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• Tian Chua: I didn’t say it was an Umno conspiracy
• ZI Publications director charged with publishing, spreading, possessing Irshad Manji's book
• A move in PKR to oust Anwar’s dynasty?
• Malaysia flare-up illustrates volatility
• End blasphemy laws threatening minorities: U.N. faith expert
• LAHAD DATU: Jamalul Kiram III is a fake Sulu sultan, says family insider
• Police Arrest Dozens of “MyKad” Sulu to Gather Info
• Anwar: Lynas plant can operate if safe
• Conspiracy Theories Surround Violence in Sabah
• Anwar: PAS can pursue Islamic laws for Muslims
• Manila trip ‘not linked to Sabah invasion’
• What role did the Scorpene subs play?
• More police reports against Tian Chua’s statement
• MNLF chief warns of ‘chaos’ if Sulu Sultan arrested
• Gov't will defend use of word 'Allah', says Najib
• Philippine intrigue could be behind Sulu incursion, say sources
• Twenty bodies of gunmen recovered after large-scale operations in Sabah: Sources
• 10,000 Tausugs to sail to Sabah
• Anwar mum over Sabah conspiracy allegations
• Government will defend use of ‘Allah’ word, says Najib
• Report: Total defeat for Sulu group in Sabah dawn attack
• Protest against Tian Chua
• PKR to contest 90 seats
• Aquino’s spokesman says all was done to avoid bloodshed in Sabah
• Army begins mopping-up operation
• Malaysian-trained MNLF fighters join Sulu army
• Strike misses Kiram
• ‘Sabah uprising’
• 'No surrender' in Sabah - Kiram
• Wikipedia Page Edited To Describe Sabah As Sultanate’s
• KL sends ‘cavalry’ to Sabah; toll hits 27
• Ground troops moving into Tanduo; air strikes over
• Tortured, Beheaded and Mutilated
• Aquino says Sabah is a conspiracy
• End Sabah clash in ‘brotherly way’, MNLF warns Putrajaya
• Army rushing reinforcements to help police deal with latest landings
• Tian Chua: I didn’t insult our commandos
• Manila now says up to Malaysia to handle Sulu militants
• I was adviser to ‘real’ Sulu sultan, says Umno Youth exco man
• Nur Misuari offers to mediate
• Nazri: BN will 'gladly' hand over power if people's mandate lost
• Fighting in Sabah rages
• Fourteen killed in stand-off between Philippine sultan and Malaysia
• Malaysia Blocks PH Ship On Humanitarian Mission

Tian Chua: I didn’t say it was an Umno conspiracy Posted: 06 Mar 2013 03:14 PM PST The PKR vice-president does a U-turn and states that his controversial statement of an 'Umno conspiracy' referred to the media blackout. Anisah Shukry, FMT PKR vice-president Tian Chua today denied claiming the shootout in Lahad Datu was an Umno conspiracy, contradicting what was published in PKR organ KeadilanDaily on March 1. The KeadilanDaily article "Insiden tembakan di Lahad Datuk Konspirasi terancang Umno – Tian" (Shooting incident in Lahad Datu a planned conspiracy by Umno – Tian) sparked intense outrage among the public, who have taken to the streets as well as lodged police reports over Tian Chua's alleged statements. But Tian Chua stressed today the headline was not his own words and did not reflect his beliefs, urging the public to instead focus on the direct quotes published in the article, which is available online. "When I told the reporter I believed there was a conspiracy by the Umno government, I was referring only to the media blackout, and the fact that pro-Umno bloggers were claiming the opposition was behind the armed incursion in Sabah," Tian Chua, the Batu MP, said at a press conference here today. "When [the reporter] asked me about the shooting, I told the reporter: 'don't speculate, there has been no confirmation'. [This is because] it was 12pm at that time, and there was no news from Malaysian media [on Lahad Datu]." Lending credence to Tian Chua's denial is the fact that not one of his quotes in the article referred to the shootout itself. His three quotes in the article are: "We feel that it is strange that the Malaysian media did not report the incident. All sources of reports are from foreign media. "Where did they get the info when there are no media representatives allowed to cover it? In fact, we don't know how true the news that has been reported is. "There is a conspiracy by the Umno government to divert the Sabahans' attention, especially in the issue of ICs being distributed to Sabahans." But the article's headline as well as contents led readers to believe his quote on the "Umno conspiracy" was a direct reference to the shootout last Friday, in which two policemen and 12 armed intruders were killed. While Tian Chua today stopped short of calling the KeadilanDaily article misleading, he stressed that he was not responsible for how the editors had written the story. "That's always the case; I am only responsible for my direct quotes. It is the rights of the editor to arrange the news as they wish." He also said he stood by his position that the finger-pointing and media blackout were an Umno conspiracy, and hence refused to apologise over the matter. On Tuesday, Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor had sent a letter of demand for Tian Chua to apologise to the party or risk legal action. Responding to this, Tian Chua said: "The issue of apologising does not exist because I never insulted anyone. I wish to go to court and clarify this. I believe the judge is intelligent enough to read the article and know what I mean." READ MORE HERE

ZI Publications director charged with publishing, spreading, possessing Irshad Manji's book Posted: 06 Mar 2013 02:05 PM PST (The Star) - The director of ZI Publications was charged in a Lower Syariah Court here with three counts of publishing, spreading and possessing the controversial Irshad Manji's book in last year. Mohd Ezra Mohd Zaid (pix), 30, however, claimed trial to the three alternative charges before Syarie judge Saharuddin Selamat on Thursday. He was alleged to have committed the offence at ZI Publications in Merchant Square in Jalan Tropicana Selatan 1 here in May, last year. The prosecution was led by Selangor Syarie prosecution chief Abdul Shukor Abdul Hamid while Mohd Ezra was represented by Syarie counsel Zulkifli Che Yong. The court later fixed May 9 for mention.

A move in PKR to oust Anwar’s dynasty? Posted: 06 Mar 2013 01:40 PM PST A former aide of PKR women chief Zuraida Kamaruddin had allegedly written a letter to the PAS president, urging the latter to pressure PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to step down. G Vinod, FMT A handwritten letter published on Malaysia Today website yesterday suggests that there is a move in PKR to oust its supremo Anwar Ibrahim's family before the general election. Claiming to be PKR women chief Zuraida Kamaruddin's former political secretary, Mohd Fareez Kamal Intidzam, 24, urged PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to save the opposition pact from PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and its vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar. Fareez alleged that Wan Azizah and Nurul wanted to destroy his career as he was "close" to Anwar. He also claimed to be working for Anwar as his private secretary for international affairs since 2008. "The duo wants to eliminate anyone close to Anwar as they are jealous. As PAS president, only you (Hadi) can pressure Wan Azizah to quit her post before the 13th general election," he said. He also said that Wan Azizah's departure would not make much difference because the former Permatang Pauh MP cannot contest for a parliamentary seat in the coming election anyway. "What's the point being a party president when you can't contest for a parliamentary seat? This is an embarassment to Pakatan Rakyat," said Fareez. The former aide to Zuraida also heaped praises on PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and called him a man of calibre. Being a capable leader, Fareez said that Azmin would ensure Pakatan's victory in the general election. "He's a wholesome leader, unlike Wan Azizah who is just a proxy and pretends to not know anything happening around her," he said. A copy of the letter was sent to DAP chairman Karpal Singh. 'Tired of accusations' Meanwhile, a source close to Zuraida confirmed that Fareez used to work for the MP but quit before 2008. However, the source could not recall when Fareez left his post. "I only know him professionally. In terms of work, Fareez can deliver as instructed," said the source. READ MORE HERE

Malaysia flare-up illustrates volatility Posted: 06 Mar 2013 12:06 PM PST   (Today Online) - Stand-off might also point to dangers of other, perhaps larger flashpoints in region: Analysts Malaysia's move to launch air strikes and send in ground troops to flush out an armed Filipino Muslim clan from a coastal village in the eastern state of Sabah illustrates how border tensions across Asia can flare up in unpredictable ways. Such conflicts threaten the stability that has helped underpin decades of economic growth, potentially complicating the United States' bid to step up its military and diplomatic influence in a region where China exerts growing sway. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak ordered Tuesday's dawn assault after some 200 Filipinos claiming to be descendants of the defunct sultanate of Sulu dumbfounded Malaysia by sailing from the nearby southern Philippines to revive a 350-year-old claim on Sabah. At least 27 people have been killed in clashes between the armed intruders and Malaysian security forces. "Operations are still ongoing," Malaysia's armed forces chief, General Zulkifeli Zin, told reporters yesterday. "It's not going to be easy because we have a big area to cover. Nevertheless, we are able to contain them so far in an area of approximately four square kilometres." Mr Najib struck an uncompromising tone as the operation got under way earlier in the day. "For our sovereignty and stability, we will not allow even an inch of Malaysian territory to be threatened or taken by anyone," he said. The nearly month-long stand-off is disrupting palm oil exports from Sabah, which produces 30 per cent of Malaysia's output. Further violence could unnerve foreign investment in the state as well as damage Mr Najib's chances in a general election due to be held by June. The Filipinos appear to be standing firm on their claim. Abraham Idjirani, a spokesman for self-declared Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, told reporters the group would continue to fight for Sabah, which they say was granted to Mr Kiram's family by the Sultan of Brunei in the 17th century. Philippine officials have urged the group to return home. "We've done everything we could to prevent this, but in the end, Mr Kiram's people chose this path," government spokesman Ricky Carandang said. Some analysts say the stand-off should not have come as a surprise given the region's historical ties, and that it might also point to the dangers of other, perhaps larger flashpoints elsewhere in the region. Ms Glenda Gloria, a Manila-based author and historian, noted that residents of the Philippines' Muslim provinces frequently travelled back and forth between Malaysia and Indonesia, trading and speaking a similar language before European and American colonisers introduced national boundaries. Many Muslim Filipinos sought sanctuary in Sabah in the '70s and '80s while fighting a separatist war against late dictator Ferdinand Marcos' government. "Sabah was always part of their real—and imagined—community," Ms Gloria said, pointing out that migrants from the southern Philippines now living in modern-day Sabah often refer to themselves as Suluks rather than Filipinos. There are similar problems in other parts of South-east Asia. In 2008 and 2011, Thailand and Cambodia fought brief border wars that claimed scores of lives and strained relations between the two countries. The cause: A dispute over which country should control a Buddhist temple after France decades ago demarked the border between the countries. Papuan separatists in eastern Indonesia, meanwhile, are fighting to break away from central rule in Jakarta, while an ethnic-Malay Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand has killed more than 5,000 people since 2004 as guerrillas rebel against the annexation of the old Pattani sultanate by what was then Siam in 1902. Dr Farish Noor, a professor at Nanyang Technological University, argued that in many instances, these conflicts are caused by old customs butting up against arbitrary modern national boundaries. "We South-east Asians are caught between a fluid region and a hard state," he said. Read more at: http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/malaysia-flare-illustrates-volatility

End blasphemy laws threatening minorities: U.N. faith expert Posted: 06 Mar 2013 12:03 PM PST Security officials surrounding Rimsha Masih, (C, green scarf) a Christian girl accused of blasphemy, move her to a helicopter after her release from Adyala jail in Rawalpindi September 8, 2012.  (Reuters) - Countries should repeal all laws punishing blasphemy and people who leave a faith, the United Nations' top expert on freedom of religion said on Wednesday, thrusting himself into a debate between many in the Muslim world and the West. Legislation outlawing apostasy - the act of changing religious affiliation - and insults against religious figures could be used to violate the rights of minorities, Heiner Bielefeld said in a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council. The comments from the United Nations' special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief came amid heightened focus on faith-based laws in countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where blasphemy carries the death penalty. "States should repeal any criminal law provisions that penalize apostasy, blasphemy and proselytism, as they may prevent persons belonging to religious or belief minorities from fully enjoying their freedom of religion or belief," he said in the report. Rights campaigners say the blasphemy law in Pakistan is widely used against religious minorities, including Christians, Ahmadis and more recently Shiah Muslims, usually on flimsy pretexts. The posting of an amateurish U.S.-made video mocking the Prophet Mohammad, and the publication of caricatures of him in France last year led to violent protests and renewed calls from the Muslim world for a global law against blasphemy. Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/06/us-un-religion-rights-idUSBRE9251LV20130306

LAHAD DATU: Jamalul Kiram III is a fake Sulu sultan, says family insider Posted: 06 Mar 2013 11:47 AM PST   (Bernama) - Jamalul Kiram III, who is masquerading as the sultan of Sulu and whose followers have intruded into Sabah and killed Malaysian police personnel, cannot lay claim to the defunct title, according to a source familiar with the goings-on in the family. It is, therefore, wrong for him to assert to be the heir to the last sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram II, who died in 1936. Jamalul Kiram III was never a legitimate descendant of the nine "rightful heirs" of Jamalul Kiram II that was drawn up in the 1939 'Macaskie Judgement' to be eligible to receive cession payments, following the ceding of Sabah, then known as North Borneo, to the British North Borneo Company (BNBC). The source, who has indepth knowledge of the Sulu "sultanate" household and its history, stressed that according to the family tree, although Jamalul Kiram III was a member of the household, he was never a descendent of the nine principal heirs who had the right to the cession payments. "When Jamalul Kiram II died in 1936, he left no direct heir, and BNBC also stopped the cession payments. So, the nine had gone to court as a group to recognise their right to receive the annual payment," the source said. In 1939, the Chief Justice of the High Court of North Borneo, Justice Macaskie, ruled in the heirs' favour and the annual payment resumed. The Malaysian Government has continued with the payment, following the formation of the federation. In 2011, descendants of the nine principal heirs to Jamalul Kiram II obtained an order from a Sulu court to recognise them as the legitimate direct descendents to the nine principal heirs. This second generation of the heirs are Dayang Dayang Piandao Taj-Mahal Kiram-Tarsum Nuqui, Putli Nurhima Kiram-Forman, Siti Ayesha K.H Sampang, Sulatan Fuad A. Kiram, Dayang-Dayang Sheramar T. Kiram, Princess Permaisuri Kiram Guerson and Sitti Jenny K.A Sampang. "As such, he (Jamalul Kiram III) cannot claim to be an heir or descendent of any of the nine principal heirs," the source contended.

Police Arrest Dozens of “MyKad” Sulu to Gather Info Posted: 06 Mar 2013 11:42 AM PST   (Borneo Insider) - Among those hauled up for questioning and interrogation is the son of Rajah Mudah Abjimuddin Kiram, the leader of the Sulu Raiders who held security forces to a three-week stand-off at Tanduo, before fleeing to safer ground. Others include the information chief of a local political party as well as uniformed personnel.    13 bodies of Tanduo raiders recovered, mop-up exercise on-going; fighting in Labian; Four arrests in Semporna; one intruder killed in Labian; Lok Kawi camp fired at; Abjimuddin said to have escaped and very alive By THE BORNEO INSIDER TEAM A Malaysian army helicopter flies in Cenderawasih near the area where the stand-off with Filipino gunmen and Malaysian security forces was taking place in Tanduo village on Tuesday. Malaysian security forces launched an assault on supporters of the Sultanate of Sulu engaged in a three-week incursion that has left 27 people dead. TANDUO, FELDA SAHABAT, LAHAD DATU: Relatives of the Sulu Sultan's family are said to be among dozens of people who have been hauled up by the police over the last two weeks on suspicion that they are sympathisers of the so called Sulu Royal Army. Among those hauled up for questioning and interrogation is the son of Rajah Mudah Abjimuddin Kiram, the leader of the Sulu Raiders who held security forces to a three-week stand-off at Tanduo, before fleeing to safer ground. Others include the information chief of a local political party as well as uniformed personnel – though earlier the IGP had denied that security people had been detained for allegedly providing the "other side" with classified information. Police remain tight-lipped about the arrests but at least four men have been transferred to police headquarters in Kepayan to be interrogated. The photo of a policeman was also posted by unidentified sources on Facebook, branding him a traitor. On Tuesday night, villagers near Kembarabudi in Felda Sahabat area said police also detained eight people in a blue van as they were driving out of the Tanjung Labian area which was about 5kms away along the coastline to Tanduo village which was bombed earlier in the day. The villagers claimed that among those detained could be a son of Abjimuddin, and a woman who could also be related to the Kirams. Residents leave their village in Tanjung Labian near Tanduo, where Malaysian forces launched an assault on Filipino gunmen, bombing the village followed by a ground assault by troops. Tanduo villagers, who fled upon the first landing of the Sulu group on Feb 9, have said that Abjimuddin and his top lieutenant known as "Musa'' a former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander, were related to local village leaders through marriage. Abjimuddin, a soft-spoken person was also once the former assistant district officer of Kudat in the early 1970s – though he used a different name then – and his family has a long list of relatives living mainly in Lahad Datu, Semporna and Sandakan  Read more at: http://borneoinsidermirror.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/breaking-news-fresh-shooting-in-labian/

Anwar: Lynas plant can operate if safe Posted: 06 Mar 2013 05:54 AM PST (The Sydney Morning Herald) - Malaysia's opposition leader promises that if he wins power he'll put the the controversial Australian-owned Lynas plant in Kuantan on hold but allow it to reopen after a favourable review. Malaysia's Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has pledged to back Australian miner Lynas operating a controversial rare earths processing plant, if a new public inquiry proves it to be safe. Earlier he had demanded the plant's closure. Dr Anwar confirmed that if he won power, he would fast-track the inquiry but until then he would move quickly to shut the plant near the coastal town of Kuantan, 194 kilometres north-east of Kuala Lumpur. "I am not prepared to risk the safety of people in and around Kuantan," he said, adding he was not anti-development. Analysts say that in elections due to be called within weeks Dr Anwar's three-party opposition alliance has a chance of toppling the Barisan Nasional coalition government that has ruled Malaysia since the country gained independence from Britain 55 years ago. The government has backed the $US800 million ($A782 million) plant, built to process rare earths from Lynas' Mount Weld mine in Western Australia, saying it complies with Malaysian and international laws and standards. But the plant has faced strong opposition from activists in a group called Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL), which has drawn nationwide support through internet and social media campaigns and street protests. The clash is set to be a key issue in the most closely fought election in Malaysia's history. Dr Anwar said in an interview he has "reason to believe" the concerns of many people about environmental consequences of the plant, built in a swampy area next to a tidal river, about three kilometres from the South China Sea. He said he did not trust government agencies that approved the plant because of reported birth defects and leukaemia among residents near a rare earths refinery built by Japan's Mitsubishi in Malaysia's Perak state 1982, which has since closed. But a spokesman for Sydney-based Lynas said the Perak plant used waste from tin mining as its raw material, which contained high levels of thorium, the source of high levels of radiation. The Lynas process was different. "By all international standards, the Lynas raw material is classified as safe, non-toxic and non-hazardous," he said. Dr Anwar said he would offer the company and others the opportunity to testify before any inquiry. He would also seek to involve world experts on rare earths that are used to make high-tech products such as smartphones, iPods, flat-screen televisions, hybrid cars and missiles. "If Lynas can come out with a convincing argument there is no risk to people's safety and security I will be the first to champion the plant there," Dr Anwar said. Asked about Dr Anwar's pledge to set up an inquiry, the Lynas spokesman said the plant had already been subjected to numerous independent reviews, including by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the world's pre-eminent authority on radiation safety. "Lynas is dedicated to zero harm. Care and wellbeing of our people and the communities in which we operate is at our core," the spokesman said. In Kuantan, a seaside town popular with holidaymakers, anti-Lynas activists claim about 80 per cent of residents oppose the plant but no polling has been done. A four-metre-high fence surrounds the 100-hectare Lynas site at the edge of an 8600-hectare petro-chemical industrial park. Construction of the plant was completed last year. Waste water from the plant runs into mangroves where Syed Salikin, 47, goes fishing for crabs almost every day. "We don't know much about Lynas but I fear it will be dangerous for us," Mr Syed said, holding one of his day's catch. "I am afraid the river will be contaminated. I am not so worried about myself but I am worried this will affect my children and grandchildren." Rumours swirl around the town about problems at the plant, fuelled in part by a report last month by Germany's Oeko-Institute, commissioned by the Save Malaysia Stop Lynas organisation. It said the plant's design has several deficiencies, including with storage facilities that could allow radioactive and toxic wastes to leak into the ground and ground water. But Lynas said the institute did not contact the company during its preparation of the report and it was not given an opportunity to review it before its release. The well-funded SMSL group has been embroiled in legal action aimed at blocking Lynas' temporary operating licence while Lynas is suing seven SMSL directors for defamation. An appeal to seek leave before the Malaysian Federal Court is pending, frustrating efforts by Lynas to see off a final legal challenge. Bastian Vendargon, a barrister for SMSL, said the directors being sued were mostly retired teachers and public servants who faced losing their houses and savings if Lynas won the case. "They are obviously very worried about their future," he said. Andan Sura Rabu, a candidate for Kuantan in state elections for an Islamic party in Dr Anwar's alliance, said he was campaigning on the promise the plant would be shut and opened only "if the public can be convinced it is safe''. "Why bring this dangerous material all the way from Australia to be processed here .. . why not process it in your desert?" he said.

Conspiracy Theories Surround Violence in Sabah Posted: 05 Mar 2013 06:53 PM PST Mong Palation, The Diplomat Philippine President Benigno Aquino and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak smell conspiracy behind the decision by some 200 armed followers of Jamalul Kiram, the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu, to occupy parts of Lahad Datu in Sabah. Although Sabah is part of the Malaysian Federation, the Sulu Sultanate in the southern Philippines has claimed the state as its own. There are an estimated 800,000 documented and undocumented Filipinos residing in Sabah.  Kiram's armed followers arrived in Lahad Datu on February 9 and vowed not to leave until the sultanate's claim is settled. After waiting three weeks for the private soldiers to surrender voluntarily, the Malaysian armed forces launched ground and air strikes yesterday. According to reports, as many as 8 Malaysians and 19 Filipinos have been killed in the fighting over the past week.  The death of Filipinos in Sabah may have forced Aquino to appear on national television to defend the Philippine government's refusal to support the "hopeless cause" of Kiram's followers. Aquino also hinted that his government is building a case against certain "persons of interest" who might have provoked the Sultan of Sulu to order his men to occupy Lahad Datu.   In a press conference on March 4, Aquino said: "We are aware that there are those who conspired to bring us to this situation – a situation that has no immediate solutions. Some of their identities are clear to us, while others continue to skulk in the shadows. The family of Sultan Jamalul Kiram could not possibly have settled on this course of action alone." Aquino added that the government is verifying reports suggesting the involvement of people connected to the administration of former President Gloria Arroyo. He warned, "To the people who are behind this, even now, I tell you: you will not succeed. All those who have wronged our country will be held accountable." Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is suspicious about the timing of the Sabah incursion, which took place just as Malaysian political parties are preparing for general elections due in June. Some opposition figures have been accused of instigating the crisis by encouraging Kiram to take drastic action in Sabah in exchange for autonomy once the opposition coalition grabs power this year.  The opposition rejected the charge and turned the tables back on Najib and the ruling party. The opposition accused Najib's government of launching a full-scale attack against the so-called Royal Sulu Army to divert attention from the army's failure to protect the country's borders. They also accused the ruling coalition of exploiting the issue to win the support of Malaysian voters – especially in Sabah where the opposition is slowly making inroads.  The timing of the violence in Sabah – during election season in both Malaysia and the Philippines – has created an atmosphere in which everything that political actors involved in the drama say or do can be reduced to an election stunt. In normal circumstances, conspiracy theories can be readily dismissed. The picture is blurred, however, when the sources of such theories are no less than the president and prime minister of two neighboring countries. There may well be conspirators and traitors in the two countries and arrests might soon take place. But the Sabah dilemma won't easily go away. Conspiracy or not, the lesson is that it's no longer acceptable for Malaysian and Filipino politicians to deliberately avoid tackling the issue of Sabah ownership. Perhaps the time has come to settle this debate once and for all. The escalating violence in Lahad Datu should embolden the leaders of both countries to work out a lasting solution to this persistent problem.  Should they fail to do so, there appears to be no lack of those who would continue to ignite the dispute in Sabah to advance their own interests.

Anwar: PAS can pursue Islamic laws for Muslims Posted: 05 Mar 2013 06:04 PM PST The opposition leader says this in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald but insists that no one will be compelled to pursue any belief or religion. In an interview with the Australian newspaper's Southeast Asia correspondent Lindsay Murdoch, Anwar said that under Pakatan Rakyat's rule, PAS would be allowed to pursue the Syariah system for Muslims, which was a sensitive issue in Malaysia. G Vinod, FMT Critics have always accused Anwar Ibrahim of being inconsistent with his stand on Islamic issues, especially pertaining to PAS' aspirations. While the opposition leader gives the impression to some that he is committed to Malaysia being a secular state, he however told the Sydney Morning Herald otherwise. In an interview with the Australian newspaper's Southeast Asia correspondent Lindsay Murdoch, Anwar said that under Pakatan Rakyat's rule, PAS would be allowed to pursue the Syariah system for Muslims, which was a sensitive issue in Malaysia. On the same note, he also said that a government helmed by him would allow freedom of expression and religion. The move, he said, would allow Muslims to enforce the Syariah-based legal system. "I have very strong Islamic traditions. I think we should carefully consider and promote these positive values," said Anwar. But he added that Pakatan has agreed that no one would be compelled to pursue any religion and no one would be stopped from expressing their views or religious convictions. However, the video recording of the interview did not show Anwar mentioning Syariah or PAS' Islamic state agenda. Last year, Anwar courted backlash from many quarters, including his ally DAP, for saying he supported the implementation of Hudud laws in principle. Later, Pakatan leaders unanimously agreed that the Islamic penal code would not be implemented if the opposition pact wins the general election as it is not part of their Common Policy Framework. Tweaking the NEP Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, also told the Australian press that he would dismantle discriminative economic policies and replace them with ideas that would propel the Malaysian economy to greater heights. "We would maintain the affirmative action policy but tweak it to become a need-based policy," he said. READ MORE HERE

Manila trip ‘not linked to Sabah invasion’ Posted: 05 Mar 2013 03:32 PM PST Anisah Shukry, FMT PKR MPs Tian Chua and R Sivarasa's Feb 7 trip to Manila was unrelated to the Royal Sulu Sultanate army's intrusion into Sabah, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said today. He stressed that the two MPs had visited Manila to obtain information on Manuel Amalilo, whose deportation to the Philippines was blocked by Malaysian authorities on Jan 25. Amalilo is wanted in the Philippines for allegedly scamming 15,000 Filipinos of RM859 million under a company known as Aman Futures Group. "Their visit was about Amalilo, the relative of Sabah Chief Minister [Musa Aman] and Foreign Minister [Anifah Aman], who has been labelled by President Benigno Aquino as a criminal," Anwar told reporters in response to a question. "The Philippine government wants Malaysia to send Amililo back so that it can continue [its] investigations…Why are we giving him protection? "So when this issue emerged, Sivarasa and Tian Chua went to Manila to get information, in order to avoid any slander. It was to get clear information and confirmation of Amalilo's scam." Upon their return to Malaysia, Sivarasa and Tian Cua had told a press conference on Feb 19 that the prime minister must deport Amalilio as soon as possible. Sivarasa said that, based on his checks with the Philippines, Amalilio was holding a genuine Filipino passport as well as a Malaysian passport, hence proving the latter held a dual citizenship. "Article 24 of the Federal Constitution stipulates that if a person conducts in an act to obtain another citizenship, he or she will lose their Malaysian citizenship automatically," the Subang MP had said. But pro-Umno bloggers have speculated that the two visited Manila to meet an agent of the self-styled Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram, who is behind the armed incursion in Sabah. The rumours come in the wake of unnamed Philippine intelligence sources reportedly saying that a leader from the Malaysian opposition had encouraged the Royal Sulu Sultanate army to attack Sabah, prompting Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to initiate investigations into the claims. But both Anwar and Jamalul have repeatedly denied links to one another, and the former has initiated legal action against Utusan Malaysia and TV3, which carried the reports.

What role did the Scorpene subs play? Posted: 05 Mar 2013 03:25 PM PST Suaram director Kua Kia Soong questions the strategy used against the Sulu intruders in Lahad Datu. K Pragalath, FMT Suaram director Kua Kia Soong has questioned the strategy used by the armed forces in Lahad Datu. "What role did the Scorpene submarines play in the Lahad Datu crisis? "Is it wise to use jet fighters like the Hornets against a motley group of 250 Sulu men in a 4km radius? Shouldn't we be using helicopters such as the Apache instead? "Where was the Navy to prevent the invaders from coming in?" he asked during the launch of Malaysian civil society's 20-point demands for the 13th general election at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this morning. The armed conflict in Lahad Datu began last month when a large group of Sulu men claiming to be soldiers of the Sulu sultan invaded a village in Lahad Datu. Last week, several policemen who were deployed to Lahad Datu died as a result of mortar attacks by the Sulu men who are from the modern day Philippines. Yesterday, the Royal Malaysian Air Force conducted air bombardment in the area where the Sulu were believed to be holding up using Hornet jet fighter planes. Kua also questioned why the policemen deployed there were not equipped with bulletproof vests and safety helmets. He said this while presenting one of the 20-point demand in light of the upcoming 13th general election The demand pertaining to the defence sector called for defence cuts and promotion of peace and disarmament. The demand also called for defence budgets to be below 1% of the Gross Domestic Product, a parliamentary defence committee led by an opposition lawmaker and an independent Ombudsman to oversee the defence budget. It also called for National Volunteer Corp's (RELA) power to arrest, detain and carry firearms to be abolished since the police are empowered to do that. On another note, A Jayanath of Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM) elaborated on the demand to eradicate institutionalised racism. He called for education and economic policies to be based on need not race with priority to indigenous, marginalised, and poor communities. "The New Economic Policy (NEP) must be abolished since it has already ended in 1990. Abolishing something that has ended is not lofty," he said when asked by the press. The NEP was tabled in 1971 as a result of the May 13, 1969 clashes with dual prong objectives to end poverty and abolish income inequality. "Poverty and income inequality are getting worse," Jayanath said. READ MORE HERE

More police reports against Tian Chua’s statement Posted: 05 Mar 2013 02:54 PM PST Demonstrations were also held against the PKR vice-president for allegedly policising the Lahad Datu tragedy. (Bernama) - Numerous police reports have been lodged by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and political parties against PKR vice-president Tian Chua for allegedly politicising the intrusion tragedy in Lahad Datu, Sabah. In PERLIS, Kangar police received 19 reports against Tian Chua lodged by various NGOs and political parties yesterday. About 150 members of the political parties and the NGOs also staged peaceful demonstration in front of the police headquarters condemning Tian Chua with their placards and banners. In PENANG, seven NGOs, including Malay rights group Perkasa, Federation of Peninsula Malay Students (GPMS), Malaysian Missionary and Welfare Association (Pekida), as well as Malaysian Silat Federation (Pesaka) also lodged police reports against Tian Chua at the Timur Laut police headquarters. Three other NGOs, namely Barat Daya Ex-Servicemen Association, Balik Pulau Single Mothers Association and Balik Pulau Umno Youth and Wanita, on the other hand, called on the police to carry out thorough investigation on the PKR leader. In KELANTAN, over 100 contractors from Tumpat branch of the Association of Malay Contractors of Malaysia staged a peaceful demonstration in front of Tumpat Unity Complex, condemning the statement made by Tian Chua. In MALACCA, about 150 residents in Alor Gajah, including members of several NGOs, also gathered peacefully for about 30 minutes at Dataran Keris, urging Tian Chua to make a public apology for his statement. They also carried banners and placards with the words "Jangan Hina Wira Negara" (Don't Insult National Heroes) and "Tian Chua Biadap, Nyah Kamu dari Malaysia' (Tian Chua is Rude, Get out of Malaysia). Tian Chua's statement in the KeadilanDaily portal alleged that the gunfire in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu was an Umno conspiracy to divert the attention of the people and frighten them.

MNLF chief warns of ‘chaos’ if Sulu Sultan arrested Posted: 05 Mar 2013 02:05 PM PST Clara Chooi, TMI President Benigno Aquino III will not be forgiven for standing back while Malaysia rained bombs on Filipino citizens in Sabah, rebel leader Nur Misuari has said, warning of chaos if the self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III is arrested or his men apprehended. Misuari, who leads the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a political-turned-rebel Muslim group he founded in 1969, said Aquino should be more decisive and stop Malaysia's attack on Jamalul's men in Sabah instead of siding with his southern neighbour. "What he has done is very bad," the leader was quoted as saying in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. "It is unbecoming of a head of state, to be siding with the enemy of his own people." "And for what reason is he (Aquino) aligning this country with Malaysia, a colonial power occupying the land of our people? I am against that, totally against that with all my soul. I hope the president will be properly advised. I hope he will recant. Otherwise we won't forgive him," he added during a press conference yesterday at Jamalul's residence in Taguig City, Philippines. "And there is an attempt even to arrest the sultan, I understand. Let them do that. The country will be in total chaos if they do, I promise you." Misuary also claimed he had warned Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that fighting the Sulu gunmen in Sabah "would be tantamount to war". He reportedly added that he was willing to send his grandnephew who lives in Malaysia, and whom he claims is Najib's relative, to speak with the prime minister on a possible peaceful end to the standoff. Government officials from the Philippines have repeatedly sought to ward off criticism against the Aquino administration for failing to protect the lives of its own countrymen, whom many Filipinos believe were merely staking a claim over land that was rightfully theirs. The Inquirer's report said Misuari had also agreed with the Sulu Sultanate's assertion that Sabah "is our homeland", but denied that he had inspired their Sabah landing, or that his men in the MNLF, many of whom were reportedly trained in Malaysia, were joining the conflict in east Malaysia. According to several reports in the Philippine media, Misuari described it as "madness" to assume he had a hand in the matter. "For anyone to speculate that I had anything to do with (Sabah standoff) is a kind of madness," he was reported as saying, according to a Twitter posting by Philippines media network ABS-CBN. "Misuari also denies financing Kiram's group in Sabah. 'That's not my way of doing things.'" the network quoted, using the handle @ANCALERTS. Malaysia's Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi appeared to concur with Misuari's remarks during a press conference yesterday, when he said there was no evidence that the Malaysia-trained MNLF fighters were joining their fellow Filipino Muslim militants in the fight to reclaim Sabah. "We have to distinguish between Sulu terrorists and the Sulu people in Sabah," Ahmad Zahid told a press conference here. "We are focusing only on Sulu terrorists. I hope that our Sulu friends in Sabah will be with the government. We as a government have been taking care of them," he added. READ MORE HERE

Gov't will defend use of word 'Allah', says Najib Posted: 05 Mar 2013 08:35 AM PST   (Bernama) - "We are unwavering in the matter of the word 'Allah'. The government of today will defend the use of the word," he said at a gathering of Muslims, including Islamic scholars and leaders, at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today the government would defend the use of the word "Allah" in accordance with Syariah principles.  He said the Syariah principles encompassed five points - preserving and caring for religion, life, intellect, lineage and property - which were pursued by the government.  A study showed that Malaysia occupied a prominent place among Islamic countries in terms of compliance to and championing the objectives of Syariah principles, he said. "In terms of religion, we defend the faith, the sanctity of Islam and the word 'Allah', as advocated by the Quran. We do not play politics in this matter, by agreeing with others in one instance and reversing the decision later.  "We are unwavering in the matter of the word 'Allah'. The government of today will defend the use of the word," he said at a gathering of Muslims, including Islamic scholars and leaders, at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here.

Philippine intrigue could be behind Sulu incursion, say sources Posted: 05 Mar 2013 08:34 AM PST   (The Malaysian Insider) - A bid to undermine Philippine President Benigno Aquino in the republic's midterm elections in May and control the bicameral legislature is said to be a reason for the Sulu Sultanate's incursion of Sabah, say sources. The Malaysian Insider understands Philippine politicians want to put pressure on Aquino ahead of the 2016 presidential elections to get a pardon for his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is under house arrest for electoral sabotage. Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, who ordered the armed incursion to claim Sabah last month, ran as a senator as part of Arroyo's Team Unity in the country's 2007 elections. He lost by some 800 votes. "Some want to undermine Aquino in the midterm legislative elections to enable them to control of the Senate and the House before the 2016 presidential election. "This will ensure that Arroyo will get pardoned later," a diplomatic corps source told The Malaysian Insider. Several political commentators have already taken Aquino to task over Malacanang Palace's handling of the situation, saying the first-term president was not backing the sultanate's claim to their ancestral lands. "This is just pure politics and the Sulu claim is also politics," said a source based in the Philippines. Aquino has said Manila will look into the claim for Sabah, but said the Sulu sultan and his followers should respect Malaysian law and not carry out the incursion. He also said the Philippines did not allow private armies, ensuring the so-called Royal Sulu Sultanate Army was illegal. Coincidentally, Putrajaya had also blamed Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of being in contact with the Sulu royalty before Jamalul Kiram's brother, Agbimuddin Kiram, landed in Lahad Datu with armed followers on February 9. But the Filipino militants have denied any links with the opposition in Malaysia, where a general election is due to be held before end June. Malaysian security forces moved in yesterday to end the standoff with Agbimuddin Kiram's group holed up in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu. Fighter jets screamed through the air as artillery pounded the village before soldiers moved in to flush out the militants. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/philippine-intrigue-could-be-behind-sulu-incursion-say-sources/

Twenty bodies of gunmen recovered after large-scale operations in Sabah: Sources Posted: 04 Mar 2013 06:48 PM PST Ambulances drive towards an area where the stand-off with Filipino Sulu gunmen and Malaysian security forces was taking place in Tanduo village on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Twenty bodies of the Sulu gunmen have been recovered in a remote coastal village in Sabah after large-scale operations by the Malaysian security forces on Tuesday to flush out the militants holed up there for weeks, according to local media. -- PHOTO: AFP  (ST) - Twenty bodies of the Sulu gunmen have been recovered in a remote coastal village in Sabah after large-scale operations by the Malaysian security forces on Tuesday to flush out the militants holed up there for weeks, according to local media. News portal Malaysiakini and Utusan Malaysia daily both quoted sources as saying that the bodies were found during the army's mop-up operations after the airstrike and mortar strike Tuesday morning. The authorities have yet to confirm it. Police chief Ismail Omar said at a press briefing in the afternoon that the house-to-house checks were still going on, and it was not known if some of the gunmen had fled to other villages. "The movement of the operations is being done with great caution, taking the terrain into account," he said. There have been conflicting reporters on whether the leader Raja Muda Azzumudie is among the dead. The New Straits Times also reported that fresh rounds of explosions have been heard around Kampung Sinakut, which is about 6km from Kampung Tanduo where fighting took place Tuesday morning. Malaysia had sent seven army battalions to eastern Sabah to flush out the militants after a gunfight over the weekend killed at least 26 people, including eight Malaysian policemen. The battle came after a long stand-off with the group of over 100 armed Filipinos who had landed in Sabah on Feb 9, to "reclaim" their ancestral land as followers of an heir to the Sulu Sultanate of southern Philippines. Sulu had controlled parts of Sabah hundreds of years ago. Malaysian forces began moving in last week after failing to persuade them to leave.

10,000 Tausugs to sail to Sabah Posted: 04 Mar 2013 06:43 PM PST (Agencies) - ZAMBOANGA CITY: Thousands of Tausug from Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have sailed to Sabah to reinforce members of the so-called royal army of the sultanate of Sulu who are fighting it out with Malaysian security forces, a Moro National Liberation Front official said Tuesday. "We can no longer prevent our people. We are hurt and many of our people, even the non-combatants, are going to Sabah to help the sultanate," Habib Hashim Mudjahab, chair of the MNLF's Islamic Council Committee, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone. Mudjahab said at least 10,000 Tausug from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga on Monday night started to reinforce the followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III now holed up in a coastal village in Sabah via the Philippines' so-called "southern backdoor," a route regular traders are familiar with. He said the reinforcements "sailed in small numbers so they can easily penetrate Sabah unnoticed." 'It is about pride and honor, and our people are ready to sacrifice.' "The naval blockade is of no use; our military should have known that. We did that before at the height of Marcos regime. We can easily go to Sabah and blend with the people there," he added. He was referring to a naval blockade thrown up by the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to ensure armed sympathizers do not joined the beleaguered men in Sabah as reinforcements. Days ago, Mudjahab said, he advised several MNLF commanders against going to Sabah to help a group of about 200 men who landed in a coastal village in Lahad Datu on Feb 9 to assert the sultanate's claim to Sabah. "I told them to hold on to their ranks and avoid getting emotionally affected with the situation. But our President Noynoy (President Benigno Aquino III) kept issuing statements favoring the Malaysians, which made our people agitated. The President must realize that for the Tausugs, being pushed to the wall, fighting for a cause, is dying with victory," he said. He said with three old heirs of the Sultanate, "who have no history of rebellion, living quietly on their own, now leading the cause in Sabah, is something great for the Tausugs." "It is about pride and honor, and our people are ready to sacrifice," Mudjahab said. Ajil Jaffar, 50, an oil palm plantation worker in Kota Kinabalu and who was among those repatriated to the country on Sunday, said he wanted to return to Sabah. "I want to help them. It's our honor to be with the sultan so that this deportation and abuses will stop," he said. A retired educator in Tawi-Tawi, who asked not to be identified by name, said the sultanate of Sulu represents an extension of their rich heritage. "They are the first Filipinos. The sultanate of Sulu was already there even before Philippines existed," he said. Amirah Lidasan of the non governmental group Suara Bangsamoro said the status of the sultanate of Sulu was unfinished business that "keeps on nagging us." "We have a bloody history of Moro people getting killed while defending the homeland. It also speaks of the Philippine government's giving in to the interest of foreigners instead of its citizens," Lidasan said.

Anwar mum over Sabah conspiracy allegations Posted: 04 Mar 2013 02:55 PM PST (Asia News Network) - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has refused to clarify foreign news reports of his purported links to a Sabah opposition politician alleged to have a hand in the armed intrusion in Sabah, saying the matter is being dealt with by his lawyers. When told that media reports in the Philippines had implicated him, Anwar said: "There are many media in the Philippines. Which one are you referring to?" Anwar was speaking at a press conference to specifically address the foreign armed intrusion of Sabah. When told that the claim was made by the Philippines Daily Inquirer, Anwar said he had read the article and there was no mention of him being linked to the issue. The Philippines Daily Inquirer, in a report last Friday, quoted Filipino army intelligence sources as saying that a Sabah politician allied to a Malaysian opposition leader had recently met with representatives of the Sultan of Sulu. When asked whether a Royal Commission of Inquiry should be set up to clear his name, Anwar merely dismissed the claims as accusations made by Umno. Anwar said he merely wanted to highlight its impact on the nation's security and sovereignty. He accused the government of having failed to deal with the armed intrusion swiftly, including failing to provide accurate information resulting in rumour mongering and fear among the rakyat. He called on the prime minister to convene roundtable talks with the opposition leadership, Home minister and Defence minister, followed by an emergency Parliament sitting to discuss the issue. He also called on Malaysians to put aside their political affiliations and support the nation's security forces. Meanwhile, a picture of Anwar holding a discussion with Moro National Liberation Front founding chairman Nur Misuari is being circulated in cyberspace. However, it is not known when and where the picture was taken.

Government will defend use of ‘Allah’ word, says Najib Posted: 04 Mar 2013 02:39 PM PST Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today the government will defend the use of the word "Allah" in accordance with syariah principles. He said syariah principles encompassed five points — preserving and caring for religion, life, intellect, lineage and property — which were pursued by the government.  A study showed that Malaysia occupied a prominent place among Islamic countries in terms of compliance to and championing the objectives of syariah principles, Najib (picture) said. "In terms of religion, we defend the faith, the sanctity of Islam and the word 'Allah', as advocated by the Quran. We do not play politics in this matter, by agreeing with others in one instance and reversing the decision later.  "We are unwavering in the matter of the word 'Allah'. The government of today will defend the use of the word," he said at a gathering of Muslims, including Islamic scholars and leaders, at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil here. About 16,000 people attended the event, including the poor and needy, among them petty traders, taxi drivers and students getting "zakat" aid from the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Council.  Najib also said that through the National Key Result Areas (NKRA), the government had given emphasis to reducing the crime index since 2009.  He said measures were taken to improve the quality of education, and this included the implementation of the National Education Blueprint 2013-2025.  On the aspect of moral decadence, he said the government focused on inculcating noble cultural values and countering free sex, incest and lesbianism, gay sex, bisexuality and transgenderism.

Report: Total defeat for Sulu group in Sabah dawn attack Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:49 PM PST (TMI) - The armed Sulu intruders who had been in Sabah for over three weeks suffered a total defeat in an attack by the Malaysian army early this morning, the Star Online reported today, citing police sources. "The Sulu armed group was totally routed by Malaysian security forces' overwhelming firepower unleashed at 7am Tuesday (today), police sources said," the news portal said. No Malaysians were killed in the attack but the numbers of those who had died or were wounded among the Filipino militants was unknown, the Inspector-General of Police said at a 11.30am media briefing today, the news portal reported. The Star Online also said that the situation in Sabah's east coast, where armed foreigners from the Philippines had clashed with Malaysian authorities, was reportedly under control. Malaysian security forces have been placed on high alert due to purported threats of retaliation by the armed men who claim to be the royal army of the Sultanate of Sulu, it said. A spokesman for the Sulu group, Abraham Idjirani, today reportedly said they are safe and are ready to fight back despite the bombs and gunfire that had rained on them this morning. The Malaysian army launched an attack on the Filipino intruders at Kampung Tanduo, Felda Sahabat in Lahad Datu at 7am today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak confirmed in a statement today. The Star Online reported that fresh fighting began between the Sulu gunmen and security forces early this morning. Soldiers are already on the ground in the village, it added. Gunshots were heard and fighter jets were seen circling around the Felda Sahabat plantation. Explosions were heard for 40 minutes in Kampung Tanduo, the daily reported. READ MORE HERE

Protest against Tian Chua Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:46 PM PST (The Star) - A group of retired policemen gathered at the National Monument to protest against PKR vice-president Tian Chua's remarks over the Lahad Datu standoff. About 100 of them also sang the national anthem at the 10am gathering. Chua allegedly said in KeadilanDaily.com that the shooting incident in Lahad Datu was a conspiracy by the Umno government to divert attention and frighten the people. Former Deputy Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Samshuri Arshad said the statement insulted and belittled the sacrifice of the policemen who were injured and killed. "The fact that he could think of their deaths as a farce for a political drama is simply unacceptable," he said. Former IGP Tan Sri Norian Mai and former CID director Tan Sri Mohd Zaman Khan also took part in the protest with retirees from the police VAT69 troop, Squad 69 and Special Branch. The group also carried placards that said: Tian Chua pengkhianat negara (Tian Chua is a national traitor), Tian Chua manusia tak berhati perut (Tian Chua is heartless), and Tian Chua perlu minta maaf (Tian Chua must apologise). They later lodged reports against him at the Dang Wangi police station. Meanwhile, Penang Wanita Umno has also lodged three police reports against Tian Chua. Its chief Zabariah Wahab said leaders from three divisions - Permatang Pauh, Bayan Baru and Bukit Gelugor - had lodged reports at their respective police stations. "Our heartfelt condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the gunfight," she told reporters at Menara Umno in Macalister Road yesterday. At the press conference, Zabariah and other leaders tore pictures of Tian Chua.

PKR to contest 90 seats Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:40 PM PST (The Star) - PKR will get the lion's share among the three parties in the Opposition pact of the 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat at the coming general election. PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (picture) the matter had been decided by Pakatan Rakyat leadership council. He said his party would field candidates in about 80 seats while the DAP would be going for between 46 and 50 seats. PKR, however, would be going for 90 seats, he told The Mole news portal. A recent report from the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) stated that DAP would be the biggest winner in the Opposition coalition, as it had the chance to win between 35 and 40 Parliamentary seats, compared to the 28 it won in 2008. Tuan Ibrahim said that since the number of seats allocated to DAP was the least, there was no possibility of a leader from the party being appointed prime minister should Pakatan took over Putrajaya. He had previously stated there was no certainty that PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would be appointed to the post. Urging PAS members to ensure victories for the party's candidates, Tuan Ibrahim said the party would discuss with its Opposition partners on who should take over as prime minister even if it won big in the general election. DAP and PKR both want Anwar as prime minister.

Aquino’s spokesman says all was done to avoid bloodshed in Sabah Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:39 PM PST (The Star) - President Benigno Aquino III's spokesman said Tuesday the Philippines had done all it could to avoid a violent end to a stand-off in Sabah, as Malaysia launched an assault on Filipino gunmen there. A total of 27 people have been reported killed in clashes since the followers of Jamalul Kiram III, an heir to the Sultan of Sulu, landed there on February 12 by boat. "We've done everything we could to prevent this, but in the end, Kiram's people chose this path," Aquino spokesman Ricky Carandang said of the gunmen, who are claiming the state for a now defunct Filipino Muslim sultanate. Carandang said Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario remains in Kuala Lumpur for talks with his Malaysian counterpart on the security crisis. Meanwhile, a Manila spokesman for Kiram, the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu, said the leader of the gunmen reported to him by telephone that a firefight was underway in Sabah. "There is nothing to be done about that now," spokesman Abraham Idjirani said, stressing that the men's earlier announcement that they will fight to the end remains unchanged. "We are not intruders. They [Malaysians] are the ones occupying our ancestral land," he said. The Sulu sultanate's power faded about a century ago but it has continued to receive nominal Malaysian payments for Sabah under a lease deal inherited from European colonial powers.

Army begins mopping-up operation Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:31 PM PST According to residents living close by, they heard the sound of jets just before the explosions. (FMT) - LAHAD DATU: Malaysian forces are reportedly conducting a mopping-up operation after they launched a dawn assault on the armed group of Filipinos who killed eight policemen over the weekend. The assault at Kampung Tanduo was preceded by the sound of bombs exploding and the sound of jets roaring overhead. Even as the offensive was going on, Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar told a news conference here today that the police and army have achieved their objective in the operation code-named "Ops Sulu". Also present was Chief of Defence Forces Jeneral Zulkifeli Mohd Zin. Ismail confirmed that the security forces launched the offensive against the intruders whom he referred to as terrorists and were met with return fire. He said there were no casualities. He said there was no civilians in the area of operation when the offensive was launched. Government officials announced that the operation to retake Kampung Taduo, an area taken over by about 200 members of the Royal Army of Sulu claiming allegiance to Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, took place at 7am. According to residents living close by, they heard the sound of jets just before the explosions. Many of them are reported to be fleeing the area. Kampung Tanduo is bracketed by two other seaside villages a few kilometres away and most of the villagers residing there have abandoned their homes and can be seen on the highway between Kampung Tanduo and here. Artillery rounds were heard pounding the area before soldiers went in and the sound of shooting erupted. There has been no sound of fighting since 10am. The sea fronting Kampung Tanduo is reportedly clear of any vessels. Police units were seen rushing towards Tungku area at around 10am and troop movement was seen Cenderawasih in Sahabat 7. Unemployed MNLF insurgents? Felda Sahabat is said to about twice the size of Singapore. Plantation workers in the area have been told to stop work and move out as security forces spread out around the rows of oil palm trees in the plantations surrounding Kampung Tanduo. Some of the workers said they have been unable to get out of the vicinity because of the cordon that has been thrown around the area. READ MORE HERE

Malaysian-trained MNLF fighters join Sulu army Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:27 PM PST A MNLF leader claims that their forces have a huge arsenal hidden in Sabah's rugged terrain. (Agencies) - MANILA: Malaysian security forces are now facing battle-tested, Malaysian-trained commanders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who know Sabah like the palm of their hands. Hadji Acmad Bayam, former chief propagandist of the MNLF, revealed this yesterday to the Manila Bulletin, adding that these MNLF forces may have at their disposal a huge arsenal, which they hid deep in Sabah's rugged terrain when they returned to the Philippines after their rigid training. Among the firearms are Belgian-made G1 and FAL, which the late Libya leader Colonel Moammar Gadaffi supplied through Malaysia. Bayam said he was confident the Malaysian authorities were not able to find the hidden MNLF firearms because they were kept very well by the MNLF commanders who stayed behind in Sabah. During that training, Malaysian military trainors even joked about the firearms at the MNLF training camp on Jampiras Island, off Sabah, as they turned over Gadaffi's weapons' supply. "We are not even sure if the firearms we are giving you will not be turned against," the Malaysian trainors had said in a jest. "Well, speaking of self-fulfilling prophecy," Bayam said, recalling the jokes of the Malaysian trainors. Now, Filipinos in Sabah, who are not part of the forces of the Sultanate of Sulu, have already joined the fighting in reaction to what they perceived as Malaysian "atrocities" for killing Imam Maas and his four sons at 7:50 p.m. Saturday. He recalled that Malaysia's leadership had even suspected the then chief minister of Sabah, Tun Mustapha, a Tausug from Sulu, of "conspiring" with MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari to secede the oil-rich island. "You know, if Mindanao is to Manila, Sabah is to Kuala Lumpur," said Bayam, explaining that Mindanao and Sabah are the "milking cows" of the Philippines and Malaysia, respectively, for their rich natural resources. Bayam, who yielded to then President Fidel V. Ramos, stayed in Sabah, Malaysia, for nine years before the peace talks with the Ramos administration in 1993. Bayam stayed in Sabah on-and-off, in 1976-79, in 1980-1986, among other dates. Breaching the blockades Further, he said many of the seasoned rebel commanders and rank-and-file members chose to remain on Sabah island to live there. Majority of them are from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga Peninsula, but there are also Maguindanaons, Iranons, and probably Maranaos, he said. A few days ago, he said one of the MNLF foreign-trained commanders belonging to the Top 90 Batch, told him that he was enlisting Tausug warriors and others for reinforcement to the Royal Security Force (RSF) of the Sultanate of Sulu. "I was trying to contact him yesterday but his phone cannot be reached anymore. I guess he was able to penetrate the Malaysian and Philippine sea-borne blockades in their respective borders. Bayam described the commander "as soft-spoken but firm and true leader-fighter in actual shooting war." However, he requested that the commander's name be not made public. Last Sunday, Abraham J Idjirani, spokesman of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, said 40 people from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga Peninsula breached the blockades and reached Lahad Datu, Sabah, scene of the standoff that erupted into a firefight. He said there are many others who are now trying to go to Sabah and help the sultan's followers led by Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram. Bayam said that with the way the situation in Sabah is going on, he sees no turning back.

Strike misses Kiram Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:26 PM PST Kiram and his men are holed up in a place far from the airstrikes, according to Philippine website PhilSTAR.com. (FMT) - MANILA: The airstrike launched by Malaysian fighter jets in Lahad Datu todau missed the forces of Agbimuddin Kiram, the spokesman for the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo said. Spokesman Abraham Idjirani said Kiram called him about 7.30am and then again at 9.30am and reported that forces of the Malaysian military and police commandos attacked a position that they (armed group) had previously occupied. Idjirani also said Kiram reported that the fighter jets started circling Lahad Datu last night, the Philippine website PhilSTAR.com reported. "[He told] us that the Malaysian forces and the police commandos, about seven battalions, attacked the place suspected of being Kiram's camp," he said. Idjirani said the Malaysian jets bombed a position previously held by the forces of Kiram but has now been occupied by Malaysian forces. Idjirani said the incident could have been a case of "friendly fire". He said Kiram and his men are safe and are holed up in a place far from the airstrikes. As tension remains high in Lahad Datu, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F del Rosario met today with Malaysian government officials in Kuala Lumpur to discuss a peaceful resolution on the issue. A statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs said Del Rosario met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and Defence Minister Ahmad Zamid Hamidi at midnight. Also present during the meeting were Philippine Ambassador J Eduardo Malaya, Malaysian Foreign Ministry secretary-general Mohd Radzi Abdul Rahman and other embassy officials. Del Rosario flew to Kuala Lumpur yesterday evening.

‘Sabah uprising’ Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:20 PM PST Sultan's followers kill, capture Malaysian cops (PhilStar.com) - 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.

'No surrender' in Sabah - Kiram Posted: 04 Mar 2013 12:07 PM PST   (Rappler) - The fight for Sabah is also for the "entire" Filipino people.  MANILA, Philippines - No surrender. The Royal Sulu Army will not capitulate to the Malaysian forces, and vowed to fight until the end to highlight their claim to Sabah. Abraham Idjirani, spokesman of Jamalul Kiram III, said that the group, currently holed up in Kampong Tanduo in Lahad Datu, is willing to fight to the end, based on his conversation with Raja Muda Agmibuddin Kiram, the leader of the gunmen in Sabah. "Sabi niya if this is the last stand we could do, let it be. But as a guerilla fighter now, we will find our way to sneak out from all dangers in order to survive," said Idjirani, quoting Raja Muda. Abraham Idjirani, spokesperson for Jamalul Kiram III. File photo by Jerald Uy He said the assault, which started early Tuesday, March 5, is an "overkill," citing that over 10,000 Malaysian security forces are fighting around 200 fighters. Read more at: http://www.rappler.com/nation/23094-no-surrender-in-sabah

Wikipedia Page Edited To Describe Sabah As Sultanate’s Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:44 AM PST   (The Star) - Wikipedia was not spared from the cyber attacks that have sprung up following the standoff in Sabah. Details about "Sabah" was edited and the state was described as being "part of the Sultanate of Sulu". Results from a Google search on the word "Sabah" at press time yesterday revealed a preview to the Wikipedia page which states: "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." However, the full Wikipedia page on Sabah described the state as "one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, and is its easternmost state". A Google spokesperson said the preview, or Knowledge Panel results, came from its Knowledge Graph, which is an index of hundreds of millions of real-world entities including open sources like Wikipedia. "When a user searches for a query, our algorithm takes information from the Knowledge Graph and presents it in the panel. "We want to make sure the information we provide is as accurate as possible, so we've included a link so you can tell us when we may have an inaccuracy in our information," the spokesperson said. Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said his department had been alerted. "I have instructed my Federal Cyber­Security and Mul­ti­media Investi­gation Division to investigate," he said. The alteration on Wikipedia follows the cyber attacks that have raged between Malaysian and Filipino hackers over the weekend, mirroring the Lahad Datu standoff in Sabah. Apparently, the first online attacks were made by Malaysians, hours after a skirmish erupted between the police and Sulu gunmen on March 1.

KL sends ‘cavalry’ to Sabah; toll hits 27 Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:32 AM PST   (Global Nation, Inquirer) - It is Malaysia's worst security breach in years and Prime Minister Najib Razak has authorized an investigation into reports that the political opposition is involved. A similar investigation is going on in the Philippines, where the administration of President Aquino sees a conspiracy involving opponents of a peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that is in the final stages after the signing of a preliminary agreement last October. Malaysia on Monday sent hundreds of military troops to Sabah to help police neutralize armed followers of the sultan of Sulu who have killed eight police officers in the country's bloodiest security crisis. Twenty-seven people have reportedly been killed since fighting between the followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III began in Tanduao village in Lahad Datu town on March 1. Of the dead, 19 were followers of the sultan who were killed in skirmishes with police that shocked Malaysians unaccustomed to such violence in their country. The main group of the sultan's followers comprising 200-odd men and women, including about 30 who are armed, is cornered by Malaysian security forces in a small area in Tanduao, where they landed on Feb. 9 after crossing by sea from Tawi-Tawi in southern Philippines to stake the sultanate's claim to Sabah. It is Malaysia's worst security breach in years and Prime Minister Najib Razak has authorized an investigation into reports that the political opposition is involved. A similar investigation is going on in the Philippines, where the administration of President Aquino sees a conspiracy involving opponents of a peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that is in the final stages after the signing of a preliminary agreement last October. Najib, who has vowed to root out the intruders, authorized a "doubling" of police and armed forces deployed in Sabah. "An additional two Army battalions have been dispatched to Sabah," Najib was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama. Public attention focused on Monday on how to minimize casualties while apprehending the Sulu sultan's followers surrounded by Malaysian security forces as well as an undetermined number of other armed Filipinos suspected to be in two other districts of Sabah within 300 kilometers of Lahad Datu. Sabah Police Commissioner Hamza Taib said Army reinforcements from other states in Malaysia would help bolster public confidence by patrolling various parts of the state's eastern seaboard. "The situation is under control now," Hamza said. "There will be cooperation" between the military and the police, he said. Hamza declined to elaborate on specific strategies or on a call by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for lethal action. FILIPINO FATALITY Villagers in Kampung Simunul in Semporna look at the body of a man believed to be from Sulu who was killed during a shootout with Malaysian forces. MALAYSIA'S THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK   "There is no way out other than launching a counterattack to eliminate" the intruders, Bernama quoted Mahathir as saying on Sunday. "Although many of them will be killed, this cannot be avoided because they had attacked Sabah, and not the other way around." Najib declared over the weekend that security forces were authorized to "take any action deemed necessary." The intruders, led by the Sulu sultan's brother Agbimuddin, have rebuffed calls for them to leave, saying ownership documents from the late 1800s prove the territory is theirs. Mysterious group It remains unclear whether the armed Filipinos who ambushed a police team in Semporna town on Saturday night are part of the Lahad Datu group. The clash in Semporna, where five Malaysian policemen and two intruders were killed, and a police claim that they were pursuing yet another group of armed men in a nearby town has sparked fears of further infiltration by Filipinos from Sulu. Read more at: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/66729/kl-sends-cavalry-to-sabah-toll-hits-27

Ground troops moving into Tanduo; air strikes over Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:27 AM PST Updated 10:00pm Malaysian fighter jets took to the skies for aerial bombing for about ten minutes as the still of the morning was shattered by the tremendous explosion heard by journalists covering the stand-off from Sahabat Felda Residences, close to Tanduo.  Lahad Datu, Sandakan and Tawau hospitals ready to accept casualties BORNEO INSIDER TEAM FELDA SAHABAT [LAHAD DATU]: Ground troops are said to be moving in on Tanduo for mopping up operations to search and take out any surviving remnants of the Sultan of Sulu's followers. Air strikes and artillery fire which began at 7.00am have ended 40 minutes later, said our sources on the ground, and troops have been on stand-by enter the sprawling seaside village. In the meantime, hospitals at Tungku, Lahad Datu, Tawau and Sandakan are on full stand-by to accept casualties that will be air-lifted to the nearest hospital that warrants the situation. An army medical camp had earlier been established just outside the Felda Sahabat area. At 8.30am, 90 minutes after the air force struck, military trucks were seen ferrying troops from Cendrawasih where they were based and headed for Sahabat 17 – the closest point to Tanduo. Elite military and police squads were also on the ground and are believed to be involved in the shootouts with the gunmen. However, reporters at the scene in Felda Sahabat are crying foul that they have been "tricked" by the police who are refusing them entry to Sahabat Residence where they are based. These reporters and photographers including an RTM crew, had been told to go to Cendrawasih to "shoot" Nuri helicopters ferrying in troops, but after completing their jobs, they were then barred from returning. "We have been stopped at the roadblock into Sahabat Residence," complained a national media personnel bitterly. "But others can go in and out freely". Just before Tungku, police set up a massive roadblock to prevent anyone from entering Tungku and the nearby Felda Sahabat village. No vehicles are being allowed in at all. At the Felda Sahabat gate, at least one foreign journalist and several local journalists have been refused entry into the area. "Contact the OCPD for permission," was all those guarding the roadblocks would say. And no prizes for guessing correctly that the OCPD could not be reached. Meanwhile, Malaysiakini, another online portal reported that a 10:17 desptach from the ANC News Channel, InterAksyon.com reported that bombs were being dropped about a kilometer away from where Abjimuddim Kiram and his men are located. Leader Abjimuddin said his group could not yet determine if the bombs were meant to target them or their followers, but they remained safe and secure and were ready to fight back. Meanwhile in Manila, a group of protesters have arrived at the Malaysia embassy to condemn the attack. Earlier at 10.15am: Abjimuddin, leader of the intruders, vented his anger at the Philippine government in a radio interview with InterAksyon.com, the online news portal of Philippine TV channel TV5. "The government is ordering the arrest of our companions even if we haven't done anything bad," he said. "It's like we aren't Filipinos." Meanwhile, Abraham Idjarani, spokesperson of the sultanate, tells radio station dzBB that Abjimuddin had phoned to inform them of the start of the assault. "There is nothing to be done about that now," Idjirani said in a separate interview with AFP. He stressed that Abjimuddin's earlier announcement that they will fight to the end remains. "We are not intruders. They (Malaysians) are the ones occupying our ancestral land," he says. Read more at: http://borneoinsider.com/2013/03/05/heavy-artillery-bombardment-on-sulu-raiders-hideout/

Tortured, Beheaded and Mutilated Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:24 AM PST Alexander Chen, The Borneo Insider SEMPORNA: Reports reaching The Borneo Insider suggest that at least three of the policemen killed in Semporna after clashes with an armed group, were tortured and their bodies mutilated. One was also beheaded. However, the bodies of three others, who were believed to have died after being hit by the crossfire, were left untouched. A group of 19 policemen, who were in the raiding party at Simunul on Saturday night, who were initially reported "missing" and then "trapped" was probably held hostage by the gunmen at several houses in the area. They were said to have been relieved of their guns as well as hand phones. This group too was left unharmed, though at least one of them suffered wounds, probably in the Saturday night shoot-out. But police are not willing to confirm anything, especially the torture and mutilation of the three policemen, except say that the 19 others who were initially "trapped" had been released unharmed. On Saturday, armed intruders were initially spotted at Lorong 4 and Lorong 5 in Simunul, a cluster of water villages, comprising mainly Suluk and Tausug people, with or without Malaysian documents. Police were called in and about 50 policemen were said to have walked into an ambush where a shootout also took place. On Sunday, police said six policemen and six armed men were killed in the shootout. On Monday, the bodies of three of the gunmen were still seen at various places in Simunul while there was no sight of the other three bodies. It was only after 1.00pm Monday that some 30 residents of Kampung Simunul took the initiative to remove the bodies of the three intruders and handed it over to the authorities. Village headman Ramli Saraman said they had to remove the bodies because the stench had become unbearable. Ramli advised the villagers not to believe rumours spread by irresponsible people because they could worsen the situation. "I was told by villagers that the intruders will burn down Simunul but I told them not to believe as I keep in touch with the police." He said villagers are not compelled to evacuate their homes because it is their right as individuals adding peace has returned to the kampung. Later, when met by reporters, some Simunul villagers sad they were horrified on hearing that one of six dead police personnel was beheaded and two others were tortured. "It is against our religion to behead anyone. It is terrible, it's cruel,'' said fisherman Azmi who has been living close to Lorong 5, Simunul where the shooting began. "We are Suluks living here for more than 50 years. They (armed men) are bad people ,'' said a woman who was referring to the gunmen. Their sentiments were shared by other villagers who claimed that they have also heard that one of the gunmen had recorded the beheading on his mobile phone and had sent a clip to the police. However, no confirmation was available on the phone clip or the torture of the three who had gone with a team of 56 to check out information that Sulu Sultan sympathisers had stored weapons in one of the stilt houses. Read more at: http://borneoinsider.com/2013/03/05/tortured-beheaded-and-mutilated/

Aquino says Sabah is a conspiracy Posted: 03 Mar 2013 10:35 PM PST (Rappler.com) - MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – President Benigno Aquino III is not changing his position to call on Filipinos holed up in Sabah to surrender. There is no room for any negotiation if they continue to bear arms, he said. "Hindi pa rin nagbabago ang panawagan ko sa angkan ni Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Hindi risonable ang pang-unawa kung nakatutok ang iyong armas sa mukha ng kausap (My call to the family of Sultan Jamalul Kiram has not changed: it is not reasonable to ask for understanding, if your weapons are pointed at the faces of those you are speaking with)," Aquino said. "Kung gusto mo talagang umusad ang usapan, tanggalin mo muna ang banta sa kaligtasan ng iyong kausap," the President added. Amid criticism of how the government handled the standoff, Aquino said the Sabah situation is a result of a conspiracy. "Mulat tayong may mga taong nagkuntsabahan upang humantong tayo sa sitwasyon na ito. Isang sitwasyon na walang agarang solusyon. Ilan po sa kanila ay nakikita natin habang ang iba naman ay nagkukubli pa rin sa dilim (We are aware that there are those who conspired to bring us to this situation—a situation that has no immediate solutions. Some of their identities are clear to us, while others continue to skulk in the shadows)," the President said in a press conference on Monday, March 4. Aquino said Sultan Jamalul Kiram III alone could not have ordered the move. "Hindi kakayanin ng angkan ni Sultan Jamalul Kiram III na gawin mag-isa ang gaintong pagkilos. Kapansin-pansin din ang nag-iisang linya ng kritiko para gatungan ang malubha nang sitwasyon (The family of Sultan Jamalul Kiram could not possibly have settled on this course of action alone. We have also noticed how our critics have stuck to a single messaging line to exacerbate a situation that has already grown dire)," the President said. Aquino blames them for putting the lives of about 800,000 Filipinos in Sabah in danger. "Alam natin ang delubyong tadhana ang may gawa at kung alin ang sinadya. Ang masakit ngayon, pinili ng ilang tao na mangyari ito at sadyang nilagay sa panganib ang napakaraming Pilipino (We can differentiate events that the turbulent winds of fate have caused, from those that have been orchestrated. What is regrettable is that there were those who chose for this to happen, and, in so doing, chose to place many Filipinos in danger)," he said. Aquino has a message to the so-called conspirators. "Sa mga taong nasa likod nito, ngayon pa lang sinasabi ko sa inyo, hindi kayo magtatagumpay. Pananagutin natin ang nagkasala sa bansa (To the people who are behind this, even now, I tell you: you will not succeed. All those who have wronged our country will be held accountable)," he said. Citing intelligence reports, Aquino said they have already identified "persons of interest" involved in the plot to move against Sabah. Cases are already being prepared against them, he added. The President did not name names but he mentioned a "connivance allegedly by certain members of the past administration in the formation of this (armed group), which is a violation of the Constitution and various other laws of the land." Asked if the conspiracy could lead to former President Gloria Arroyo, Aquino responded: "You are asking me for a conclusion that I wish I had right now. But, again, unless we have the evidence that can be brought before a court that will prove the case, I will not make an accusation," he said. Aquino said the government is aware that the situation could get worse, but that the other option is a peaceful end to the conflict. Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario is now on his way to Malaysia to work for a possible peaceful resolution to the situation. Aquino also downplayed the reported crackdown on Filipinos in Sabah. It is "alarmist," Aquino said. Aquino said the response of Malaysia against the Filipinos in Sabah should be put in context. "Let us be frank with each other: If the situation were reversed, and armed groups entered our own community, would it be possible for us to do nothing? Would we not ask the government for help? Whatever your nationality may be, if there exists a threat to your safety, you would naturally retaliate and find a way to remove your citizens from harm's way," the President said in Filipino.

End Sabah clash in ‘brotherly way’, MNLF warns Putrajaya Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:55 PM PST (TMI) - 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.

Army rushing reinforcements to help police deal with latest landings Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:30 PM PST (The Star) - SEMPORNA: Two new flash points involving armed intruders erupted in the east coast of Sabah as the army and police mapped out a strategy to storm the Sulu group of Raja Muda Azzimudie Kiram at Tanduo village. The army is rushing reinforcements to help the police deal with the latest landings of about 10 men in military gear sighted in Kunak, following the killing of six policemen and six intruders in a gun battle at the Simunul water village in Semporna on Saturday night. Sighting of armed intruders were also claimed by villagers in Kinabatangan and elsewhere but, so far, the police have denied the reports. At Kampung Senallang Lama, about 7km from Simunul, a former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander who was armed with an M16 assault rifle and a grenade launcher was said to have rounded up villagers as hostages at a mosque. He was killed by local youths. In the meantime, a tense situation engulfed Semporna as thousands of families fled town and a lockdown enforced around Simunul, where a Tiger platoon strike force was sent. At a 7pm press conference in Lahad Datu yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar declared the Semporna incident has been resolved and there had not been any hostage situation. He said the bodies of the six police personnel were recovered at Simunul. The police had declined to initially verify villagers claim that a mother with her child as well as several police personnel might be trapped or held hostage by the armed Sulu group. Assuring the people that the situation in Sabah was under control, Ismail told the media at Felda Sahabat 16 in Lahad Datu that he has asked the military to help strengthen security in Semporna and the state. Present at the press conference was Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin. On the purported sightings of about 10 intruders at about 10pm on Saturday in Kunak, where they were seen entering Kampung Long Malor and Kampung Dasar Lama, Ismail said three of them were armed and were in fatigues that were similar to that worn by the Sulu group at Tanduo village. Describing the intruders as "not strong", Zulkifeli said that he has sent two more army battalions to Semporna and Kunak as a public confidence builder. Classifying the intruders as criminals, Zulkifeli said they came in small boats over a few days from the southern Philippines island of Sibutu, which was only a 25-minute boat ride to Semporna and that was why the security forces were unable to detect them. "I believe they came in civilian clothes and, upon entering Sabah, they grouped up and put on their military fatigues. "We found two bags with civilian clothes,' he said, adding that they could have entered on Feb 11 or Feb 12. On claims by the MNLF of an uprising of the Tausugs known as Suluks in Sabah if Azzimudie's group was attacked in Tanduo, Zulkifeli said: "Even though they are Tausug, they are law abiding people."

Tian Chua: I didn’t insult our commandos Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:21 PM PST Zurairi AR, TMI PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang denied today ever making derogatory remarks undermining the police commandos involved in the Lahad Datu stand-off. Chua, popularly known as Tian Chua, claimed that the incident had been manipulated by cybertroopers to generate hate against him and other Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders. "This was a faked story and absolutely untrue," said Chua (picture) in a press statement, explaining that he was not in Puchong here yesterday where he purportedly made the remarks. "I was actually in Johor, and in all of my speeches, I stated my confidence and support for our security forces and their officers." According to Chua, some pro-BN blogs have quoted him as describing the deaths of the security forces as "mati katak" (died in vain) in a Puchong rally yesterday. The blogs also asked their readers, especially police and army officers, to deliver text messages to him expressing their disapproval, Chua said. Chua had also reportedly told the KeadilanDaily online portal on March 1 that the shooting in Lahad Datu was believed to be a "planned conspiracy of the Umno government" to divert attention and intimidate the people. A group of around 100 retired policemen gathered in front of the National Monument here today to protest against alleged remarks by Chua, in an event described as the first time police retirees and former IGPs have ever gathered to express their discontent and displeasure. The police veterans carried placards saying "Tian Chua pengkhianat negara (Tian Chua is a national traitor)", "Tian Chua manusia tak berhati perut (Tian Chua is heartless)", and "Tian Chua perlu minta maaf (Tian Chua must apologise)". Several reports today said that groups of police retirees and officers are lodging police reports against Chua over his alleged "seditious remarks".

Manila now says up to Malaysia to handle Sulu militants Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:16 PM PST Clara Chooi, TMI The Philippine government said today the fate of the self-proclaimed royal Sulu army in Sabah now lies in the hands of Malaysia's security forces, appearing to suggest that a peaceful end to the prolonged standoff is no longer possible. In an interview with the Philippines' ABS-CBN News Channel this morning, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda pointed out that the over 200 gunmen claiming to be followers of the Sulu Sultanate have continued to hold their ground in Sabah, refusing to lay down arms even after violent skirmishes since Friday left 28 dead. But according to the channel's report on its website www.abs-cbnnews.com, Lacierda would not say if he agreed that the "window of opportunity" for a peaceful resolution to the standoff had closed because the deaths had involved Malaysian security personnel. "Malaysia has stepped in. They have fatalities on their side. They want to resolve this on their terms. Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Najib Razak said before the whole incident happened, baka pwede pa pero (it may have been possible but) now, serious offence has been committed," he told Mornings@ANC, according to the report. Adding to the tangled web, Lacierda confirmed the Philippine government's suspicion that the Kiram family are working with outside "collaborators", but was unsure who they are. He pointed out that during early negotiations between government representatives and Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, whose brother, Agbimuddin Kiram, is leading the rebel group in Sabah, Jamalul kept "changing goal posts". "First of all, they wanted the government to press the Sabah claim. What did the President say? We will study the claim. I have formed a task group to study the claim," he was quoted as saying. At one point, Lacierda said, an agreement that would call an end to the standoff was nearly reached but a phone call changed everything. The Philippine government is now attempting to find out if collaborators are indeed involved in guiding the Kiram family on its claims, the spokesman added. Lacierda also repeated that the Philippine government had appealed several times to the Kiram family, urging the Sultanate to order its men home in order to discuss its proprietary claims over Sabah. READ MORE HERE

I was adviser to ‘real’ Sulu sultan, says Umno Youth exco man Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:09 PM PST Zurairi AR, TMI Umno Youth executive councillor Lokman Noor Adam today denied having links with self-professed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, whose brother is leading an armed incursion into Lahad Datu, Sabah. His denial follows the distribution of a photograph of Lokman's business card on Twitter and Facebook, where he carries the title of "Advisor to The Crown" of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, and the honorific "Datu Sri Panglima" usually bestowed by the Sulu royalty. "I admit I was elected by the real Sulu sultan, Sultan Roodinod, son of Sultan Julaspi Kiram, as his advisor around the year 2005 to deal with the Malaysia government regarding their welfare," Lokman said in a press release here. Roodinod was recognised by the Malaysian government as the legitimate claimant to the Sulu Sultanate in 2008, for being the heir to Jamalul Kiram II who was proclaimed sultan in 1894. Roodinod family's claim has been challenged by rivals with allegations that Jamalul Kiram II died in 1936 without leaving any children. The last sultan of Sulu officially recognised by the Philippine government was Mahakuttah Kiram, who died in 1986. His eldest son Muedzul-Lail Tan Kiram was crowned sultan on September last year, and is one of the many claimants to the throne. Lokman said he has not contacted Roodinod since 2007. The panel member of the Department of Special Affairs (JASA) also claimed that he advised the sultanate voluntarily, and has never received any payment for his services. According to Lokman, Julaspi was rescued by the Malaysian government in 1959, and lived in Sabah before the government gave him a residence in Lorong Maarof, Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur. READ MORE HERE

Nur Misuari offers to mediate Posted: 03 Mar 2013 03:19 PM PST The Sulu sultanate claims that villagers retaliated after the police stormed Simunul village and killed an imam and his four sons. (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: Nur Misuari, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman, has signalled that he is willing to help in talks to resolve the standoff in Sabah between an armed group of Filipino intruders and the Malaysian forces. "It is my message to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that I am ready to send my grand-nephew who is his cousin to open up talks," Misuari told reporters at the celebration of his 71st birthday here on Sunday. A Philippines-based website, Rappler.com, quoted the erstwhile friend of Malaysia as saying that he is also willing to personally go to Malaysia to help end the crisis. Denying allegations he is funding the armed men involved in the Sabah standoff, he said he was offering to help out of concern for the children and women in Lahad Datu who "are now facing starvation and danger." He said Malaysia had not responded to his offer. He added that they would also not call for the surrender of those who opted to "return to their home" but would instead urge the Philippine government to act on the issue. "This is an active claim. I want the Philippine government to act with determination. These men would not go there and sacrifice their lives if only the (Philippines) government had handled this issue," Adju was quoted as saying. Misuari once enjoyed good ties with Malaysia which had allowed the MNLF to seek sanctuary in Sabah during president Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship. Malaysian security forces however arrested him in Sabah in 2001, after he fled Sulu following a botched revolt in the province. The arrest led to his detention in the Philippines. The site also quoted Samsula Adju, a member of the so-called Bangsamoro National People's Parliament as saying the move made by Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to send his men to Sabah only shows that the Sabah claim is very much alive. Villagers provoked Meanwhile supporters of the Sultan of Sulu in the east coast of Sabah hit back at the Malaysian security forces on the weekend after they were allegedly provoked. At a press conference in Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III's home in Taguig City, a spokesman for the sultanate, Abraham Idjirani said the Malaysian police had shot dead an Islamic religious leader and his four sons and injured another imam in Simunul village in Semporna. Said Idjirani: "The violence spread to Semporna after Malaysian policemen pretending to round up undocumented Filipinos stormed Simunul village in search of relatives of the sultan." He said the Malaysian police shot dead a religious leader known as Imam Maas and his four sons whilst wounding another imam known as Jul after they were found to be helping Kiram's relatives. He said the killings had angered the villagers, who then attacked the authorities and seized four Malaysian officials, whom he described as "highest" military officers, a policeman and an influential civilian. READ MORE HERE

Nazri: BN will 'gladly' hand over power if people's mandate lost Posted: 03 Mar 2013 12:53 PM PST   Nazri, who is the Padang Rengas member of parliament (MP), reminded that there had been a smooth handover of power in the five states which Pakatan won in the last general election. "We won't form the government by cheating or any other improper means... There was no unrest, no attempt to resist (handing over power) because we do not want to form the government if we don't get the mandate of the people. Why should we?"  Barisan Nasional (BN) has no qualms about handing over power to the opposition should it lose the people's mandate in the upcoming general election.   Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz gave this assurance today, saying they (BN) will follow the rules.   "We will gladly hand over and we will not stay one second more (than we should) if we lose the mandate of the people.   "We have shown that we faithfully stick to the rules and results," Nazri said in his speech at the International Conference on Malaysia 13th General Elections organised by the office of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.   Nazri's comments come amid Anwar's calls for the ruling coalition to guarantee a smooth and peaceful transition of power should Pakatan Rakyat win the most seats at the general election.   Additionally, Nazri's remarks reflect BN's confidence going into the 13th general election which is widely seen as the most hotly contested race in Malaysia's history.   Nazri, who is the Padang Rengas member of parliament (MP), reminded that there had been a smooth handover of power in the five states which Pakatan won in the last general election.   "We won't form the government by cheating or any other improper means... There was no unrest, no attempt to resist (handing over power) because we do not want to form the government if we don't get the mandate of the people. Why should we?" Nazri said.   After the 2008 general election, BN lost control of Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Perak while the PAS-led government continued to rule Kelantan.   However, BN returned to power in Perak in 2009 following the defections of three Pakatan assemblymen which swung the balance of power in the state.   According to Nazri, BN refused to accept several MPs who quit PKR into the ruling coalition's fold even though these independent representatives were pro-BN.   "We never attempted to induce them to join us unlike the Sept 16 fiasco to buy over MPs so that there can be a change of government.   "If you believe in electoral democracy, you don't do that. BN won't buy over MPs from the other side," Nazri said, referring to Anwar's failed takeover of the federal government on Sept 16, 2009 by engineering the crossover of a bloc of BN MPs.   During his speech, Nazri also stressed that elections in Malaysia has always been conducted in a free and fair manner, even if the system was not perfect.   Nazri maintained that the present government has been open to suggestion and is committed to reform in order to ensure future elections will continue to be free and fair.   "There is always room for improvement. If we didn't believe there was room for improvement, we would not have allowed the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms," Nazri said.   Read more at: http://fz.com/content/nazri-bn-will-gladly-hand-over-power-if-peoples-mandate-lost

Fighting in Sabah rages Posted: 03 Mar 2013 12:36 PM PST   (Inquirer, Global Nation) - Supporters of the sultan of Sulu struck back on Saturday night, killing five Malaysian policemen and seizing four local government officials in an attack that indicated an escalation of violence to other parts of Sabah after the killing of 12 of the sultan's followers in a clash with Malaysian security forces in Lahad Datu on Friday. Abraham Idjirani, spokesman for the sultanate of Sulu, said an Islamic religious leader and his four sons were killed in the fighting in the seaside village of Simunul in Semporna town, 300 kilometers from Tanduao village in Lahad Datu, the site of a 3-week-old standoff between Malaysian security forces and a group of followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Idjirani said two "highest" military officials, one police officer, and one "highest civilian" officer were being held by Jamalul's supporters affiliated with Alianapia Kiram, a brother of the sultan. Reports coming from Malaysia said two supporters of the Sulu sultan were killed in the shootout with policemen. Idjirani said the group of sultanate followers led by Agbimuddin Kiram, another brother of Jamalul, had "occupied and controlled" Semporna, which is populated by Filipinos from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and the Zamboanga peninsula. Alim Hashim Mudjahab, chairman of the Islamic Council Committee of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), told the Inquirer in Zamboanga City that supporters of the sultan attacked a police station in Semporna on Saturday night. "They freed more than a hundred Filipino Muslims who were arrested on Friday and they even captured the Malaysian police chief and his colleagues," Mudjahab said. "We are worried because it seems that these reports are not important to the Philippine government," he said. In Tawau, Mudjahab said, followers of the sultan attacked a convoy of Malaysian military trucks, "hurling dynamite commonly used for fishing." "As we are talking now (11 a.m. Sunday), tension is spreading as far as Sandakan and there are reports that some Tausug residing in Kota Kinabalu are ready to fight the Malaysian authorities," he said. Mudjahab said he received the information from "MNLF supporters in those areas." But Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo, chief of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said he had not received information about an escalation of Friday's violence in Lahad Datu to other parts of Sabah. Police raid Idjirani said the violence spread to Semporna when Malaysian policemen pretending to round up undocumented Filipinos stormed Simunul village in search of relatives of the sultan. He said the policemen shot one Imam Maas and his four sons and wounded one Imam Jul when they learned that they were taking care of the sultan's relatives in the area, Alianapia and Amir Bahar. The killings angered the villagers, who attacked the authorities and seized four Malaysian officials. Idjirani said the sultanate of Sulu blamed the fresh violence on the Malaysian government, which, like the Philippine government, refused to deal with the Kirams on their claim to Sabah. Read more at: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/66539/fighting-in-sabah-rages

Fourteen killed in stand-off between Philippine sultan and Malaysia Posted: 03 Mar 2013 11:50 AM PST   (World Socialist Website) - Both the Philippines and Malaysia are currently in the thick of election campaigns. Najib and Aquino have responded to the stand-off with apparent reluctance and political embarrassment, each seeking to preserve local political alliances in the lead up to elections.  Fourteen people died in Sabah, North Borneo, during an exchange of fire between Malaysian security forces and the followers of the leader of a southern Philippine political dynasty, the Sultan of Sulu. There are conflicting reports, but it is clear is that 12 of the Sultan's followers and two Malaysian policemen died during the half-hour firefight on March 1. On February 11, around one hundred people, with 30 to 40 small arms, sailed from the Sulu archipelago in the southeastern Philippines and entered Lahad Datu, in eastern Sabah, one of the 13 member states of Malaysia. They were led by Agbimuddin Kiram, who was sent by his brother Jamalul Kiram, one of two claimants to the title of Sultan of Sulu. Kiram is asserting an ancestral claim to the entire state of Sabah, a claim that has the longstanding endorsement of the Philippine government. Malaysian security forces surrounded the remote village where Kiram and his supporters landed. Over the two weeks leading up to the shoot-out there was a bizarre and complicated stand-off between the governments of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Philippine President Benigno Aquino, and the forces of the sultan. Both the Philippines and Malaysia are currently in the thick of election campaigns. Najib and Aquino have responded to the stand-off with apparent reluctance and political embarrassment, each seeking to preserve local political alliances in the lead up to elections. Najib's ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) has been steadily losing political ground, in the face of an increasing downturn in Malaysia's export markets. Sabah is one of the Malaysian states in which the United Malays National Organization (UMNO)-led BN is most vulnerable, as it is one of five states where BN has lost in the past to the opposition Peoples Alliance (PR) coalition. The initially hesitant response from Kuala Lumpur to the Sabah stand-off was dictated by Najib's desire to preserve political ties with sections of the local elite, who rely heavily on hundreds of thousands of Filipino migrant workers employed in Sabah's palm oil plantations. A souring of relations with the Philippines might jeopardize this supply of cheap labor. UMNO has, through a calculated practice of preferential economic and political policies, deliberately cultivated its support base among the ethnic Malay population. The opposition PR has charged UMNO with selectively granting citizenship in Sabah to Muslim Malay populations, such as so-called illegal Filipino immigrants, under the auspices of 'Project IC' in a bid to shore up its political support in the state. Philippine President Aquino meanwhile is seeking political advantage for his Liberal Party coalition in the upcoming midterm elections in May. The incursion of the sultan of Sulu's forces into Sabah places at risk the recent peace deal between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the establishment of an autonomous political entity known as Bangsamoro, intended to end decades of hostilities on the southern island of Mindanao. The Bangsamoro peace deal was brokered by Kuala Lumpur under Prime Minister Najib. The peace deal was made at the instigation, and with the full support, of Washington, which has an eye to both the possibility of placing military bases within the autonomous Bangsamoro region, as well as to its use as a platform for cheap labor. At the same time, however, members of the rival United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) coalition in the Philippines have begun to seize upon the opportunity afforded them by the Sabah stand-off to engage in political grandstanding, calling upon Aquino to defend Philippine national sovereignty and to assert the historical claims to Sabah. The opposition parties in the Malaysian PR, particularly Anwar Ibrahim's Keadilan party, have denounced Najib for "compromising the security and safety of Malaysians" and said there is "no valid reason whatsoever for our Malaysian Armed Forces not to act to defend our country against the armed Sulu invaders." They called for a crackdown on "foreigners" in Sabah, who were becoming "a security threat to those born in Malaysia." This retrograde appeal to nationalism is an attempt to undermine UMNO's moves to expand its base of support in Sabah. Under this mounting opposition pressure, Najib issued a deadline to Aquino for the sultan's forces to leave Sabah. Aquino, reluctant to appear to be relinquishing Philippine territorial claims, but under a great deal of pressure from Washington to push the peace deal with the MILF forward, equivocated. He said the Philippine government did not recognize Jamalul Kiram as rightful sultan, as there were several rival hereditary claims to the title. He thus avoided directly addressing the question of the territorial claim. Read more at: http://wsws.org/en/articles/2013/03/02/phil-m02.html

Malaysia Blocks PH Ship On Humanitarian Mission Posted: 03 Mar 2013 11:43 AM PST   (Manila Bulletin) - The Philippine government has appealed to Malaysia to allow its humanitarian mission to enter Sabah to assist Filipinos affected by the bloody clashes between the Sulu Sultanate's army and Malaysian forces following reports that Malaysian border authorities have blocked the entry of a Philippine ship seeking to provide assistance to Filipinos living in Sabah. Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Abigail Valte said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has sent a note verbale to the Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines seeking permission for the Philippine contingent that will extend humanitarian and consular aid to Filipinos in Sabah. "We have been asking for full access to those who are in custody and we were asking for the go-signal to be able to treat the wounded, to provide consular assistance," she said over government radio. "As of today, the ship remains at the border ready to be deployed as soon as we have the signal to do so," she added. She said the government's main concern is the safety of the 800,000 Filipinos living in Sabah who may be affected by the gunfight in the area. Amid the rising death toll, President Benigno S. Aquino III earlier called on the Filipino gunmen pressing claim over Sabah to surrender to avoid bloodshed. Aquino expressed concern about the welfare of other Filipinos whose lives are put at risk by the action of the Sulu sultan's followers in Sabah. Valte said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has opened a "humanitarian corridor" in Sulu to assist families of the slain Filipino gunmen. The social workers will provide counselling and other assistance to families of those who perished in the gunbattle in Sabah, according to Valte. Malacañang once again appealed to the loyalists of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III holding fort in Sabah to reconsider their defiance and surrender immediately "to preserve life." Valte assured that the territorial claim on Sabah, which the Sultanate of Sulu has been fighting for, is now under study by the Philippine government. "Surrender is the best way at this point to preserve lives of the people who are there," Valte said in Pilipino over government radio. "I don't think anybody would really say that somebody needs to die for this. There is no need for more people to die. We have other ways on how to discuss and pursue their proprietary claim," she added. Valte said no one has the right to endanger the lives of the 800,000 Filipinos in Sabah and the Republic just because of a proprietary claim by the Sultanate of Sulu. The fate of the Filipino gunmen in Sabah, on the other hand, is now in the hands of the Malaysian authority, according to Valte. "That is up to the Malaysian authorities. It is not a secret that they have control of the situation there at present," she said when asked if the Filipinos who surrender will be arrested or given safe passage back to the Philippines. The Malaysian government earlier warned it would take drastic action against the Filipino gunmen if they don't surrender. At least 12 Filipinos were reportedly killed in the violent encounter with the Malaysian troops seeking to end the standoff that started early last month in Sabah. President Aquino has called on Kiram's supporters to surrender without conditions to avoid violence but the Sulu sultan has rejected this request. Valte said the invasion of the sultan's followers in Sabah was the "wrong method" to pursue their ancestral land since it was putting the lives of other Filipinos at risk. She also compared the incident in Sabah to a home invasion where intruders demand to be heard. It is difficult to talk with intruders especially if they are armed, she added. Allaying concerns the government has abandoned its claim over Sabah, Valte said the President has already ordered a study into the historical and legal context of the decades-old claim to the land. Malacanang, meantime, could still not confirm if the President has already contacted Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak about the situation in Sabah. When asked if the President has appealed to Malaysia not to kill the Filipinos in the disputed territory, Valte said the Philippine government has been "continuously coordinating" with the Malaysian authorities and the Kiram family to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict in Sabah. She said the President continues to monitor the situation in Sabah and remains in contact with concerned government officials. Meanwhile, senators yesterday urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to intensify dialogues and diplomacy with Malaysia as it pursues an immediate resolution to the crisis that erupted in Sabah. Sen. Loren Legarda said the DFA should ensure that collateral damage among Filipinos in Sabah is minimized following the reported clashes between the Malaysian police and supporters of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III in Sabah. Sen. Francis Escudero said the country's interest should be detached from the private claim of the Sulu Sultanate since involving the whole nation in it may affect the Philippines' good relations with Malaysia. "My personal view is that the Sabah claim is a personal issue involving the Sultan of Sulu," Escudero said. "It's a private right and a private claim. He cannot say, however, that Sabah is part of the Philippines," he pointed out. (With a report fro Hannah L. Torregoza)

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