Silence reigns in Sabah village after heavy firing—radio report

 News
Feb 282013
 

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1:28 pm | Friday, March 1st, 2013

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—An uncanny silence now engulfs Felda Sahabat 17, a community in the seaside village of Tanjung in Tanduo, Lahad Datu following nearly an hour of gun fight between Malaysian security forces and members of the Sulu sultanate’s “royal army,” the short wave station Free Radio Sarawak near Sabah reported Friday.

Another SW station based in Kota Kinabalu said more Malaysian security forces in full battle gear were seen heading for Tanduo and were expected to beef up security forces stationed there when  the stand-off between the two sides started February 12, three days after followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III landed in the village.

Both stations said they could not confirm the number of casualties but their reporters quoted villagers as saying those being moved out for injuries were members of the Malaysian security forces.

Abraham Iridjani, spokesperson for Jamalul Kiram, told Manila reporters that there had been injuries on the side of the “royal army” as well.

Malaysian authorities remained mum on the firefight, the Kota Kinabalu station said.

Reports by other Malaysian media said former Sabah minister Harris Salleh lamented the violence, saying “it would remain a scar forever” on Malaysia’s diplomatic image before the eyes of the world.

Harris had earlier called for a peaceful resolution of the Sabah stand-off and proposed that Kuala Lumpur settle the claims of the heirs of the ancient sultanate by buying it out.

He proposed that the sum of at least RM200 million be offered to the heirs of the sultanate so they would drop their bid to reclaim Sabah.

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Tags: Lahad Datu , Malaysia , Philippines , Sabah claim , Sultan Jamalul Kiram III , Sultanate of Sulu

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Gov’t to resort to diplomacy to bring back Amalilio to PH—De Lima

 News
Jan 272013
 
Gov’t to resort to diplomacy to bring back Amalilio to PH—De Lima

By TJ BurgonioPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:59 am | Monday, January 28th, 2013 MANUEL AMALILIO Contributed photo The government will employ diplomacy to bring back to the Philippines fugitive Manuel Amalilio, alleged brains of the Ponzi scheme that last year duped some 15,000 Filipinos of P12 billion, to face prosecution, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Sunday. It has emerged that complaints of Malaysian scam victims in Kota Kinabalu—not Amalilio’s possible ties with Sabah’s chief minister—prompted Malaysian police to stop Amalilio’s repatriation to Manila from Kota Kinabalu on Friday night, De Lima said. “It’s more of diplomacy,” she told the Inquirer when asked if the options included diplomacy or invoking the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT). “Steps are being undertaken. We’re exerting efforts to bring him back. But we can’t be disclosing what these steps are to ensure that, this time, his repatriation pushes through,” she later told reporters in an ambush interview at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia). When pressed for details of the diplomatic tack, De Lima pointed to a “police-to-police cooperation” of both countries. She said it was the cooperation of the Malaysian police that led to Amalilio’s arrest in the first place. “It has always been through mutual police cooperation,” she said. “We’re working on it so that this time it pushes through.” Amalilio is the founder of Aman Futures group that defrauded thousands of investors in the Visayas and Mindanao in a fraudulent investment scam. A Cabinet official, who asked not to be named, said Read More …