Sultanate of Sulu demand the return of Sabah from Malaysia?

[Snomannen]

oh please its more logical claim then yours claiming the whole sea no other nation in the planet claims like that?

Yeah sure, "more logical".

Currently killing your own Southern brothers and sisters is not enough, therefore you people travel across the sea and kill more innocent citizens from your neighbor country.

What kind of country would do such a thing.

 

[Fsjal]

Yeah sure, "more logical".

Currently killing your own Southern brothers and sisters is not enough, therefore you people travel across the sea and kill more innocent citizens from your neighbor country.

What kind of country would do such a thing.

Sadly, my country.

 

[WuMaoCleverbot]

Thousands of Tausug sailing to Sabah to aid beleaguered comrades – MNLF exec
By Julie S. Alipala
Inquirer Mindanao
5:25 pm | Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

AMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—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.

But Lt. Gen, Rey Ardo, chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, said they have not monitored reports of reinforcements trying to enter Sabah.

“But we cannot avoid that some residents who have relatives in Malaysia would react to the situation,” he said.

Acting Gov. Mujib Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also denied receiving reports about reinforcements for the “Royal Army.”

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.”

“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. They engaged Malaysian authorities in a standoff that has resulted in a series of skirmishes since last Friday. At least 27 people, including eight Malaysians have been reported killed in the violence. The Malaysian Air Force is reported to have dropped bombs Tuesday on the Filipinos’ suspected lair.

“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 nongovernmental 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.

Meanwhile, Hataman said at least 70 Filipinos arrived in Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi yesterday (Tuesday) to escape being caught in the crossfire in Sabah.

“They boarded a commercial vessel and they arrived this morning,” Hataman said.

Hataman has been meeting for what he called “security and social preparations” with the military and local government officials since Tuesday morning.

Thousands of Tausug sailing to Sabah to aid beleaguered comrades – MNLF exec | Inquirer Global Nation

 

[Malaya]

Malaysia soldiers attack armed Filipino clan in Borneo
5 March 2013

Malaysian soldiers have launched an assault on armed members of a Filipino clan in an ongoing conflict that has left at least 27 dead on Borneo island.

The ground troops are backed by fighter jets, with reports of several explosions near Lahad Datu, where the group of about 180 Filipinos are.

The operation to oust the clan began at 07:00 (23:00 GMT on Monday), the Malaysian government said.

Seven army battalions were deployed to the area on Monday to reinforce police.

Among the aircraft used in the assault were an F-18 and a Hawk fighter aircraft, Malaysian state news agency Bernama reports. Helicopters were also seen flying in the area.

Malaysian National Police Chief Ismail Omar said they achieved their targets in the offensive and that there were no troop casualties.

He did not provide any details about the Filipinos, who he said fired at the Malaysian troops. But a spokesman for the group told Philippine television the men were safe, Reuters news agency reports.

The Filipinos landed at a coastal village in Lahad Datu district on the island of Borneo last month, saying that the territory was theirs.

Calling themselves the Royal Army of Sulu, the clan members said they were descendants of the Sultanate of Sulu in the southern Philippines, which ruled parts of northern Borneo for centuries, and demanded that the Malaysian government pay more money to lease their land.

Malaysia refused their demands and urged the group to return home.

On Monday, the Philippine government appealed to Malaysia to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further bloodshed, and sent Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to Kuala Lumpur for talks.

Officials said he would request that a Philippine navy ship be permitted to sail to Lahad Datu to bring the clan members home.

In the capital, Manila, protesters are outside the Malaysian embassy, urging a peaceful resolution to the stand-off, reports say.

"We've done everything we could to prevent this, but in the end, Kiram's people chose this path," Philippine presidential spokesman Ricky Carandang said on Tuesday of clan leader Jamalul Kiram III.

'Pride and sovereignty'

Eight Malaysian troops and 19 clan members have already been killed in the three-week stand-off.

Twelve were killed along with two Malaysian policemen when Malaysian security forces tried to tighten the cordon around the occupied village on Friday.

The incident sparked violence in another area over the weekend, in which seven clan members and six policemen died.

Mr Kiram's brother has said they are not violating any laws because Sabah is "owned by the Sultan of Sulu" and insisted that they have a right to defend themselves if attacked.

However, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said over the weekend that its forces were authorised to "take any action deemed necessary".

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Najib said the assault had become necessary because security forces had been killed and Malaysians in Sabah feared for their safety.

"After the first attack, I stressed that the intruders must surrender themselves or the security forces will have to act," he said in comments carried by Bernama.

He said police had held negotiations with the Filipinos in the hope they would leave peacefully, but that "as the intrusion prolonged it was evident to the authorities that the intruders had no intention of withdrawing from Sabah".

"The government has to take the right action in order to preserve the pride and sovereignty of this country," he said in his statement.

Mr Najib has come under increasing political pressure in Malaysia to end the incursion, with the opposition criticising him for allowing it to continue. The Philippine government is also coming under pressure to do more to protect the Filipino clan.

Sabah shares a sea border with the southern Philippines, which is home to a number of Islamic militant and kidnap-for-ransom groups. The journey between the two can take only a few hours.

It formed part of the Sulu Sultanate - which once spread over several southern Philippine islands as well as parts of Borneo - before it was designated a British protectorate in the 1800s.

Sabah became part of Malaysia in 1963, and the country still pays a token rent to the Sulu Sultanate each year.

BBC News - Malaysia soldiers attack armed Filipino clan in Borneo




Kiram's army safe after Sabah airstrike
By Mike Frialde (philstar.com) | Updated March 5, 2013

The airstrike launched by Malaysian fighter jets in Lahad Datu, Sabah Tuesday missed the forces of Agbimuddin Kiram, the spokesman for the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo said.

Spokesman Abraham Idjirani said Agbimuddin called him about 7:30 a.m. and then again at 9:30 a.m. and reported that forces of the Malaysian military and police commandos attacked a position that they had previously occupied.

Idjirani also said Agbimuddin reported that the fighter jets started circling Lahad Datu on Monday night.

“(He told) us that the Malaysian forces and the police commandos, about seven battalions, attacked the place suspected of being Agbimuddin's camp,” he said.

Idjirani said the Malaysian jets bombed a position previously held by the forces of Agbimuddin but has now been occupied by Malaysian forces.

“Sabi niya (Raja Muda) may umaaligid ng jet fighter kagabi pa (Monday night). The bomb was dropped on the Malaysian’s area. Iyong area na iyon ay kung nasaan dati si Raja Muda,” said Idjirani.

“Nakubkob na iyon ng Malaysian forces. So sila na ang nanoon. So sabi ni Raja Muda, bakit ganoon? Iyon ang pinagtataka namin,” he added.

Idjirani said the incident could have been a case of “friendly fire.”

Idjirani said Agbimmudin and his men are safe and are holed up in a place far from the airstrikes.

“Hindi sila ang pinatatamaan. This could be a friendly fire incident,” Idjirani said.

Midnight meeting

As tension remains high in Lahad Datu, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario met on Monday with Malaysian government officials in Kuala Lumpur to discuss a peaceful resolution on the issue.

A statement from the DFA said Del Rosario met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato Sri' Anifah Aman and Defense Minister Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zamid Hamidi midnight Monday.

Also present during the meeting were Philippine Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya, Malaysian Foreign Ministry Secretary Heneral Tan Sri Mohd Radzi Abdul Rahman and other embassy officials and the Malaysian Foreign and Defense ministries.

Del Rosario flew to Kuala Lumpur early evening Monday.

A radio report meanwhile said Del Rosario has failed to convince the Malaysian government to exercise maximum tolerance in handling the Sabah standoff with the Sultanate of Sulu royal army.

Del Rosario was unable to persuade Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister Dato Sri' Anifah Aman and Defense Minister Dato Seri Ahmad Zamid Hamidi for a peaceful resolution on the Sabah situation.

Del Rosario held a meeting with the Malaysian government officials up to 1 a.m. Tuesday to appeal for a for maximum tolerance to prevent bloodshed.

Malaysian security forces attacked anew the followers of the Sultanate of Sulu, led by Agbimuddin Kiram, around 7 a.m.

Del Rosario, however, refused to elaborate on the details of the meeting with the Malaysian government officials, the report said.

Del Rosario, who will return to Manila to brief President Benigno Aquino III on the meeting, will again talk to Aman, the report added.

Meanwhile, the report said there has been no confirmation on information that several Filipino journalists covering the Sabah standoff have been detained by Malaysian authorities.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/03/05/916090/kirams-army-safe-after-sabah-airstrike



'No surrender' for Sabah group - sultanate
By: Abigail Kwok, InterAksyon.com
March 5, 2013

MANILA, Philippines -- Although badly outnumbered, members of the Royal Sulu Army who have come under attack by Malaysian security forces in Sabah will not surrender, a spokesman of the sultanate said on Tuesday.

"No. No surrender," Abraham Idjirani said.

Idjirani said the sultanate’s crown prince, Raja Muda Agmibuddin Kiram, had told him during their last phone conversation as the assault began Tuesday morning was that they were willing to fight until the end.

Agbimuddin, brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, led more than 200 followers to Sabah where they holed up in the village of Tanduo in Lahad Datu town in a bid to press their historical claim to the territory also known as North Borneo.

A lengthy standoff with Malaysian security forces finally erupted in violence Friday and had, over the weekend, claimed at least 27 lives, including eight Malaysian policemen.

"Sabi niya (He said), ‘If this is the last stand we 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’," Idjirani said was the crown prince’s message.

Earlier, Agbimuddin said Malaysian fighters jets had dropped bombs but failed to hit their location.

Idjirani described the Malaysian assault as "overkill."

Aside from local police, the Malaysian government has deployed seven battalions, including armor, to Sabah.

"Nangangahulugan lang na takot sila sa amin (It only means they are afraid of us),” Idjirani said. “Kung talagang matapang sila, hindi sila gagamit ng gano’n kalakas na puwersa para hindi sila ma-accuse na overkill. Pinapakita nila sa buong mundo na overkill ang gagawin dito (If they were really brave, they would not use such a huge force to avoid being accused of overkill. They are showing the world that what they are doing is overkill."

He also scored the Philippine government for what he called its weak stand on the Sabah issue and for not defending them as he reiterated their cause was not the sultanate’s alone but that of the Filipino people.

'No surrender' for Sabah group - sultanate - InterAksyon.com

 

[Malaya]

Muslims, Christians unite to protest Malaysia assault in Sabah
By: Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com
March 5, 2013

Muslim and Christian activists set fire to a picture of President Benigno Aquino III and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak as they rally in front of the Malaysian embassy in Makati City to protest the assault on followers of the Sulu sultanate in Sabah. (photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com)

MANILA, Philippines -- Muslims and Christians joined forces on Tuesday and staged a picket in front of the Malaysian embassy in Manila to protest the assault mounted by Malaysian security forces on followers of the Sulu sultanate in Sabah.

The protesters, from the Muslims-Christian Alliance of Taguig, the overseas Filipinos’ advocacy group Migrante and Bayan Muna party-list demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities and for the Philippine government to intercede and ask Malaysia to withdraw its forces to protect the Filipinos in Lahad Datu town, where more than 200 followers of the sultanate, led by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, came under attack Tuesday morning.

They also burned a tarpaulin image of President Benigno Aquino III and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak shaking hands.

The protest forced the embassy to suspend operations for the day.

"Ang panawagan namin ay tulungan ang mga kapatid natin na nasa Sabah, umaksyon ka na Ginoong Pangulo. Nakikiusap kami sa Malaysian embassy na huwag gumamait ng malalalakas na armas (We are appealing for help for our brothers in Sabah, act now Mr. President. We are appealing to the Malaysian embassy not to use heavy weapons)," Maharlika Village resident Ahmad Hamja, 33, a member of Hustisya Moro, said.

Tausug who joined the rally blamed what they called the “insults” heaped on the sultanate by President Benigno Aquino III had made Agbimuddin’s group take a “do-or-die” stand in Sabah.

Haj Aiza Sabadin, who was born in Jolo, accused Aquino of ignoring the sultanate, thus missing the chance to solve the problem peacefully.

"Hindi sila binigyan ng pagkakataon na maresolba ang problema. Madali lang ‘yan. Kung kinausap niya ang mga Tausug, maaayos naman ‘yan e, dapat hindi na dumaan sa marahas na pangyayari (They weren’t given the chance to resolve the problem. It should have been easy. If he had only talked to the Tausug, it could have been resolved, it shouldn’t have become violent)," Sabadin said.

“Ngayon makikikita niya ang tunay na Tausug (Now he will see what real Tausug are),” Sabadin added. “If only the President extended a hand and personally asked them to come home and sat down and talked, maybe they could avoid the bloodshed.”

Sharif Johor, 43, who hails from Talipao Sulu, called on the government to protect Filipino passport holders in Sabah.

Migrante chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado worried about an alleged crackdown on Filipinos in Sabah.

There are around 500,000 in Sabah, some 200,000 of them undocumented and Bragas-Regalado said any crackdown would also “displace the legal OFWs (overseas Filipino workers).”

Muslims, Christians unite to protest Malaysia assault in Sabah - InterAksyon.com



Group hits P-Noy for siding with Malaysian gov't
(philstar.com) | Updated March 5, 2013

MANILA, Philippines - A people's organization on Tuesday said the Philippine government should ensure that the human rights of the followers of the Sultanate of Sulu engaged in a standoff in Sabah would not be violated by the Malaysian security forces.

Lawyer Harry Roque of the Concerned Citizens Movement said the Aquino administration should also ensure the safety of those Filipinos holed up in Sabah.

"Here, the duty of the state is to ensure that states treat their nationals abroad in a manner that complies with human standards recognized under the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights, among others documents.

"In connection with the current stand-off in Sabah, this should mean that the primary obligation of the Philippine government is to ensure the safety of the 200 or so followers of the Sultanate of Sulu, as well as to ensure that Malaysia should comply with its duty to protect and promote their human rights which should include the right to life, and the right to due process of law," Roque said.

Roque also scored the Philippine government for mishandling the Sabah situation.

"Instead of taking steps to espouse the human rights of our fellowmen in Sabah, they have openly sided with Malaysian authorities and have all but warned them that their massacre is inevitable. Worse, government appeared to have ordered them to return so that they can be prosecuted criminally in the Philippines for rebellion and other crimes," he added. - Dennis Carcamo



Bongbong: Kiram's army deserves Phl govt protection
By Christina Mendez (philstar.com) | Updated March 5, 2013

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. called on the Aquino administration on Tuesday to help every Filipino in Sabah regardless if they are part of the group Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, whose followers crossed into Lahad Datu to insist a centuries-old claim over the island territory.

Marcos said that the Philippines have a historical claim over Sabah since the 1960s, apparently during the term of the former president Ferdinand Marcos.

“We, as a republic, have a claim over Sabah since the 1960s, we have historical claim over Sabah and that’s a fact,” Marcos said in a statement.

Being Filipino citizens, the senator said the government should also protect the royal army of the Sultanate of Sulu and its supporters now holed up in Lahud Datu.

“But whatever else the issue there may be, the Sultan of Sulu and his people are Filipino citizens and, by virtue of that fact, they deserve protection from the government of the Philippines,” Marcos said.

“Before we even talk about the claim we should protect our fellow Filipinos. We should talk to the Malaysians to spare the Filipinos from harm or harassment and to resolve this matter peacefully,” he added.

First and foremost, Marcos said the responsibility of the government is “to protect its citizens.”

Meanwihile, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said he expects an influx of Filipinos from Sabah because of the recent developments.

However, the returning Filipinos would likely be among the major problems the country would face as a result of the outbreak of violence in the Malaysian territory.

Escudero said that the situation in Sabah requires the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to establish a diplomatic office there.

He also called on the government to immediately attend to the concerns of an estimated 800,000 Filipinos amid the conflict that had erupted in Sabah.

The senator said that the government’s concern should now be the welfare of Filipinos residing in Sabah as the standoff continues between Malaysian forces and followers of Sultan Kiram.

Escudero said the plight of the so-called “halaws” or Filipinos who are being deported from Sabah is a growing concern.

Over the weekend, some 289 Filipinos from Sabah arrived in Mindanao after being deported by Malaysian authorities. Most of those deported were women and children.

“The deported Filipinos will be uprooted from their source of livelihood in Sabah which the government should anticipate to prevent a humanitarian disaster as more of our countrymen are sent home,” Escudero said.

While Malaysian authorities have been regularly sending undocumented Filipinos home, the repatriation of Filipinos is expected to speed up after the recent bloody conflict that erupted.

Some 26 individuals from the opposing sides were reported killed as a result of the armed clashes in several parts of Sabah since last Friday.

 

[Malaya]

Misuari blasts Aquino for 'siding with the enemy of his people'
By: Abigail Kwok, InterAksyon.com
March 5, 2013

MANILA, Philippines -- An incensed Moro National Liberation Front founder Nur Misuari lashed at President Benigno Aquino III for “siding with the enemy of his people” and warned that any attempt to arrest Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III would lead to “total chaos.”

At the same time, Misuari warned Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak that any harm to Filipino civilians in Sabah as a result of the hostilities between Malaysian security forces and followers of Kiram pressing their claim to the territory would be "tantamount to declaration of war against our people and the MNLF."

Nevertheless he offered a grand nephew he said is a distant relative of the Malaysian leader or himself to act as emissary to Najib.

"If there is a signal from KL of the willingness to talk to my emissary and in fact if need be, for the sake of peace and to save the lives of our young people ... if there is a need for me to visit KL, to possibly iron out differences between two nations, I am willing to go at my own expense," Misuari said.

Of Aquino, Misuari said: "If the President has nothing to say, he should not open his mouth anymore."

"What he has done is very bad. It is unbecoming for a head of state to be siding with the enemy of his own people,” he said. “I don’t know who is advising him and for what reason … he is 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 and he will recant (his statements against the sultan) otherwise we cannot forgive him," Misuari added.

Aquino has come under fire from several quarters for his statements on the unfolding situation in Sabah, calling the sultanate’s cause “hopeless” and “foolhardy” and urging Kiram to order his followers home and, after the initial violence last Friday, to surrender without conditions.

He has also ordered Kiram investigated for possible violations of the Constitution and the Revised Penal Code.

“There is an attempt even to arrest the sultan, I understand,” Misuari said. “Let them do that. The country will be in total chaos if they do, I tell you.”

Misuari blasts Aquino for 'siding with the enemy of his people' - InterAksyon.com


Malaysian-Trained MNLF Fighters Join Kiram Forces
By: Edd K. Usman
Published: March 5, 2013

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 Khadafy 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 Khadafy’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.

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.

On the other hand, he said this gives the United States an opportunity to correct its “historical error” it committed against the Moro people.

He said this was even acknowledged by the administration of then President George Bush in response to a letter from the late Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Ustadhz Salamat Hashim.

Cooler heads should put themselves at work and resolve the issue on Sabah claim.

“This is the best time and opportunity,” Bayam said. “They should seize the fleeting opportunity or lost it forever.”

“As the only leader of the free world, the only guardian of human rights, freedom and democracy, the American government has the opportunity to correct the historical error against the Moro people,” Bayam said.

Feeling Abandoned

Meanwhile, Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who still feeling abandoned by the Philippines yesterday said they are now relying on the United Nations, United States, and United Kingdom for help.

He said they are no longer waiting for any help from the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III because none is coming anyway.

Kiram aired his sentiments on DZMM radio early Monday morning.

“We are not waiting anymore. No more. There is no help (from the Philippines),” he said in Filipino.

He said now they will rely on the UN, US, and UK.

On the appeal of the President to preserve the lives of the Sultanate of Sulu’s followers in Lahad Datu, Sabah, the sultan struck a defiant mood.

“No more. There is no more preservation... it’s in the hands of Almighty Allah,” the sultan said.

As this developed, former congressman Satur Ocampo, Dr. Carol Araullo, both Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, and Vice President Rafaelita Gonio of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa), paid a visit yesterday at Astanah Kiram in Maharlika Village, Taguig City.

Ocampo and Araullo expressed support to the cause of the Kirams in trying to claim Sabah from Malaysia.

Ocampo said that the President should review the government’s stand because the new developments.

Gonio said her support is a personal one because Philconsa has not yet made its position on the issue.

At about 12:20 p.m. also yesterday, another militant, independent senatorial candidate Teddy Casino also arrived to visit the sultan.

Early Sunday evening, former secretary of Department of National Defense (DND) Norberto Gonzales made a surprised visit at Astanah Kiram, as he belied allegations he had a hand in the Sabah standoff.

He said he saw the sultan on television and felt sad for his condition.

On Malacañang’s allegations he was allegedly one of the “instigators” of the Sabah standoff, he said he did not know about it.

Whether he is a “collaborator” in the now bloody standoff, he had an answer.

“If being a friend (makes you) a collaborator, then I am a collaborator,” said Gonzales, the former former National Security Adviser of then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Manila Bulletin



Malaysian air strikes illegal, violate human rights, says Roque as sultanate pleads for UN aid
By: Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, Veronica Uy and Abigail Kwok, InterAksyon.com
March 5, 2013

MANILA, Philippines -The air strikes launched by Malaysia in an assault on followers of the Sulu sultanate in Sabah are illegal and should be protested by the Philippine government in a global body, an international law expert said. The sultanate appealed to the United Nations to intervene in the crisis, as militants said the Aquino administration had virtually signalled Malaysia that it "endorsed" the slaughter with its surrender-without-terms order to the Sulu men.

"The air strikes by Malaysia are contrary to human rights law, not proportional to the threat posed by the Filipinos in Sabah, and not necessary," lawyer Harry Roque, chairman of the Center for International Law and director of International Legal Studies at the University of the Philippines, wrote in his blog.

For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs would not say if the air strikes and the ground assault by the Malaysians constituted the maximum tolerance requested by the Philippines of Malaysia through Secretary Albert del Rosario.

Reports in Malaysian media quoted officials there as saying the use of air strikes against the group led by the Sulu crown prince, Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, was meant to ensure the safety of Malaysian security forces.

At least eight Malaysian policemen have been killed since clashes with the group of Kiram began Friday.

Roque suggested that the government seek the intervention of such bodies as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.

"The Philippine government should file a complaint. If it will not exercise protection over these people, then who will?" he told InterAksyon in a telephone interview.

Force used not proportionate

“Under human rights law,” Roque wrote, “the use of force in police operations should be absolutely necessary and strictly proportional to the threat posed by the Filipinos in Sabah."

"Moreover, respect for the right to life of a police suspect requires that the nature and degree of force used be proportionate to the threat posed by the suspect to the safety and security of the police officers, other individuals and society as a whole,” he added.

In fact, Roque said, “Malaysian law enforcement officials should, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before resorting to force, and in particular, the resort to
airstrikes."

“Since the use of force against the Filipinos involved in the standoff was illegal,” the Philippine government should demand that the international community ask Malaysia to cease and desist "from further breaching human rights law," Roque said.

"It should later be asked to pay compensation to the victims of its use of disproportionate use of force," he added.

DFA: Malaysians kept extending deadline

DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said: “The force used by the Malaysian authorities was to counter the force used by Kiram’s group. The Malaysians have been extending the deadline” to move against the sultanate’s followers.

“On our side, we have been asking the group of Kiram to pull back and come back to their homes and families. We didn’t receive that expected cooperation from the group of Kiram. What happened is exactly what we didn’t want to happen -- which was loss of lives from both sides,” he added.

Asked if he thought the airstrikes were “excessive,” Hernandez said he could not comment on tactical operations happening on the ground.

Appeal for UN intervention

The camp of the Sulu sultan, meanwhile, appealed to the United Nations to intervene in the violence that erupted in Sabah.

Abraham Idjirani, sultanate spokesman, said an international peacekeeping force should be deployed to Lahad Datu to avoid further violence.

Idjirani issued the plea even as Malaysia assaulted the Suluanons in Lahad Datu and President Benigno Aquino again refused to talk to the sultan unless the latter orders the fighters to come home.

Idjirani also asked the UN to conduct an investigation into the incident and said the sultanate and its followers were willing to subject themselves to interrogation and criticism if warranted.

Militants: PNoy complicit in slaughter

Militant groups said the administration of Philippine President Bernigno Aquino III had virtually endorsed the “massacre” of Filipinos in Sabah.

The left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a statement, “this war freak, politically selective and gun-obsessed diplomatic policy has emboldened the Malaysian military authorities to launch a merciless attack on members of the Royal Sultanate of Sulu.”

Mr. Aquino had given, by his statements openly commanding the sultanate’s followers to surrender unconditionally to Malaysia or be wiped out, “tacit approval for Malaysia authorities to bombard the lair of Kiram III.” The political call for Kiram to surrender is a statement” that the Aquino government is willing to gamble the lives of 200 Filipinos demanding the country's legitimate claim to Sabah," said Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador France.

France said President Aquino and top officials of his Cabinet shall be held grossly accountable and liable for every death of Filipinos in Sabah, including those not identified with the Royal Sultanate of Sulu.

Malaysian air strikes illegal, violate human rights, says Roque as sultanate pleads for UN aid - InterAksyon.com

 

[Malaya]

10,000 more Suluks have joined battle for Sabah, MNLF official claims
BY CLARA CHOOI
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
MARCH 05, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 – Thousands of Tausug, also known as the Suluks, have sailed to Sabah to help their fellow Filipino militants in eastern Sabah who have reportedly gone into hiding following the heavy assault by Malaysian forces since morning, The Philippine Inquirer reported today.

The claim, made by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Islamic council committee chairman Habib Hashim Mudjahab, contradicts reports elsewhere that security forces in both Malaysia and Philippines have blocked off entry points into the beleaguered Lahad Datu township, where the militants are holed up.

“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,” Mudjahab was quoted as saying in the report.

But the Inquirer also reported denials of any such reinforcements being sent into Sabah from Lt. Gen, Rey Ardo, chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, and acting Governor Mujib Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Both men said they are not aware of any reinforcements sent to aid the self-proclaimed royal army of the Sulu Sultanate.

According to Mudjahab, however, at least 10,000 Tausugs from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga had left Philippine waters from last night in small batches, entering Sabah through what they call the “southern backdoor” – a route that regular traders are familiar with.

The MNLF official said the naval blockade was of no use as those who know the route well would be able to slip into the east Malaysian state easily, and without raising any suspicion.

“It is about pride and honor, and our people are ready to sacrifice,” he added.

Earlier today, the MNLF chief Nur Misuari denied at a press conference any involvement in the Sulu standoff in Sabah, which is still raging on as Malaysian forces scour the length and breadth of Lahad Datu in search of the gunmen.

THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER




Malaysia behaving like Hitler, Tojo during WW II
By Neal H. Cruz
Philippine Daily Inquirer
7:27 pm | Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

Who is right and who is wrong in the present armed conflict between the followers of the Sultan of Sulu and Malaysian police forces in a seaside village in Sabah where 27 combatants have already been killed? Two senatorial candidates who were guests at the Kapihan sa Manila at the Diamond Hotel last Monday—front-running Sen. Chiz Escudero and Party-list Rep. Christian Señeres who is lagging behind in the surveys—gave opposing views.

Senator Escudero said the Sulu force should come home so that negotiations between the Philippine government and the Sultan of Sulu, on one side, and the Malaysian government, on the other, can begin as soon as possible.

Congressman Señeres said the Sulu Sultan is right. Señeres said he has long studied documents on the case and it is clear that Sabah belongs to the sultanate, and the Filipinos from Tawi-Tawi have a right to be there. Sabah is their home. Moreover, he added, they are Filipino citizens and the Philippine government should help them instead of threatening them with lawsuits.
As I see it, President Aquino made a mistake in telling the sultan’s followers to “surrender and go home.” He used a wrong word. “Surrender” is a bad word to Muslims, especially to our Moros. I don’t think there is even an equivalent word in the Muslim vocabulary. Muslims would rather die than surrender. They believe that there would be dozens of virgins waiting for them in the afterworld if they die fighting. On the other hand, surrender would bring dishonor not only to themselves but also to their families for generations to come. Never use the word “surrender” again to Muslims.

Also, many Filipinos are asking: What kind of government do we have that threatens its own citizens with lawsuits for asserting their right to their properties? They also ask: What kind of government do we have that threatens members of the clergy with punishment when they are only guiding their flock for whom to vote this May? The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has given the diocese of Bacolod a deadline (yesterday) to take down from the façade of San Sebastian Cathedral in Negros Occidental an oversized tarpaulin telling voters whom to vote for and vote against, or else face charges.

Senator Escudero said the Comelec is “overacting.” Isn’t the Comelec here curtailing the freedom of expression? What’s wrong with the archdiocese telling people whom to vote for and whom to vote against? Isn’t that what everybody is telling everybody else at present? Don’t politicians urge their listeners to vote for their candidates and vote against opposition candidates? Isn’t that what President Aquino himself does every time he climbs the stage and campaigns for his candidates?

The Comelec says that the tarpaulin is too big, beyond the size limits it has imposed. So the priests cut the tarpaulin into two—the Team Patay and Team Buhay, the former colored black and the latter colored red. So instead of one big tarpaulin, there are now two smaller ones. Isn’t that enough? Forcing the archdiocese to do more would be curtailing their freedom of choice and expression.

Besides, the reelectionist candidates were duly warned before the voting for the reproductive health bill. Members of the clergy vowed that they would campaign against legislators who would vote in favor of the controversial bill. And that is what they are doing now, making good on their promise.

Back to Sabah: Has anybody paused to ponder that the Sulu Sultan may have sent his followers to go to Sabah to force the issue?

After decades of being neglected by its own government, with the sultan growing older and the prospect that he may die without the claim being settled, he felt he had to do something. Just like the older generations of Muslims who were neglected by the Philippine government until they formed the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)—and later the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)—and waged a guerilla war and forced the government to notice and negotiate with them for a final peace accord, the sultan may have decided to wage a guerilla war in Sabah, recruiting Filipinos who are already there (the same thing that President Marcos planned before the Jabidah massacre) to force the Malaysian government to negotiate with them.

This is probably the reason the Sultan does not want to order his followers to “surrender and go home.” If they go home now without getting a commitment from the Malaysian government to negotiate later, they would be back to nothing. His loyal followers who were killed in the fighting would have died in vain. It would be back to decades of being neglected again.

I think the Philippine government would be able to persuade them to go home, temporarily, if it could get a firm commitment from the Malaysian government to negotiate on the claim. And Malaysia should stop behaving like Hitler’s Germany and Tojo’s Japan during World War II, annexing neighboring territories with impunity.

Malaysia behaving like Hitler, Tojo during WW II | Inquirer Opinion




Phl urged to bring Sabah issue to world forum
(philstar.com) | Updated March 5, 2013

MANILA, Philippines - A former governor of Tawi Tawi on Tuesday said the Sabah issue should resolved before an international forum.

Speaking to reporters at the home of Sulu Sultan Jamalal Kiram III at the Maharlika Village in Taguig City, former Tawi Tawi Governor Al Tillah said the issue should be settled by the United Nations.

“The Sabah crisis is rooted historically in the just struggle of the Sultanate through justice and the lofty ideals of the Muslim Filipinos. Any opinion to the contrary is null and void,” said Tillah.

“The resolution should ultimately be between the Sulu Sultanate and Malaysia before the world forum under the United Nations,” he added.

Tillah added that what is now happening in Sabah is not a rebellion by the Sultanate of Sulu but rather is a defense of their historic rights over the territory.

“The Muslim Filipinos are just defending their historic rights. [This is] not a rebellion against existing authorities,” he said.

Tillah also lashed at President Aquino for the latter's apparent reluctance to have the issue arbitrated before the international court.

He also assailed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for trading the peace process with the Philippine government with the Sabah issue.

“Why the reluctance of President Benigno Aquino III’s administration to take the issue to the international court for arbitration? So I ask you again, what did President Aquino trade to gain this peace process with the MILF or are our brothers in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front championed by Malaysia?” he said.

Tillah criticized Aquino for excluding the Moro National Liberation Front and the Sultanate of Sulu in the peace process.

“Why was the MNLF, the Moro National Liberation Front chaired by Chairman Misuari, a Tausug from Sulu, and the Sultanate of Sulu, not engaged in the process? [Is it] because it would surface the Sabah claim which would not have been acceptable to President Benigno Aquino III’s champion, the Malaysians? ” he said.

“The fact is, the Sabah claim might have been a most inconvenient truth to face in the peace process. So it was a sellout not only of the Sultanate but all Filipinos,” Tillah added.

“Is this the kind of peace the MILF signed for? Born out of treachery? [This Sabah issue] was the swept under the rug and treated with inaction,” he added.

Tillah appealed to Filipinos to support the cause of the Sultanate of Sulu saying that it has now become the fight of all Filipinos.

“I now appeal to all Filipinos, Muslims, Christians and lumads. This issue is not just limited to the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu, the Tausugs and the even the Muslims of Mindanao. This is now the fight of all Filipinos,” he said.

“I appeal to all Filipinos. I am calling on all Filipinos to support this just claim of the Sulu Sultanate. They are historically part of it since ancient times and they are citizens of our country,” he added. - Mike Frialde

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/03/05/916111/phl-urged-bring-sabah-issue-world-forum

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Who is arming them?

 

[WuMaoCleverbot]

Who is arming them?

Answer: Malaysians armed them to fight the Philippine gov't and forget about Sabah.

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Who is arming them?

Underground Philippine gunsmiths hired by legal gun maker - YouTube

Gun culture pervades Philippines badlands - 06 Oct 07 - YouTube

 

[Malaya]

'Time to define PH policy on Sabah'
by Jojo Malig, ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 03/05/2013 8:17 PM

MANILA - The Philippine government should actively pursue the country's historical claim on Sabah, foreign affairs and defense analysts said Tuesday.

Lauro Baja, former Philippine permanent representative to the United Nations, said the Sultan of Sulu signed a cession document in 1962 that gave the right to the Philippine government to claim Sabah.

"May provision doon na kung hindi ipupu-pursue ng Philippine government ang sovereignty ng Sabah, malaya ang sultan to pursue the claim on his own. Not only the sovereign right by also the proprietary right," he told radio dzMM.

"May existing document diyan," he added.

He said the government pursued the claim but it was placed on the back burner starting during the Marcos era. "Hindi active ang pag-pursue at [this] continued sa successive administration," he added.

Baja said the Philippines "must once and for all to define its policy on Sabah."

"Ipupursue ba o hindi?" he asked, describing the Sabah claim as currently in limbo.

He said the Arroyo administration also placed the issue on the backburner. "We are more concerned with good relations with Malaysia."

Baja cited the Manila Accord of 1963, wherein Indonesia at Malaysia signed a policy statement agreeing to peacefully resolve the issue on North Borneo.

In August 5, 1963, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines issued a joint communiqué stating that the inclusion of North Borneo in the Federation of Malaysia "would not prejudice either the Philippine claim or any right thereunder."

PHILIPPINE INTEREST FIRST - CARLOS

Dr. Clarita Carlos, executive director of the Center for Political and Democratic Reforms, also told dzMM that the Philippine government should be more active in its Sabah claim.

"Bakit masyadong inaalala natin kung ano ang damdamin ng Malaysia? Unahin natin damdamin ng Pilipino," she said.

Carlos, former president of the National Defense College of the Philippines, said historical records and documents show the Philippines' right to Sabah.

"Unfortunately, nagtumbling-tumbling position natin diyan," she said.

"Noong time ni Cory Aquino, Pina-drop niya iyan through (former Senator Leticia) Shahani," she added.

Carlos insisted that Malaysia only rents and not owns Sabah.

"Kung ikaw ay nagbabayad, hindi sa iyo iyan. Bakit ka magbabayad every year? Kailangan pa bang imemorize iyan?" she asked.

'Time to define PH policy on Sabah' | ABS-CBN News



Aquino's 'threats' aggravated Sabah situation — experts
MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB, GMA NewsMarch 5, 2013

The Aquino administration's threat of legal charges to the followers of Jamalul Kiram III may have aggravated the violence in Sabah – at least according to a human rights lawyer and a Muslim leader.

A total of 27 people have been killed in clashes between Malaysian authorities and armed followers of Kiram, who claims to be the legitimate Sultan of Sulu and declares a claim on the disputed land.

President Benigno Aquino III earlier urged Kiram's followers to return to the country, saying they could be charged if they continue to engage Malaysian security forces in a standoff in the coastal town of Lahad Datu in Sabah.

“If you are truly the leader of your people, you should be one with us in ordering your followers to return home peacefully. As President and chief executor of our laws, I have tasked an investigation into possible violations of laws by you, your followers, and collaborators engaged in this foolhardy act,” Aquino had said in a statement addressed to Kiram.

Also, in a statement last Saturday, a day after the standoff erupted into violence, Aquino told Kiram's army to “surrender now, without conditions.”

But according to lawyer Arpee Santiago, executive director of the Ateneo Human Rights Center, Malacañang early on veered from having an open dialogue with Kiram's group by threatening them legal charges once they return to the country.

No threats, please


“In the same breath, the president was asking for a dialogue or saying that it was open to having a dialogue and not to have violence. In the same breath, there was the threat of investigation or possible cases that might be filed against them,” Santiago said in an interview on GMA News TV's “News to Go” on Tuesday.

Violence may have escalated after government threatened Kiram's followers, he noted.

“Kunyare hostage-taking, hindi mo ite-threaten 'yung hostage-taker na ito 'yung gagawin namin sa 'yo. Otherwise violence might actually escalate,” Santiago said.

“In any negotiation like in a hostage-taking crisis, hindi mo muna sila tatakutin. You want them to come back, let's talk and let's see what would happen afterwards,” he added.

Amina Rasul, lead convenor of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, also said a peaceful dialogue does not entail threatening the other party.

“It doesn't mean to be effective if you make public pronouncements. Threatening [them] does not allow for dialogue. What it does is to anger peope who are there,” Rasul said in a phone interview with GMA News Online.

She said the government should have been calm instead of provoking Kiram's followers.

“Ang tinitingnan ko kasi, if there's a hostage-taking crisis, meron yung strategy on how to deal with such situation. As much as possible, kalma. You don't do anything to anger or irritate them. The gunman might decide to do something,” Rasul said.

Impeachment?

For his part, lawyer Oliver Lozano said he might move for Aquino's ouster if the chief executive would not form a body to resolve the ongoing conflict in Sabah.

In a letter addressed to Aquino and coursed through Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Lozano, a former lawyer of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, suggested that the government form a "Sabah Commission to formulate a Solomonic Solution to the Sabah controversy."

"Your Excellency, concerned sectors are asking me to file Impeachment Complaint against You. However, we have pending suggestions to You on how to resolve the Sabah issue," Lozano said in his letter.

"[H]ence the deferment of the Impeachment Complaint in order to afford You fair opportunity to be heard and due process that hears before it condemns in lieu of trial by publicity," he added.

De Lima is currently conducting a legal study on the validity and strength of the Philippines' claim over Sabah, a region in north eastern Borneo.

Aquino said Kiram's standoff violates the 1987 Constitution, citing Article 2, Section 2 that states that the Philippines "renounces war as an instrument of national policy."

Aquino also said Article 118 of the Revised Penal Code punishes those who “provoke or give occasion for a war…or expose Filipino citizens to reprisals on their persons or property.”

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office head Ramon "Ricky" Carandang said the Palace did its best to prevent bloodshed in Sabah.

"We've done everything we could to prevent this, but in the end, Kiram's people chose this path," he said.

At 7 a.m. Tuesday, Malaysian security forces attacked Kiram's followers in Lahad Datu, the site of Friday's clash where 14 people — 12 Filipinos and two Malaysian police commandos — were reported killed.

On Saturday, another clash in Semporna left six Malaysian policemen and at least six Filipinos dead.


Aquino's 'threats' aggravated Sabah situation — experts | News | GMA News Online




Noynoy courts impeach over Sabah tack

With both his public pronouncement and actions in dealing with the Sabah issue tantamount to abandoning the country’s claim to the potential rich-oil island, President Aquino might be courting impeachment or a civil war with the Filipino Muslims.

This was how United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial bet Mitos Magsaysay assessed Aquino’s handling of the Sabah issue which had resulted in a bloody confrontation between the followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and the Malaysian authorities claiming a still undetermined number of casualties on both sides.

In an interview, Magsaysay said the Palace was only exacerbating the situation regarding the Sabah conflict by not only threatening the Kirams and their followers with legal action, but also by insinuating on the government’s position to abandon the country’s claim to Sabah when Aquino himself declared “Sabah is a hopeless cause.”

Another UNA senatorial candidate, former Sen. Richard Gordon said Aquino might not only be liable for betrayal of public trust but also for culpable violation of the Constitution.

“Section 2 of Republic Act No. 5446 states that, ‘The definition of the baselines of the territorial sea of the Philippine Archipelago as provided in this Act is without prejudice to the delineation of the baselines of the territorial sea around the territory of Sabah, situated in North Borneo, over which the Republic of the Philippines has acquired dominion and sovereignty,’” Gordon told reporters during a separate press briefing held in a hotel in Cagayan de Oro City.

“And this law has not yet been amended. So the question is why has the president failed to implement this?” Gordon stressed.

“The president has to explain to the Sultan of Sulu why he is not implementing the law. It was given to us by the Sultan of Sulu and it is contained in our laws. You have to ask president, are you still in favor in getting Sabah?” said Gordon.

“It’s betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution if they abandon it,” Gordon averred.

“It’s impeachable offense. It can bring a case for it,” Gordon stressed.

Article 1 of the 1987 Constitution defines the national territory of the Philippines to be “all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial and aerial domains, including its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas.”

“If Aquino said Sabah is a hopeless case, then it means he is not fighting for our sovereignty despite the fact we have a legitimate claim on Sabah,” Magsaysay said.

“The Kiram’s have proof Malaysia is paying for its lease on Sabah and I believe it is enough proof that Malaysia does not own Sabah but the Kirams,” she added.

“To which side is this administration siding with?” the Zambales solon asked.

Aquino’s pronouncement alone, Magsaysay said could constitute a betrayal of public trust as instead of fighting for the country’s sovereignty, it has sided with the Malaysians on the Sabah stand-off.

“People, not only the Muslims but the Chirsitians as well, are now sympathizing with the Kirams who instead of the government helping them (Kiram and his followers) the government is taking as a gospel truth whatever the Malaysians are saying,” said Magsaysay.

“Instead of upholding and fighting for our sovereignty, we are being sold out,” she stressed.

While the charter is silent on the acquired historical rights to other territories including Sabah as had been specified in the 1935 and 1973 Constitutions, RA 5446 clearly states Sabah to be part of the Philippines having acquired dominion and sovereignty over it.

The 1968 edict has not been amended even with the enactment of Republic Act No. 9522.

In his legal opinion published in a national daily, former Solicitor general Estelito Mendoza stated that RA 9522, which was enacted on March 10, 2009, amends only Section 1 of RA 3046 entitled “An Act to Define The Baselines of the Territorial Sea of the Philippines.”

http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/item/11246-noynoy-courts-impeach-over-sabah-tack-—-una.html

 

[Zero_wing]

Yeah sure, "more logical".

Currently killing your own Southern brothers and sisters is not enough, therefore you people travel across the sea and kill more innocent citizens from your neighbor country.

What kind of country would do such a thing.

Dude are high? they send their own there without consulting us! True we claim sabah but through the right way so again are you high? killing? that's your country's method not ours killing people in your own country! asa ka na man! oh please just because your live in so called autonomous territories if you are your still a arrogant stupid mainlander if you think the Philippines authorized this! Please read some news you stupid troll i assume that if you really live Macau you would have access to real media not the trash from the rest of the Mainland or is it chinese media is so full trash info about anyone beside china?

 

[Snomannen]

Dude are high? they send their own there without consulting us! True we claim sabah but through the right way so again are you high? killing? that's your country's method not ours killing people in your own country! asa ka na man! oh please just because your live in so called autonomous territories if you are your still a arrogant stupid mainlander if you think the Philippines authorized this! Please read some news you stupid troll i assume that if you really live Macau you would have access to real media not the trash from the rest of the Mainland or is it chinese media is so full trash info about anyone beside china?

Oh sorry but I don't always read news from the Mainland.
Based on the news from Malaysia and Hong Kong, you people tried to take hostages and harm the people of Malaysia but fortunately they were killed by brave citizens. However, some of the polices officers were killed by you people and sacrifice themselves to their country.
You kill you own brothers.
You even took the lives from your neighbors.
You are murderers.


Lets see what your "smiling face" President are going to do about it.

 

[Snomannen]

Sadly, my country.

Well, my country too~

 

[Bob Ong]

10,000 more tausog warriors. Good job