MANILA — Jamalul Kiram III, a descendant of the sultan of Sulu who led a quixotic military effort to regain part of the island of Borneo for his family this year, died on Sunday in Manila. He was 75.
The cause was multiple organ failure, his daughter Jacel Kiram said.
In February, Mr. Kiram directed a younger brother,
Agbimuddin Kiram, to lead several hundred fighters in an armed incursion into Borneo to regain part of the island, now the Malaysian state of Sabah, that his ancestors once ruled. More than 60 people died in the fighting, which caused the most serious security crisis in Malaysia in more than a decade and strained the country’s relationship with the
Philippines.
For more than 400 years, the Sultanate of Sulu, which preceded both the Philippine republic and Malaysia by centuries, ruled over vast stretches of territory — including parts of Borneo — from opulent palaces in what is now the southern Philippines. The sultanate was recognized as a sovereign state through treaties with nations around the world.
In recent years, however, the sultanate was reduced to a modest two-story house in a Muslim enclave on the outskirts of Manila where the frail, partly blind Mr. Kiram struggled to fulfill his limited royal duties while receiving dialysis.
On the walls of the makeshift royal palace are formal placards stating “Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo” and maps of the area once ruled by the sultanate. A certificate of appreciation from the local rotary club hangs alongside family photos in the living room, adjacent to a garage area converted into a news media briefing room.
“I’m the poorest sultan in the world,” Mr. Kiram said in an interview in March.
After the February incursion, some of Mr. Kiram’s followers were charged with rebellion in Malaysia and calls were made for his extradition.
President Benigno S. Aquino III of the Philippines criticized Mr. Kiram for the incursion, saying he had caused the death and suffering of his own people.
Despite the criticism, a spokeswoman for Mr. Aquino, Abigail Valte, sounded a conciliatory note on Sunday. “We offer our condolences to the bereaved family and to his loved ones,” she told a local radio station.
Though the incursion failed, it did bring attention to the largely dormant issue of the claim by the Philippines to parts of Borneo, based on the Sultanate of Sulu’s past control over the area. The Philippine government has said repeatedly it continues to study the issue and has not given up on the claim.
The Kirams say Sabah was leased to Malaysia. Malaysian officials contend that, in exchange for lease payments to the Kirams, the sultanate ceded the territory to their country.
Mr. Kiram was born on July 16, 1938, in Maimbung, the Philippines. He held a law degree from Manuel L. Quezon University in Manila and ran unsuccessfully for the Philippine Senate in 2007.
Survivors include his wife, Fatima Celia, and eight children.
Mr. Kiram is expected to be succeeded by his younger brother Esmail Kiram II, who supported the Sabah incursion. Historically, successions to the sultanate have been marred by violence among factions within the family and in later years by multiple claimants to the title of sultan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/wo...t-75.html?_r=0
Sulu Sultan Kiram passes away | ABS-CBN News
Philippine 'sultan' who launched Sabah incursion dies - Latest news around the world and developments close to home - MSN Philippines News
Jamalul Kiram III, Self-Proclaimed Sultan, Dies at 75
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