Sultanate of Sulu demand the return of Sabah from Malaysia?

[Malaya]

Sultan: Sabah is the patrimony of the Filipino Nation

Patrimony simply means an inheritance from a father or an ancestor passed on through generations. When we speak of national patrimony the broader and deeper nuances in the notion of “heritage” come to the fore.

We learned from Almarim Centi Tillah, former governor of Tawai-Tawi, who is the policy adviser of Sultan Esmail Kiram (the same person who has been in the news these past two weeks as Sultan Jamalul Kiram 3rd of Sulu and North Borneo [Sabah], that the Sultan has been publicly speaking of Sabah as “the patrimony of the Filipino Nation.”

The last time Sultan Esmail (or Ismail) Kiram used this expression was late last year at a symposium on the “Philippine Sabah Claim” at the University of Makati. The event was sponsored by the Pimentel Center for Local Government.

Al Tillah told The Manila Times, “Sultan Punjungan Kiram, Sultan Esmail’s late father, told his children over and over again: ‘My children, if you will
be the ones to decide on the issue of Sabah, remember, do not sell it, because if you do, you will be cursed forever, and your descendants after you will be hounded by our own people till the end of time.”

Al Tillah points to the following events and urges Times’ readers to read up on them.

Indeed history shows without a doubt that Sabah belongs to the Sultanate of Sulu and Sabah (and therefore to the Filipinos because the Sultan signed over Sabah to the Philippine government). But, Al Tillah told The Times, “the machinations of powerful people and nations” beclouded the facts and now Sabah is controlled by Malaysia.”

British and American anti-communists

The British and American officials aided by United Nations bureaucrats were eager to make a strong anti-Communist Southeast Asia. Over the objections of the Filipinos and the Indonesians, the British, the Americans and UN officials worked to get Sabah and Sarawak in huge Borneo Island to become part of the soon-to-be formed Malaysian Federation.

Even before the UK and US manipulation to create Malaysia with Sabah in it, however, the Sultan of Sulu had been taking steps to assert his Sultanate’s sovereignty over Sabah.

Nov. 25, 1957
On this date the Sultan of Sulu, Esmail Kiram 3rd’s father, issued the proclamation repudiating the July 10, 1946 British Order in Council, reiterating so-called British sovereignty rights over Sabah

Sept. 12, 1962
Surrender of Sultanate sovereignty to the Philippine Government, then under President Diosdado Macapagal, with a proviso reverting the same to the Sultanate if the Philippine Government fails to get Sabah from the foreign occupiers.

Sept. 18, 1968
President Ferdinand Marcos signed R.A. 5446 defining the Philippine territorial baselines, without prejudice to Sultanate sovereignty. (This was based on the affidavit of then Rajah Muda Punjungan Kiram certifying the authenticity of the Macaskie 1929 decision on proprietary rights. Punjungan’s affidavit strengthened Ismail Kiram’s 1957 proclamation and cancelled the 1878 Lease Agreement effective January 22, 1958.)

The 1973 Constitution under President Marcos incorporated Sabah from Section 2 of R.A. 5446 on the Philippine territories by historic and legal rights.

1984
Upon the death of Punjungan, son Ismail or Esmail Kiram III succeeded as Sultan Jamalul Kiram III from 1984 to the present.

April 9, 1986
The Sultan sent a letter to then Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mahathir reiterating the Sultanate’s sovereignty over Sabah.

Almarim Centi Tillah, reiterates the same appeal Sultan Jamalul Kiram 3rd’s made to all “brother Filipinos of all creeds, to help us in this historic fight, because sovereignty is indivisible, it cannot be partitioned, it is a God-given right for all of us Filipinos. Thank you. Insha’Allah.”

Aquino has sidelined the Sabah claim
Unfortunately, the Aquino administration has decided not to bother about the Sabah claim. The President himself has said that he has first to learn what it is all about before he can do anything about it.

Late on Friday, Malacañang Palace expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the 12 Muslim Filipinos belonging to the Sultanate’s Army and the two Malaysian “commando” killed in the shootout (reports of which Malacañang until Friday afternoon was denying).

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak himself confirmed the reports at about 5 p.m.

The Aquino admnistration has again mishandled an important matter, the Sabah claim and the people of the Sultanate of Sulu and Sabah and their aspirations. It also incompetently handled the Sultanate Army’s incursion into Sabah (which should not be called an incursion because the Tausugs consider both Sulu and Sabah their home grounds).

And the Aquino administration failed to assure the other Filipino Muslims that the future Government-Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace deal will not mean their subjugation under an MILF yoke. For a key provision of the Framework Agreement is the abolition of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and putting all the provinces (including those of the Sultanate of Sulu) under the control of MILF leaders.

Not only has the Aquino administration given no value to the fact that, as Sultan Esmail says, “Sabah is the patrimony of the Filipino Nation.” It has also not given much value to the interests and the aspirations of Moros—Filipinos of Mindanao whether Muslim, Lumad, Christian or atheists—who are not under the sway of the MILF.

Sultan: Sabah is the patrimony of the Filipino Nation




‘Sabah uprising’
By Roel Pareño and Perseus Echeminada (The Philippine Star) | Updated March 4, 2013

Sultan’s followers kill, capture Malaysian cops

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos enraged by a Malaysian raid on a religious leader’s house in Sabah retaliated Saturday night, attacking an army convoy and overrunning a district police headquarters, the sultanate of Sulu announced yesterday.

Five Malaysian security officers were killed and four ranking Sabah officials were held captive by the Filipinos in Semporna, where the violence has spread from the coastal town of Lahad Datu, according to the Sulu sultanate. Kuala Lumpur confirmed only two police deaths.

Sultanate spokesman Abraham Idjirani described the escalation of violence as an “unorganized, spontaneous uprising” by Filipinos residing in Sabah.

Idjirani said that as of noon yesterday, armed followers of the sultanate were in control of Semporna.

The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) said reinforcements from Mindanao also breached the Malaysian security cordon in Sandakan, another part of Sabah, and ambushed two truckloads of men belonging to the Malaysian Territorial Army Regiment.

“The reinforcements were able to wipe them out,” said Habib Mujahab Hashim, chairman of the MNLF’S Islamic Command Council.

Hashim, who said he was authorized by the Sulu sultanate to speak on the situation in Sabah, said the reinforcements used improvised dynamite or timbak isda for the ambush. The dynamite is normally used for blast fishing.

Both the MNLF and the Sulu sultanate said tension was building up even in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah’s capital.

Idjirani said the “uprising” was triggered by the raid at 7:30 p.m. Saturday by Malaysian paramilitary forces on the home of Imam Maas, who was suspected to be harboring Alepiuya Kiram, a brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III.

When the militia, belonging to the Malaysian Police General Operations Force, failed to find Alepiuya, they allegedly fired on the house, killing the imam and his four sons and wounding another village elder called Imam Jul in another house.

Idjirani said enraged residents then took to the streets, attacking the police and military headquarters in Semporna. The villagers captured a ranking police official, two military commanders and a civilian official of Sabah, Idjirani told a press conference at the sultan’s home in Taguig City yesterday.

Kiram reportedly told his brother, who is leading the uprising in Sabah, to “take care of the captives,” who will be presented before an international body “to answer for the killing of innocent people.”

Up to 12 followers of the sultanate who holed up in Lahad Datu were killed by Malaysian security forces last week. The sultan’s army also killed two Malaysian policemen.

During yesterday’s press conference, the sultanate showed photos of the Malaysian officers slain in Semporna.

The sultanate said more reinforcements from Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and Sulu were arriving in Semporna, a district near Lahad Datu where from 100 to 300 followers of Kiram arrived on Feb. 9 to reiterate the sultanate’s claim over Sabah.

On Saturday, Malaysian forces started rounding up Filipinos in Sabah, heightening the tension. Authorities reportedly shut down the cell sites in Lahad Datu, cutting off the sultanate’s contact with Kiram’s brother Agbimuddin, described as the crown prince or raja muda.

“The fighting for now, I will consider it an uprising,” Hashim said, attributing it to the “harsh treatment” of Filipinos by Malaysian authorities.

An estimated 800,000 Filipinos live in Sabah, which the sultanate of Brunei gave as a gift to the Sulu sultanate in the 17th century. In the 19th century, the Sulu sultan leased the land to the British North Borneo Company, although the British said the land was ceded.

Malaysia continues to pay the Sulu sultanate 5,300 ringgits – about P70,000 – annually in what Kuala Lumpur describes as “cession fee” but is considered rental by the sultanate.

MNLF members are with the sultan’s group in Lahad Datu, but Hashim said his group was not participating in the attacks.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/03/04/915533/sabah-uprising

 

[lcloo]

Looks like the war in Mindanao is rapidly moving to Sabah. Now the table is turned.

Let's see then in the coming days how Malaysia fights in battle. Just a precaution, these Muslim brothers were fighters and have seen combat since birth birth while the Malaysian Army became observers only during peace negotiations with the Muslim rebels.

Brave talk by Pinoy boys. So far the battles were engaged by Malaysian police, our army has not fire a bullet yet.

Two ambushes by Sulu thugs, first one was a trick where the Sulus waved white flag to trick a Malaysia police patrol, ended in 2 Malaysian polce killed and 12 Sulu intruders death.

Second ambush was on a off-shore water village ended with 6 Malaysian police killed and 6 sulu intruders were killed. Another Sulu intruder armed with M-16 rifle was beaten to death by nearby villagers when he tried to hold them hostage.

Mean while 7 battalions of Malaysian army have arrived to assist the police if the need is required.

The Sulu intruders will never succeed because local Sabahans will never support them, Majority of locals are Kandazan and Dusun tribes who are different ethnic race from the Sulu intruders.

 

[Saleem]

and sultan of poopoo demands return of ........his automatic toilet.....

 

[Malaya]

Brave talk by Pinoy boys. So far the battles were engaged by Malaysian police, our army has not fire a bullet yet.

Two ambushes by Sulu thugs, first one was a trick where the Sulus waved white flag to trick a Malaysia police patrol, ended in 2 Malaysian polce killed and 12 Sulu intruders death.

Second ambush was on a off-shore water village ended with 6 Malaysian police killed and 6 sulu intruders were killed. Another Sulu intruder armed with M-16 rifle was beaten to death by nearby villagers when he tried to hold them hostage.

Mean while 7 battalions of Malaysian army have arrived to assist the police if the need is required.

The Sulu intruders will never succeed because local Sabahans will never support them, Majority of locals are Kandazan and Dusun tribes who are different ethnic race from the Sulu intruders.

Let's see. Malaysia will learn the lessons of this Sabah standoff and killings of Tausugs in the years to come.

Its very short-sighted for Malaysia to think that the fight to claim Sabah by the Sultanate of Sulu will end with elimination of the remaining 214 would-be martyrs and coming hard on Filipinos now living in Sabah. Malaysia should use their knowledge of the history of the Muslim insurgency in Mindanao that ravaged that beautiful land for more than 50 years. Well good luck.

 

[Malaya]

Malaysian hackers offer truce in 'last defacement'
March 4, 2013

Malaysian hackers on Monday night, amid an ongoing crisis in Sabah that has spilled over to cyberspace, offered their Philippine counterparts a truce of sorts. The hackers, in what they called a "last defacement" of a Philippine site, proposed that they and Philippine hackers "stop attacking each other."

"Well, it's time for us to PEACE and stop attacking each other. To end up this war, this is our last defacement and from now on none of us will step or touch your country site and none of you are able to touch our country site," they said in a message posted on the defaced website of the Calauan, Laguna government website.

"If you (are against) this agreement, we won't accept any apology or excuses," they added.

The defaced page also included what appeared to be the logos of the hacker groups.

Since last weekend, Philippine and Malaysian hacker groups have been defacing the websites of each other's country.

The tit-for-tat hacking was triggered by last Friday's violent shootout between the followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysian security forces. The battle left at least 12 Filipinos and two Malaysian commandos dead.

On Saturday night, another clash left six Malaysian police officers and at least six Filipinos dead.

Malaysia has been tracking down the followers of Kiram, who rejected President Benigno Aquino III's call for them to surrender without condition.

Google search

Meanwhile, for some hours late Monday, no less than search giant Google described Sabah as "part of the Sultanate of Sulu."

As of 10 p.m. Monday, Internet users searching Google for "Sabah" would see a panel to the right with information on Sabah supposedly from Wikipedia.

"Sabah is illegitimately considered one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, and is said to be its easternmost state but in fact, it is part of the Sultanate of Sulu. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo," read the description on the panel.

As of 11 p.m. Monday, the panel was occasionally not accessible.

The Wikipedia entry on Sabah, from inside the Wikipedia site itself, reads: "Sabah is one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, and is its easternmost state. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south."

KL sends more troops to Sabah
By Jaime Laude (The Philippine Star) | Updated March 5, 2013

Villagers leave their homes in Semporna, Sabah yesterday, a day after armed clashes between followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysian police. AP

MANILA, Philippines - As violence spread in Sabah, Malaysia yesterday deployed armored vehicles and hundreds of additional troops to neutralize armed followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III in the country’s bloodiest security emergency in years.

The two governments confirmed yesterday that 11 more Filipinos and six Malaysian security forces were killed over the weekend in the town of Semporna near Lahad Datu, where 12 of Kiram’s supporters were earlier slain.

Sabah villagers fled as the skirmishes shocked Malaysians unaccustomed to such violence in their country, which borders insurgency-plagued southern provinces in the Philippines and Thailand.

Kiram’s more than 200 supporters, some bearing rifles, slipped past naval patrols early last month, landed in the coastal village of Lahad Datu and insisted the territory was theirs.

Public attention focused yesterday on how to minimize casualties while apprehending the sultan’s men suspected to have encroached on two other districts within 300 kilometers of Lahad Datu.

“The situation is under control now,” Sabah police chief Hamza Taib said. “There will be cooperation” between the military and the police, he said.

He declined to elaborate on specific strategies or on a call by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad for lethal action.

“There is no way out other than launching a counter-attack to eliminate” the intruders, Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama quoted Mahathir as saying Sunday. “Although many of them will be killed, this cannot be avoided because they had attacked Sabah, and not the other way around.”

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak declared over the weekend that security forces were authorized to “take any action deemed necessary.” The Philippines requested Malaysia to exercise maximum tolerance.

“An additional two army battalions have been dispatched to Sabah,” Najib was quoted by Bernama as saying.

“We continue to ask them that life is a better option than death,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told ABS-CBN TV. “These casualties, the wounded, the fatalities, are all the product of what we have been trying to avoid, the bloodshed.”

There were reports of increased activities by armed civilians in coastal and mountainous areas of Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu and Sandakan.

“Residents from these areas are very restless and most of them are seen leaving for safer areas. Malaysian police and army troops are now deployed in these places,” a source said.

A cargo plane that landed in Lahad Datu was seen unloading armored vehicles.

A senior Malaysian Army commander has admitted they are facing highly skilled combatants.

The Malaysian army commander was referring to the group of Kiram’s brother Agbimuddin, who remains in his dugout in Lahad Datu despite last Friday’s assault by Malaysian forces.

Senior Filipino security officials said the problem might worsen if not properly handled by Malaysia.

In Semporna, dead gunmen lay in the streets as villagers fled rising violence.

A total of 27 people have been reported killed after two deadly shootouts in Sabah.

An AFP reporter in Semporna saw the corpses of three suspected gunmen with gunshots wounds, covered in flies and a foul stench as dozens of people were packing up their belongings and fleeing the town. Residents said the bodies were gunmen killed by police.

“Our peaceful town has become a nightmare to live in,” Julasri Yaakob, 38, said as he heaved a bag full of clothes onto a lorry, his young daughter next to him.

“We are moving out because these are uncertain times. We heard the gunshots. My children are afraid,” he said.

The armed intrusion has deeply embarrassed Najib – who must call elections by June – by exposing lax border security and fueling perceptions of lawlessness and huge illegal immigration in Sabah.

The exact identities of the gunmen remain a mystery, but Malaysian armed forces chief Zulkifeli Zin told a news conference in Sabah on Sunday that they appeared to have guerrilla combat experience.

Authorities in Muslim-majority Malaysia have called for calm, saying the situation is under control, but have come under fire from the political opposition over the police deaths.

While schools, stores and government offices were closed in Semporna, there was little sign of a heavy security presence in the town despite the recent clashes and fleeing population.

Sabah has seen previous smaller-scale cross-border raids from Islamic militants and other bandits from the Philippines.

Semporna taken?

In Manila, supporters of Kiram said Semporna is now under the control of the Sultanate’s forces.

A Tausug gunman in Sabah relayed a message to the sultanate that the Filipinos had taken over police stations and begun rounding up policemen and local officials in the area.

“This report coming from Sabah is still unconfirmed but was sent by people who are now in the area,” a top official of the Moro National Liberation Front told The STAR.

“Moro supporters of Sultan Kiram take over control Semporna, killed 100 police and captured five Malaysian police officers... 100 police armaments were taken by Moro from KIA ( killed in action) Malaysian police.. Up to this time they took control of Semporna and manning the captured police station,” the message read.

Reports also said hundreds of detained Filipinos in Semporna had been freed and issued firearms seized from the Malaysian police.

In an interview with dzMM broadcaster Noli de Castro, Kiram said he has lost contact with his brother Agbimuddin because Malaysian authorities had shut down cell sites in the area.

Kiram’s supporters, mostly Tausugs, killed a group of policemen reportedly in retaliation for the killing of a Muslim religious leader and his children recently.

Abraham Idjirani, spokesman of the sultanate, told reporters in Taguig City Sunday that Malaysian police raided the house of Imam Maas and killed him and his sons after the imam refused to reveal the whereabouts of Sultan Alepiuya Kiram, a brother of Jamalul.

“When the police failed to locate the brother of Sultan Jumalul they fired at the house of Imam Maas, a respected priest in the village,” he said.

Idjirani said the killing enraged Filipinos who attacked the police and military headquarters in the area.

Jamalul’s daughter Princess Jacel Kiram said the hostilities in Semporna have spread to other areas in Sabah and that reinforcements from Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Sulu and Zamboanga have already arrived.

Idjirani said they have been instructed by the Sultan to “take care of the captives as they will be presented to an international body to answer for the killing of innocent people.”

PNP on alert

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is monitoring movements of followers and potential supporters of Kiram to prevent them from crossing over to Sabah and reinforcing the sultan’s armed groups.

PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima has instructed all regional directors and ground commanders to monitor the movement of Kiram’s backers, said PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo Jr.

Cerbo clarified that the monitoring is not only focused on the Muslim community.

“Let’s see if there will be developments in security issues and concerns in their areas with respect to the development in Sabah. As of now, there’s none,” Cerbo pointed out. “We see no untoward incidents related to the Sabah issue. We want this matter to be resolved peacefully.”

Cerbo said the PNP is optimistic the matter would eventually be resolved peacefully.

He noted that the PNP has put in place measures to prevent Kiram’s sympathizers from making moves that would aggravate the situation.

Cerbo said the PNP is closely coordinating with the Philippine Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to prevent Kiram’s sympathizers in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and the Zamboanga peninsula from crossing the Sulu Sea.

“We have enough police forces and from all indications, there’s still no need for additional deployment of police forces,” he added.

He said even a simple mass action will be monitored.

“Although we don’t prevent them from expressing their sentiment, we have to attend to this. For example in Makati, we have to secure the embassy of Malaysia. There’s a possibility of conducting mass action and we owe it to the embassy to maintain peace and order in the area,” Cerbo noted.

On the possibility of filing charges against Kiram’s men, Cerbo maintained that the PNP has to enforce the law.

“We always say the task of the PNP is to maintain peace and order, enforce the law,” he said. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Mike Frialde, Perseus Echeminada, AP

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/03/05/915936/kl-sends-more-troops-sabah

 

[Malaya]

Let Malaysia wiggle itself out of bad karma
By Ramon Tulfo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

I apologize to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for my outburst in this space on Saturday where I used harsh words in criticizing her on the Sabah issue.
I realize it was ungentlemanly of me to have done that to a lady.
As she said in her text message to me, “You may disagree, and I respect your right to disagree with my moves and opinion, but without resorting to insults.”
But my apology doesn’t mean my stand on the Sabah controversy has changed.
* * *
I still think President Noy’s mistreatment of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III has dire consequences for the country.

The big problem will come not from Malaysia, whose interest P-Noy is obviously protecting at the expense of the Sulu sultanate, but from the Tausugs.

The Tausugs of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, the fiercest of all the Muslim tribes in the country, nearly caused the downfall of the Marcos regime when they revolted against the government in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Tausugs are subjects of the Sultanate of Sulu.

The President should have thought things over before coming to the side of Malaysia in the current Sabah issue.

Malaysia brokered the peace talks between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), composed mostly of Maguindanao tribesmen, which resulted in the agreement for lasting peace in Mindanao.

The MILF is a breakaway group from the original Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

But the President left out the MNLF, led by the Tausug tribe, and the Sulu sultanate, in the peace agreement.

How could there be lasting peace in Mindanao without a peace agreement with all the other Muslim tribes as well?

Apart from the Tausug and Maguindanao, the other Muslim or Moro tribes are the Maranaw of Lanao, Yakan of Basilan, Badjao and Samal of Tawi-Tawi, and Iranon of Cotabato.

Of what use is the peace agreement with the Maguindanaons if the other tribes and the Sulu Sultanate are left out?

* * *

I am from Mindanao and I fear a renewed outbreak of violence in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi if the Sabah crisis is not resolved in favor of the Sulu sultanate.

The violence could spill over to other parts of Mindanao and the country like it did in the 1970s and 1980s.

All because the President wants to please Malaysia.
* * *
Malaysia supported the MNLF during the war in Mindanao in the 1970s to the ’80s.

Malaysia is now reaping bad karma for its misadventure.

Let Malaysia wiggle itself out of its bad karma.

Let Malaysia wiggle itself out of bad karma | Inquirer News




We reap what we sow in Sabah

YOURSAY 'Malaysia had been supplying arms and training for the MNLF for years, hoping to strengthen them in the name of Muslim brotherhood.'

Lahad Datu attack may escalate into 'civil war'

Ferdtan: Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) political chief Gapul Hajiru has sounded his warning that the Lahad Datu incident may result in a ‘civil' war (a correct technical term to use if they are Malaysian citizens).

According to Philippine Star, there are more than 8,500 Filipinos in Sabah who are mostly Tausugs, said to be members of the fiercest of Philippine Moro tribe.

Are they the courtesy of former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad's ‘citizens-for-votes' project?

The Sulu sultanate may or may not have a legitimate claim over Sabah, but that is not the topic for discussion here.

We are wondering why the armed Sulu intruders came in the first place? And the timing too. Were they taking advantage of the government in the wake of the coming general election?

I tend to believe this could be a suicide mission, not unlike the Palestinian suicide bombers, to highlight their claim over Sabah. They hope to bring the world's attention to their forgotten cause/claim.

They hope to get the Malaysian authorities back to the negotiation table. We hope our government is not so weak and stupid enough to take that course.

Their claim has been a non-issue for so long and even the Philippine government has not made/support any active claim on Sabah.

Quigonbond: Putrajaya has a lot to answer to:

1) How did the Sulu gunmen get past our border? Was it failure of our Navy?

2) How did the two commandos die? What were their standing orders? What were the tactics and mission objective? Where were they? Who gave the order?

3) Why did the siege/standoff persist so long? Does it have anything to do with BN being afraid to lose votes from the Sulu people who have been given ICs (identity cards)?

4) Are they going to take pro-active measures to ensure there is no escalation of violence in Sabah?

Low Kok Kok: This is real karma. Malaysia had been supplying arms and training for the MNLF for years hoping to strengthen them in the name of Muslim brotherhood.

In Project IC, Mahathir gave thousands of Malaysian blue ICs to defeat the Christian-based PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah). Now innocent law-abiding Malaysians are paying the sins of Umno.

We cannot trust Umno-BN to defend the country as they cannot even defend us against some pirates.

Where are all the Sukhoi jets, Polish-made combat tanks, Scorpene submarines and attack helicopters? Why should we sacrifice the life of two brave Malaysians over such a minor incursion?

On your toes: Can we now see the consequence of our years of appeasement? Now they are threatening us with civil war. Now they are telling us only the MNLF chairperson Nur Misuari could decide on the matter.

I don't blame the police and the armed forces for not able to contain the situation now. I blame Umno politicians for their expediency and short-sighted policy.

The Moros have been fighting against Manila in the southern Philippines for years. You think they will not fight with Kota Kinabalu or Kuala Lumpur simply because we are their Muslims brothers.

Well, perhaps the nincompoops can't think that there are no permanent enemies and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

Our votes decide!: The continued failure by Najib Razak to remove these armed invaders from Sabah clearly shows how incompetent he is as PM of this country.

In the first place, they are foreigners. They invaded and occupied Malaysian soil so clearly they have violated our laws and sovereignty. After surrounding them, Malaysia should have responded with air strikes if they refused to surrender.

By allowing them to dictate what they want, Malaysia is sending the wrong message to the world - that anyone can armed themselves and invade and occupy a piece of Malaysian territory with impunity.

Broken Foot: My condolence to the families of the two police officers who died at Kampung Tanduo. Unnecessary blood has been shed and yet we are no closer to resolving this standoff.

The treasonous act of issuing ICs to these Philippine islanders has embolden their leaders into thinking that they have the support of their community in Sabah and the right to be there.

With nearly one million ‘legal' and illegal Filipinos residing there, it is natural for them to think so. These are unintended consequences when greedy politician are only looking out for themselves rather than the well-being of the nation.

Our political leaders must stop dithering and start making some tough decisions before the situation degenerate any further. This is an armed invasion. Get the military leaders involved.

This situation is best handled by the military rather than the police. Much of the taxpayers' money has been spend to equip them. It's high time that we put them to good use. If these people refuse to leave, throw them out.

Restless_Native: No, Sabah will not disintegrate into civil war on account of handful of Moros.

This is a breach on the nation's sovereignty that had to be decided in an unequivocal manner. The slow reaction to this incursion may have emboldened the invaders, made worse by the indecisive handling.

My heart goes out to the poor slain commandos and their families. Given what has transpired, the reaction should have been more robust for a quick containment.

My suspicion is that the police field forces are totally untrained for this kind of encroachment (Sabah has a huge coastline, for heaven's sake) hence caught totally unprepared. They should fire the top brass and get properly qualified personnel to train them.

Some countries used retired military types from the West to train their forces. Malaysia insists on training themselves when we know that their intelligence agencies, their armed forces, their police forces are all totally outclassed in just about any situation - civil disobedience, robberies or armed assault.

Kgen: The traitors who sold the state to the Filipinos to stay in power now have to face the consequences of their traitorous act. Yes, Mahathir, we are looking at you. In future, Indonesians may stake a claim on Selangor.

Fair Play: Indeed, if this escalates into a civil war, it will erase any doubt from the rakyat's mind who the one person who should be held responsible for this sad state of affairs.

Open Minded: Pakistan is now paying dearly for its support and sanctuary for terrorist organisations like the Taliban.

It is an open secret that the Umno-led government has long given open refuge and finance for terrorists in Sabah and Thailand and it seems to be payback time.

Unfortunately, our soldiers and police personnel have to pay the price. My condolences for those who have lost their loved ones. You play with fire and you get burnt.

source: MALAYSIAKINI NEWS




Manila mulls taking Sabah claim to World Court

The Philippine government may take a Sulu rebel group’s ownership claim on Sabah to be adjudicated at world court even though the Borneo state in now part of Malaysia, Philippine media reported.

Leila de Lima, secretary in the Philippines’ Department of Justice (DOJ) was reported saying in Manila yesterday that the government had not ruled out taking the territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice in the Hague, but was studying carefully the case as it did not want to strain its friendship with Malaysia.

“That is among the options we are looking into. Of course there are international fora available so we’re considering that,” she was quoted as saying by the Philippine Star news portal.

She reportedly said “careful study” was needed and that the Philippine government’s considerations were not only limited to the legal issues of the claim.

“We have to consider standing policies of the administration, including foreign policies,” De Lima said, referring to her home country’s diplomatic ties with Malaysia.

Both countries are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) political and economic regional partnership.

De Lima told reporters in Manila that the DOJ would need more time to before forming a legal opinion on the Sultanate of Sulu’s purported ownership to Sabah.

“At first I thought I could finish it in a few days, but it’s a very complicated thing and we have to be very careful. There’s a lot of research materials and documents we need to read. I’m already halfway done with the memorandum,” she was reported saying.

Newswire Reuters has reported that Malaysia pays a token sum to the Sultanate of Sulu each year in an arrangement that stretches back to British colonial times.

The sultanate has claimed that the payment amounts to rental of Sabah, but Malaysia has argued that it is instead payment for the sultanate’s ceding of its rights over the land.

THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER



Trouble spreads to 4 more towns
By AP | Posted on Mar. 05, 2013

Kuala Lumpur — Malaysia sent hundreds of soldiers to a Borneo state Monday to help neutralize armed Filipino intruders who have killed eight police officers in the country’s bloodiest security emergency in years.

Nineteen Filipino gunmen have also been slain since Friday in skirmishes that spread to four more towns including Semporna, Kunak, Kinatabangan and Sandakan and shocked Malaysians unaccustomed to such violence in their country, which borders insurgency-plagued southern provinces in the Philippines and Thailand.

The main group of intruders comprises nearly 200 followers of the Sultan of Sulu, some bearing rifles, who slipped past naval patrols last month, landed at a remote Malaysian coastal village in eastern Sabah state’s Lahad Datu district and insisted the territory was theirs.

Public attention focused Monday on how to minimize casualties while apprehending the trespassers, who are surrounded by security forces as well as an undetermined number of other armed Filipinos suspected to have encroached on two other districts within 300 kilometers of Lahad Datu.

Malaysia’s The Star newspaper said thousands of families fled Semporna and claimed at least 10 Sulu guerillas were sighted in the neighboring town of Kunak. The newspaper also said civilians reported sightings of Kiram’s followers in Kinabatangan, but Malaysian police denied the reports.

Army reinforcements from other states in Malaysia were being deployed to Sabah and would help police bolster public confidence by patrolling various parts of the state’s eastern seaboard, Sabah police chief Hamza Taib said.

The state news agency Bernama quoted Najib as saying an additional two army battalions had been dispatched to Sabah.

“The situation is under control now,” Hamza said. “There will be cooperation” between the military and the police.

He declined to elaborate on specific strategies or on a call by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for lethal action.

“There is no way out other than launching a counter-attack to eliminate” the intruders, Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama quoted Mahathir as saying Sunday. “Although many of them will be killed, this cannot be avoided because they had attacked Sabah, and not the other way round.”

Malaysia’s current leader, Prime Minister Najib Razak, declared over the weekend that security forces were authorized to “take any action deemed necessary.”

The Philippine government on Monday requested Malaysia exercise maximum tolerance to avoid further bloodshed.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario headed to Kuala Lumpur for talks on the crisis with his Malaysian counterpart, said his spokesman Raul Hernandez. Among the Philippine requests are a full briefing by the Malaysian government and a clearance for a Philippine Navy ship with medical and social workers to proceed to Lahad Datu to care for the wounded and take them and others back home, Hernandez said in Manila

Trouble spreads to 4 more towns - Manila Standard Today

 

[Malaya]

End Sabah clash in ‘brotherly way’, MNLF warns Putrajaya

KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 ― A Filipino separatist group has cautioned Putrajaya against sending more troops to Sabah, and called for the United Nations (UN) and Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) to intervene in the standoff there that has turned deadly, Manila-based paper The Philippine Star reported today.

The call was made by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who also offered itself as the mediator between the Malaysian government and the Sultanate of Sulu, but which insisted that the Philippine government should be excluded from the dialogue.

MNLF chief Nur Misuari also warned Datuk Seri Najib Razak against persecuting people of Moro descent in Sabah, asking the prime minister to “please tone down his voice”.

“The blood of our brothers in Sabah is sacred,” Misuari said here.

“I hope Najib will not persecute our civilians in Sabah as it will trigger bigger trouble and it will drag us into war, and I don’t like that.”

Misuari, who claimed that his grandnephew is a relative of Najib’s, asked for the conflict to be resolved in a “brotherly way... to the best interest of everybody.”

The MNLF leader also admitted that some of the men involved in the armed incursion were his relatives and the front’s members, but has denied instigating the conflict.

“How can that be? I was in Africa for more than a month with my wife and I have nothing to do with the move of the sultan,” he said, adding that sending “only 200” armed men is not “his style”.

He then reiterated his clan’s claim over Sabah and Sarawak, calling the states “original properties of his great, great grandfather”.

Two days ago, a MNLF leader had warned that the Lahad Datu standoff could widen into a civil war engulfing Sabah, since more than 8,500 Filipinos, mostly Tausugs or Suluk tribesmen, were residing in Sabah and potential supporters of the Sultanate of Sulu.

“I am afraid there will be a civil war in Sabah because thousands of Bangsamoro are residing in Sabah,” Gapul Hajirul, political chief of MNLF said.

“Our Tausug brothers and sisters of Sulu and the Samals in Tawi-Tawi were saddened and are hurting by the turn of the events,” he was quoted as saying.

Main - Malaysia - End Sabah clash in ?brotherly way?, MNLF warns Putrajaya @ Mon Mar 04 2013





Sabah Fighting Spreads
5 Malay Cops, 2 Filipino Assailants Killed
Published: March 4, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Filipino gunmen ambushed and killed five Malaysian policemen as fears mounted that armed intruders from the southern Philippines had slipped into at least three coastal districts on Borneo island, officials said Sunday.

Two of the attackers were also fatally shot Saturday night, escalating tensions in eastern Sabah state, where Malaysia’s biggest security crisis in recent years began after about 200 members of a Philippine Muslim royal clan occupied a village last month to claim the territory as their own.

Security forces clashed with the clan members in the coastal area of Lahad Datu on Friday, leaving 12 Filipinos and two Malaysian police commandos dead.

The remaining clan members have refused to budge, while concerns have grown that other groups from the Philippines’ restive southern provinces might enter Sabah, which shares a long and porous sea border with the Philippines that’s difficult to patrol.

A police team was attacked late Saturday while inspecting a settlement in Semporna town, more than 150 kms from Lahad Datu, said national police chief Ismail Omar. Authorities were searching the area for more of the assailants.

Police are also investigating sightings of armed foreigners in military-style clothing in a third Sabah seaside district nearby, Ismail said.

It was not clear whether the groups in the three areas had links to each other.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday that the government would offer “no compromise — either they surrender or face the consequences if they refuse.”

Police dropped leaflets by helicopter over the occupied village Saturday telling the Filipinos to give up, while the navy bolstered patrols in waters between Malaysia and the Philippines.

Three of the intruders tried to escape late Saturday and were caught, Ismail said, without elaborating.

Sabah’s chief minister Musa Aman said the federal government has agreed to increase the size of the police and army force in Sabah.

Suspected followers of Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram of the Sultanate of Sulu attacked a police station Saturday evening in Lahad Datu, Sabah, according to reports reaching Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and members of his clan at Astanah Kiram, Maharlika Village, Taguig City.

As the fighting raged, the sultan had lost contact with his brother rajah muda (crown prince).

Dayang-Dayang Jacel Kiram, a daughter of the sultan, said the last time the two brothers spoke with each other was at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 2.

As of 10:30 a.m. yesterday, there was no new contact with the rajah muda, she said.

Angry Filipino settlers in Sabah, Malaysia, have reportedly overran the town of Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia, in the wake of the killing of a religious leader and his four sons by Malaysia authorities.

As early as Saturday evening text messages purportedly coming from Semporna, a small town in Sabah’s east coast and facing Lahad Datu, claimed that Imam Maas and his four sons were killed by members of the Malaysia Police General Operation Forces (GOF).

Abraham J. Idjirani, spokesman of the Sultanate of Sulu, formally announced this in a press conference yesterday shortly after noon time.

Idjirani also said that in the wake of the killing, Filipinos in Semporna reacted by taking over a police station and grabbing over 100 firearms.

In the process, he said the Filipinos, who have been living in Semporna for a long time, also captured two high-ranking military officers, one top-ranking police officer, and one high official of

Semporna town.

Semporna overlooks Sipadan island, where Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits some yearsago kidnapped 21 foreigners, including Malaysians and made them hostages. Semporna means “place of rest.”

Idjirani made clear the attack on Semporna was not ordered by Sultan Jamalul Kiram III.

He said it was a reaction against the atrocities committed by the Malaysian authorities.

It appeared that the Malaysia’s GOF was looking for Datu Alianapia Kiram, a brother of the sultan, and Datu Amer Bahar Kiram, the sultan’s nephew.

The two have been living peacefully in Semporna for many years, said Idjirani, and were not part of the Sabah standoff.

Information relayed to the Sultanate of Sulu, he said, showed the Malaysian authorities were looking for the two datus at 7:50 p.m. Saturday, but did not find them.

When Imam Maas admitted that they were taking care of the datus, Idjirani said the Malaysian policemen gunned them down.

Idjirani said other information reaching them reported that Filipinos from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga Peninsula have penetrated the sea blockade by Malaysian and Philippine naval forces in the two countries’ respective borders.

They are now in Sabah and have even witnessed the burial of the 10 followers of Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, he said.

Idjirani said the Filipinos who overran Semporna and took four Malaysian officers captive are not part of the rajah muda’s Royal Security Force (RSF) involved in the standoff.

The sultan’s spokesman blamed Malaysia for the escalation of violence on Sabah island.

Meanwhile in Davao City, Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari denied any involvement in the recent standoff in Sabah, Malaysia.

Misuari denied his involvement during a late night meeting with Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte at the Royal Mandaya Hotel here on Saturday evening, March 2.

“They accused me of inspiring it,” Misuari said, adding that he was also suspected of giving finances to Kiram’s group.

“I was with my wife for almost a month in Africa. Malayo kami,” Misuari said during the meeting.

Besides, he added, he has no money to finance it. “Where will I get the money,” he added.

Manila Bulletin



Getting out of the Sabah mess
Published on Tuesday, 05 March 2013

‘Everybody needs to calm down at this point if we want to resolve this problem with our national dignity intact.’

PRESIDENT Aquino may not admit it but the Sabah “invasion” by followers of the Sultanate of Sulu is becoming a major headache for his administration.

The situation in Sabah has worsened as supporters of Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, clashed with Malaysian forces in Semporna, Sabah last Saturday leaving 17 people dead, among them six Malaysian policemen.

Malaysian authorities apparently retaliated by shutting down cell sites in Sabah to prevent Raja Muda and his followers from contacting Sultan Jamalul Kiram in the Philippines.

The Philippine government has urged Malaysian authorities to exercise maximum tolerance saying it has called on the forces of the royal sultanate of Sulu to surrender peacefully.

The Sultan on Monday said the Sultanate has lost its faith that the Aquino administration will help them in claiming Sabah and has called on the United Nations, the United States and United Kingdom to intervene.

The Aquino administration has said it has done all it can and it is up to the Malaysian government to deal with the standoff.

It’s not too late to resolve the Sabah problem but these endless bickerings should stop.

The Aquino administration and Sultan Kiram should take the advice of Vice President Jejomar Binay to abandon their hard-line stance to avoid further casualties.

“The most important thing is that we avoid violence. Unfortunately, what we wanted to avoid has happened, and everybody needs to calm down at this point,” he said.

That’s all that we need at the moment if we want to resolve this problem with h our national dignity intact.

Malaya Business News Online - Philippine Business News | Online News Philippines - Getting out of the Sabah mess

 

[Snomannen]

The Philippines surely have good relationship with its neighbors.
Filipinos are surely peaceful people. They never "claiming around" and cause troubles.

 

[lcloo]

Malaysian military finally take actions. Sulu Instruders have been wiped out, no casualty on Malaysia side.


UPDATEs:-


11.26am: Armed Forces Chief says bombs were used on the enemy to ensure safety of Malaysian troops.
11.23am: IGP: Combat zome is a 4km sq area at Kampung Tanduo

11.20am: IGP Malaysian troops were under heavy fire side.

11.16am IGP : Mopping up operations ongoing. Security forces checking from house to house. Enemy casualties unknown for now.

11.15am IGP says no casualties among Malaysian troops in the offensive against Sulu "terrorists"

10.58am: Media told it is a press briefing.IGP will not be fielding any questions.

10.50am: IGP arrives at Felda Residence hotel. Media prepares for press conference.

10.50am: Sabah's northern Kudat district is still safe from intruders and situation is under control. However, police are taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of its officers and people there.

10.45am: In Kota Kinabalu Business is going on as usual although some supermarkets have run out of rice supply. City police remind people not to listen to rumours as 'they are all lies' and the situation here for the past few days had been under control with not a single incident related to the Lahad Datu case happening.

10.45am: Some 20 plantation workers are seen waiting at the road side at Felda Sahabat.They have been there after hearing explosions since 7am

10.40am:It was business as usual in Sandakan and police have told public not to listen to rumours and verify with police by calling 089 212 222

10.34am: IGP and Sabah chief police have rescheduled their press conference from 9.30am to 11am now at Felda Sahabat residence where the media is waiting for word on what is happening on the ground in Tanduo.

10.20am Police forensic unit seen heading towards Felda Sahabat from Lahad Datu.

10.00am: In Tungku, the hospital is closed and a villager said a road block has been put up stopping people from entering town

9.50am: Many ambulances despatched from Tawau. Media personnel barred from entering Felda 16 area near Cenderawasih township.

9.45am: In Tanjung Labian community hall, about 300 villagers are asking for food as they have not received any since Monday night. They had fled Tanjung Batu after hearing reports of armed intruders.

8.30am: Military trucks were seen going in. Elite military and police squads were also on the ground and believed to be involved in the shootouts with the gunmen.

7.30am: At least six continuous explosions were heard and journalists at Sahabat 16 resort said the jets looped back flying low.

7.00am: Several fighter jets screamed over Tanduo village, followed by artillery fire

LAHAD DATU: Dawn attacks to flush out the remaining group of armed Sulu gunmen said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Tuesday, in a short statement.

Early Tuesday morning, fighter jets began screaming low over the armed group cornered at the Tanduo village since Feb 9.

Continuous explosions are being heard as the police and army move in against the gunmen who are reportedly firing back.

The situation around Tanjung Labian, about 7km away from Tanduo village in Felda Village 17 was tense as more than 300 villagers huddled in a community hall kept hearing the explosions.

 

[p3avi8tor69]

Looks like the war in Mindanao is rapidly moving to Sabah. Now the table is turned.

Let's see then in the coming days how Malaysia fights in battle. Just a precaution, these Muslim brothers were fighters and have seen combat since birth birth while the Malaysian Army became observers only during peace negotiations with the Muslim rebels.

Baloney. Do not mistake Malaysia's reluctance to use force with weakness. Your fellow Pinoy thugs that you claim are "martyrs" have been killing your soldiers for decades now. Now all of a sudden you call them martyrs? Your thugs have been fighting a weak, ill-trained, ill-equipped and corrupt Pinoy military with questionable tactics. The Malaysians are on a different level. So now it is the Malaysians who are doing the arse kicking.

 

[Fsjal]

Malaysian military finally take actions. Sulu Instruders have been wiped out, no casualty on Malaysia side.


UPDATEs:-


11.26am: Armed Forces Chief says bombs were used on the enemy to ensure safety of Malaysian troops.
11.23am: IGP: Combat zome is a 4km sq area at Kampung Tanduo

11.20am: IGP Malaysian troops were under heavy fire side.

11.16am IGP : Mopping up operations ongoing. Security forces checking from house to house. Enemy casualties unknown for now.

11.15am IGP says no casualties among Malaysian troops in the offensive against Sulu "terrorists"

10.58am: Media told it is a press briefing.IGP will not be fielding any questions.

10.50am: IGP arrives at Felda Residence hotel. Media prepares for press conference.

10.50am: Sabah's northern Kudat district is still safe from intruders and situation is under control. However, police are taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of its officers and people there.

10.45am: In Kota Kinabalu Business is going on as usual although some supermarkets have run out of rice supply. City police remind people not to listen to rumours as 'they are all lies' and the situation here for the past few days had been under control with not a single incident related to the Lahad Datu case happening.

10.45am: Some 20 plantation workers are seen waiting at the road side at Felda Sahabat.They have been there after hearing explosions since 7am

10.40am:It was business as usual in Sandakan and police have told public not to listen to rumours and verify with police by calling 089 212 222

10.34am: IGP and Sabah chief police have rescheduled their press conference from 9.30am to 11am now at Felda Sahabat residence where the media is waiting for word on what is happening on the ground in Tanduo.

10.20am Police forensic unit seen heading towards Felda Sahabat from Lahad Datu.

10.00am: In Tungku, the hospital is closed and a villager said a road block has been put up stopping people from entering town

9.50am: Many ambulances despatched from Tawau. Media personnel barred from entering Felda 16 area near Cenderawasih township.

9.45am: In Tanjung Labian community hall, about 300 villagers are asking for food as they have not received any since Monday night. They had fled Tanjung Batu after hearing reports of armed intruders.

8.30am: Military trucks were seen going in. Elite military and police squads were also on the ground and believed to be involved in the shootouts with the gunmen.

7.30am: At least six continuous explosions were heard and journalists at Sahabat 16 resort said the jets looped back flying low.

7.00am: Several fighter jets screamed over Tanduo village, followed by artillery fire

LAHAD DATU: Dawn attacks to flush out the remaining group of armed Sulu gunmen said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Tuesday, in a short statement.

Early Tuesday morning, fighter jets began screaming low over the armed group cornered at the Tanduo village since Feb 9.

Continuous explosions are being heard as the police and army move in against the gunmen who are reportedly firing back.

The situation around Tanjung Labian, about 7km away from Tanduo village in Felda Village 17 was tense as more than 300 villagers huddled in a community hall kept hearing the explosions.

The Malaysians look busy. I hope they wipe out the Royal Sulu Army.

 

[Bob Ong]

In a sense, this is Karma for Malaysia for snatching away Sabah from the real owners and for funding the armed Muslim separatist movement in the Southern Phil. They will now be fighting a protracted guerilla war right in Sabah and even in the mainland of Malaysia.

 

[Zero_wing]

The Philippines surely have good relationship with its neighbors.
Filipinos are surely peaceful people. They never "claiming around" and cause troubles.

oh please its more logical claim then yours claiming the whole sea no other nation in the planet claims like that?

 

[lcloo]

Sulu gunmen in control of Semporna and uprising in Sabah? No way, just lies and mis-information from Sulu spokesman.

Report from The Star today:-

SEMPORNA: It is business as usual for a majority of shops and business premises here, as the people go about their daily activities.

A Bernama survey found that people turned up by the droves at banking institutions, petrol stations and shops for their necessities.

"I queued up as early as 7.30am to withdraw money from the ATM (automated teller machine), I noticed that shops have begun operating as usual...so, the situation must be getting better," said a resident, Palman Gireng.

Speaking to Bernama, he said he had earlier waited for his turn to withdraw money from the bank since an incident last Saturday, when six policemen were ambushed and killed by armed foreign intruders.

Restaurant owner Azlina Ab Lasim, 37, said she had shut down her business for two days, resuming only when the town's situation returned to normalcy.

However, for safety reasons, she said she would only operate during the day. Meanwhile, dried fish seller Ajim Ruben, 51, said he had purchased petrol in large quantities for fear that the incident (clash involving the intruders) might recur.

Suluks in Sabah say they are loyal to Malaysia

By STEPHANIE LEE

KOTA KINABALU: The Suluk community here fully support the government's move to end the Tanduo stand-off between security forces and followers of the self proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III.

The Tawau Suluk Bajau cultural association vice president Abdul Ali Erilis, Secretary of the Sabah Suluk Ethnic clan association Mohd Zaki Harry Susanto and Ruhil Sailajan representing the Suluks in Sabah came out in support of the government's action Tuesday to forcibly end the nearly three week stand-off.

“Although we are said to be from the same clan, our country, loyalty and support lies with Malaysia,” he said.
“We fully denounce what the intruders have done and brought to Sabah, they have intruded into our homeland and are very cruel and uncivilised people,” he said after paying a courtesy call to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman on Tuesday.

In the Philippines, these intruders are called Tausug but in Sabah, they are referred to as the Suluks.

Adding to this, Mohd Zaki said the actions of the intruders were not what a true Suluk' was like, and none from the over 300,000 Suluks in Sabah should follow in their lead.

Likewise, Ali assured the state government and the people of Sabah that they are not linked in any way with the intruders as claimed by many quarters.

“We will not help them or support them in any way at all. This is our country and we want to maintain the peace and sovereignty,” he said.

“We want the intruders out and gone,” he said, adding all Suluks in Sabah should come forward and pledge their loyalty to the government.

Earlier on, Musa said the Sabah government is fully behind the Federal government's move to evict the Sulu gunmen who intruded into Lahad Datu and other areas of the east coast.

He said ample time had been given to the intruders to leave to avoid blood shed but they insist on staying.

“We will do all we can to ensure the safety of our armed forces and the people,” he said.

The operation started at 7am and Prime Minister Najib Razak announced in a statement, that it had to be done in order to "defend the dignity and sovereignty of the country".

Meanwhile, Ruhil who is president of the Kota Kinabalu handicraft association hopes other Sabahans know that Malaysian Suluks “have drawn a line” and do not want to be associated in any way with the intruders.

“All we want is for everything to return to normal as business is also affected from this incident,” he said.

 

[lcloo]

Using FA-18D and BAE Hawk for air to ground attacks may be a bit of over-kill, but it at least ensure no Malaysian troops get hurt.



Lahad Datu assault was first large scale operations between police and armed forces

PETALING JAYA: The assault in Lahad Datu is the first ever large scale joint-operation between the police and the armed Forces.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Armed Forces used three units of F-18, five units of Hawks in the attack along with ground forces compromising of police and Armed Forces personnel.

“It is the first time the armed Forces and police were cooperating in such magnitude.

“It is for the safety and security for all Malaysians,” he said at a press conference in Felda Sahabat, Lahad Datu.

Despite the attack, Dr Ahmad Zahid said good bilateral relations between Malaysia and the Philippine was preserved.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the Malaysian security forces had not recorded any casualty.