Manila now says up to Malaysia to handle Sulu militants
Clara Chooi, TMI
The Philippine government said today the fate of the self-proclaimed royal Sulu army in Sabah now lies in the hands of Malaysia’s security forces, appearing to suggest that a peaceful end to the prolonged standoff is no longer possible.
In an interview with the Philippines’ ABS-CBN News Channel this morning, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda pointed out that the over 200 gunmen claiming to be followers of the Sulu Sultanate have continued to hold their ground in Sabah, refusing to lay down arms even after violent skirmishes since Friday left 28 dead.
But according to the channel’s report on its website www.abs-cbnnews.com, Lacierda would not say if he agreed that the “window of opportunity” for a peaceful resolution to the standoff had closed because the deaths had involved Malaysian security personnel.
“Malaysia has stepped in. They have fatalities on their side. They want to resolve this on their terms. Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Najib Razak said before the whole incident happened, baka pwede pa pero (it may have been possible but) now, serious offence has been committed,” he told Mornings@ANC, according to the report.
Adding to the tangled web, Lacierda confirmed the Philippine government’s suspicion that the Kiram family are working with outside “collaborators”, but was unsure who they are.
He pointed out that during early negotiations between government representatives and Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, whose brother, Agbimuddin Kiram, is leading the rebel group in Sabah, Jamalul kept “changing goal posts”.
“First of all, they wanted the government to press the Sabah claim. What did the President say? We will study the claim. I have formed a task group to study the claim,” he was quoted as saying.
At one point, Lacierda said, an agreement that would call an end to the standoff was nearly reached but a phone call changed everything.
The Philippine government is now attempting to find out if collaborators are indeed involved in guiding the Kiram family on its claims, the spokesman added.
Lacierda also repeated that the Philippine government had appealed several times to the Kiram family, urging the Sultanate to order its men home in order to discuss its proprietary claims over Sabah.
