Malaysia – Page 5

President Aquino appeals to Sultan of Sulu to recall followers and end Sabah Standoff

Feb 272013

(Map coutesy of www.sabah.edu.my) President Benigno S. Aquino III appealed to Sultan Jamalul Kiram III of Sulu to recall his followers holed up in a portion of Lahad Datu town in the eastern province of Sabah, Malaysia in order to peacefully end the two-week standoff between Malaysian authorities and the Sulu Sultan who has been pressing his people’s claim to said land. The President aired his appeal in a press conference with the Malacanang Press Corps that was aired over government-run television and radio stations People’s Television (PTV-4) and dzRB Radyoo ng Bayan on Tuesday. “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,” the President said. “You are a leader of your clan, and every leader seeks the well-being of his constituents. These times require you to use your influence to prevail on our countrymen to desist from this hopeless cause,” he added. According to the President, Philippine and Malaysian authorities have been coordinating efforts to peacefully resolve the situation…and have not ceased.” “What is clear is that a peaceful resolution of this issue is to everybody’s interest. Even if we assume, for the sake of argument, that there are legitimate grievances, the presence of an armed group in Lahad Datu will only bring us further away Read More …

Sultan’s brother open to ‘peaceful’solution

News

Feb 262013

Sultan’s brother open to ‘peaceful’solution

SABAH STANDOFF Conflict puts 800,000 Filipinos in danger, says Roxas By Frances Mangosing, Maila Ager INQUIRER.net 1:54 pm | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 The heirs of the Sultan of Sulu: (seated from left) Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, Sultan Bantilan Esmail Kiram II and (standing from left) Datu Alianapia Kiram, Datu Phugdal Kiram and Datu Baduruddin Kiram. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The brother of the sultan of Sulu said his group in Lahad Datu town in Sabah was open to negotiate with the Malaysian government just to have a “peaceful” solution to the Sabah standoff. “Yes. Talagang peaceful negotiation ang kailangan…so long as our rights will not be taken away from us. Negotiation talaga ng gusto namin,” Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram told Radyo Inquirer 990AM on Wednesday when asked if they were open to negotiations. “Kailangan namin ng ganun, peaceful. We have to renegotiate in a peaceful way,” said Raja Muda, brother of Jamalulu Kiram III. Raja Muda said the standoff could be resolved peacefully “so long as there is no betrayal, so long as they are sincere with the negotiation.” His statements came just a day after Sultan Jamalul rejected President Benigno Aquino III’s call to withdraw the armed group in the disputed land or “face the full force of the law.” Raja Muda said they were ready to listen to the President and accept his views if they think these were right. Unfortunately, the sultan’s brother did not agree with the President’s claim that they may have violated Philippine laws when they refused to leave the land. “As President and chief executor of our laws, I have tasked an investigation Read More …

Rights, recognition key to solving Sabah standoff — Sultan's wife

News

Feb 262013

Rights, recognition key to solving Sabah standoff — Sultan's wife

Sulu sultan scoffs at PNoy’s warning, remains defiant. Sitti Krishna Idjirami (left) sister of Jamalul Kiram III (center), the 74-year-old Sultan of Sulu, and Crown Prince Bantillan Kiram (right) speak at a press conference in Manila on Tuesday. President Benigno Aquino III has warned Jamalul Kiram III that he would face the ‘full force of the law’ if he did not withdraw his gunmen from Sabah, Malaysia, but the elderly ruler remained defiant. AFP/Ted Aljibe Proper recognition as rightful owners of Sabah and a stop to human rights abuses allegedly committed on some of the Sultan’s followers are among the factors that could lead to the resolution of the ongoing standoff there, according to the wife of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. “The Sultanate of Sulu wanted only the recognition that the property belongs to the Sultanate of Sulu, number one,” said Princess Fatima Kiram, who is also the Sultan’s spokesperson, in an interview on GMA News TV’s “News to Go” on Wednesday. Hundreds of Kiram’s followers, some of them reportedly armed, remained holed up in Sabah even after the Tuesday midnight deadline set by Malaysia lapsed and despite an appeal from President Benigno Aquino III for them to leave the place. During the interview, Fatima expressed the desire of their followers to be treated “like other Muslim brothers” and to benefit from the “fruits” of the land. “For how many years, centuries na nga yata, na pinakikinabangan nila itong lupain na ito, at ang fruit ng aming lupain ay Read More …

Senators back Aquino’s call to end Sabah standoff peacefully

News

Feb 262013

Senators back Aquino’s call to end Sabah standoff peacefully

By Maila Ager INQUIRER.net 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 Read More …

Aquino says Sabah standoff must be resolved peacefully

Entertainment

Feb 252013

Aquino says Sabah standoff must be resolved peacefully

President Benigno S. Aquino III meeting with local Leaders with Community, Dumangas, Iloilo 02/21/2013 (screenshot courtesy of RTV Malacanang : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxcJnha5moc) President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Thursday that resolving the Sabah standoff through the use of force is not the effective way to deal with the problem. “Pag tinapatan mo ng armas siyempre ang kabilang panig iisa lang ang magiging puwedeng tugon sa mga hamon na yun. So hindi yun ang solusyon,” the President said in an interview in Iloilo on Thursday. “We have been dealing with this. We have been talking to parties concerned including the family of the Sultan to ensure na may peaceful resolution.” Resolving the standoff doesn’t rest entirely on the government’s hands, he said, adding that there has to be cooperation among all other entities to achieve a resolution on the current crisis and later on a long-term solution to the dispute. The President also acknowledged the good relationship between the Philippines and Malaysia, having helped the country in forging a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). “They (the Malaysians) have been very, very friendly to us. And they have been very, very supportive to us. And we have to, as a brother nation in ASEAN, also have to respond.” The government has been studying the Sabah issue and has compiled available data, the President said. One of the information mentioned by the President includes the treaty or agreement that was signed in 1878, which contain so many amendments. It Read More …

Sabah Standoff: Sultan’s men won’t leave despite deadline

News

Feb 222013

Sabah Standoff: Sultan’s men won’t leave despite deadline

By Nikko DizonPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:53 pm | Friday, February 22nd, 2013 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 PHOTO/AARON FAVILA MANILA, Philippines—The followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III holed up in Lahad Datu town in Sabah refused to leave despite the Friday deadline set by Malaysia. Jamalul, his brother Ishmael and wife Princess Fatima Cecilia and some of their followers faced the media on Friday in a press conference at the Blue Mosque in Maharlika Village in Taguig City, saying they will consult their followers regarding their next move. Princess Fatima, who is the sultan’s spokesperson, said the family wants the Sabah issue to be resolved before the International Court of Justice and that they are open to negotiate with Malaysia. She also said that the family was hurt by President Benigno Aquino’s statement that the Sabah issue was “dormant” but she welcomed his directive for his top Cabinet officials to study the Sabah claim issue. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Read More …

Report: 6 PHL ships deployed to prevent spillover of Sabah standoff

News

Feb 222013

Report: 6 PHL ships deployed to prevent spillover of Sabah standoff

At least six Philippine Navy ships have been deployed to the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi area to prevent a possible spillover of the standoff between a group of armed Filipinos and Malaysian authorities in Sabah. The ships are patrolling the waters of Tawi-Tawi, which is near Tandau village where the group involved in the standoff has been staying since Feb. 9, according to a report Friday on Malaysia’s The Star online. Malaysian security forces had cordoned off the area where the group is staying but is awaiting efforts to resolve the standoff peacefully. Philippine Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic was quoted in the report as saying the vessels have no instructions to evacuate the group led by Raja Muda Azzimudie Kiram, brother of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. “We are hoping that this will be resolved peacefully. If they are retreating, we are not there to help them because we need instructions if they can be picked up,” The Star online quoted Fabic as saying. The standoff in the eastern state of Sabah has threatened to spark tension between thePhilippines and Malaysia, whose ties have been periodically frayed by security and migration problems along their sea border, a Reuters report said, citing security analysts. Security analysts had warned that the historic peace deal signed by the Philippine government and Moro rebels last October to end 40 years of conflict in the Philippine south risked stirring instability by alienating powerful clan leaders. Jamalul Kiram III, 74, a former sultan of Sulu in Read More …

Honasan urges PH, Malaysia to hold talks to settle Sabah issue

News

Feb 182013

Honasan urges PH, Malaysia to hold talks to settle Sabah issue

By Bobby Lagsa Inquirer Mindanao 8:37 pm | Monday, February 18th, 2013 Senator Gregorio Honasan. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — Senator Gregorio Honasan said the Philippines and Malaysia should talk to resolve the entry of 300 Filipino followers of the Sultanate of Sulu in the Sabah region to prevent an international incident involving armed skirmishes. “I think, both governments should sit down, and jointly help diffuse the situation, which if left unattended to, might become more complicated because of an armed confrontation,” Honasan said. Honasan also called on Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to recall his brother, Rajah Mudah, back into the Philippines. Rajah Mudah, in an earlier report, said that he will only follow orders from his older brother. Sultan Kiram III, in an earlier report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, said the royal decree that he ordered for his brother was not about war, and that he sent his brother to Sabah as an exercise of their historic, ancestral and sovereign right over Sabah. Honasan said that the Sultan must be made to realize that his order has not been helping the government in its foreign and security policies. “He must be made to realize that these have become more complicated,” Honasan added. “It is time for the government to clarify these with the Sultan of Sulu and if these go out of proportion, it is a problem that we do not need,” said Honasan, who was in the city to join the regional convention Read More …

Despite incident involving armed Pinoys, Malacañang won't reopen Sabah claim

News

Feb 182013

Despite incident involving armed Pinoys, Malacañang won't reopen Sabah claim

Malaysian cops, troops surround Filipino armed group in Sabah . Sabah Police Commissioner Hamza Taib (center) leaves after a meeting at a police base near Lahad Datu on Borneo island on Sunday. About 100 armed men holed up in a village in Sabah, Malaysia refuse to leave, saying they have links with the Sultanate of Sulu in the Philippines which has a historic claim over the northern tip of Borneo island. Malaysia police and army troops have surrounded the village, with navy boats patrolling nearby islands. Reuters/Bazuki Muhammad Malacañang remained adamant that despite the incident involving some 400 people including 20 gunmen who have crossed over to the Malaysian state of Sabah, the Aquino administration will not revisit the country’s claim to the disputed land. “From what I understand, the claim is there and it hasn’t moved for quite some time. I also remember that the President did mention that it’s been dormant. Let’s leave it at that for the moment,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a briefing. In the 1960s, the Philippine government laid claim over Sabah based on historical and legal data, but later suspended its claim and instead forged close cooperation with its neighbor Malaysian. Valte added that more than any claim over Sabah, the administration is more concerned about the safety of those involved in the standoff. “The main concern really is the safety of the people who are there. So ‘yun po muna ‘yung pinag-uusapan at ‘yung sinesentruhan natin,” Valte said. “[We want] Read More …

We won’t leave Sabah, says Kiram

News

Feb 172013

Agence France-Presse 1:56 am | Monday, February 18th, 2013 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 PHOTO/AARON FAVILA MANILA, Philippines—Followers of a Philippine sultan 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 amid a tense standoff. Sultan Jamalul Kiram said his followers—some 400 people including 20 gunmen—were resolute in staying despite being cornered by security forces, with the Kuala Lumpur government insisting the group return to the Philippines. “Why should we leave our own home? In fact they (the Malaysians) are paying rent (to us),” he told reporters in Manila. “Our followers will stay in (the Sabah town of) Lahad Datu. Nobody will be sent to the Philippines. Sabah is our home,” he said. The sultan did not directly threaten violence but said “there will be no turning back for us.” Malaysian officials have said that many in the group have weapons, but Kiram insisted his followers made the trip unarmed. “If they have arms, they were already in Sabah,” the sultan said. The southern Philippine-based Islamic sultanate once controlled parts of Borneo, including the site of the stand-off, and Read More …

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