Thursday 20 June 2013

FILIPINOS PREFER SABAH THAN BACK HOME






By : JAMIL MIRDAD

KOTA KINABALU: The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah Tuesday heard an interesting insight of the psyche of the Filipino immigrants in Sabah.

In his testimony, Said Daud from Basilan Mindanao, Philippines who is now a permanent resident in Sabah residing in Labuan, said he believed most if not all Sulu refugees in Sabah are against the bloody incursion of Lahad Datu by the Sulu militant group who proclaimed themselves as the followers of the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu Sultanate, Sultan Jamalul Kiram II.

He believed the refugees, much like himself would rather choose Malaysia instead of their former home Philippines if they are forced to take sides.

“All of us in Labuan do not support them (Sulu armed intruders). In fact, we are angry with their action. Even if they call for us, we will never come to their support,” he said.

Asked why they are opposed the persisting territorial claims by their fellow countrymen, he said the refugees who fled the conflict-stricken Mindanao in search of better future in Sabah decades ago have become more Malaysian than Filipinos.

“We consider ourselves people of Malaysia, because we have lived here most our lives, and our lives here are better (compared to Mindanao),” explained Said, who was the 114th witness called before the Commission since early this year.

Fellow refugee from Basilan, Bensar Sabtula, also expressed the same sentiment and rejected the act of aggression by Sulu Sulatanate throne claimant, Jamalul Kiram III, who in his attempt to revive territorial claims on Sabah sent hundreds of men into battle with Malaysian forces.

Bensar, a resident chief of Labuan’s Kiansam refugee settlement, said he could attest for the people at the scheme that their loyalty is to Sabah and not the long defunct Sultanate.

“I too no longer consider myself as Filipinos. I have stayed here for more than 30 years,” he said, adding that he came to Sabah in 1981 without any document through Sandakan using Kumpit (small vessel).

In responding to questions from the Conducting Officer earlier, Bensar informed the residents move to the scheme with consent from the Task Force after their previous settlement were gutted by fire.

The Kiansam settlement was opened in 2002 and today has houses some 1,538 refugees, mostly from the Bajau, Suluk and Iyakan ethnics.

According to him, majority of the residents have IMM13, Burung Burung, and Banci.

He also informed that some of the earlier residents have qualified for MyKad, with some 70 of them have registered as voters to embrace their rights as recognized citizens of Malaysia.

There are however a few who still do not have any documentation, he added.

The Commission also called two other witnesses to probe allegations in news portal last year that Sabah Indian Muslim Chamber of Commerce and Industry was involved in helping Indian nationals in Sabah gain Malaysian citizenship through the back doors.

Former Secretary General of the Chamber, Mohd Ansar Maidin, dismissed the allegation as unfounded claims from a disgruntled individual.

He explained members of the association only help workers from India get their work permit and not MyKad as reported.

79 comments:

  1. Kiram is the worst man in the world!

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  2. Immigrants should posses genuine identification documents instead of purchasing somewhere.

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    Replies
    1. Dari manakah mereka ini mendapat kad id?

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  3. Because they feel so " safe " here.

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    1. Im not surprise at all that the philippines would rather stay in sabah . Sabah is a peaceful state unlike philippine.

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  4. For sure they are because Sabah can give what they want.

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    Replies
    1. Sabah give them identity so that they can enjoy the same privileges i.e. BR1M.

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  5. The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah Tuesday heard an interesting insight of the psyche of the Filipino immigrants in Sabah.

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  6. Due to the environment and political matters.

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    Replies
    1. Malaysia jauh lebih stabil dari segi perkembangan ekonomi dan politik.

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  7. That is why most of them prefer to talk about Sabah instead of their own hometown.

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  8. I think long term, they are recognized as one of the largest ethnic in Sabah

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  9. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    Close Proximity

    The proximity of Sabah to the Philippines and Indonesia is one the main factor that never fails to attract the immigrants to come back to Sabah. The distance is so near that it is almost impossible for the migrant not to come back to Sabah.

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  10. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    It is said that from certain parts of Sabah it only takes two hours of boat ride to enter the
    Philippines’s border.

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    Replies
    1. Sabah adalah tempat terdekat untuk mereka ini berhijrah.

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  11. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    This is true if one were to take a boat ride from Tanjung Labian (one of an illegal entry point in Lahad Datu district) to either Tawi-Tawi
    Island or Bongao Island.

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  12. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    Tawi-Tawi Island is said to be only 27 nautical miles from the Sabah shore. Besides than Tawi-Tawi Island or Bongao Island, the Filipino may also choose to enter Sabah from Sitangkai Island.

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  13. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    From there, one could reach Semporna or Kunak in approximately six hours of boat ride. The distance is so enticing such that on a clear day, Tawi-Tawi Island and Bongao Island could be seen from Tanjung Labian in Lahad Datu.

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  14. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    As for the Indonesian, they could take either the land or sea-route to slip back into Sabah. Since most of the Indonesians arrive from Sulawesi by ferry that
    docked at Nunukan Island, they will enter through Tawau from the island of Sebatik.

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  15. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    By taking a boat ride from Sebatik Island, one could end up at the jetty right in the town of Tawau.

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  16. Lebih 300 orang masyarakat keturunan Suluk tempatan Sandakan yang diketuai Ahli Parlimen Libaran Datuk Hj Juslie Ajirol telah berikrar sentiasa menyokong dasar-dasar kerajaan yang memerintah negara ini termasuk kepada pucuk pimpinan kerajaan pusat Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak dan pucuk pimpinan negeri Datuk Seri Musa Hj Aman.

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  17. Masyarakat Suluk tempatan Sabah khususnya daerah Sandakan mengutuk sekeras-keras tindakan kaum Sulu Filipina yang menceroboh negara ini khususnya di Lahad Datu dan Semporna sehingga mengorbankan 10 orang anggota keselamatan kita.

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    Replies
    1. Pihak berkuasa harus membuat kawalan yang lebih kuat.

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  18. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    As for the other route, illegal migrants would come back into Sabah through the border town of Kalabakan.6 Kalabakan is only manned by not more than 20 army and police personnel.

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  19. Kata Juslie, ekoran tragedi di Lahad Datu perbuatan Jamalul Kiram III yang mengaku dirinya adalah Sultan Sulu, maka sedikit sebanyak mencemarkan nama baik banga Suluk di negara ini; khususnya di Sabah kononnya semua pengganas tersebut adalah terdiri berbangsa Suluk.

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  20. “Bangsa Suluk yang dilahirkan di Sabah orangnya bersopan santun berbudi bahasa; sama ada dengan orang tua ataupun bangsa-bangsa lain dan jarang sekali membuat sebarang perkara yang melanggari undang-undang negara dan ramai bangsa Suluk yang menjadi pemimpin tinggi kerajaan sehingga ada yang menjadi menteri dan wakil rakyat,” tegas Juslie.

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  21. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    Besides being the popular point of entry, Kalabakan is also known for smuggling activities.From Kalabakan, they will find their way to Tawau, Tenom and other places in Sabah.

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  22. Kata Juslie, Bangsa Suluk memang mempunyai darah Satria, darah pahlawan. Contohnya seperti Mat Salleh kerana beliau adalah seorang pahlawan yang gagah dan harus menjadi satu kebanggaan kepada masyarakat Suluk; atas keberaniannya menentang penjajahan British. Walaupun beliau gugur tetapi niat dia baik untuk mempertahankan kedaulatan negeri Sabah pada masa itu disebut Koloni North Borneo.

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  23. “Bukan seperti Jamalul Kiram III yang bertindak kononnya mahu menuntut Sabah tetapi tidak mengikut lunas-lunas yang betul sehingga menceroboh dan mencetuskan kekecauan dan kecacauan di negeri ini,” Ujarnya.

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  24. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    Early Comers

    The role played by early comers is also another factor that attracts the illegal to re-enter Sabah. Who are the early comers? They are the Bajau and Sulu from nearby islands.

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  25. Juslie menambah bukan semua bangsa Suluk dari Filipina yang ramai tinggal di negara ini menyokong perjuangan sia-sia Jamalul Kiram itu malahan; sebahagian dari mereka bersyukur dan berterima kasih kepada kerajaan Malaysia kerana meneirma mereka tinggal di negara ini.

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  26. Mereka, kata Juslie mendapat kesenangan yang berlipat ganda di mana anak-anak mereka yang mendapat pendidikan tinggi sudahpun bekerja di jabatan-jabatan kerajaan dengan memegang beberapa jawatan penting.

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  27. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    They could be regarded as the early comers as they are among the earliest to set foot on Sabah. In the Philippines the Bajaus and Suluks could be located on
    the islands of Jolo, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and smaller islands of Sibutu.

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  28. Sebagai menghargai dan mengenang jasa pengorbanan para perwira yang gugur di medan pertempuran mempertahankan kedaulatan negara dari terus dicabuli dan diceroboh oleh pengganas yang sedikitpun tidak ada rasa peri kemanusiaan; beliau telah menerima derma hasil kutipan daripada beberapa Pusat Daerah Mengundi (PDM) Libaran sebanyak RM1,500 untuk disumbangkan kepada Tabung Wira Lahad Datu..

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  29. “Kita sebagai insan yang penyayang, prihatin cintakan keamanan dan kemakmuran. Marilah kita sama-sama berdoa kepada Allah supaya para tentera dan polis yang kini sedang berada di perbatasan untuk menentang musuh-musuh durajana itu sentiasa dilindungi Allah dan semuanya keadaan selamat,” tambah Juslie.

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  30. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    They have plight the region even during the supremacy of the Sulu Sultanate whom once
    dominated Sabah.

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  31. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    The two groups are also badly affected by the war in the 1970s. When the war broke out in 1972, many of Bajaus and Suluks escaped the war by crossing over to Sabah due to its closeness.

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  32. THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH : WHY DO THEY COME BACK?

    Due to such historical background, it is not
    surprising to see that even after the war; the two groups still flock into Sabah.

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  33. It was found that no amount of enforcement can stop immigrants from entering Sabah illegally as they have an extensive social networking among their countrymen in the state.

    This was revealed in the findings of a research carried out by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) on several islands in Semporna a couple of years ago, the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah.

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  34. According to a senior lecturer on Social Science in UMS, Dr Dayang Suria Mulia, the study was done in 2010 upon the request of WWF.

    “The respondents we interviewed said that they are motivated to come to Sabah because of several factors, including geographical and economical. They also said that they have an extensive network in Sabah through from which they would obtain information about the opportunities in the state.

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  35. “Most of the respondents say that they have relatives living in Sabah and will use the information obtained from these people to mitigate their entry into Sabah. According to these migrants they will be told about the how to avoid detection by Malaysian security authorities when entering the Sabah.

    “The information includes the known ‘jalan tikus’ and other backdoor entries. This inside information makes it difficult for any law, no matter how strict, to prevent immigrants from entering the state,” Dr Dayang Suria said.

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  36. She also told the Panel that there is a very fine line between becoming a legal or illegal immigrant in Sabah because a foreigner may enter the state legally but become an illegal immigrant once his or her work or visit pass expires.

    “We do not want to generalize but some of the respondents we interviewed said that they are not worried being an illegal. In fact some prefer to be undocumented as they feel that the status is more flexible,” she said.

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  37. Dr Dayang Suria, who had published articles about the issue, added that foreigners employed as domestic help were more concerned about the wages they are paid than being in the state legally.

    They said that what they earn is usually not as promised and they were more concerned about getting wages that justifies their work load, Dr Dayang Suria said and added, when asked how they avoid being arrested by the authorities, the immigrants said that all they had to do was stay at home.

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  38. Pengarah Jabatan Pendaftaran Sarawak, Datuk Abu Bakar bin Mat memberitahu anggota RCI sejak tahun 1963, sejumlah 5-ribu 373 kad pengenalan biru telah diberikan kepada pendatang asing di Sarawak

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  39. Turut dipanggil, saksi ke-64, Penolong Pengarah Penguatkuasa Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu (DBKK), Mohd Amir Izzat Romeo Bin Abdullah. Beliau yang mengetuai operasi merobohkan struktur setinggan sejak 2008 sehingga Mei tahun ini, berkata DBKK telah merobohkan sejumlah 4-ribu 442 struktur tersebut di Kota Kinabalu.

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  40. Saksi lain ialah, Pembantu Penguatkuasa Majlis Daerah Tenom, Abdul Rahim bin Katiman. Beliau memberitahu terdapat 1 kawasan setinggan di Tenom dengan 34 buah rumah dengan 174 penghuni.

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  41. Beliau bertanggungjawab merekod dan mendaftar pendatang asing tanpa izin di negeri Borneo itu bagi tujuan statistik dan kaji selidik terhadap pendatang asing pada masa tersebut di kawasan Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Tawau, dan Sepuluh.

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  42. Macarius merupakan Pegawai Penyelidik di Institut Kajian Pembangunan (IDS) Sabah, dan bagi tujuan mengumpul data pendatang asing tanpa izin berkenaan, beliau dipinjamkan ke JKM pada 1985.

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  43. Just when it seemed the Philippines was getting a handle on its terrorist problem on its southern island of Mindanao, a sudden shift in military strategy threatens to widen drastically the region's grinding conflict against Muslim insurgent groups.

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  44. The Armed Forces of the Philippines' operations last year were widely hailed for decapitating the leadership of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), hobbling the insurgent group's estimated 2,000 foot

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  45. soldiers and bringing a modicum of stability to the violence-prone underdeveloped areas of Sulu province.

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  46. The United States has linked the ASG to al-Qaeda's global terror network - though Washington has never produced any hard evidence to substantiate that claim.

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  47. Since September 11, 2001, Washington has poured hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance toward the Philippine Army to help combat the ASG, including the use of Predator drones to track the Islamic insurgent group's movements.

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  48. The United States' 200 or so troops now stationed in the restive region have on occasion played a role in pursuing and combating the insurgent group, including in operations that killed top leaders, according to on-the-ground conflict monitors.

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  49. Now, what has been widely considered one of the few military successes in the United States' "global war on terror" campaign is at risk of going badly awry. With US backing, the Philippine Army has under the guise of combating the ASG started to attack positions held by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which through a 1996 ceasefire agreement is allowed to control territory contiguous to areas where the ASG is active in and around Sulu.

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  50. The ceasefire deal included provisions for the 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference to play a role in tripartite negotiations toward a final autonomy settlement. However, that agreement was never fully implemented and the MNLF has maintained armed control over territories it considers to be the ancestral homeland of the ethnic Moro.

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  51. As of early last month, Manila and the MNLF were still officially engaged in that peace process, and the two sides held negotiations on social and economic issues as recently as February. After nearly 11 years of relative calm, since mid-April the Philippine Army has renewed armed hostilities with the MNLF, reasserting old government claims that the MNLF is secretly supporting the ASG.

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  52. The government initially denied that it had launched assaults against the MNLF. But at least 10 communities in MNLF-controlled areas have been involved in the recent fighting, which has claimed up to 40 army and MNLF personnel, according to one international organization monitoring the conflict. Most recently, four MNLF soldiers were killed in a firefight with the Philippine Marine Corps near Sulu's Kalingalan Caluang township on May 8.

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  53. Significantly, the Philippine Army has openly accused MNLF commander Ustadz Habier Malik of being a "terrorist", and late last month government troops overran his camp in Sulu's Bihtanag area and the rebel leader went underground. The US has in recent weeks reportedly put a P1 million (US$21,000) bounty out for his capture.

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  54. Ustadz, formerly the head of the so-called Regional Reconciliation and Reunification Commission, in an April 30 interview with the local GMA TV refuted the army's allegations, including the charges that the MNLF was in any way in league with the ASG. He also indicated a willingness to abandon the 1996 ceasefire agreement and resume the group's long suspended armed struggle.

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  55. "We are abiding by the wishes of the president [Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo], that it is better that there is no ceasefire," said Ustadz. "We are not on the offensive ... we are on the defensive." He later in the interview referred to the ASG as "bandits", "terrorists" and "unprofessional" soldiers.

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  56. The Philippine Army has relied on a two-pronged strategy to neutralize the ASG, which logistically has relied on the relative peace in areas controlled by the MNLF.

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  57. First, US-backed military operations provided the Philippine Army with the satellite technology and modern firepower Manila previously lacked in fighting in the ASG. Second, millions of dollars' worth of US-financed development projects have to some degree helped win hearts and minds in the war-torn impoverished areas previously controlled by the ASG.

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  58. By opening a new front against the MNLF, international monitors contend, the Philippine Army is at serious risk of reversing those strategic gains.

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  59. While the Philippine Army and the US are both apparently convinced that the MNLF is in league with the ASG, those government allegations are unlikely to wash with the local population.

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  60. If, as threatened, full-blown hostilities were to resume, Sulu's conflict would quadruple in size, and the Philippine Army would be opposed by a popular and charismatic leader and would lose the goodwill of the local population, according to the representative of an international organization monitoring the conflict.

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  61. So why would the Philippine Army make such a tactical blunder after notching significant military victories in the region? Some Mindanao-based analysts contend that the United States is at least partly to blame.

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  62. One explanation goes that the Philippine Army is under constant pressure from both Manila and Washington to show quantifiable results from its counterinsurgency operations, including caches of seized weapons and rebel body counts.

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  63. With the mopping up of the ASG, those numbers had recently reduced significantly and hence created motivation to open a new military front.

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  64. Moreover, a total victory over the ASG and a stable peace deal with the MNLF would in effect eliminate the United States' raison d'etre for maintaining a military presence in the Sulu region - a disagreeable prospect for the many Philippine Army military commanders who over the past five years have relied on US assistance for their livelihoods and who, with their substantially improved combat capabilities, apparently no longer view peace as their best option for dealing with the MNLF.

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  65. He also informed that some of the earlier residents have qualified for MyKad, with some 70 of them have registered as voters to embrace their rights as recognized citizens of Malaysia.

    Pemberian mykad berkait rapat dengan politik Malaysia.

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  66. Masalah kebanjiran warga asing di sekitar kawasan Lahad Datu bukan sesuatu perkara yang baru.

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  67. tidak kurang
    200 penjaja tanpa lesen mendominasi kawasan kaki lima sekitar Pasar
    Rakyat Lahad Datu.

    Kebanyakan
    mereka menjual sayur-sayuran, barangan kering malah ada juga yang
    menjual rokok dan barangan keperluan harian yang lain.

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  68. mereka
    sebahagian besarnya tidak fasih berbahasa melayu menguatkan bukti bahawa
    mereka ini bukanlah rakyat Malaysia .

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  69. Penduduk yang ditemui menyifatkan kebanjiran warga asing dari Flipina terutama di kawasan felda juga membimbangkan.

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  70. Menurutnya hubungan kekeluargaan juga diakui menjadi punca mereka membanjiri kawasan pecan di felda dan pekan Lahad Datu.

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