Malaysia in standoff with Filipino Muslim rebels

[noy.juan]

KUALA LUMPUR/MANILA - About 100 armed men holed up in a village in the Malaysian state of Sabah are refusing to leave, saying they have links with the Sultanate of Sulu in the Philippines which has a historic claim over the northern tip of Borneo island.

Malaysia police and army officials have formed a tight security ring around the village, media said, with navy boats patrolling nearby islands. The gunmen landed near the coastal town of Lahad Datu on Tuesday.

The drama on Borneo island has threatened to spark diplomatic tension between the Southeast Asian neighbours whose ties have been periodically frayed by security and migration problems caused by a porous sea border.

"They demand to be acknowledged as citizens of the Sultanate of Sulu," Abdullah Kiram, a son of the Sultan of Sulu, Ismael Kiram the II, told Reuters in Manila.

Sulu is an archipelago in the southern Philippines. Today, it is a province but the old sultanate covered a wider area that included the northern tip of Borneo, which is now the Malaysian state of Sabah.

In an arrangement that stretches back to British colonial times, Malaysia pays a token amount to the sultanate each year for the "rental" of Sabah.

"They want to be acknowledged as citizens of their own land. They own Sabah," said Kiram. Sultans in the Muslim-majority Philippine south have no power but generally enjoy the respect of the people.

Malaysian officials said they suspected the men were a faction of a Philippine Muslim rebel group. Philippine officials said they were unarmed Filipinos who had been promised land.

A spokesman for the Philippine Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Malaysia had given an assurance that efforts were underway to get the men to leave peacefully.

"We therefore urge these concerned individuals to return to their homes and families," said spokesman Raul Hernandez said.

Malaysia's police chief said on Thursday the situation was not tense and the men appeared to be "behaving well".

"Discussion is proceeding well and we have told them to leave Sabah peacefully, as we do not want any situation which can threaten the security of the people," Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar told a news conference, according to state news agency Bernama.

The Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur has sent a team to Sabah to coordinate with authorities there and to ascertain the identities of the men.

Sabah has a history of militants attacks in more remote parts of the state. The United States had issued travel warnings in the past to Sabah's east coast which has diving sites.

In 2000, a group of militants from the southern Philippines kidnapped 21 tourists from diving resort on Sipadan island. In 1985, 11 people were killed when gunmen believed to be from the southern Philippines entered Lahad Datu, shooting at random before robbing a bank.

sabah is part of philippines and it should treated as internal issue... why sent foreign delegation for an internal problem?

[hush232002]

mura mga asg na mayta ma sikop nana sila.........

[markokintolimbo]

sa akoa opnion ani about sa sabah maau sad na nila gibuhat kay atoa man sad na lugara resbak lang ...

[firestarter]

Sabah is Philippine territory, we should be mindful of our history instead of yupping around nonsensical things.

[amingb]

Wala tay mahimo anang Sabah bisan atoa na .. unless naay tay strong Armed Forces kay Gubaton nato ang Malaysia ...

[amingb]

Naka remember ko ana story sa akong Papa ... ang kaong mga Brother gipatawag na reserve sa ROTC ... kay ready for Battle mura ug 1960's ni siya nahitabo .... but since Malaysia is under the British Rule ning support sila ilaha mga Warship maoy ning face sa atong Naval forces ... mao to ang Pilipinas daw nahadlok wa mo dayon ug gubat gi agi ug diplomacia ...

Kini nga time strong ta compare sa Malaysia kay rich man to during 1960's ... ug wala pa ang British nakuha na unta nato na balik ...

Kinsa kahang Presidenteha nga maka pa asenso aning Pinas ? aron buhat ta ug pinaka strong Armed Forces sa SEA ...

[noy.juan]

Naka remember ko ana story sa akong Papa ... ang kaong mga Brother gipatawag na reserve sa ROTC ... kay ready for Battle mura ug 1960's ni siya nahitabo .... but since Malaysia is under the British Rule ning support sila ilaha mga Warship maoy ning face sa atong Naval forces ... mao to ang Pilipinas daw nahadlok wa mo dayon ug gubat gi agi ug diplomacia ...

Kini nga time strong ta compare sa Malaysia kay rich man to during 1960's ... ug wala pa ang British nakuha na unta nato na balik ...

Kinsa kahang Presidenteha nga maka pa asenso aning Pinas ? aron buhat ta ug pinaka strong Armed Forces sa SEA ...

<= sa 2016 ayaw kalimti... oopppss early campaigning nako...

[noy.juan]

ADVISING MNLF TO OFFER A DEAL WITH CHINA

Over the 200,000 dead bodies during the MNLF-GPH war in the 70's, the GPH initiated the Tripoli Agreement in 1976 and promised autonomy in favor of the MNLF but they just can't implement it. Now the GPH wants to give it to an Islamic Extremist organization that is is separatist of the MNLF. If the GPH thinks it is doing the right thing for its own interest, we, the MNLF should also do the right thing for our best interest. We are running out of time. Perhaps China can give the MNLF the autonomy and independence thereafter -- we should start initiating an offer. If Mindanao is under modern China, we could be like Hongkong or Taiwan within a decade. Mahirap kausap ang GPH, walang isang salita, hindi nauubusan ng smart aleck excuses. As long as we are negotiating with the Philippines, we will never end negotiating. As long as we are under Philippines, we will remain an oppressed colony and we will never see progress in our lifetime.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/MNLFpage/po...f&notif_t=like

wow... they want bangsamoro (Mindanao, Sulu Palawan , and Sabah) to be annexed by chicom...

[tingkagol]

nabuang naman na sila diha uy...

[giuboy]

May nang masakop ang Sabah kay datu na kaayo ang Malaysia.daghan ng pobre sa Sulu.