Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Sulu sultan disowns 8 accused in Malaysia
- Sulu military commander captured
- Lahad Datu: Kg Tanduo chief's son is coordinator for Sulu group, say police
- Mustafa banks on Tuesday for end of 'guessing game'
- Bersih to ‘name and shame’ candidates
- BANTING MURDER TRIAL: Lawyer surprises court
- Anwar claims of BN plot to implicate him in Sulu clampdown
- Two more Perak DAP big guns heading south
- NGO to take legal action against cyber bullies
- Sultanate: 8 terror accused are Malaysians, not Pinoys
| Sulu sultan disowns 8 accused in Malaysia Posted: 22 Mar 2013 07:50 PM PDT
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Are the eight men charged in Malaysia for the intrusion by followers of the sultan of Sulu into Sabah Filipinos or Malaysians? After condemning on Thursday the filing of charges against the eight as "terroristic," the Sulu sultanate on Friday disowned the suspects, saying they were not Filipinos but Malaysians. Abraham Idjirani, spokesman for the sultanate, said the sultanate learned about the "fall guys" from a source in Sabah. At least one of the eight arraigned at the Tawau High Court on Thursday admitted during the proceedings that he was paid to join the group from Sulu. The Star newspaper of Malaysia identified the suspect as Holland (spelled "Holan" by Idjirani) Kalbi. Speaking in court through a Badjao interpreter, Kalbi said he was asked by "someone" to join the group, but did not identify who it was. He also did not say how much he was paid to go with Agbimuddin's group. "I was just being foolish," The Star quoted Kalbi as saying in court. But Gani said Kalbi's statement should not be recorded. The judge reminded Kalbi not to say anything until he has a lawyer. The SLA is providing legal representation to the eight accused. Idjirani said Kalbi was one of Jamalul's followers who were killed in the March 1 "massacre" in Tanduo village in Lahad Datu town. Idjirani was referring to the police assault on Agbimuddin's group in which 18, not 10, of Jamalul's followers were killed. Idjirani apologised for the earlier body count, which proved to be wrong, he said, because full information was not available at the time. 'They are Filipinos' But Syarulnizam Salleh, chair of the human rights subcommittee of the Sabah Lawyers Association (SLA), told the Inquirer by phone on Friday that the eight men charged with launching terroristic acts and waging war against Malaysian King Abdul Halim were Filipinos. Salleh said he learned about the nationality of the eight men during his meeting with Malaysian Attorney General Gani Patail on Thursday night. The SLA, however, said in a posting on its website that Malaysian authorities had arrested not only Filipinos but also Malaysians in the security operations to end the intrusion by followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. The Malaysian authorities have arrested 108 people suspected of links to the Sulu group led by Jamalul's brother, Agbimuddin Kiram. But they're dead Idjirani reiterated that Kalbi was one of the 18 "martyrs" of Tanduo. "Now he is one of the eight accused. So what's this?" Idjirani asked. Another alleged follower of the Sulu sultanate charged on Wednesday and arraigned on Thursday was identified as Lin Mad Salleh. But Idjirani said "Ling Mad Salli" (his own spelling) was also one of the 18 Tanduo "martyrs." "Have the Malaysians resurrected the two RSF men?" Idjirani asked, using the shorthand for the "Royal Security Forces" of the Sulu sultanate. "Our basis for saying that they are not Filipinos is that our source from Sabah called us to say they are Malaysians. They are not Filipinos," Idjirani said. "To confirm this, they (Malaysian authorities) should divulge where they were caught. If they were caught outside Lahad Datu, they were [Malaysian] civilians," he said. "They were set up to make Filipinos afraid, because Malaysian security forces have become abusive because of their internal security act," he added. The accused The eight alleged followers of Sultan Jamalul faced Judge P. Ravinthran of the Tawau High Court on Thursday to be arraigned of the charges brought by the Malaysian authorities against them the day before. Kalbi, Salleh, Habil Suhaili and Timhar Hadir are accused of launching acts of terrorism in Sabah. They face life imprisonment on conviction. Atik Hussein Abu Bakar and Basad H. Manuel are also accused of terrorism as well as waging war against the Malaysian king. If convicted, they will be sentenced to death. Kadir Uyung and Lating Tiong are accused of harboring a terrorist group, and face life imprisonment. They were arrested on that charge in Tanjung Labian on March 4, a day before the Malaysian military launched air and ground operations to crush Agbimuddin's group. No plea was entered for the eight accused following an application by Attorney General Gani, who led the team of prosecutors. The charges are nonbailable. Gani told the court that though only two of the accused faced charges that carried the death penalty, the prosecution would see to it that all eight would have legal representation in the interest of human rights. He said he had discussed legal representation for the accused with the SLA and the Bar Council of Malaysia. Salleh of the SLA confirmed earlier information received by the Inquirer that some of the accused were placed in straitjackets. Straitjackets for security Gani applied to the court for the procedure and Justice Ravinthran granted his application "for security reasons," according to a copy of the court proceedings obtained by the Inquirer. Ravinthran subsequently ordered the trial of the eight accused to start on April 12. Gani said some of the accused would be jointly tried while individual hearings would be held for others, as they were arrested at different places or time. Of the eight accused, one is under 19 years old. Some are Badjao and others are Orang Suluk or Tausug. In a statement issued Friday, the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said it welcomed Gani's assurance that the eight Filipinos would be given legal assistance. The embassy and Salleh of the SLA said they were coordinating with each other for legal representation for the accused. Mopping up operations Mopping up operations continued in Lahad Datu Friday to clear the villages of Agbimuddin's men. Malaysian authorities said 68 members of Agbimuddin's group had been killed in fighting since March 1. But Idjirani said that by the sultanate's reckoning, only 26 of the 235 members of Agbimuddin's group had been killed. Four were wounded and 10 were arrested, he said. Idjirani identified the 10 he earlier reported as killed in Tanduo as Kalbi, Salli, Ibrahim Suhudah, Junaidi Harain, Adulkader Jumaadil, Hawadi Jumaadil, Tar Undang, Sangkahan Ajan, and Datu and Mrs. Maharajah Sabandal. He did not identify the eight others whose deaths in the police assault the sultanate learned about only later. Other losses In addition to the 18 killed in Tanduo on March 1, Idjirani said four were killed during the air and artillery attacks on March 5, and two others were killed later because they shielded Agbimuddin from soldiers' fire. Idjirani said 36 other sultanate followers were detained at the Philippine Naval Station in Tawi-Tawi after being intercepted at sea while trying to return to the Philippines and charged in a local court two weeks ago. Of the group that sailed to Lahad Datu on Feb. 9, only Agbimuddin and 161 followers of the sultanate remain, Idjirani said.
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| Sulu military commander captured Posted: 22 Mar 2013 06:47 PM PDT
(Bernama) - LAHAD DATU: Security forces have successfully crippled the movements of the terrorists from Sulu who intruded into Lahad Datu after capturing their military commander in Semporna, early this morning. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the man, in his 40s, was detained with his wife at a swampy area at 1.30am after a tip off. He said the security forces also detained a local who provided all the needs of the terrorists from the early days of their landing in Kampung Tanduo on Feb 12 until today. Without going into further details on the man who is in his 40s, Khalid said he was caught at 10pm yesterday in Kampung Tanduo and was now being held under the Immigration Act. "The local coordinator has been identified as the individual who made arrangements for food and drinks, accommodation, transportation and medicine for the terrorists since the early part of the intrusion," he said. "With the capture of the commander and a local stooge of the terrorists, I am confident the terrorist group is now crippled," he told a media conference at the security forces operations heaquarters at Felda Sahabat 16 near here today. Khalid said with the capture of the two individuals, he believed the movements of the remnants of the terrorists were now limited and weakened as they were directionless and no longer getting assistance from locals. Thanking the local community for furnishing information which had led to the capture of a most wanted individual, Khalid said "Operasi Daulat" (the offensive against the terrorists) which entered its 19th day today, would still be continued and expected the community in Lahad Datu would resume they normal lives soon. Boosting confidence
On the latest statistics of Operasi Daulat, he said to date, 408 people had been detained for numerous offences, while the number of terrorists shot dead remained at 63. He said 38 bodies of the terrorists were also retrieved from the operation area, including eight which were taken out of Kampung Tanjung Batu yesterday. The bodies were now undergoing post-mortems at the Lahad Datu Hospital, he said. On the incident in Kembara Sakti yesterday, Khalid said the number of security forces in the village had been increased to boost the confidence of the residents to continue their normal lives. "There is no reason for them to be afraid and I advise all community members, residents and plantation workers in Kembara Sakti to return home as the security forces will always protect them," he said. He said preliminary police investigation found the matter to be only rumours which was exaggerated and caused worry to residents. About 1,000 residents in Kampung Kembara Sakti were reported to have moved to a nearby religious school and mosque after a housewife claimed four hungry terrorists came to her house when she was alone and tied up her hands and feet. The woman managed to free herself and escaped when the militants were busy looking for food.
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| Lahad Datu: Kg Tanduo chief's son is coordinator for Sulu group, say police Posted: 22 Mar 2013 06:44 PM PDT
(The Star) - LAHAD DATU: A son of a former Kampung Tanduo village chief is believed to be the local coordinator for the Sulu terror group. He was among four people, two of whom are key figures behind the group, who were arrested over the past 24 hours. The other is the Sulu group's military commander who was picked up while hiding in the swamps in Semporna as police further crippled the Sulu terrorists network operating there and in Lahad Datu. Deputy Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the two key figures were arrested with their wives. He said the local coordinator, in his early 40's, was arrested with his wife in the Felda Sahabat area at about 10pm on Friday. The man possessed a Malaysian identity card, he told reporters. The man is being detained under the Immigration Act pending verification of his identification documents. "He is an important figure as he was the one who arranged for accommodation, food, drinks and medical treatment since the group arrived here (Feb 9)," Khalid said. He said the military commander, in his late 40s, was arrested at about 1am on Saturday and has a Philippines passport. "Now we believe the group has been further crippled. They have lost their source of local support and they now have no direction," Khalid said. He did not elaborate on the identity of the commander. He said the arrests were made possible with the assistance of the local communities. So far, 408 people have been detained under the various laws since the launching of the offensive against the Sulu terror group dubbed as Ops Daulat on March 5. Another 108 people have been detained under the Special Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA). Sixty-three gunmen have been killed in the ongoing offensive. On Thursday's Kembara Sakti incident in Felda Sahabat where more than 1,000 fled their villages after hearing that a woman was held hostage, Khalid said: "From our initial investigation, what happened yesterday was made to be more serious that it actually is." "There is no reason for the community there to feel afraid. They can return home. We will be with them,'' he added. Khalid said he would be meeting the residents to assure them of their safety.
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| Mustafa banks on Tuesday for end of 'guessing game' Posted: 22 Mar 2013 04:57 PM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - And the election guessing game continues. But this time, the prediction is based on the insistence by the Election Commission not to have separate polls for 13th general election. The Negeri Sembilan state assembly will automatically dissolve this Tuesday, while polling must be held within sixty days, by May 26.
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| Bersih to ‘name and shame’ candidates Posted: 22 Mar 2013 04:51 PM PDT
Bersih says it will 'name and shame' candidates who condone political violence. K Pragalath, FMT Election reform watchdog Bersih today announced that it would "name and shame" politicians and election candidates who do not support its campaign against political violence. "We'll name and shame them. Silence is not an option. Vote against the MPs who encourage political violence and those who are silent about it. "We will tell the public not to vote for them," Bersih co-chairman, S Ambiga, said at the launching of Bersih's "Reject political violence" campaign today. The campaign kicked off with Bersih co-chairman A Samad Said sending SMSes to PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad (PAS), Batu MP Tian Chua (PKR), Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang. Besides the SMS, Bersih hopes to use the social media and by word of mouth to spread the message. Ambiga also said that Bersih would accept any invitation to any political ceramah and also to speak up against political violence. She listed nine instances of political violence that have occurred since January this year. The election reform watchdog also announced that it would be releasing a code of conduct for candidates and rules of a caretaker government next week. On another issue, Ambiga criticised Election Commission deputy chairman, Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, for saying that the election would take place before the conclusion of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Sabah, and that the EC was powerless to act as the RCI has not ended.
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| BANTING MURDER TRIAL: Lawyer surprises court Posted: 22 Mar 2013 04:23 PM PDT
IN THE BALANCE: Judge fixes May 9 and 10 for submissions and May 23 for judgment SHAH ALAM: AFTER 110 days of proceedings, which spanned almost two years, and 742 exhibits tendered in court, the Banting murder trial came to an end at the High Court here yesterday with the defence closing the case. Counsels Manjeet Singh Dhillon, Gurbachan Singh, Amer Hamzah Arshad and Hasshahari Johari Mawi closed their case yesterday after 138 witnesses had testified. Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir fixed May 9 and 10 for submissions and May 23 for judgment. In the proceedings yesterday, Manjeet took everyone in court by surprise when he showed "a small demonstration" to witness Roslie Sulle. (Roslie, 36, was the lawyer who represented K. Sarawanan who had pleaded guilty at the Telok Datuk magistrate's court on Oct 15, 2010, to disposing of evidence in the Banting murders. Another man, U. Suresh, also pleaded guilty to the same offence. Both are currently serving 20 years' jail). Manjeet took a bag of ashes, poured it into a blue container and gave it to Roslie to "throw away". Manjeet: You are going to ask me what is this and I'm going to tell you that there was a fight in my house last night. Mann Singh and Mahinder Singh were dancing and I did not like it. "So I killed them and burnt them. Now, I give you this container to be thrown away. You are later charged in court. So have you committed any offence? Do you know who is Mahinder and Mann? Roslie: I don't know them. Manjeet: From the container, can you now separate Mahinder and Mann? Roslie just smiled. Manjeet: This is not a joke. I'm demonstrating how ridiculous your actions and the deputy public prosecutors' conduct were (at the magistrate's court when Sarawanan pleaded guilty). So can you separate Mahinder and Mann? Roslie: No. Manjeet: Did you dispose of Mahinder and Mann? How do you know it wasn't the remains of my cat, or dog? What sort of lawyer are you? Roslie: I had discussed with Puravalen (lawyer M. Puravalen) that day and he was the one who studied the facts of the case. I only prepared the mitigation. Manjeet: So are you saying Puravalen did not think the facts of the case were incomplete and that it did not show any offence? Were you even in court that day? Roslie: Yes I was in court. "I put it to you that this was all a conspiracy to get the two boys out of the way so that the facts of the case can be used in another trial," said Manjeet, to which Roslie disagreed. Roslie was testifying in the trial of N. Pathmanabhan, 44, T. Thilaiyalagan, 22, R. Matan, 23, and R. Kathavarayan, 33, charged with the murders of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya, 47, bank officer Noorhisham Mohamad, 38, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, at Ladang Gadong, Lot 2001, Jalan Tanjong Layang, Tanjung Sepat in Banting, between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on Aug 30, 2010. |
| Anwar claims of BN plot to implicate him in Sulu clampdown Posted: 22 Mar 2013 03:39 PM PDT
(TMI) - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has alleged of a plot by the Najib administration to include him in its Sulu dragnet, saying last night he was sure he would soon be accused of paying the group of Filipino militants to start the armed incursion in Sabah. The opposition leader, however, said this would not affect his determination but would instead inspire him further in his goal of toppling Barisan Nasional (BN) from Putrajaya in the coming polls. "Accuse me, slander me, but don't expect me to surrender," Anwar (picture) was quoted as saying by PAS organ Harakah Daily in a ceramah at Puteri Centre Park, Bandar Tasik Puteri here last night. According to the daily, Anwar was likely referring to the declaration in the Tawau High Court on Wednesday by one of the men charged with engaging in terrorism in Sabah that he had been asked and paid to do so by someone. In The Star Online's report on the terror trial, Hooland Kalbi, who was among the eight charged over the Sulu siege, had also said he was "foolish" for involving himself in the incursion. "This claim of being paid. This is all part of (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib's (Razak) plan to implicate me," Anwar was quoted as saying by Harakah. "Whether they want to accuse me or arrest me, we will continue our fight to topple Umno in the next election."
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| Two more Perak DAP big guns heading south Posted: 22 Mar 2013 03:22 PM PDT
The duo will join DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang to do battle in Johor. Humayun Kabir, FMT Two more Perak DAP leaders may bring the battle to Johor in their bid to boost Pakatan Rakyat's chances of breaching the Umno stronghold in the coming general election. And Perak DAP will also see a shake-up, with new faces being fielded to replace "non-performing" incumbents. The speculation is that Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran and Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan may join DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang to lead the charge into Umno's birthplace. PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has already announced that Lim, the Ipoh Timor MP, will contest in Gelang Patah parliamentary seat of Johor. Kulasegaran was initially picked to contest in the Segamat parliamentary seat, but according to media report, Johor PKR chief Chua Jui Meng has been identified as the candidate for Segamat. A DAP source said that Kulasegaran, who is closely linked to Lim, will contest any parliamentary seat in Johor that the party picks. After crossing swords with the Perak DAP chairman Ngeh Koo Ham and secretary Nga Kor Ming over the years, Kulasegaran is preparing to enter a new political frontier of Johor. Ngeh is Beruas MP and Setiawan assemblyman while his cousin Nga is Taiping MP and Pantai Remis assemblyman. It is speculated that Fong, who has also clashed with cousins Ngeh and Nga, may be tipped to contest either Kluang or Kulai. She may join her husband, Johor DAP secretary Tan Chen Choon who is tipped to contest the Bentayan Johor state seat. With the exit of these three party leaders, Perak DAP has reshuffled the cards to fill the vacated slots. For a start, incumbent Pasir Pinji assemblyman Thomas Su Keong Siong may fill Lim's shoes in Ipoh Timor. Pasir Pinji may go to Perak DAP Youth state secretary Howard Lee Chuan How. Non-performing incumbents Former Pakatan State Legislative Assembly Speaker and Tronoh state assembleman V Sivakumar is likely to be fielded in Batu Gajah, while the Tronoh seat may go to Ngeh's Sitiawan political secretary Paul Leong. State DAP Youth chief, publicity secretary and Canning assemblyman Wong Kah Woh may be fielded in Ipoh Barat. According to a DAP source, the state is dropping all non-performing incumbents and replacing them with new faces who support the state party leadership and are service-oriented.
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| NGO to take legal action against cyber bullies Posted: 22 Mar 2013 02:56 PM PDT
The Malaysian Youth Rights Movement has also lodged a report with the MCMC to stop the bullies allegedly allied to a Pakatan Rakyat component party. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: A social activist is so fed up with the abuses of cyber bullies allegedly linked to Pakatan Rakyat that he has decided to take legal action against them. Shen Yee Aun, who heads Malaysian Youth Rights Movement (MYRM), has lodged a report with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). He plans to lodge a police report in next few days and file a civil libel suit against the bullies, who have identified themselves as members of the Red Bean Army (RBA). RBA is linked to a dominant political party within the Pakatan family. With the next general election around the corner, Shen said the cyber war has intensified, with the cyber bullies spinning stories and twisting facts. He said the RBA cyber bullies have threatened, intimidated and racially abused any commentators, who they thought favour Barisan Nasional or are anti-Pakatan. A check by MYRM found that these bullies have posted derogatory pictures, visuals and graphics online especially on Facebook, fed misinformation and misrepresented facts on national affairs, and have become more vulgar, hostile and unruly. "They intimidate commentators with sexual and death threats in various social media platforms," Shen told reporters here yesterday, showing them certain online abuses by these bullies. He cited a student, Wong Kim May, who was recently verbally abused with foul languages and threatened with sexual violence and murder just because she put some BN posters on Facebook. MYRM checks found that the abuses were concerted, coordinated and collaborated efforts to cause racial divisions, fear and anger among the people. Shen, who has also been constantly targeted, is convinced that such unethical cyber abuses were a tactical move by the bullies and their political masters. He claimed that the political masters knew their cyber bullies were abusing and misusing social media channels by using foul languages and intimidating others with violent threats. "The political masters knew it officially vis-à-vis our MCMC report. But they did not stop it," he said. He hit out at the political masters for condoning and encouraging unethical cyber behaviour. He criticised the political party and its bullies for abusing and exploiting the freedom of expression, and warned that such abuses were detrimental to the healthy growth of democracy. "The political party should stop its cyber bullying immediately," said Shen.
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| Sultanate: 8 terror accused are Malaysians, not Pinoys Posted: 22 Mar 2013 02:48 PM PDT
(PhilStar.com) - MANILA, Philippines - Eight men charged with terrorism-related offenses in Malaysian courts in connection with the violence in Sabah are neither Filipinos nor followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, sultanate spokesman Abraham Idjirani said yesterday. He said one of the men had even assumed the identity of one of the fighters of the sultanate killed by Malaysian forces last March 1. Malaysia's state news agency Bernama said on Thursday that the man – identified as Hooland Kalibi – admitted before a court that he had been paid to join the Sabah incursion. Idjirani said they got the information from "a relative of the wife" of the leader of the sultanate's armed followers in Sulu, Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of the sultan. "What does the Malaysian government intend to do? They are lying through their teeth. They are fooling the Philippine government and the entire world," he said. "Hooland Kalibi is dead, that we are sure about. "Malaysia will continue to lie so that the sultanate will not get any support from President Aquino, from our own government. Malaysia is fooling the world," Idjirani said. Malaysia's Star Online had reported that eight Filipinos – aged between 17 and 66 – had been charged before a Magistrate Court in Lahad Datu with "waging war" against Malaysia's king and with terrorism. Waging war against Malaysia's king is punishable by death, while terrorism carries a prison term of up to 30 years. Idjirani also accused the Malaysian government of waging a disinformation campaign to discredit the Sulu sultanate before the Philippine government and the international community. He also dared Malaysia to allow international media access to the territory. "I think we understand why they did not want international media to enter Sabah. It's because they're hiding something," Idjirani said. According to Idjirani, a total of 108 Filipinos in Sabah have been arrested under Malaysia's Security Offences (Special Measures) Act of 2012 for allegedly supporting the "royal sultanate force" which entered Sabah on Feb. 12. At least 243 others face charges for alleged violation of the country's Immigration and National Registration Acts, he added. Idjirani also denied reports from Malaysia that Agbimuddin had already left Sabah and is now in hiding in Mindanao. Plea for access granted As Malaysia continues to round up Filipinos suspected of having links to the Kirams, Philippine authorities have finally been given access to those in detention. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday that the Malaysian Foreign Ministry, through a note verbale dated March 20, stated the "procedures of the access in due course." "In reply to our requests for access to Filipinos under their custody, our embassy in Kuala Lumpur has received notes from the Malaysian Foreign Ministry that consular access to eight members of the armed group charged for offenses under Malaysia Penal Code will be granted to the embassy," said DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez. The "embassy will submit an application for access to the Foreign Ministry which will be processed within three days," he said. Malaysia's Attorney General, for its part, announced that the eight accused would be assigned local lawyers. "We welcome the announcement by the Malaysian Attorney General's Chambers that the eight individuals who were allegedly involved in the Lahad Datu incidents will be assigned local lawyers to defend them," Consul General Medardo Macaraig said. "To ensure that the eight individuals are accorded due process and fair trial, the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur is in communication with the Malaysian Bar Council and the Sabah Law Association which offered their services in defending the accused," he added. The Tawau High Court has scheduled the hearing on the charges against the eight Filipinos on April 12. "The embassy will ensure the availability of legal counsels to assist the accused in time for the resumption of the court session," Macaraig said. The real sultan As the Kirams in Manila decry what they call lack of government support for their cause, a professor in Davao City claiming to be a daughter of the real sultan of Sulu is urging the government to first help unify the three houses of the Sulu sultanate if it wants to strengthen its claim on Sabah. Rita Tuban said Jamalul Kiram alone cannot speak for the sultanate regarding the Sabah issue. "The three houses should peacefully settle it first among themselves," she said, referring to the houses of Kiram, Sakirawllah, and Alimuddin. Tuban insisted that her father, Sultan Tuban Wizer Hankiram Sakirawllah Alimuddin I, who died in 1997, was the real sultan of Sulu based on the Salsila or the record of genealogy of the Tausug nobility. Tuban had written a book about the genealogy of the Sulu sultanate. Meanwhile, 161 people, mostly women and children, have been rescued adrift in the Sulu Sea on a boat whose engine conked out while sailing from strife-torn Sabah. A Philippine Navy patrol boat spotted the M/L Okay near Tuba Lubak Island at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and escorted it to the Port of Sulu where the refugees were given food and provisions. The group skipped the usual Sandakan-Taganak route to evade Malaysian sea patrols. Refugees yesterday reported intensifying crackdown by Malaysian security forces on suspected followers of the Sulu sultanate, including house-to-house search and setting up of roadblocks and checkpoints. "The Malaysian security forces have started stopping cars and buses coming from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan and other major routes heading towards the eastern coast, checking documents of commuters," a Filipino employed in Sabah said. The Malaysian forces were reportedly venting their ire on Filipinos in Lahad Datu, Tawau, Sandakan and Semporna after failing to capture or kill Agbimuddin. "Any day now, the Malaysian security forces are launching a Sabah-wide major operasi (crackdown) against document and undocumented. The operasi is now being felt in Kota Kinabalu," another Filipino said. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Jaime Laude, Edith Regalado, John Unson, Marvin Sy, Evelyn Macairan
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