Kuala Lumpur to help end the crisis.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told the Inquirer Tuesday night that among those who could face arrest and charges were “principals by inducement and principals by direct participation.” She said the sultan could possibly be charged for being a principal by inducement.
At a press conference before flying to Cagayan de Oro City, where he was to campaign for the administration’s senatorial ticket, Aquino called on Sultan Kiram to order his followers in Sabah to come home, saying the situation was nearing “the point of no return.”
“We are fast approaching that point,” Aquino said, apparently referring to the 48-hour extended deadline imposed by Malaysian authorities for the group led by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of the sultan, to leave the village of Tanduao village in Lahad Datu town.
The deadline was to expire at the last hour of Tuesday.
“This is a situation that can’t persist,” the President said. “This is the time to demonstrate that you are a true leader both in name and deed.”
Foolhardy act
Aquino stressed: “The right thing to do now would be to order your followers to return home as soon as possible… If you choose not to cooperate, the full force of the laws of the state will be used to achieve justice for all who have been put in harm’s way.”
Reminding the sultan that war had never been the Philippines’ policy in pressing its territorial claims, Aquino warned: “As President and chief executor of our laws, I have tasked an investigation into possible violations of laws by you, your followers, and collaborators engaged in this foolhardy act.”
He added: “May I remind you as well that… you are bound by the Constitution and its laws. Among your possible violations is Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, which states that the Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy.”
The President drew the sultan’s attention to the Revised Penal Code, which punishes those who “provoke or give occasion for a war… or expose Filipino citizens to reprisals on their persons or property.”
“You are now fully aware of the consequences of your actions,” said the President.
Appeal rejected
The ailing Kiram sounded unmoved by the warning.
At a news briefing in his house in Taguig City, Kiram rejected the President’s appeal for him to immediately recall his men who have been occupying a part of Sabah for nearly three weeks.
“I have already given my order to them. And they have to stay put in that area,” Kiram said in a muffled voice.
He said his men would not go back home “until an arrangement has been done by our officials and the President, and if that will be arranged accordingly with a written agreement signed by the parties concerned.”
Kiram said that in the last conversation he had with Agbimuddin on Monday, his younger brother told him that he and their 235 followers were firm in their decision to stay despite a food blockade ordered by the Malaysian authorities.
Asked what actions Agbimuddin and his men might take if the deadline for them to leave Sabah expired, the Sulu sultan said: “I asked them to wait for orders from me or from my [other] brothers.”
Ready to be jailed
Kiram, who has been suffering from diabetes for years, said he was ready to go to jail if the government filed a case against him and members of his clan.
“It’s OK with me. I’m already 74 years old. An old man going to jail? It’s OK,” Kiram said. “I cannot understand what violation I made… I have always respected the Constitution. My brother went down there with his men and settled down in their own homeland. Is that a violation?”
Asked if he considered Aquino’s statement a threat, he said: “Maybe that’s a threat for us.”
In a statement read by his daughter, Princess Jacel Kiram, the sultan reiterated that Agbimuddin and his men “will not initiate the violence… But we are prepared to defend our lives and aspirations.” He said the Sabah issue “can be peacefully settled without threat, but in a diplomatic way.”
“Is it hard for Malaysia to sit down in a square table and to diplomatically settle the issue on the claim? All we ask is for Malaysia to sit down with the Kirams and come up with a win-win solution,” Kiram stressed.
Envoy to KL
Kiram insists he is the head of the Sulu sultanate, which once controlled parts of Borneo, including the site of the standoff. The sultanate leased the disputed area to Europeans in the 1870s.
While the sultanate’s authority gradually faded as Western colonial powers exerted their influence over the region, it continued to receive lease payments for Sabah, which became part of Malaysia in 1963.
Abraham Idjirani, the sultanate’s secretary general, said the decision of Kiram’s followers to hold their ground “is not a hardline stance.” Idjirani told reporters: “We welcome the statement of the President. It’s a development on the right track.”
Foreign  Undersecretary Jose Brillantes has flown to Kuala Lumpur to help resolve the situation.
“We see that there would be a need for more people who would be able to help out in the coordination work…  He’s there to help Ambassador (Eduardo Malaya) to help in coordinating the peaceful resolution of this issue,” said DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez.
“Being a senior diplomat and being a former ambassador in Malaysia, he will also have some contacts and he would be able to coordinate well with the Malaysian authorities to be able to achieve the objectives to bring the group back home,” Hernandez said.
A ship the Philippines plans to use to ferry Kiram’s supporters home remains on standby in Tawi-Tawi.
Emergency meeting
De Lima called an emergency meeting with the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation but declined to say anything except that she had given them specific assignments.
De Lima said the only directive Aquino gave them was for the PNP and NBI to “investigate, find out and determine violations of the law that the Kiram group have committed through their actions…. with the end view of filing charges if warranted.”
Asked if an arrest was in order after the sultan said his followers remained in Sabah, she said: “So be it if that is the case.” On whether the sultan and his followers would be arrested if they defied  the President, De Lima said: “There is always that possibility.”
- See more at: file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/sulu-sultan-defies-aquino.htm#sthash.sRbVJgzC.dpuf

Withdraw now, or face the consequences.
President Aquino yesterday warned Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III he would face the “full force of the law”—possibly including arrest—unless he withdrew his armed followers from Sabah, Malaysia, but the sultan was defiant, saying his men were staying put in the disputed territory.
Amid the President’s warning, officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) met with Malaysian diplomats in Manila and simultaneously sent one of its senior officials to Kuala Lumpur to help end the crisis.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told the Inquirer Tuesday night that among those who could face arrest and charges were “principals by inducement and principals by direct participation.” She said the sultan could possibly be charged for being a principal by inducement.
At a press conference before flying to Cagayan de Oro City, where he was to campaign for the administration’s senatorial ticket, Aquino called on Sultan Kiram to order his followers in Sabah to come home, saying the situation was nearing “the point of no return.”
“We are fast approaching that point,” Aquino said, apparently referring to the 48-hour extended deadline imposed by Malaysian authorities for the group led by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of the sultan, to leave the village of Tanduao village in Lahad Datu town.
The deadline was to expire at the last hour of Tuesday.
“This is a situation that can’t persist,” the President said. “This is the time to demonstrate that you are a true leader both in name and deed.”
Foolhardy act
Aquino stressed: “The right thing to do now would be to order your followers to return home as soon as possible… If you choose not to cooperate, the full force of the laws of the state will be used to achieve justice for all who have been put in harm’s way.”
Reminding the sultan that war had never been the Philippines’ policy in pressing its territorial claims, Aquino warned: “As President and chief executor of our laws, I have tasked an investigation into possible violations of laws by you, your followers, and collaborators engaged in this foolhardy act.”
He added: “May I remind you as well that… you are bound by the Constitution and its laws. Among your possible violations is Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, which states that the Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy.”
The President drew the sultan’s attention to the Revised Penal Code, which punishes those who “provoke or give occasion for a war… or expose Filipino citizens to reprisals on their persons or property.”
“You are now fully aware of the consequences of your actions,” said the President.
Appeal rejected
The ailing Kiram sounded unmoved by the warning.
At a news briefing in his house in Taguig City, Kiram rejected the President’s appeal for him to immediately recall his men who have been occupying a part of Sabah for nearly three weeks.
“I have already given my order to them. And they have to stay put in that area,” Kiram said in a muffled voice.
He said his men would not go back home “until an arrangement has been done by our officials and the President, and if that will be arranged accordingly with a written agreement signed by the parties concerned.”
Kiram said that in the last conversation he had with Agbimuddin on Monday, his younger brother told him that he and their 235 followers were firm in their decision to stay despite a food blockade ordered by the Malaysian authorities.
Asked what actions Agbimuddin and his men might take if the deadline for them to leave Sabah expired, the Sulu sultan said: “I asked them to wait for orders from me or from my [other] brothers.”
Ready to be jailed
Kiram, who has been suffering from diabetes for years, said he was ready to go to jail if the government filed a case against him and members of his clan.
“It’s OK with me. I’m already 74 years old. An old man going to jail? It’s OK,” Kiram said. “I cannot understand what violation I made… I have always respected the Constitution. My brother went down there with his men and settled down in their own homeland. Is that a violation?”
Asked if he considered Aquino’s statement a threat, he said: “Maybe that’s a threat for us.”
In a statement read by his daughter, Princess Jacel Kiram, the sultan reiterated that Agbimuddin and his men “will not initiate the violence… But we are prepared to defend our lives and aspirations.” He said the Sabah issue “can be peacefully settled without threat, but in a diplomatic way.”
“Is it hard for Malaysia to sit down in a square table and to diplomatically settle the issue on the claim? All we ask is for Malaysia to sit down with the Kirams and come up with a win-win solution,” Kiram stressed.
Envoy to KL
Kiram insists he is the head of the Sulu sultanate, which once controlled parts of Borneo, including the site of the standoff. The sultanate leased the disputed area to Europeans in the 1870s.
While the sultanate’s authority gradually faded as Western colonial powers exerted their influence over the region, it continued to receive lease payments for Sabah, which became part of Malaysia in 1963.
Abraham Idjirani, the sultanate’s secretary general, said the decision of Kiram’s followers to hold their ground “is not a hardline stance.” Idjirani told reporters: “We welcome the statement of the President. It’s a development on the right track.”
Foreign  Undersecretary Jose Brillantes has flown to Kuala Lumpur to help resolve the situation.
“We see that there would be a need for more people who would be able to help out in the coordination work…  He’s there to help Ambassador (Eduardo Malaya) to help in coordinating the peaceful resolution of this issue,” said DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez.
“Being a senior diplomat and being a former ambassador in Malaysia, he will also have some contacts and he would be able to coordinate well with the Malaysian authorities to be able to achieve the objectives to bring the group back home,” Hernandez said.
A ship the Philippines plans to use to ferry Kiram’s supporters home remains on standby in Tawi-Tawi.
Emergency meeting
De Lima called an emergency meeting with the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation but declined to say anything except that she had given them specific assignments.
De Lima said the only directive Aquino gave them was for the PNP and NBI to “investigate, find out and determine violations of the law that the Kiram group have committed through their actions…. with the end view of filing charges if warranted.”
Asked if an arrest was in order after the sultan said his followers remained in Sabah, she said: “So be it if that is the case.” On whether the sultan and his followers would be arrested if they defied  the President, De Lima said: “There is always that possibility.”
- See more at: file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/sulu-sultan-defies-aquino.htm#sthash.sRbVJgzC.dpuf

 

31. DAP queries if some in the armed group have Mykad

DAP queries if some in the armed group have Mykad

Published on: Tuesday, February 26, 2013 http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=84443

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah DAP urged the authorities to ascertain whether it is true that some among the Filipino militants holed up in Kg Tanduo, in Lahad Datu, are actually MyKad holders.
Its Sabah chief-cum-Member of Parliament, Hiew King Cheu, said if true, then some of them are actually Malaysians regardless of how they obtained the document.
He also said many people are still puzzled how the group estimated at between 200 and 400 managed to get through the layers of Malaysian defence, namely the marine patrols, the MMEA and the army.
"According to people in Lahad Datu, the usual passenger number on these speedboats smuggling people is not more than 30.
"If even 150 militants landed, that means at least 5 speedboats had to do the dropping off. How come our Forces did not detect them?" he asked, adding this suggested that they are already in Sabah and that probably hundreds of thousands of them now have Mykad.
The group is said to have landed on Feb. 9 and have demanded that Malaysia recognise them as the Royal Sulu Sultanante army and for Malaysia to promise not to deport the Suluk illegals "because Sabah still belongs to the Sulu sultanate." He said the impression to the outside world is one of our Forces being bullied by a small bunch of militants from a defunct sultanate.
He said this is despite the Government having spent billions of Ringgit to equip the army, navy, air force and police with weapons, armoured vehicles, helicopters, fighter planes, warships and submarines.
"The negotiations have going on for too long and are becoming very fishy as it is now more than two weeks," he said.
"This is a lame approach by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to protect our national dignity and sovereignty. It just shows BN's complete weakness in handling a serious emergency situation.
"Their action should have been swift and decisive to demonstrate our security forces strength and power."
He said the security forces should have forced the intruders to surrender and put them behind bars under the country's law for entering Malaysia with deadly weapons.
"Under the law those having 'unlawful possession of firearms' in contravention of the Arms Act 1960 is punishable by death penalty, imprisonment for life or 10-14 years imprisonment with whipping with not less than six strokes of the rotan depending on the case," he said.
He said the patience of villagers are running thin as they were barred from entering their own village and back to their homes, while details of the so-called "negotiations" are withheld from public knowledge.
He said the present standoff is in stark contrast to the 1985 tragedy when armed men dressed in military fatigues fired randomly in public killing 11 people, while injuring others before robbing RM200,000 from a bank and a Malaysia Airliens Office in Lahad Datu.
In that incident, the security forces chased the attackers right to the border islands where they were believed to have come from.

30. Encroachment Incident In Lahad Datu Will Be Immediately Resolved

Encroachment Incident In Lahad Datu Will Be Immediately Resolved

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=930546

LAHAD DATU, Feb 26 (Bernama) -- Police have assured that the intrusion by a group of armed Filipinos in Kampung Tanduo, some 130 km from Lahad Datu town, will be resolved as soon as possible.

Without specifying exactly when it would end, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the episode which had been ongoing since Feb 12 would be resolved as soon as possible and advised the public not to be worried.

Asked on the action to be taken after the expiry of the period given by the authorities to the group last Sunday, Khalid only said: "Wait and see".

He said that action could be taken at any time on the 150 intruders who remained in Kampung Tanduo and refused to leave.

"We will end the present stand-off and I advise people not to worry. God willing, we will solve the matter as soon as possible," he told reporters here Tuesday.

When asked whether the negotiations were still going on with the group, Khalid said: "I do not want to comment on that matter (negotiation)".

Khalid also said police did not know anything about the claims by some parties that four Kiram family members (relatives of the Sultanate of Sulu) were purportedly arrested by the authorities.

Earlier, after receiving a briefing on the progress of the incident in Komtek Sahabat 16, Battalion 17, the General Operations Force (PGA) Felda Sahabat, he explained that the incursion by a group, claiming to be the Soldiers of the Sultanate of Sulu, was still under the responsibility of the Malaysian Police (PDRM).

He said the incident was still being handled as a national security issue and operations also involved other security agencies.

"The situation here is still as usual and the purpose of my visit this morning was just to meet my people on the ground," he said.

Also present at the press conference wer e Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director, Datuk Seri Salleh Mat Rashid, First Infantry Division Commander Major Gen Datuk Mohd Zaki Mokhtar and Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib.

Khalid said so far there were no external elements interfering in police efforts to resolve the issue, stressing it would not permit any such intervention in national security affairs.

-- BERNAMA

29. ph-senior-diplomat-off-to-kl-to-iron-out-sabah-problem

ph-senior-diplomat-off-to-kl-to-iron-out-sabah-problem

By Tarra Quismundo 


 http://globalnation.inquirer.net/65713/ph-senior-diplomat-off-to-kl-to-iron-out-sabah-problem
Philippine Daily Inquirer

5:27 pm | Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

 0  127  117

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs has sent a senior diplomat to Kuala Lumpur to coordinate efforts with the Malaysian authorities toward the speedy resolution of the Sabah standoff as the situation dragged on into its third week.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jose Brillantes is now in the Malaysian capital to help the Philippine Embassy there in expediting the resolution of the situation in Sabah, where followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III continue to stand their ground despite repeated appeals from the Philippine government for them to pull out.
“We see that at this point in time, there would be a need for more people who would be able to help out in the coordination work….  He’s there to help Ambassador (Eduardo Malaya) to help in coordinating the  peaceful resolution of this issue in Lahad Datu,” DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said at a news briefing Tuesday.
“Being a senior diplomat and being a former ambassador (to) Malaysia, he will also have some contacts and he would be able to coordinate well with the Malaysian authorities to be able to achieve the objectives to bring the group back home,” said Hernandez.
He reiterated the Philippine government’s appeal for Kiram’s group to return home peacefully.
“We don’t want to put them in harm’s way. And we believe the Kiram family are concerned about the welfare and interest of the people [in Lahad Datu]. We are hoping that immediately, he would abide by the advice and the appeal of the President,” said Hernandez.
President Aquino called on Kiram on Tuesday to urge his followers to return home or face prosecution under Philippine law.
Malaysia has set Tuesday, Feb. 26, as deadline for Kiram’s group to leave Sabah.
The deadline was first set on Friday, but was extended to Sunday, and again extended to Tuesday.

28. Aquino to sultan: Pull out or face charges

Aquino to sultan: Pull out or face charges

• http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/top-stories/42315-aquino-to-sultan-pull-out-or-face-charges

Published on 26 February 2013

Hits: 220

Written by Catherine S. Valente and Jefferson G. Antiporda Reporters

 0 1 0 1

 

President Benigno Aquino 3rd has given Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram 3rd an ultimatum on Tuesday, but the latter had said that his followers will fight for their right to stay in Sabah. MALACAÑANG AND AFP PHOTOS

SULTAN Jamalul Kiram 3rd and his followers may face charges for violating the Philippine Constitution, which renounces war as an “instrument of national policy” and for endangering the lives of Filipinos by their “foolhardy acts.”

President Benigno Aquino 3rd himself issued the stern warning on Kiram and his men, who continued to defy appeals for them to leave Lahad Datu town in Sabah and return home.

“And so this is my appeal to you: These are your people, and it behooves you to recall them. It must be clear to you that this small group of people will not succeed in addressing your grievances, and that there is no way that force can achieve your aims,” Aquino said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

“As President and chief executor of our laws, I have tasked an investigation into possible violations of laws by you, your followers and collaborators engaged in this foolhardy act,” he added.

He explained that as citizens of the republic, Kiram and his relatives are bound by the constitution and its laws.

Financier
The President also dropped hints that Kiram could not have acted alone in his quest and that the Muslim royalty could be enjoying support from a financier.

Aquino warned that the people behind the Sabah “instrusion” will suffer the full force of the law for conspiring to do prohibited acts.
The Chief Executive cited information indicating the Kirams could not have foot the bill in sending their followers to Sabah.

“We were given reports that they are not in very good financial condition. And we are also told that there are quite a large amount of money involved in ferrying people on launches from Tawi-Tawi to Sabah,” he said.

“Hence, the first logical question would be: Where did the funding come from? And who is funding them? So it seems clear at this point but we are still collating evidence that this was not an action just on their part,” he pointed out.

Defiant
Kiram, however, stood his ground, saying that his brother, crown prince Raja Muda Abdimuddin Kiram and their supporters will stay put in Sabah.

He pledged that his followers will not initiate violence. But the Kirams claimed that they are prepared to defend their lives and aspirations.
Raja Muda is the leader of the group that is now in Sabah numbering to 230.

“History proves that the sultan of Sulu have never been involved in any violence in its quest for justice,” Kiram said in a statement read before the media at his house in Taguig City.

He told Mr. Aquino that they “also want peace.”

“We didn’t wage war in the Philippines unlike the other movements which went against the government after the Jabidah massacre in 1968, which is the basis now of peace process,” Kiram said.

The sultan assured the President that once an agreement between the sultan of Sulu and Malaysia has been reached, all arms will be returned to the Philippines and the 235 security forces will stay in Sabah.

“Mr. President, I, Sultan Jamalul kiram 3rd pledges that my brother, Datu Raja Muda Adbimuddin Kiram and our followers will not initiate violence and I will sign it with my blood and that of my brother but we are prepared to defend our lives and our aspiration,” Kiram said.

He added that there is sufficient proof that will show that Sabah is theirs, and that the mere fact that the Malaysian government is paying them 5,300 ringgit ($1,700) yearly further strengthens their claim.

Two former presidents of the Philippines and Malaysia also recognized them as the rightful owner of North Borneo. They were the late president Diosdado Macapagal and Malaysian president Soekarno.
   
Consequences
Mr. Aquino said that among the provisions that may have been violated by the sultan and his followers is Article 2 Section 2 of the Constitution, which states that the Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy, the enabling law of which is Article 118 of the Revised Penal Code, which punishes those who “provoke or give occasion for a war . . . or expose Filipino citizens to reprisals on their persons or property.”

“My duty is very clear: it is to protect the interests of all of our people, and if that is not possible, then to do what will redound to the interests of the greatest majority. This is the time to demonstrate that you are a true leader both in name and deed. The right thing to do now would be to order your followers to return home as soon as possible,” he said.

“You are now fully aware of the consequences of your actions. The choices and consequences are yours. If you choose not to cooperate, the full force of the laws of the state will be used to achieve justice for all who have been put in harm’s way,” Aquino stressed.

The President stressed that Kiram should use his influence “to prevail on countrymen to desist from this hopeless cause,” noting that the longer
Kiram’s followers stay in Sabah, the more they endanger not just their own lives, but also those of the thousands of Filipinos living and working in Sabah.

“Most of these people are your fellow Muslims. This is a situation that cannot persist. If you are truly the leader of your people, you should be one with us in ordering your followers to return home peacefully,” he added

800,000 Filipinos in Sabah
Also on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that some 800,000 Filipinos in Sabah may lose their jobs and face deportation if relations between the Philippines and Malaysia are strained by the Sabah standoff.

“That is the [possible] repercussion of this incident. Imagine 800,000 Filipinos will be deported, where will you put them? Gazmin said.

“The sultan should think about the consequence. As a leader, a recognized leader, he should consider the interest of the people. How can we provide jobs for 800,000 people?” Gazmin asked.

In fact, Gazmin said that the “barter” trade between Mindanao and Sabah has already stopped and prices of goods in Tawi-Tawi and nearby areas have also spiked because of the incident.

Gazmin stressed that the Kirams could easily end the problem peacefully if he would order his followers to leave Sabah and look for other ways to strengthen their claim on Sabah.

“There are other legal ways of claiming. Right now our government, our President has tasked a group, a legal team to study the claim of the sultan,” Gazmin pointed out.

Gazmin added that a Philippine Navy ship is now on the territorial boundary of Sabah and Mindanao waiting for the group of Kiram.

50 percent of Sabah’s income
Kiram, however, said that his troops would only lay down their arms if the Philippines and Malaysia agreed to negotiate terms for joint development of Sabah.

Pressed for details, Kiram’s adviser Abraham Idjirani told reporters the sultanate should receive as royalties 50 percent of proceeds from Sabah’s economic growth—potentially many millions of dollars.

But Kiram also said that his followers wanted to remain in Sabah even if a financial deal was struck.

“[They want to] peacefully settle in Sabah, which is our homeland,” he said.
Aquino said that the sultan had 180 followers in Sabah. But Kiram said that he had 235 members of the “Royal Armed Forces of sultan of Sulu and North Borneo” there.

However, Aquino cautioned that the sultan that he could not expect to test the Malaysian government’s patience indefinitely without repercussions.

“The avenue of peaceful and open dialogue is still available to us . . . we have not yet reached the point of no return, but we are fast approaching that point,” Aquino said.

Only through dialogue
Aquino said that the standoff in Sabah will not lead to peaceful resolution of the situation.

“The avenue of peaceful and open dialogue is still available to us. Let us therefore sit down as brothers to address your grievances in a peaceful, calm manner according to our laws and according to correct processes when your people arrive home,” he said.

Reports said that Malaysian security forces have been given the go signal to disarm the sultan’s followers in Sabah.

Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib told reporters on Monday that heir troops could enter Tanduo village anytime to end the siege.

“It is only a question of right timing for us to act,’’ he said after a two-hour briefing in Lahad Datu.

Reports said that the crack VAT 69 Force is waiting for a signal to enter the village where the Filipinos have holed up. Hamza, however, was still hopeful that the standoff could be ended peacefully.

He also confirmed that five men suspected to be supporting the sultan’s group have been arrested and are being investigated.

AFP With a report Ffrom William B. Depasupil

27. PH senior diplomat off to KL to iron out Sabah problem

PH senior diplomat off to KL to iron out Sabah problem

By Tarra Quismundo   http://globalnation.inquirer.net/65713/ph-senior-diplomat-off-to-kl-to-iron-out-sabah-problem
Philippine Daily Inquirer

5:27 pm | Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

 0  127  117

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs has sent a senior diplomat to Kuala Lumpur to coordinate efforts with the Malaysian authorities toward the speedy resolution of the Sabah standoff as the situation dragged on into its third week.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jose Brillantes is now in the Malaysian capital to help the Philippine Embassy there in expediting the resolution of the situation in Sabah, where followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III continue to stand their ground despite repeated appeals from the Philippine government for them to pull out.
“We see that at this point in time, there would be a need for more people who would be able to help out in the coordination work….  He’s there to help Ambassador (Eduardo Malaya) to help in coordinating the  peaceful resolution of this issue in Lahad Datu,” DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said at a news briefing Tuesday.
“Being a senior diplomat and being a former ambassador (to) Malaysia, he will also have some contacts and he would be able to coordinate well with the Malaysian authorities to be able to achieve the objectives to bring the group back home,” said Hernandez.
He reiterated the Philippine government’s appeal for Kiram’s group to return home peacefully.
“We don’t want to put them in harm’s way. And we believe the Kiram family are concerned about the welfare and interest of the people [in Lahad Datu]. We are hoping that immediately, he would abide by the advice and the appeal of the President,” said Hernandez.
President Aquino called on Kiram on Tuesday to urge his followers to return home or face prosecution under Philippine law.
Malaysia has set Tuesday, Feb. 26, as deadline for Kiram’s group to leave Sabah.
The deadline was first set on Friday, but was extended to Sunday, and again extended to Tuesday.

26. Senators back Aquino’s call to end Sabah standoff peacefully

Senators back Aquino’s call to end Sabah standoff peacefully

By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net     http://globalnation.inquirer.net/65709/senators-back-aquinos-call-to-end-sabah-standoff-peacefully

5:13 pm | Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

President Benigno Aquino III. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Four senators on Tuesday rallied behind President Benigno Aquino III’s call for a peaceful settlement to a two-week long standoff in Sabah, two of them even suggested a need for intervention by international bodies  to  end  the  conflict.
“Maybe we should intensify our request for intervention by the international bodies, international tribunal including  Asean to reduce its negative effect in the ongoing peace process and to avoid any problem with Malaysia without renouncing our claim to Sabah,”  Senator Gringo Honasan  said in a mix of English and Filipino  in a phone patch interview.
“But it is important that the debate is calm, peaceful and diplomatic,” Honasan added.
Instead  of resorting to violence, Senator  Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said the “heirs” of the sultan  of Sulu, Jamalul  Kiram  III,  may raise their  claim  of the  land  before international  tribunals.
“Yes, Sabah should be peacefully settled. I suggest to the heirs to use international courts and tribunal,” Pimentel said in a text message. 
Senators  Francis “Chiz” Escudero and  Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan  also  backed Aquino’s call  for a peaceful  end to the Sabah claim.
“Bringing the supposed Sabah heirs and government representatives in one table would allow discussions on the complex issues involved in the Sabah claim including the plight of Sabah residents who have Filipino roots,” Escudero said in a separate statement.
He said a dialogue on the Sabah claim should include the Malaysian government to address the plight of the Filipino living in Sabah, who are reportedly subject to frequent exploitation.
“The immediate concern of the government should be the welfare of Filipinos who were born and raised in Sabah which is the bigger humanitarian issue that must be addressed through diplomatic channels,” Escudero  said.
Escudero had earlier urged the Department of Foreign Affairs to set up a representative office in Sabah to document Filipinos who are stateless and deprived of social services from both the Malaysian and Philippine governments.
“The welfare of our countrymen who consider Sabah as their homeland should be the focus of any government negotiation with the Malaysian government,”  he added.
Pangilinan , meanwhile, said the standoff has reached a “critical point”  where the Philippine government “must now act decisively and do what is necessary”  to protect the general interest of the Filipino people.
“Kiram is essentially declaring war on Malaysia. He must understand that it has never been a policy of the Philippines to take on other countries by force. Regardless of Sulu’s rightful claim to Sabah, an armed invasion will unlikely lead to an amicable resolution,” he said.
The Philippines’ ties with Malaysia, Pangilinan said,  should take precedence over contested claims.
“This has come at a time when we are so close to achieving lasting peace with our brothers from the South. Malaysia has played a crucial role in brokering talks between the Philippine government and our Muslim brothers in Mindanao. We cannot afford to have a wedge between our country and Malaysia because of one person’s whim,” he added.

25. Armed group snub Aquino's warning to leave Sabah

Armed group snub Aquino's warning to leave Sabah

Written by  -

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=61681:armed-group-snub-aquinos-warning-to-leave-sabah&Itemid=2

Despite a stern warning from Philippine President Benigno Aquino, the followers of Sulu sultan Jamalul Kiram, who have holed up in a village in Lahad Datu, will not leave Sabah.
Abraham Idjirani, secretary-general and spokesperson of the heirs to the defunct sultanate, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer today that the self-styled sultan is willing to be arrested if the Aquino administration decides to file a case against the chieftain.
However he stressed that the “royal forces” of the Jamalul did not intend to trigger a war when they started occupying the village of Tanduao in Lahad Datu on Feb 9.
“What we need now is a mutual understanding,” Idjirani said in a press briefing held today at Kiram’s house in Taguig City.
“We welcome the statement of the president. It’s a development on the right track,” he added.
He said the decision of Jamalul’s followers to stay in Sabah “is not a hardline stance.”
The Filipino daily also reported that the standoff between Malaysian security forces and Jamalul’s armed intruders, which entered into a third week on Monday, could be ended within the next 48 hours.
It reported that simmering discontent is believed to be building up within the ranks of the group led by Jamalul’s brother Agbimuddin Kiram, with gunshots heard from Tanduao on Sunday.
Although Sabah police chief Hamza Taib has denied reports of gunfire or some of Agbimuddin’s men being shot, a source told the daily said the gunshots were a warning to stop followers of the sultan who wanted to leave.
“The shots were probably meant for those who went with (Agbimuddin) but now want to go home,” said the source, a Philippine diplomat.
No one was hurt, the source said, but the gunshots “startled the already edgy security forces.”
Philippine veep Binay meets Jamalul
Philippine Vice-President Jejomar Binay had also met Jamalul on Sunday night to convince him to end the crisis peacefully by allegedly promising to bring the Sulu sultanate’s Sabah claim to the United Nations.
“He explained to me their position and I listened to him... I then reiterated the position of the Philippine government and renewed my appeal for sobriety,” Binay said in a press statement released yesterday.
Jamalul told reporters yesterday that Binay supported his action and promised to help the sultanate find a peaceful solution to the standoff.
“He asked if it was true that Malaysia was paying us (for Sabah). When I (explained to him the situation), he said, ‘In that case, that’s ours.’ It’s the vice-president saying that that’s ours. That includes him,” Jamalul said.
“When I told him about the sultanate of Sulu, I thought tears flowed from the eyes of the vice-president. He said, ‘Don’t worry. If in case the president did not want to help you, I will (still help you).’ That’s what he said.”
The daily also reported that a statement from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the ship leaving for Lahad Datu to bring back the armed group was still in Tawi-Tawi, awaiting diplomatic clearance to enter Malaysian waters and be on standby off Lahad Datu to receive the group.
“We have learned that (Malaysian forces) have surrounded the area. So what we want to happen is (for) this group to now decide to leave the area for safety and get on board our humanitarian ship,” said DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez.
“We don’t want them to get hurt, to think of resorting to violence or whatever. That’s why we sent a ship there. It’s ready to go to the border when we have people who are ready to be moved and fetched,” he said.
“Hopefully, before Tuesday, they will already be on board our ship,” he added.
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told reporters that the ship will stay there as long as it is needed.
Another vessel that carried a family member of Jamalul accompanied by certain government officials had also reportedly left Sulu early yesterday for Sabah.
Talks were going on yesterday between government emissaries and the sultan’s family, despite the reported hardline stand of Jamalul.
“We have some people whom we have sent to talk to the family and the group in that area and we are hoping they will be convinced to leave the area for their safety,” Hernandez said.
-Philippine Daily Inquirer

24. Philippines press: Stand-off is Malaysia’s ‘karma’

Quote: Opposition leaders from State Reform Party (STAR) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) have both accused the Federal government of having failed to protect the safety and security of the state and Sabahans.  (see last sentence)

BN and Federal Government would blame "Sabahan" leaders like Mustapha, Harris, Musa Aman etc for the insecurity in Sabah for project IC. 

 http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/26/philippines-press-stand-off-is-malaysias-karma/

Philippines press: Stand-off is Malaysia’s ‘karma’

Luke Rintod | February 26, 2013

The whole saga is a "karma" on Malaysia for its clandestine role in supporting the Muslim Sulu insurgence against Manila government in southern Mindanao, says a writer.

KOTA KINABALU: Philippines dailies are having a field day reporting on the ‘invasion’ Sabah’s east-coast town of Lahad Datu by men claiming to be members of the “Royal Sulu Sultanate army”.
One writer by the name of Ramon Tulfo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer recently wrote that the whole saga was a “karma” on Malaysia for its clandestine role in supporting the Muslim Sulu insurgence against Manila government in southern Mindanao in the 1970s and 1980s.
“When the (Philippines) government was fighting the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) in the 1970s through the 1980s, Malaysia was secretly supporting the rebellion in the South. Weapons coming from Libya and other Middle East countries passed through Malaysia on their way to the MNLF.
“Now, it seems the shoe is on the other foot. The law of karma is being played out,” wrote Tulfo.
The Sulu men called Tausugs entered Sabah’s coast about two weeks ago armed with automatic weapons, seeking Malaysian’s recognition to establish their own territory under the name of their Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram.
The Sultan himself, sometimes reportedly making statement from a hospital bed in Manila, said there are in fact 400 of his men in the state and that if they are armed, the arms were already in Sabah prior to their arrival, according to sources, made possible via a tourist boat!
Now if the Sultan’s version is to be the correct one, where are the remaining 300 or so Sulu army soldiers now? Does this give credence to earlier rumours that they had made it to Kota Kinabalu and even set a cell in Keningau?
Tulfo argued that Malaysia is in no-win situation from the current stand-off in Lahad Datu.
“If Malaysia is clumsy about handling the Sabah stand-off, it will have the same problem the Philippine government had when it fought a Muslim rebellion in the South in the 1970s up to the 1980s,” he warned.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer writer observed that “Malaysia is in a no-win situation as a result of the stand- off in Sabah. If it uses deadly force on a small group of armed Filipino Muslims now holed up in the village of Tanduo in Lahad Datu town in Sabah, members of the fiercest of Philippine Moro tribe, the Tausogs of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, will retaliate.
“If, on the other hand, Malaysia compromises with the armed group purportedly belonging to the Sultanate of Sulu, it will be perceived as a weakling by its neighbours.
“Which will Malaysia choose, fighting a rebellion in the Sabah state or swallowing its pride and compromise with the Sultanate of Sulu?”
Tulfo said it would be better for Malaysia to be perceived as a weakling rather than have a bloody civil war in Sabah.
“Tausugs love to fight and look for reasons to pick a fight. It’s very easy for armed Tausugs to enter Sabah and wage a guerrilla war against the Malaysian government should hostilities break out between the Sultanate group and Malaysian police.
“If Malaysia assumes a violent stance against the Sulu Sultanate group, the Tausugs will have a reason to fight them,” he said adding that more from the southern Philippines would enter Sabah’s wide coastline to be with their brothers.
Revolt in Sabah
Malaysia, meanwhile, is on the verge of a general election and its security force, especially the police, are already gearing for a possible chaos or even violence by groups already alleging vote-rigging by the ruling the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition.
There is no record of the number of Filipinos, mostly Tausugs, in Sabah, but a former Philippine military intelligence official once estimated that up to a third of the population in the Malaysian state is Tausug.
“Many of the people in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have relatives in Sabah, which is just one hour by speedboat from Simunul in Tawi-Tawi. If the Tausugs in Sabah rise up in revolt against the Malaysian government, their relatives in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi will go to Sabah and fight with them.
“And to the Tausugs, the claim of the group purporting to represent the Sultanate of Sulu that Sabah belongs to the sultanate is legitimate,” further opined by Tulfo adding that the Sulu Sultanate, long dormant and somewhat forgotten because of the war waged by the Tausug-led MNLF against the government, is still revered by Moros in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
Tulfo said that the Tausugs respect the Sultan of Sulu in much the same way Malaysians pay homage to their royal family.
“If harm is done to Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of Sultan Jamalul Kiram, who ordered the Muda Agbimuddin to enter Sabah, his fellow Tausugs in Sabah and in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi will take up arms against the Malaysian government.
“Filipino Muslims declare a “rido” or vendetta against people who harm their relatives. The “rido” has set off feuds between families or clans that last for decades,” he said.
Most of the Tausogs in Sabah have relatives in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi who are ready to take revenge if harm is done to Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram and his armed followers in Lahad Datu town, he further wrote.
Tulfo also claimed that his sources within the Sulu fraternity told him that even before the landing of the about 200 men in Lahad Datu two weeks ago, the sultanate had already sent armed men in small groups to Sabah to escape notice of the authorities.
“The armed groups are being coddled by Tausugs in the Malaysian state. The sea border between Sabah and the Philippines is porous or easily penetrated. Most of the tens of thousands of Filipino illegal immigrants in Sabah entered through this porous border…” he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian authorities who say they are in control of the tense stand-off within a palm oil plantation in Tandiau, Lahad Datu, have cordoned the whole perimeter and declared curfew around it, making it impossible to come near the site.
Reporters were barred from entering and those brave enough to seek their own way like the al-Jazeera investigative team who tried to reach the village by boat were detained for several hours for questioning.
Both Manila and Kuala Lumpur are still negotiating for a safe passage home for these Sulu armed men and women, and pressure is mounting on the Malaysian security forces to end the stand-off.
While they know it must end sooner or later, Sabahans are angry with the way the authorities are pussy-footing around the issue.
Opposition leaders from State Reform Party (STAR) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) have both accused the Federal government of having failed to protect the safety and security of the state and Sabahans.

23. Over which land? Definiitely not include Sabah.

Quote:“This framework is for everybody. Nobody is left out. It will see the establishment of a government for the Bangsamoro people. It includes a Bangsamoro basic law that is being drafted by a transition commission as well as an electoral process." see below

Question is "Where is the land this new Government will reign?"

  http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/2/26/nation/12759891&sec=nation

MILF: Wrong for Sulu group to bear arms

LAHAD DATU: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is against the Sulu armed group’s occupation of Tanduo village and is confident its actions will not derail the roadmap for peace in Mindanao.
Describing the stand-off as unnecessary, MILF first vice-chairman Ghazali Jaafar said it was wrong for the followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to pursue the Sabah claims by bearing arms in Malaysia.
“Any claim should be pursued through dialogue and not through the barrel of a gun.
“When you use guns, you are inviting harsh situations that affect people on both sides of the border,” he said.
He said MILF was closely following the stand-off between the armed group led by Raja Muda Azzimudie, Jamalul’s younger brother, and Malaysian security forces at Kampung Tanduo in the Felda Sahabat area.
Ghazali was confident the stand-off would not scuttle the Oct 15 peace framework between the Philippine government and MILF that was brokered by Malaysia.
“This framework is for everybody. Nobody is left out. It will see the establishment of a government for the Bangsamoro people. It includes a Bangsamoro basic law that is being drafted by a transition commission as well as an electoral process.
“Any Bangsamoro person who qualifies can run for political position including our brothers in MILF and heirs of the Sulu sultanate,” he added.

22. DFA seeks another extension for Sulu army to leave Sabah

DFA seeks another extension for Sulu army to leave Sabah

Published on 22 February 2013

Hits: 731

Written by Bernice Camille V. Bauzon

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/headlines-mt/42071-dfa-seeks-another-extension-for-sulu-army-to-leave-sabah

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Jamalul Kiram, the sultan of Sulu province on Friday, tells reporters that his followers now in Sabah will not go back to the Philippines despite repeated requests by the Malaysian government. ‘Why should they when they consider Sabah their home?’ asked Kiram.   photo by Rene Dilan

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario asked the Malaysian government to extend until February 26 the deadline for the royal army of Sulu sultanate to leave Sabah, it was learned on Friday.


“[I] have requested [an] extension of deadline to Tuesday from the [Malaysian foreign minister] in view of [the] work still in progress,” he stated in a text message.

Del Rosario said that he will have to wait for a response from the Malaysian government and reiterated that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier call for the armed group to leave the town of Lahad Datu in Sabah “as early as possible.”

“We are urging the group to peacefully withdraw . . . we are doing this in cooperation with the Malaysian government. If we need more time, we will endeavor to seek another extension,” del Rosario added.

Early this week, reports came out that the Malaysian government would no longer negotiate with the Philippine government nor with the royal army of Sulu sultanate that arrived in Sabah over a week ago, to claim in what they refer to as their “ancestral homeland.”

Some 200 followers of Sulu sultan Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram arrived in Malaysia-controlled Sabah to lay claim on the island.

Amicable settlement
Meanwhile, Philippine defense and military officials are burning the communication line with their Malaysian counterparts to help purge an amicable settlement in the Sabah standoff without a single shot fired.

“Right now, General Emmanuel Bautista, [Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff], is talking with General Tan
Sri Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, the chief of defense force, [while] I’m in touch with [Dr. Ahmad Bin] Hamidi, defense minister, and we are agreeable that this should be solved amicable, peacefully without any violence whatsoever,” Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on Friday.

Gazmin said that the two military chiefs are also closely coordinating and having a continuous exchange of information in securing the porous border between Min­danao and Sabah.

The Philippine Navy has deployed six ships and an islander plane in the vast Sulu Sea, particularly in the vicinity of the provinces of Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and Sulu to prevent other Tausog warriors, supporters and relatives of the sultan of Sulu from crossing over to Saba.

The Malaysian Navy has done the same.

Sabah is a contested territory of the Philippines and Malaysia albeit Manila’s claim on it that remained dormant for years.

Sabah was believed to had been leased to the British North Borneo Co. by the sultanate of Sulu in the late 1800s, but Great Britain officially transferred the island to Malaysia in 1963.

The sultanate of Sulu claims that the transfer was a violation of the leasing agreement. Moreover, although Kuala Lumpur maintains its ownership of the island, its embassy in Manila reportedly continues to pay the heirs of the sultan of Sulu P70,000 yearly.

Malacañang on Friday vowed to uphold the Philippines’ interest in its claims to Sabah.

“From the beginning of this incident the administration has been working quietly with the Malaysian government and the Kiram family to peacefully resolve this stand off,” Palace deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said.

Valte also reiterated President Benigno Aquino 3rd’s position that “there is a team looking at the historical and legal context of the Sabah claim and this will be dealt with at the proper time . . . under the correct conditions, in a way that upholds the national interest and does not jeopardize relationship with [Malaysia].”


With reports from William B. Depasupil and Catherine S. Valente

21. Sultanate thanks Aquino for sendng ship

Sultanate thanks Aquino for sending ship but says Filipinos will stay in Sabah

 http://globalnation.inquirer.net/65445/sultanate-thanks-aquino-for-sending-ship-but-says-filipinos-will-stay-in-sabah

By Christine O. Avendaño
Philippine Daily Inquirer

10:45 pm | Sunday, February 24th, 2013

 6  78  66

Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram talks to reporters during a news conference in Alabang, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013. His followers who crossed to the Malaysian state of Sabah this month will not leave and are reclaiming the area as their ancestral territory, the sultan said Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, amid a tense standoff. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Sultanate of Sulu said on Sunday night it was not notified by the Philippine government about the dispatch of the ship to Lahur Datu to fetch Filipino Muslims who have been occupying a village in Sabah for days.
But Abraham Iridjani, secretary-general and national spokesperson of the sultanate, said that both the Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III and Crowned Prince Agbimuddin Kiram II  thanked President Aquino for the humanitarian assistance.
Asked whether the women in the group would return home with the humanitarian ship, Iridjani said the women were “determined” to stay with their husbands.
“They won’t leave,” Iridjani said in a phone interview.
The Sultanate of Sulu sent its followers to Sabah, which it has been claiming as its ancestral domain for decades.  Its claim has been boosted by the fact that Malaysia has been paying the sultanate rent money for its lease of Sabah.
The Sultanate sent its followers days ago after sensing that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which would soon sign a peace agreement with the Aquino government, was indifferent to the Sulu sultanate’s ancestral domain claims.
The government dispatched on Sunday night, a ship to fetch and ferry back women and other civilians who have been among the 180 Muslim Filipinos and followers of the Sultan of Sulu holed up in a village in Sabah.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the ship, with hull number AT296, sailed from Bongao, Tawi-tawi, to the village of Tanduo in Lahad Datu, where the followers of the Sultan have stayed for the past two weeks to claim it as their homeland.
“We sent the ship to Lahad Datu on a humanitarian mission. We are deeply concerned about the presence of five women and other civilians in the group, and we urge them to board the ship without delay and return home,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said in a statement.
“As we have stated in countless occasions previously, we call on the entire group to go back to their homes and families, even at the same time we are addressing the core issues they have raised.  Please do so for your own safety,” Del Rosario said.
According to the DFA, the ship is being prepositioned offshore Lahad Datu while talks with the group are being done. There are 180 followers of the Sultan in the group, including some 30 armed escorts.
The DFA said it informed as early as last Saturday the Malaysian embassy in Manila about the dispatch of the ship.
Filipino-Muslim leaders as well as social workers and medical personnel are onboard the ship.
Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III had said his followers will remain in the village.

20. Philippines sends mercy ship to Malaysia

Philippines sends mercy ship to Malaysia

The Philippines was Sunday night preparing to send a mercy ship to pick up scores of followers of a Filipino sultan who entered the Malaysian state of Sabah to press his territorial claims, the foreign office said.

http://news.malaysia.msn.com/regional/philippines-sends-mercy-ship-to-malaysia-4

---

The "humanitarian ship" was to depart the southern-most Philippine island province of Tawi-Tawi before midnight and head to Lahad Datu on Borneo island, where dozens of followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram have been locked in a tense stand-off with Malaysian authorities for two weeks.
The Filipinos have been holed up in a small coastal area of Lahad Datu town, where they have remained surrounded by security forces since February 12 as they pursue their claim to settle in the state, which used to be a part of the Sultanate of Sulu.
"As we have stated on countless occasions previously, we call on the entire group to go back to their homes and families, even at the same time, we are addressing the core issues they have raised," Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a statement.
"Please do so for your own safety," he added.
Aboard the mercy ship were Filipino Muslim leaders, social workers and medical personnel, del Rosario's statement said, stressing that the government "was deeply concerned" about the presence of women among the group.
The ship was due to drop anchor offshore as talks to convince the group to withdraw peacefully continued, the statement said.
The Philippines informed Malaysia through its embassy in Manila of the move on Saturday, it added.
Malaysian foreign minister Anifah Aman told AFP he had "yet to be informed on this matter". Ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Del Rosario's statement said the group numbered some 180, with 30 armed escorts, although the sultan's spokesman, Abraham Idjirani, last week put the figure at 400, including 20 bearing arms.
Idjirani said the sultan had given the Filipinos his blessing to reside in Sabah and they were determined to resist efforts to expel them.
The Islamic Sultanate of Sulu once controlled parts of Borneo, including the site of the stand-off, as well as southern Philippine islands.
The sultanate leased northern Borneo to Europeans in the 1870s. While the sultanate's authority gradually faded as Western colonial powers exerted their influence over the region, it continued to receive lease payments for Sabah.
Heirs to the sultanate still receive nominal annual compensation from Malaysia under a long-standing agreement. One of the demands from the sultan's followers is an increase in the amount of compensation paid.
burs-jvg/ami

19. SMS rumours still under probe – CP

http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/02/23/sms-rumours-still-under-probe-cp/

SMS rumours still under probe – CP

Posted on February 23, 2013, Saturday

State Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said investigations were ongoing to identify those irresponsible for spreading the rumours via SMS.
Hamza reminded the public not to believe any rumours that could threaten the country’s security as the police are on top of the situation.
He said the situation was under control and the security forces and relevant parties were doing their best to resolve the issue without creating any untoward incident.
The SMS rumours claimed that riots would take place at three areas, namely Kota Kinabalu, Keningau and Lahad Datu at 1am on Feb 19, and were allegedly confirmed by a police personnel with the rank of sergeant from Cheras.

The police had immediately issued a statement in its Facebook page denying such rumours and said that the situation in Sabah was safe and under control and the public should not believe in any such rumours.

18. Another ‘Sulu sultan’ opposes bid to claim Sabah

Another ‘Sulu sultan’ opposes bid to claim Sabah

The standoff between the Sulu sultanate followers in Lahad Datu and Malaysian security forces has taken a new twist, with another ‘Sulu sultan’ condemning the armed intrusion as a move to lay claim to Sabah.
“They want to assure the people that they are with the legitimate sultan, but the fact is that they are not, because there is only one sultan in Sulu – and that is me,” Ampun Muedzul-Lail Tan Kiram (left) toldKiniTV by phone.
About 100 militants holed up in Kampung Tanduo, near Lahad Datu, have claimed that they have the mandate of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III for their expedition, which is led by ‘crown prince’ Agbimuddin Kiram.
However, Muedzul-Lail said the group’s landing in Kampung Tanduo was unwise, although he considers the territory to be rightfully his.
“He is against the way that the situation is being handled at the moment because going into another country’s territory with people (who are) armed… we don’t think it is a good idea,” said Ampun Meudzul’s chancellor, Andres Lindholm.
Meanwhile, South-east Asia observer and political scientist Farish A Noor believes the reason so many people are making claims to the Sulu throne – about 60 according to Lindholm – is because the sultanate’s heirs have dispersed after the kingdom’s downfall.
“The problem is with such a long space of time that has passed, from the end of the Kingdom of Sulu in 1862 and the situation that he had in the 1960s.
Basically, the Sulu royal family has been dispersed and disintegrated.
“That explains why there are so many people claiming to be the sultan of Sulu,” said Farish, who is a lecturer at the National University of Singapore.
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