Sultan’s men, Malaysian forces exchange fire

 News
Feb 282013
 
Sultan’s men, Malaysian forces exchange fire

By Allan NawalPhilippine Daily Inquirer 11:17 am | Friday, March 1st, 2013 DAVAO CITY — Malaysian security forces clashed with members of the Sulu sltanate’s “royal army” Friday as they moved in to forcibly haul the “invaders” off Lahad Datu, a Sabah-based radio station said in its short wave broadcast monitored here. The station said its reporter was stationed near Felda 17, the seaside village where Agbimuddin Kiram and his armed followers of about 180 had been encamped since February 12. The station quoted its reporter as saying that he heard heavy firing shortly after 10 a.m. The Sabah radio said efforts to get comments from Malaysian authorities failed as they were mum on the incident but some villagers claimed seeing bodies being moved out. With earlier reports from INQUIRER.net, Radyo Inquirer 990AM. 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 Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Conflict , Jamalul Kiram , Malaysia , Sabah Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate: c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94

German arrested for missing hearings, says he feels like Canadian in murder-suicide

 News
Feb 282013
 
German arrested for missing hearings, says he feels like Canadian in murder-suicide

By Chito AragonInquirer Visayas 5:51 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 CEBU CITY, Philippines — A German national who had been arrested and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm was arrested again after he failed to appear in the hearings of his case. The operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG-7) arrested Pater Mai Kimmer, 49, past 3 p.m., Wednesday, at his rented house in D. Jakosalem Street in Barangay (village) Cogon-Ramos based on the warrant of arrest issued by Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Lynna Adviento. The court issued the alias warrant after Kimmer failed to appear in court for the hearing of his case several times. The court recommended P160,000 for Kimmer’s temporary release. Kimmer was also previously charged with illegal possession of dangerous drugs and carjacking. Before he was arrested on Wednesday, Kimmer had gone to the office of the prosecutor handling his case to express sympathy for John Pope, a retired Canadian journalist who killed himself after he shot and killed two persons and seriously wounded another. Pope, using an unlicensed firearm, shot lawyer Juvian Achas and his client, Doctor Rene Rafols, inside a court in the Palace of Justice last January 22. Rafols was the complainant in the malicious mischief charges against Pope. Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Maria Theresa Casiño was also shot and wounded. Inspector Delfin Bontuyan, leader of the team who arrested Kimmer, said the German reportedly said, “I sympathize with John Pope because I am experiencing the same fate.” Read More …

Malaysians should talk to sultan, says younger Kiram in Sabah

 News
Feb 282013
 
Malaysians should talk to sultan, says younger Kiram in Sabah

By Allan Nawal and Julie AlipalaInquirer Mindanao 5:24 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 DAVAO CITY, Philippines – If Malaysian officials want to end the stand-off in Lahad Datu, they should talk directly to Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, the leader of Kiram’s “royal army” that has occupied a fishing  village in the east Malaysia state of Sabah since Feb. 9 said Thursday. Agbimuddin Kiram, who calls himself the crown prince of the ancient Sultanate of Sulu, said only his elder brother, the sultan, could order them to leave Felda Sahabat 17 in Tungku, a village in the Tanduo district of Lahad Datu. Speaking over a Sabah radio station, whose shortwave broadcast was monitored here, Agbimuddin said in a mixture of Melayu, Tausug and English that any negotiation “should be through the sultan.” Agbimuddin’s group has been holed up in Tanduo, a sparsely populated fishing and farming area some 130 kilometers from the center of Lahad Datu,  since Feb. 9 and has refused to leave even after Malaysian security forces surrounded them three days later. The same line was used by Agbimuddin in a separate interview, The Star Malaysia reported. “All negotiations have to go through my brother in Manila. The final line is my brother,” The Star quoted Agbimuddin as saying by phone. In Thursday’s radio interview, Agbimuddin stressed the need for the Malaysian government to negotiate with his brother so the issue could be addressed. The Kirams had said that their “homecoming” in Sabah was aimed at advancing their Read More …

Online plan to boost Philippine eagle numbers

 News
Feb 282013
 
Online plan to boost Philippine eagle numbers

Agance France-Presse 3:15 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 AFP File Photo MANILA – The mating rituals of two captive Philippine eagles are being broadcast live over the Internet to rally global support for saving of the world’s rarest and biggest raptors, conservationists said Thursday. Livestreaming the pair gives a global Internet audience a rare insight into the courtship, mating and chick-rearing habits of the birds, which could soon become extinct, said Philippine Eagle Foundation spokesman Rolando Pinsoy. “This will give everyone a chance to learn more about this species and understand why we have to save them,” Pinsoy told AFP. Customarily, the female lays a single egg in November or December and the chick hatches a month later, he said. In a project backed by the US-based Raptor Resource Project and the Internet videosharing site Ustream.tv, the pair can now be viewed 24 hours a day over the next 12 months at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/29615691 “Even for biologists, there is so much more that we need to learn about this species,” Pinsoy said. The Philippine eagle, or Pithecophaga jefferyi, is the world’s largest eagle in terms of length. It is found only in the country’s vanishing forests, where hunting, logging and land conversion all threaten its survival. The bird, with a distinctive shaggy and cream-coloured crest, grows to up to 3.35 feet (one metre) in length with a wing span of up to seven feet. According to the foundation and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, there are only about between Read More …

Beijing restaurant manager refuses to apologize over ‘racist’ sign

 News
Feb 282013
 
Beijing restaurant manager refuses to apologize over ‘racist’ sign

Associated Press 3:13 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 A restaurant in Beijing displays its sentiment toward the citizens of the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan with which China has territorial issues in the West Philippine Sea and the Sea of Japan. The sign says Japanese, Filipinos, Vietnamese and dogs are barred from the restaurant, presumably in that order. AFP FILE PHOTO BEIJING – A defiant Beijing restaurant manager refused to apologize Thursday despite removing a “racist” sign barring citizens of states in maritime disputes with China, along with dogs, following an international outcry. The notice in the window of the Beijing Snacks restaurant read: “This shop does not receive the Japanese, the Philippines, the Vietnamese and dog(s)” in both Chinese and English. But despite taking down the sign after accusations of racism, the manager said he had no regrets and would not apologize for any offence caused. Images of the sign went viral in Vietnam and were splashed across newspapers in the Philippines on Wednesday. Both are involved in bitter territorial disputes with China over islands in the South China Sea. The manager, surnamed Wang, said it was taken down “because it was a lot of bother”. “I don’t have any regrets,” he told AFP. “I was just getting too many phone calls about it.” He seemed surprised at the attention it had generated but said he would not apologize for any offense caused, suggesting it may have been misinterpreted. “Maybe people misunderstood our meaning… it only said we would Read More …

No change in Sabah stand-off amid reports of imminent attack

 News
Feb 282013
 
No change in Sabah stand-off amid reports of imminent attack

By Ruben SarioThe Star-Asia News Network 2:43 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 TANJUNG LABIAN (LAHAD DATU) – The ongoing Sulu stand-off in this Sabah east coast district remains unchanged for the third week on Thursday. Numerous reports have emerged of an imminent attack by security forces on the group. One report claimed that several soldiers came close to Kampung Tanduo where the followers of the Sulu Sultanate are holed up. A heavy presence of security personnel was observed at various strategic locations surrounding the seaside village late Wednesday. Sabah police also declined to comment if shots were fired in the area on Wednesday evening although nearby villagers claimed to have heard them. Sulu group leader Rajah Muda Azzimudie Kiram told Philippines media that his men had fired warning shots after spotting what he claimed were six Malaysian security personnel entering the village. While claiming to come to Sabah in peace, Azzimudie warned that his followers were willing to “fight to the death” if provoked. 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 Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Department of Justice , Features , Global Nation , Malaysia , Prince Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram , Sabah , Sultan Jamalul Kiram III Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact 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 …

Malaysian National Security Council takes control over Sabah standoff

 News
Feb 262013
 
Malaysian National Security Council takes control over Sabah standoff

INQUIRER.net 6:33 am | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 Sultan Jamalul Kiram lll speaks during a news conference at his house in Maharlika Village, Taguig City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—A radio report early Wednesday said Malaysia’s National Security Council (NSC) had taken over the standoff situation between the group of Sulu sultanate-led Filipino “intruders” and Malaysian authorities in Sabah. The extended 48-hour deadline for the group to leave the island, which the sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III, claims as their land, lapsed after the last hour of Tuesday. The report said Deputy Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar was coordinating with Sabah police and the military in trying to resolve the standoff. Sultan Kiram III on Tuesday ignored President Aquino’s warning that his followers, holed up in Tanduao village in Lahad Datu town and numbering 236, would “face the full force of the law.”—Rick Alberto

Philippines slams patrols for Chinese fishers

 News
Feb 262013
 

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:52 am | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines on Tuesday denounced China’s announced fishery patrols in the Spratly group of islands, as it asserted its sovereignty over its established maritime boundaries in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also called on China to “act responsibly” amid simmering tensions in the region over the contested waters, the subject of a Philippine arbitration bid in the United Nations. “We again call on China to respect our territorial sovereignty and exclusive economic zone. The Philippines strongly objects to the Chinese patrols in the Philippines’ maritime domain in the West Philippine Sea,” said DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. Chinese state media reported over the weekend that the South China Sea Fishery Bureau of China’s Ministry of Agriculture was set to undertake “routine fishery administrative patrols” in the South China Sea this year. The patrols “will be carried out to better safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese fishermen,” Chinese media said, quoting Wu Zhuang of the fisheries bureau. Wu said that China would “speed up the routine patrols” with the growing capacity of Chinese law enforcement authorities. Hernandez said the move violated China’s international commitments, including its accession to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). The Philippines invoked the Unclos in taking its dispute with China to the UN arbitral tribunal in hopes of stopping Chinese incursions into its  waters and invalidating the Chinese Read More …

EU envoy: Journalist killings a concern

 News
Feb 262013
 
EU envoy: Journalist killings a concern

By Maricar Cinco Inquirer Southern Luzon 4:26 am | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux: Journalist killings still do happen. FILE PHOTO LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—European Union (EU) Ambassador Guy Ledoux called journalists “true defenders of human rights,” but he said the continuing attacks on media workers in the Philippines and the government’s failure to pass the freedom of information bill remained a concern even after the country had transitioned from authoritarian rule to democracy. Journalists perform alongside lawyers, activists, politicians and other groups in defending human rights but they continue to fall victim to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, Ledoux said in a speech at the 8th National Congress of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) last weekend. The NUJP elected a new set of officers at the congress, six of whom were reporters and provincial correspondents of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Ledoux, who was appointed head of the EU’s delegation to the Philippines two years ago to look into media killings, said 11 to 14 Filipino journalists had been killed since June 2010 but the cases remained unsolved and the masterminds allowed to walk free. Maguindanao massacre “The EU recognizes the current administration’s efforts to eliminate extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, and to prosecute those responsible. But, at the same time, we observe that journalist killings do still happen, with the latest killing taking place on Nov. 8, 2012,” he said. Ledoux cited the massacre in November 2009 of 58 people in Maguindanao, among Read More …

 Older Entries  Newer Entries