Lahad Datu News Compilation Thread

[MidnightSun]

Ex-general blames military intel failure for prolonged Sulu crisis

UPDATED @ 02:43:46 PM 13-03-2013

BY CLARA CHOOI
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
MARCH 13, 2013

Ghafir said the focus on local politics has diverted BSPP resources away from scouting for external threats. — File pic

PETALING JAYA, March 13 ― The “complete failure” by Malaysia’s military intelligence to pre-empt a Sulu group’s armed incursion into Sabah was to blame for the drawn out conflict in the east Malaysian state, former deputy army chief Lt-Gen (R) Datuk Abd Ghafir Abd Hamid said today.

Abd Ghafir, who is now a PKR member, blamed this on “political interference” in military intelligence operations.

He alleged that in the past decade, the Defence Staff Intelligence Division (BSPP) has been more focused on local politics than on gathering information on external threats.

“I stress here, there was a total and complete failure of intelligence. Our intelligence unit has not been functioning until now... our capability in terms of external foreign intelligence, our strength and assets have instead been used for political operations since 2000.

“When intelligence fails, we have a breach of our waters,” he told a press conference at PKR’s headquarters here.

“I stress here, there was a total and complete failure of intelligence. Meaning, our intelligence unit was not functioning so when the intruders arrived, we did not even know.

“Why this happened is because those responsible in the BSPP, our capability in terms of external foreign intelligence, our strength and assets have instead been used for political operations since 2000,” he told a press conference at PKR’s headquarters here.

The retired general said this had resulted in a failure by the unit to detect foreign threats, allowing armed intruders to sail into Malaysian territorial waters easily without being apprehended or detected.

“When intelligence fails, we have a breach of our waters... and because the waters in Sabah are very vast, if just two or three patrol vessels are there from our maritime force, I think it would be very difficult to intercept an incursion,” he said.

Abd Ghafir also claimed that indecisiveness on the part of the Malaysian government during the initial days of the incursion had also caused the conflict to prolong, resulting in the loss of Malaysian lives.

He said it took 23 days before the Malaysian forces were given the green light to launch an attack, and this allowed the Sulu invaders time to settle down and organise their troops.

Even worse, added Abd Ghafir, was that the landing of the over-200 gunmen to stake ownership over Sabah had merely been mildly described as an “armed intrusion”.

“When we use that definition, we face many limitations from the Geneva Convention. But these are armed aggressors who are here to take our land and threaten the lives of our people,” he said.

He pointed out that the Sulu gunmen, who claim to be members of the Sulu Sultanate’s “royal army”, had not landed in Sabah to “steal timber” or “steal fish”, which could have also earned them the same label of “armed intruders”.

“So we should have taken action earlier. Labelling them aggressors would have given us the right to protect our people and our territory but what happened what that 23 days went by and we only acted when our men were killed,” Abd Ghafir said.

Nine days after the Sulu gunmen landed in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said on Twitter that the group were merely “malnourished” and elderly men in sarongs and slippers.

“Fact: Most of the intruders old or malnourished. Wear sarongs/slippers..a few.. hv arms,” he had tweeted on February 18, according to a report on The Star.

The minister said this was the reason behind the restraint shown by the police towards the invaders, who have now been labelled “terrorists”.

Noting the flip-flop in the Malaysian authorities’ handling of the situation, Abd Ghafir demanded an apology from those responsible for the alleged “indecisiveness” during the initial days of the incursion.

“We must acknowledge that there was a failure. We as Malaysians should demand an apology from the government because it was due to their failures that lives of our security forces were sacrificed,” he said.

Since attacks between Malaysian forces and the gunmen started on March 1, a total of 67 people have been killed, including 56 Filipino militants, eight Malaysian policemen, two Malaysian soldiers and one teenage boy, whose nationality is still unknown.

 

[MidnightSun]

Manila braces for Filipino exodus from Sabah conflict zone
MARCH 13, 2013

Police personnel check the identity of passengers on a road leading to Kampung Tanduo, in Lahad Datu March 8, 2013. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 ― The Philippine government is readying for a potential refugee crisis in its southern islands with Filipinos fleeing Sabah’s restive east coast as Malaysia’s defence forces step up the hunt for Sulu militants it regards as terrorists.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has ordered government officials to stock up on food supplies and step up humanitarian support to Filipinos ― including illegal emigrants seeking better jobs ― who have started returning to the republic by the hundreds since last Friday, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported today.

“The president wants the heads of government agencies to ensure that there will be sufficient supply of food and government support to our countrymen in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

“The president ordered us to ensure the safety of Filipinos living in those areas and that the government is ready in case there will be an influx of evacuees,” Philippine Interior Secretary Mar Roxas was quoted as saying.

The Aquino administration has ordered 100,000 sacks of rice to be delivered to evacuation centres in the south Philippines, the paper reported, as fear over food shortages appeared to be driving up prices of the staple there.

“We have enough stocks of rice (in that part of Mindanao). There is no reason for traders to hike the prices of other basic commodities there,” Trade Undersecretary Zeny Maglaya was quoted as saying.

Roxas had led an interagency meeting in Manila yesterday to prevent possible problems that may arise from the return of the illegals.

“There is none, for now at least,” Roxas said when asked if the exodus had resulted in a humanitarian crisis in Mindanao.

An estimated 800,000 Filipinos are believed to have made Sabah their home.

Philippine Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman was reported to have said some 1,500 Filipino illegals from Sabah had arrived in the coastal towns of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi since Friday.

Soliman was reported to have said about 450 people had quit Lahad Datu and Sandakan, two of four hotspots where fierce fights between Malaysian security forces and militants have broken out killing at least 66 people on both sides as of yesterday.

The Philippine government expects more Filipinos to leave Sabah as Malaysian security forces chase after the remnants of the 200-strong Sulu guerrilla troop led by Agbimuddin Kiram, brother to Jamalul Kiram III ― the Sulu “Sultan” claiming to own the north Borneo state.

 

[MidnightSun]

Philippine investigators retract subpoenas for Kiram clan

MARCH 13, 2013

Jamalul (front, centre) prays with his family and supporters in Taguig, Metro Manila March 6, 2013. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 ― The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have recalled the five subpoenas they had served just hours earlier to top members of the Kiram clan over its probe on an alleged “conspiracy” behind the incursion in Sabah, the Manila Bulletin reported last night.

NBI agents had met with Jamalul Kiram III, his wife Fatima Cecilia, daughter Jacel, brother Esmail Kiram II and the Sultanate’s spokesman Abraham Idjirani at the self-proclaimed Sulu “Sultan’s” home in Manila yesterday but left and took with them the five subpoenas they had served earlier, the paper reported.

“There are no more subpoenas. He (Idjirani) will go there voluntarily,” Pastor “Boy” Saycon, a friend and counsellor to the sultan for 16 years, was quoted as saying.

Idjirani had volunteered to be questioned by the NBI at their office tomorrow, Saycon was reported to have said.

The pastor, who had accompanied the NBI agents to the Kiram home, also reportedly said there had been a “miscommunication” in serving the five subpoenas.

The investigators agreed to withdraw the subpoenas after Saycon worked out a deal with NBI top officials and the Kirams, the paper reported.

But according to Philippine media network ABS-CBN News’ report yesterday, the Kirams had already agreed to appear before the NBI later this week.

The network’s online report said Fatima confirmed that her daughter, Jacel, and Idjirani were summoned to appear before NBI’s Technical Investigation Division at 10am tomorrow, while she, her husband Jamalul and Esmail would face the NBI’s Anti-Organized Crime Division at 10am on Friday.

According to the report, Fatima said the family will abide by the subpoena, adding the Kiram clan was ready to reveal the truth.

The NBI had first subpoenaed Saycon, who is also secretary-general on the Council for Philippine Affairs.

Saycon had previously been reported to have accused Malacanang Palace of spreading false rumours regarding the alleged conspiracy behind the Kiram’s incursion in Sabah.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, who is poised to face mid-term polls in May, had previously claimed of a possible “conspiracy” behind the Sulu siege, hinting that it could have been masterminded by his enemies ahead of the election.

The Kiram family has since denied the conspiracy theory, and has instead criticised the president for appearing to side with Malaysia in the entire crisis.

The death toll as of yesterday stands at 66 people since a ragtag band of armed Filipinos, led by Jamalul’s younger brother, Agbimuddin Kiram, entered Sabah on February 9 in a bid to lay the sultanate’s claim to the east Malaysian state, which had been gifted to the kingdom in the 17th century.

Among those killed in the clashes on Sabah’s restive east coast earlier this month were 56 Filipino militants, eight Malaysian policemen, one Malaysian soldier and one teenage boy, whose nationality is still unknown.

 

[MidnightSun]

Agbimuddin still alive, Sabah CPO says

UPDATED @ 03:16:16 PM 13-03-2013

MARCH 13, 2013

It is understood that the army and police are focused on Kampung Tanduo and Kampung Tanjung Batu respectively. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 ― Sulu rebel leader Agbimuddin Kiram has continued to elude local security forces despite nine days of intense mopping-up operations, Sabah police chief Comm Datuk Hamza Taib confirmed today.

But police believe that the self-proclaimed “crown prince” of the Sulu Sultanate, who led over 200 gunmen to lay claim over Sabah last month, was still hiding within the “Ops Daulat” operation area, The Star Online reported.

“As a leader, he will not run and leave his people by themselves here. He must lead them,” Hamza was quoted saying in the report.

Malaysian forces launched “Ops Daulat” last Tuesday, kicking off the assault with an aerial strike of bombs and heavy artillery fire before dispatching ground troops to make a clean sweep of the coastal villages in Lahad Datu where the rebel group was hiding.

But the elusive Agbimuddin and his men still slipped out of sight, and are believed to be receiving aid from local villagers in the area, some of whom have been detained for questioning.

His kinsmen in the Philippines have also claimed in the media that the rebel leader contacted them several times over the past week to inform them he was still safe and unharmed.

To date, 56 Sulu gunmen have been shot dead in separate skirmishes, while the Malaysian security force has lost 10 men ― eight policemen and two soldiers. Another teenage boy, whose identity is unknown, was also shot dead on Day 6 of Ops Daulat.

According to The Star Online, Hamza said the boy’s identity is still being investigated.

Agbimuddin, the brother to self-styled Sulu “Sultan” Jamalul Kiram III, landed in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu, on February 9 to lay the Sultanate’s claim over Sabah based on historical records dating back to the 17th century.

Attempts to resolve the conflict peacefully failed, despite intervention from the Philippine government, sparking the first round of attacks between Malaysian security forces and the Sulu gunmen on March 1.

Last Thursday, the Kiram clan called for a ceasefire but refused to pull its army from Lahad Datu.

In response, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak rejected the request, telling the gun men to surrender unconditionally instead or face death.

 

[MidnightSun]

GMA News gains access to Sabah evacuation center, but no interviews allowed
March 12, 2013 9:09pm

Evacuees from Lahad Datu villages seek shelter in govt centers . Evacuees from affected villages in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia stay at a temporary shelter in Dewan Embara Budi Community Hall, Felda Sahabat, Lahad Datu on Tuesday. Cedric Castillo

Malaysian authorities finally allowed foreign media to visit an evacuation center in the strife-torn town of Lahad Datu in Sabah, with GMA News the first media organization from the Philippines to report from the area, according to a TV report Tuesday.

In his report that aired Tuesday on “24 Oras,” GMA News' Cedric Castillo noted that some 500 Filipino and Malaysian evacuees were housed in the Dewan Embara Budi community hall in Felda Sahabat, a community in Lahad Datu near the fighting surrounding Tanduo village where armed men from Sulu were holed up.

Dewan Embara Budi is one of three evacuation centers in Sabah.

Because this was the first opportunity given to foreign media to enter the evacuation center, Malaysian authorities directed the reporter to wear a yellow-green vest to identify himself as a foreign correspondent and prohibited GMA News from interviewing evacuees. Still, some of them were able to speak with Castillo.

It has been two days of quiet for the evacuees, after nearly a week of hearing exchanges of gunfire, said Castillo in the report.

The evacuees sleep on mats, their belongings packed in cartons next to them.

Inside the evacuation center, said Castillo, "aakalain mong nasa Pilipinas ka pa rin," because the Filipino language could be heard in every corner of the building.

The evacuees have been asking for medical supplies in case of illness, though Castillo said he did not hear anyone complain about any ailment.

According to the Malaysian news outlet The Star Online, 54 of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III's followers have been killed since fighting began between them and Malaysian security forces on March 1. Meanwhile, eight members of the Malaysian forces have been killed. — Rouchelle R. Dinglasan/BM/YA, GMA News

 

[MidnightSun]

13 March 2013

General Musa & talibarutnya picture and a terrorist who murdered is village priest ...

Here are two pictures of a senior leader believed to be the true face of the terrorist militants Sulu, 'General' Moses and a picture of one of the Stooges involved in violations in Lahad Datu, Sabah.

Security forces have been issued so far 23 bodies of terrorists in the village of Tanjung Batu, one of the villages which witnessed fierce battles between terrorists and security forces team.

One of the 23 confirmed dead, police chief, Datuk Hamza Taib as 'General' Moses, who died in battle at the village.

Residents shocked village priest turned terrorist ...

The dead terrorists assaulted the residents after the shooting incident in Kampung Simunul and Sri Jaya result six police killed 2 March last, under the guise of pious images because often the priest had died during the feast and, especially among people in the village mysticism.

Village residents Simunul assume men known as Imam Rashid is as knowledgeable about religion, but now many consider Rashid with fellow terrorists as 'devil' as terror police killed in cold blood.

The average of people who recognize surprised to find out the man was a terrorist who was involved in the incident on March 2.

In Suluk community in the village, Rashid considered important people in various religious matters, but only in the community.

A resident who wanted to be known as Utoh, 35, said Rashid often the priest had died the feast and mysticism. - Bernama

 

[MidnightSun]

‘Commander Musa’ alive, ‘drinking coffee’, Kiram clan says

BY CLARA CHOOI
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
MARCH 13, 2013

Soldiers fire a machine gun near Sungai Nyamuk in Lahad Datu March 12, 2013. —Ministry of Defence handout photo

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 ― The Kiram family today disputed claims that Malaysian forces have killed “Commander Haji Musa”, a former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander who is one of the Sulu group’s top general.

Sulu Sultanate spokesman Abraham Idjirani told Philippine media network ABS-CBN News that he had spoken with group leader Agbimuddin Kiram, who confirmed that Musa was still alive, contrary to reports here.

“He is still alive and they have regrouped at 1am Wednesday. They are drinking coffee. The Malaysian news report is wrong,” Idjirani said, according to the network’s report online.

The spokesman also disputed figures from Malaysian authorities on the number of Sulu deaths, claiming that only 23 members of the group have been killed so far.

According to figures from local police, 56 Sulu militants have fallen since attacks kicked off on March 1.

National news agency reported yesterday that in the most recent gun battle between security forces and the rebel group, two Sulu gunmen were killed, raising the Sulu death toll to 56.

To date, 10 Malaysians have been killed, including eight policemen and two soldiers. Another teenage boy, whose identity is still unknown, was also shot in the crossfire during the Ops Daulat operation.

Agbimuddin, the brother of self-styled “Sultan” Jamalul Kiram III, landed in Lahad Datu, Sabah, on February 9 with a group of 235 gunmen to lay the Sultanate’s claim over the north Borneo territory.

After attempts at peaceful negotiation by the Malaysian and Philippine government failed, security forces here moved in on the gunmen, who were holed up in Kampung Tanduo in the coastal district.

Ops Daulat was launched last Tuesday and two days later, the Kiram clan called for a ceasefire but refused to pull its army from Lahad Datu.

In response, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak rejected the request, telling the gunmen to surrender unconditionally instead or face death.

Earlier today, Sabah police chief Comm Datuk Hamza Taib admitted that the security forces have yet to apprehend Agbimuddin, despite nine days of intense mopping up under Ops Daulat.

But police believe that the self-proclaimed “crown prince” of the Sulu Sultanate, who led over 200 gunmen to lay claim over Sabah last month, was still hiding within the Ops Daulat operation area, The Star Online reported.

“As a leader, he will not run and leave his people by themselves here. He must lead them,” Hamza was quoted saying in the report.

 

[MidnightSun]

Sulu Sultan says never agreed to negotiate ‘disengagement’ of army

BY CLARA CHOOI
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
MARCH 13, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 – Self-styled Sulu “Sultan” Jamalul Kiram III quelled all possibility of withdrawing the Sultanate’s troops from Sabah today, saying he had never authorised anyone to negotiate “disengagement” with the Philippine or Malaysian government.

The 74-year-old Jamalul (picture) was quoting saying by several Philippine media today that he had never permitted his brother Bantilan Esmail Kiram II to explore the option during the latter’s meeting with Philippine Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas on Monday.

“The truth is I don’t like him to talk to anybody. If possible, I told him to stay with me,” Jamalul reportedly told a press conference at his residence in Taguig City, according to The Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“There is no (negotiation on disengagement). I don’t like that. It’s like playing baseball. I’m already on the third base, why would I leave? Why would I go out?”

“That (disengagement) will only happen after I talk with my brother in Sabah,” he continued, referring to Agbimuddin Kiram, who is leading the Sultanate’s armed incursion in Sabah.

Agbimuddin and 235 Sulu gunmen landed in Lahad Datu on February 9 to lay the Sultanate’s claim over the resourch-rich north Borneo territory, citing historical records of its ownership dating back to the 17th century.

According to ABS-CBN News, Jamalul also claimed that it was Roxas who had paid for Esmail’s plane tickets and his family’s to organise the meeting in Manila.

The report said the “Sultan” was baffled over why the secretary had not contacted him directly, pointing out that the “royal army” in Sabah answers directly to him.

The Philippine Star carried the same report, adding that Jamalul said he was surprised to learn that Esmail had discussed the possible “disengagement” of the Sulu troops in Sabah.

After their meeting on Monday, both Esmail and Roxas confirmed that their discussion had centred around “disengagement” of the Sultanate’s “royal army”, but would not elaborate on the matter.

Yesterday, Roxas said he had conveyed several queries raised by Esmail to Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and the latter has directed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to relay them to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The Kiram family had called for a ceasefire last Thursday upon receiving reports that more of its gunmen were falling from battles with Malaysian forces but Putrajaya rejected the appeal.

But Najib, in an immediate reaction, told the invaders to surrender unconditionally or face death.

The “royal” Sulu army, led by self-proclaimed “crown prince” Agbimuddin Kiram, landed in Sabah’s coastal Lahad Datu township on February 9 to lay claim over the north Borneo territory.

Attempts to resolve the conflict peacefully failed, despite intervention from the Philippine government, sparking the first round of attacks between Malaysian security forces and the Sulu gunmen on March 1.

Last Tuesday, Malaysia launched Ops Daulat, kicking off the assault with an aerial strike of bombs and heavy artillery fire before dispatching its ground troops to make a clean sweep of the coastal villages in Lahad Datu where Aagbimuddin and his men were hiding.

But the elusive Agbimuddin and his men still slipped out of sight, and are believed to be receiving aid from local villagers in the area, some of whom have been detained for questioning.

His kinsmen in the Philippines have also claimed in the media that the rebel leader contacted them several times over the past week to inform them he was still safe and unharmed.

 

[MidnightSun]

Thursday March 14, 2013

Lahad Datu: Misuari-Anwar link reported in leaked US diplomatic cable
By RAZAK AHMAD
[email protected]

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

PETALING JAYA: Links between Philippine rebel chieftain Nur Misuari and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim were reported in a leaked United States diplomatic cable from the American embassy in Manila.

The 2007 report to the State Department described Misuari, the founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, as someone who apparently still harboured aspirations to “re-gain” Sabah from Malaysia.

It said Malaysian authorities were concerned about Misuari's contacts with Anwar, who was described as the MNLF leader's old friend.

“MG Dolorfino (Armed Forces of the Philippines National Capital Region Commander Major General Ben Dolorfino) commented that Malaysia is not only concerned about Misuari's intentions toward Sabah... but also about his recent contacts with Anwar,” the cable stated.

The cable was among over 250,000 documents leaked by the WikiLeaks website in 2010 and can be read at wikileaks.org/cable/2007/05/07MANILA1534.html

The cable said Misuari was a strong advocate for the recovery of Sabah from Malaysia and was still bitter towards Malaysia for arresting him and turning him over to the Philippine authorities in January 2002.

“Misuari once commented to MG Dolorfino that when the timing was right, the MNLF could invade Sabah at 5am and control it by 7am,” it added.

The cable reported Dolorfino telling the embassy's political officer that a special envoy from then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had met Misuari and told him not to meddle in Malaysia's domestic affairs.

One of Anwar's aides, when contacted on Tuesday evening, said he would notify Anwar about the report but the Opposition Leader has yet to respond.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, when asked about the WikiLeaks report yesterday, blamed Barisan Nasional's political leadership for trying to link Anwar's association with Misuari to the Sabah intrusion, which he said was a “wild allegation”.

“Anwar has made his position (on his association with Misuari) clear. At that point of time (of the WikiLeaks report) Nur Misuari was the governor of Mindanao, so many leaders met Misuari.

“To try and connect this to what is happening in Lahad Datu is too much and I think the people should give a stern warning to the Government against making such allegations,” added Azmin.

Anwar's daughter and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar said it was unacceptable to only highlight Anwar's association with Misuari while ignoring the ties between government leaders with Misuari and other players linked to the Sabah incursion.

Misuari told The Star on Monday that he was close to Anwar and that the two last met several months ago in Jakarta, Indonesia.

 

[MidnightSun]

Thursday March 14, 2013

Lahad Datu: Cops believe Azzimudie is alive

LAHAD DATU: The 72-year-old Sulu armed group leader Raja Muda Azzimudie Kiram is believed to be alive and within the operational area around Tanjung Labian.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said the leader, Azzimudie, could be hiding in the area of Ops Daulat which entered its ninth day since heavy bombardment on Kampung Tanduo.

“We are confident he is still here because we believe as a leader, he won't run away. He won't leave his followers or leave them alone. He must lead them,” he said during a media briefing yesterday at the Sahabat 16 residence resort.

Abraham Idrjani, the spokesman of self-proclaimed Sultan Jamalul Kiram III in Manila has also claimed he contacted Azzimudie for 20 seconds on Tuesday night.

“He only spoke to me briefly for security reasons. He was afraid that his phone call was being tracked,” he said in a phone conversation from Manila.

Some villagers claimed that Azzimudie, a former Kudat assistant district officer and locally known as Datu Puing, is always guarded by four trusted lieutenants, including a mystic identified as Datu Titing.

Some villagers claimed that they were last seen near Kg Sungai Bilis where pelahus or Bajau sea-gypsies had docked their boats with some who had set sail for the neighbouring Tawi-Tawi islands after the March 4 bombings of Kampung Tanduo.

Azzimudie and his group of about 200 is believed to have split up prior to the Tanduo bombardment and slipped into the neighbouring Kg Tanjung Batu, Kg Tanjung Labian and Kg Sungai Bilis areas where security forces are focusing their mopping up operations.

Regarding the fate of the families who fled the fully-secured Tanduo, Hamza said the authorities had to identify them to ensure if they were Malaysians or foreigners.

“It has to be ascertained if the land they had occupied was private or belonged to the Government. If they have no rights on that land, we may not allow them to return,” he said, adding that the police were still trying to verify the identity of a teenage boy, who was shot near Sungai Bilis on Monday.

 

[MidnightSun]

Thursday March 14, 2013

Lahad Datu: We respect Sabah’s decision to join Malaysia, says MNLF

JOHOR BARU: The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) recognises and respects the decision taken by the people of Sabah to join Malaysia in 1963, said its chairman Muslimin Sema.

The Sabah people, he said, had the right to determine their own destiny by joining Malaysia 50 years ago and that right should not be disputed by anyone.

“We (MNLF) recognise the desire of the Sabah people to decide and determine their own destiny.

“They had decided to join Malaysia and we accede to their desire, that is our position,” he said from Manila.

Muslimin, who is vice-mayor of Cotabato City in southern Philippines, said he had been to Sabah in 1973 and personally witnessed the happiness of Sabahans, led by their leaders after joining Malaysia.

“They had decided and we accepted it,” he said, adding that he had many relatives in Sabah who were loyal Malaysian citizens.

“They have been able to earn a good and prosperous life in Sabah, which they are incapable of had they remained in southern Philippines. I don't want anything bad to happen to them because of what is happening now,” he said.

The MNLF, he said, considered Sabah and Malaysia as their “big brother”.

The chairman was commenting on the move made by the self-proclaimed sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III, to claim that the resource-rich Sabah was part of the sulta-nate's land.

According to Muslimin, the MNLF had nothing to do with the action taken by Jamalul Kiram.

On allegations made by the foreign media and a Philippine intelligence official that several parties had conspired and instigated Jamalul Kiram in the quest to reclaim Sabah, Muslimin said the allegations needed to be investigated.

The allegations stated the armed terrorists were “invited” to Sabah by leaders aligned with Malaysia's Opposition party.

Nevertheless, the MNLF leader believes Jamalul Kiram “does not have the capacity” to carry out the complicated armed operation of sending armed terrorists across the sea to Sabah.

“It is quite surprising they have the capacity to send an expedition (to Sabah) like that. It is not easy to go to another country and kill people,” he said.

Responding to allegations that the armed terrorists in Sabah's intrusion were each paid US$600 (RM1,865), the MNLF leader said he did not have any knowledge on the matter.

Muslimin said MNLF would check on claims that its members were involved in the armed intrusion in Sabah.

The MNLF chief said the organisation was keen to find out more about the identity of the gunmen's leader known as Commander Musa who was killed by Malaysian security forces in Tanjung Batu, Lahad Datu during a firefight. - Bernama

 

[MidnightSun]

Thursday March 14, 2013

Lahad Datu: More APCs and copters to beef up security

LAHAD DATU: The military is bringing in 12 more armoured personnel carriers and two more helicopters to beef up Ops Daulat as security forces sweep the Sungai Nyamuk area where a gunbattle took place on Tuesday.

“We believe we can clean out the Sungai Nyamuk area of terrorists by tomorrow,” said Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Jen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin yesterday.

Jen Zulkifeli said two more bodies of the gunmen were found yesterday morning along with a pistol and a rifle believed to have been used to kill a soldier near the scene of the gunbattle.

He said an injured soldier, who was admitted to Tawau Hospital, was recovering after a six-hour surgery. He has been moved to a normal ward.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said the placement of police posts had been re-examined to ensure the terrorists do not re-enter areas that were already cleared.

He said police personnel from other sections such as general duty, narcotics and CID would be brought in to man the posts at strategic points to ensure the safety of the residents.

In KOTA KINABALU, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said five police stations would be set up in areas known to have large immigrant populations as the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) takes shape.

He said a police station would be set up at Tanjung Labian and Felda Sahabat near the site of ongoing clashes between security forces and terrorists in Lahad Datu.

He said a police station would also be set up at Pulau Bum Bum and Pulau Mabul in Semporna district, where six police personnel were killed in an ambush by terrorists on March 2.

A police station would also be set up at Pulau Gaya, just off Kota Kinabalu in the west coast, Khalid said after a meeting of an ESSCOM working group here yesterday.

He said they wanted to get the five new police stations operational by April 2.

Khalid said police were also looking at upgrading existing police stations.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had announced the setting up of a special security area from Kudat in Sabah's north to Tawau in the south to curb intrusions, especially from islands in the southern Philippines.

 

[MidnightSun]

Thursday March 14, 2013

Lahad Datu: Is Sulu general dead or alive?

LAHAD DATU: Is Haji Musa Abdullah, one of the key generals of the Sulu, dead or alive?

On Monday, security forces here confirmed that the body of Musa was recovered from Kampung Tanjung Batu after forensic investigations.

They said Musa's body was among 18 Sulu armed men that were brought to Lahad Datu Hospital for a post-mortem. His body was reportedly found near Kampung Tanjung Batu.

However, Abraham Idjirani, the spokesman of the self-called Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, claimed yesterday that Musa is alive.

“I talked with Raja Muda Azzi-mudie Kiram (the leader of the Sulu group) for 20 seconds on Monday night and he told me Musa did not die in a gunfight,” Idjirani claimed in a telephone interview from Manila.

What has emerged about this mysterious Musa is that he escaped the Jabidah massacre that ignited the armed Moro rebellion in Mindanao.

He was recruited as part of a President Ferdinand Marcos' covert military operation to seize Sabah in the late 1960s.

Musa, who is from Sibutu island not far from Lahad Datu, managed to escape Corregidor Island before the Philippines army killed his fellow recruits in the Jabidah massacre in 1968.

“Haji Musa is about 69 or 70 years old. He was one of those who escaped the Jabidah massacre,” said Idjirani.

“After the massacre, Haji Musa joined the Philippines army and he was assigned to the Mindanao conflict (in southern Philippines).

“Ten years later, he was assigned to the Presidential Security Guard (lead agency tasked in providing security to the President of the Philippines). He was never with the Moro National Liberation Front.”

Villagers who are close to Musa's relatives living in Kampung Sungei Bilis claim otherwise, saying that he was an MNLF commander and served in Vietnam while with the Philippines military and was a military tactician.

They said most of the people staying in Kampung Tanduo, Kampung Tanjung Batu and Kampung Sungei Bilis were related to Musa, whose daughter was married to a son of a former village head who has been in the forefront against oil palm plantations allegedly taking away village land.

According to Rappler.com (a social news network based in Manila), Musa was a known military strategist of the Sulu gunmen in Sabah.

“Musa is the deputy chief of staff of the RSF, a rank below Raja Muda,” it wrote.

“While the Raja Muda, an heir of the Sultan of Sulu, is the known leader of the armed Filipinos, it was really Musa who mapped out the plan behind the Sabah standoff.”

“It was Musa who taught us military rules,” Ibnohasim Akmad, a member of the terrorist outfit in Sabah, told Rappler.com in Simunul,

“He just taught us certain formations and then we were briefed about rules and regulations about the military.”

 

[MidnightSun]

Thursday March 14, 2013

Lahad Datu: Ministry hopes to raise over RM130,000 for kin of fallen fighters

Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung

PUTRAJAYA: The Housing and Local Government Ministry hopes to raise at least RM130,000 for the Tabung Wira Negara in aid of the families of security personnel killed in the fight against invaders in Lahad Datu.

Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung said it was in the midst of coming up with a mechanism for a minimum RM10 contribution from the salary of each ministry staff this month.

“We have around 13,000 staff working in agencies under our ministry. Hopefully, they will be generous and contribute more,” he told reporters here yesterday.

Earlier, Chor witnessed the signing of a corporate integrity pact between the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleaning Corporation (PPSPPA) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

During the event, PPSPPA pledged to make deductions from the March salaries of all its staff, promising a contribution of over RM11,000 for the fund.

 

[MidnightSun]

Published: Thursday March 14, 2013 MYT 3:20:00 PM
Updated: Thursday March 14, 2013 MYT 3:42:44 PM

Lahad Datu: Defence Ministry takes over Sabah's eastern coastline from JPM

Ahmad Zahid presenting a gift to Neo during the latter's visit at Mindef.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry is now responsible for overseeing Sabah east coast's 1,400km coastline previously under the purview of the Prime Minister's Department (JPM).

Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Sabah's waters, now monitored by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), would be the responsibility of his ministry and the Malaysian Royal Navy following the new directive.

"I received this command last Friday in a letter from Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the minister responsible for the MMEA.

"MMEA's command in Sabah has been handed over to me (Defence Ministry), it is no longer under the JPM," he told reporters after a courtesy call from Singapore Armed Forces Lieutenant-General Neo Kian Hong.

Ahmad Zahid said the move was necessary for coordinated operations between the navy and MMEA.

"I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for his trust and will take this responsibility to defend and carry out surveillance on the coastline and waters of East Sabah," he said.

He said it was a meaningful move as the Defence Ministry would help the MMEA in terms of additional assets and other necessities which would be further discussed with Muhyiddin and MMEA director-general Datuk Mohd Amdan Kurish.

On the arrests made in Sabah, Ahmad Zahid said: "We have an amicable relationship with the Philippines in terms of defence. Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire T Gazmin has contacted me by phone and said he has mobilised the navy and coastal guards."

He said the arrests made were on potential intruders from the Sulu island or those from Malaysian waters entering their area.

On the courtesy call, Ahmad Zahid said it was a farewell visit from Kian Hong who will be leaving the Singapore Armed Forces to serve the public sector.

"In our discussion, I updated him on Lahad Datu. Although they will not interfere in Malaysia's domestic affairs, I feel that as an Asean country they are concerned about what we are facing now," he added. - Bernama

 

[MidnightSun]

Published: Thursday March 14, 2013 MYT 5:24:00 PM
Updated: Thursday March 14, 2013 MYT 5:53:26 PM

Lahad Datu: Angry Filipino hackers turn on their Government

By PATRICK LEE

PETALING JAYA: Filipino hackers have attacked several Filipino Government websites over the Sabah crisis, accusing President Benigno Aquino III's administration of "mishandling" the matter.

Represented by Anonymous Philippines, the hackers first attacked Aquino's official website, posting a message there.

A statement on several defaced websites read: "...We expected you to appropriately and judiciously act...but you failed us. You did nothing while our fellow brothers were being butchered by the Malaysian forces."

They also accused the Filipino Government of not investigating alleged human rights abuses by security forces along Sabah's east coast, a claim denied by Putrajaya.

"If you can't act on the issue as the Philippines' President, at least do something as a fellow Filipino. We are watching," the message said.

According to the Philippine Inquirer, the attack on Aquino's website was believed to have started on Thursday at 1.30am.

Though since restored, many other Government websites are still defaced as of Thursday evening.

The attacks come ten days after both Malaysian and Filipino hackers called for a ceasefire following a three-day cyber war.

The two communities defaced up to two hundred websites belonging to each others' countries, hours after Sulu gunmen and security forces engaged in gun battles outside Kampung Tanduo in Lahad Datu.

More than sixty people, including ten Malaysian soldiers and police officers, have been killed since the Sulu gunmen clashed with security forces on Mac 1.

 

[MidnightSun]

Sabah and unfinished nation-state building in Southeast Asia

Riwanto Tirtosudarmo, Jakarta | Opinion | Thu, March 14 2013, 10:25 AM

The recent flare-up in Lahad Datu, on the eastern coast of Sabah, involving the Malaysian security apparatus and an armed group claiming to represent the Sulu Sultanate, reflects the repeated problem of unfinished nation-state building in Southeast Asia.

The incident, triggered by the landing of self-proclaimed followers of Jamalul Kiram III, the descendent of the Sulu sultan, needs to be seen in a wider context of post-colonial history especially on the fault lines of state boundaries and ethnicity.

The process of nation building in this region is always related to the problem of maintaining sustainable development in multiethnic societies. Ethnic pluralism is not only a social reality inherited from history but it continues play a part in the making of current and future societies in Southeast Asia.

In his book Ethnic Politics (1994) Esman says ethnic pluralism can be traced to three factors. First is conquest and annexation, when people are defeated and brought under the rule of the victor. Second is the process of western colonization and decolonization, which assembled and established administrative boundaries for the convenience of colonial powers.

People who had mutual affinity were often split into two or more states governed by different colonial masters. Third is population movement as people cross political boundaries in search of economic opportunities or religious and political freedom.

Borrowing Esman’s arguments to explain ethnic pluralism in Southeast Asia, most states in Southeast Asia are a result of a combination of the second and the third factors.

Most states in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, represent very well on the one hand the process of decolonization that split the region based on agreements between their former colonial masters, and on the other hand the continuing movement of people across the official nation-state’s boundaries.

The crafting of state’s boundaries by the colonial masters without any consent from the indigenous population is obviously the source of political contention as the case of Lahat Datu shows. The claim by the followers of Sulu Sultanate looks trivial in the eyes of current development but could precipitate serious problems if not solved wisely by the Malaysian and Philippine governments.

The incident cannot be isolated from the wider problems of domestic politics both in the Philippines and Malaysia. In the case of the Philippines, the protracted conflict between the government and the MNLF rebel group could have a connection with the remnants of the Sulu Sultanate who feel marginalized. The weakening of Malay-based political party UMNO could also inspire the non-Malay groups, such as indigenous people, to express their long grievances against the Malay government.

Sabah is the youngest state in the Malaysian Federation carefully nurtured by the British Imperial government in the mid-1950s. The existence of various group of people who historically and culturally do not belong to the Malays has proved to be a continuing source of ethnic contention in Sabah.

The geographic location of Sabah has attracted migrant groups from different ethnic and historical backgrounds, particularly from Indonesia and the Philippines. The arrival of Indonesian workers employed in palm oil plantations near the conflict zone clearly shows the nature of Sabah as a multiethnic society. Plantation are one of Sabah’s major sources of revenue that has attracted migrant workers from neighboring countries.

Another important feature of Sabah as commonly to other parts of Southeast Asia is its porous border. People move in and out by land between Sabah and West Kalimantan, or by sea between Sabah and Nunukan Island in East Kalimantan and Tawi-Tawi and Sulu Islands as well southern part of Mindanao in the Philippines, which used to belong to the Sulu Sultanate before the British Borneo Company controlled the region.

Nation-state building and modernization bring with them a rise in ethnic conflict as different groups begin competing under larger economic and political systems, in which, at any given time, the groups differ in numbers and control of resources. In such a new political circumstance, people are forced to adjust themselves to new social relationship and identify themselves as members of larger groups based on attributes they carry around, namely language, historical background, race or religion.

Ethnicity in a broader sense becomes a very important cultural identification which is played out within the context of power relations and the new politics of identity. This tendency may be exacerbated by the elites who utilize the phenomenon to satisfy their personal interests who may or may not coincide with the interests of the group as a whole. In this complex situation the demography of ethnicity has been manipulated to serve the powerful elites’ political and economic interests.

The Malaysian, or the Philippine, security authorities may suppress the uprising of the Sulu group. But unless the root of the problem, the unfinished nation-state building process both in Malaysia and the Philippines, remains unresolved, the conflict will emerge as a latent security threat to the two countries and ASEAN alike.

The writer is a researcher at the research center for society and culture, Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

 

[MidnightSun]

35 Sulu Sultan followers to face multiple criminal charges

March 14, 2013

They were intercepted by the Philippine navy and firearms were found on their boats.

MANILA: The government will file multiple criminal charges against 35 suspected followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who were intercepted by the navy off Tawi-Tawi province yesterday morning.

“The processes are now being undertaken by a composite team with the end view of filing the appropriate charges against them as soon as possible,” Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said at a press briefing in Malacanang Palace aired over state-run Radyo ng Bayan.

Offhand, De Lima said the suspects will be charged with illegal possession of firearms and violating the election gun ban.

“There would be other charges, I’m sure,” she said, adding these could be “in relation to their activities while in Sabah”.

The suspects, including one woman, are being held at a navy camp in Tawi-Tawi.

They were on two motorboats that had apparently come from Sabah, where the Sulu crown prince, Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, had led more than 200 followers to press their claim to the territory and where they have been battling Malaysian security forces since early this month.

One of the suspects was wounded, apparently during fighting in Sabah.

The navy also found six firearms on the boats.

De Lima said the suspects will continue to be detained at the base of Naval Task Force 62 in Panglima Sugala, Tawi-Tawi, because of “serious security concerns”.

-Agencies

 

[MidnightSun]

KL slams door on Sabah talks
March 14, 2013

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman there will be no negotiations till the Sultan's followers lay down their arms and surrender.

MANILA: Malaysia today slammed the door on any negotiation to end the crisis in Sabah, saying the Sulu armed men forces should first lay down their arms and surrender.

In a broadcast monitored here via shortwave radio, the state-run Radio 24 reported Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman as saying at a news conference that his country will not entertain any negotiations at this time, including one being proposed by third parties such as the Philippine government.

Anifah said Kuala Lumpur will agree to negotiate only if the “Sulu terrorists” will stop shooting at Malaysian forces and lay down their arms.

“They must surrender unconditionally before we can start talking,” he said.

Anifah said there had been some efforts by third parties, including the Philippine government, to open negotiations to find a peaceful end to the month-old crisis that has resulted in the death of 58 Filipinos and 9 Malaysians.

But he said “the time is not right for any outsiders to be involved at the moment,” although he admitted going to Brunei last Tuesday to brief Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, the foreign minister, who is the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on the situation in Sabah.

Anifah said he updated Bolkiah on the Sabah crisis and what Kuala Lumpur has been doing, but he said Malaysia had no intention of discussing it with the rest of the Asean members.

“I don’t think there is any necessity to get other Asean members involved,” he said.

Asked to comment on reports by Philippine media that the Kiram family might be sending emissaries to Sabah to convince Agbimuddin Kiram, Jamalul Kiram’s younger brother, to stop his group’s actions against Malaysian forces, Anifah answered:

“What will happen if something were to happen to these peacemakers or negotiators? So this is not the right time for anyone else, apart from security personnel, to be in the area.”

He also rejected a reported plan by the Manila government to send officials to Sabah to check on the condition of Filipinos arrested in the course of “Ops Daulat”.

“We could not grant them legal access for now because the investigation on suspicions they provided help or security information to the terrorists is continuing,” he said.

In another report, a Sabah-based radio station said the Royal Malaysian Armed Forces announced the deployment of more soldiers, backed by armoured personnel carriers and more helicopters, to Tawau, Lahad Datu and Semporna as Ops Daulat continued today.

Quoting Malaysian Armed Forces chief Zulkifeli Mohamad Zain, the radio station said the centre of the mopping-up operations these days was Sungai Nyamuk in Tawau, where a clash that killed four “Sulu terrorists,” including a woman, and a Malaysian soldier took place on Tuesday.

Zulkifeli was quoted in the report as telling reporters during an early morning news conference that Malaysian forces might be able to take full control of Sungai Nyamuk anytime today.

Last week, Kiram’s followers launched a fresh assault in Lahad Datu, a few hours after Zulkifeli announced that Malaysian forces had regained control over the area and that its residents could return to their homes already.

The attack prompted the Malaysian government to suspend the return of villagers displaced by the outbreak of fighting since Feb 12.

- Agencies

 

[MidnightSun]

Did airstrikes ‘cover’ terrorists escape?

Luke Rintod | March 14, 2013

What Sabahans want to know is how 130 armed men who were heavily surrounded managed to escape.

KOTA KINABALU: The Kampung Tanduo stand-off weeks ago and the current crisis gripping Sabah is fodder for coffeeshop banters.

A litany of questions have risen over the whos, whys, whereofs and how the shock intrusion happened, the handling of the crisis, the “missed targets” and the precarious political position Sabah is in now.

The answers are still slow in coming, so the rumours, interpretations and speculations of black magic continue to circulate.

What many here want to know is how did 130 armed men who were surrounded by security forces escape, considering the entire village was deserted except for the owners whose house the intruders used?

Also baffling was the contradictory statements from the army following the attack.

Sabah State Reform Party (STAR) chairman, Jeffrey Kitingan, who is as perplexed as the man on the street about this Houdini act by the terrorists, also asked why there had been no directive for a “lightning strike or decisive action” from the Malaysian army if the village was empty.

“If there were no ordinary people within the four km square in Tanduo, then why did the police not act immediately and why did they suddenly say days later [after attack] that the armed men were trying to masquerade as civilians?

“Didn’t they say there were no more civilians within the surrounded area?” Jeffrey asked, adding that it was puzzling that the military would order a bombing within the four km area if there were still civilians trapped in the area.

Jeffrey also questioned how the aircraft could have “missed” their targets and wondered if there had been a blunder with the military intelligence. Judging from the reports of “missed targets” following the few rounds of bombings, it was obvious that army had no clue of the target spots.

The theory among locals here is that the heavily armed Sulu men had used the airstrikes as a cover to slip out of the heavily guarded security zone unscathed.

“This [the escape] is baffling and I share the same concern of the people at large about the whole going-on, whether it is about army’s competency or government misleading our citizens,” Jeffrey said.

He also said that it is vital to bolster public confidence in the country ‘s ability to secure its borders against similar intrusions. He said it is best that communication briefs be handled by professionals as in other developed countries so as to bolster confidence and security.

“We cannot take our people to be stupid and easily hoodwinked into believing everything the state has to say,” he said, adding that blacking out of information on the Tanduo seige was another grave mistake by the government.

Since the attack, a special security corridor has been in place spanning the coastlines from Kudat in the north to Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Tawau in the east-coast of Sabah.