LLEGAL
....While claims of today's airstrikes in Lahad Datu were 'llegal', a Kiram
family member spoke of a Malaysian government approved 'settlement' stuck in a
'bank' in Malaysia.
By : FMT STAFF
LAHAD DATU: Even as the
Philippine media reported that this morning’s airstrikes 'missed' their targets
– which was the forces of Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram – in Kampung Tandao and
neighbouring villages, a Manila senator urged his government to protect its
citizens in Sabah.
Senator Ferdinand 'Bongbong'
Marcos Jr said the legality of the Kirams’ claim on Sabah was second to the
fact that the people under attack were Filipinos.
“Whatever else the issue
there [in Sabah] 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.
“It’s the responsibility of
the government to protect its citizens,” he said, alluding to Manila’s stand
seen as 'non-committal'.
Manila has urged the Sulu
intruders in Sabah – in a three-week standoff which ended in bloody clashes
last Friday and continued through the weekend – to surrender unconditionally
but the call was mocked by Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III.
Newsportal ABS-CBN reported
that hours before the Malaysian army began their assault on Kampung Tanduo, the
site of Friday’s bloody clashes which killed two Malaysian police commandos,
the Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has tried to ask
the Malaysian government for 'maximum tolerance'.
Strangely enough there have
been no official disclosures of body counts or casualties following the 7am
airstrikes and the ground assault against the armed intruders.
All that is known is that
Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar has declared that the police and army
had achieved their objectives.
Meanwhile, an international
law professor in the University of Philippines, Harry Roque, said in Manila
that the airstrikes by Malaysian security forces against the Kirams’ followers
were 'illegal' and a 'wrong act'.
He hinted that the Malaysian
government had used excessive force in dealing with the members of the
Sultanate royal army who are now holed up in Lahad Datu.
“Malaysian law enforcement
officials should, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before resorting
to force, and in particular, the resort to airstrikes,” the Philippines Star
quoted him as saying.
Conspiracy theory
In a related issue, the
Kirams have urged President Benigno Aquino to prove his claims that there was a
third party backing their Sabah claim.
Jamalul’s daughter Jacel
told the Asian News Network that Aquino’s latest comments on the Lahad Datu
crisis was 'speculative'.
“If Aquino thinks someone’s
behind this, we challenge him to prove it,” she said.
Aquino said yesterday there
were “definite signs” of a conspiracy in the Kirams’ move to press their Sabah
claims.
He pointed out that the
Kirams would have had to spend 'a least' 100,000 pesos (RM7,611) to hire a
large boat to bring forces into Lahad Datu. And according to their (Manila’s) 'intelligence'
reports, the Kirams had used two large boats and a speedboat to ferry their men
to Lahad Datu.
He said since Jamalul was
already on government aid through the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for
his regular dialysis, it was unlikely that the sultan could have financed the
assault on his own.
Aquino also said that the
Philippine authorities were monitoring 'persons of interest' who were pushing
for Kirams’ claim on Sabah.
In Kuala Lumpur, Prime
Minister Najib Tun Razak had on Sunday said that Malaysia and the Philippines
were investigating reports linking the Sulu incursion to the opposition’s
campaign to give Sabah autonomy if it wins in the general election.
Najib said he was puzzled as
to why the armed men came to Sabah at a time when the country was about to hold
the polls and when the Sulu Sultanate had already laid claim to Sabah a long
time ago.
“All avenues must be
investigated. [Philippine] President [Benigno S] Aquino also wants to know the
truth,” said Najib, alluding to media reports in the Philippines that
Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was linked to the Lahad Datu invasion.
‘Good settlement’
Meanwhile, another Kiram
family member in Manila claimed that the whole incident was a 'drama' but
declined to offer details.
Princess Maryam Kiram,
however, said that she has been talking with Malaysian officials and an
agreement has already been reached regarding the increase of the rent for
Sabah.
“I am now negotiating some
form of compensation from the Malaysian government to help develop the
ancestral lands [of the Sulu families],” she reportedly told a press conference
in Makati.
Quoting her, PhilStar.Com
said that the Malaysian government 'was receptive' and was preparing 'a good
settlement'.
According to Maryam, she
visited Malaysia earlier this year for the release of the funds.
“The funds were to be in my
hands on Jan 11, but unfortunately it was delayed for unknown reason,” she
said.
She added that the funds
were supposed to have been deposited in a designated bank with clearance from
the Bank Negara.
Meanwhile, the sultanate of
Sulu disputed the claims of Malaysian security forces that they had routed the
group led by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, which came under attack in Lahad Datu
town in Sabah.
Black propaganda
The assault by Malaysian
security forces, which included airstrikes and armour, began early today and,
by noon, police and military officials in Sabah were reported in Malaysian
media as saying the group of Agbimuddin, brother and crown prince of Sulu
Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, who had been holed up in the village of Tanduo since
early last month, had been defeated and that mopping-up operations were taking
place.
But at a press briefing in
the sultan’s Maharlika Village home, Abraham Idjirani, the sultanate’s
spokesman, spoke to Agbimuddin by phone in front of reporters.
“Raja Muda called up. Now
this will put to rest the black propaganda being waged by the Malaysian
government that our brothers were obliterated by the Malaysian police and
military. Raja Muda and his followers are all alive and still kicking,”
Idjirani said.
He described Agbimuddin as a
'fox', constantly moving from one place to another to evade the Malaysian
forces, the InterAksyon.com news portal reported an hour ago.
Earlier, Idjarani also
claimed Agbimuddin had said the bombs dropped by the Malaysian air force had
not hit their positions but had, instead, fallen on security forces that had
massed up for the assault.
But Malaysian authorities
claimed their forces had not suffered a single casualty.
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