Sultan: No liability in Sabah clash

From the Manila Standard Today (Jun 5): Sultan: No liability in Sabah clash

The Sulu Sultanate insists  that it has no criminal liability in the bloody standoff with Malaysian security forces in Sabah that left at least 80 persons dead.

Abraham Idjirani, spokesman of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, on Tuesday said the sultanate merely fought for its rights over Sabah, and that his army did not violate any Philippine law.

“We don’t know what charges they will file against us. We did not go against the Philippine Constitution. We have explained everything to the government, and we have proven that there was no conspiracy whatsoever,” Idjirani said.

The sultanate made the statement as the National Bureau of Investigation said it has wrapped up its investigation on the failed attempt of Kiram’s armed followers to take possession of the disputed territory.

Kiram’s decision to send 200 members of the sultanate’s so-called Royal Security Forces last February set  off a bitter armed conflict with the Malaysian government, which resulted  in the deaths of 68 Filipinos and 10 Malaysian security personnel.

The NBI has summoned officials of the sultanate and their close supporters during its investigation to prove reports of alleged conspiracy to sow terror in Sabah and cause destabilization in the government.

Idjirani said the NBI and the Department of Justice  are using the threat of lawsuit as a scare tactic to discourage support to the sultanate’s long-standing claim on Sabah.

“We half-expected the Aquino administration to support us, being citizens of the Philippines, and yet President Aquino wants us indicted for doing what we believe is right. Like all previous presidents, he put our Sabah claim in the backburner, so we have no choice but to act on our own,” the sultanate official said of Kiram’s decision to send his followers to Sabah to revive its claim over the area.

Idjirani pointed out that the Philippine and Malaysian governments have failed to abide by the 1963 Manila Accord.

The agreement, signed on July 31, 1963, stated that Malaysia and Indonesia “took note” of the Philippines’ claim on Sabah and the right of the Philippines to continue to pursue it in accordance with international law and the principle of the pacific settlement of dispute.

“The sultanate has all the rights to appeal its claim on Sabah before an international body based on the provisions of the 1963 Manila Accord,” Idjirani reiterated.

“Under the 1963 Manila Accord, our appeal has basis. The Sabah claim has not been decided upon by the United Nations, so we can tell Malaysia that the sultanate has the right to protect its interests over Sabah, especially the Filipino residents there,” he added.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/06/05/sultan-no-liability-in-sabah-clash/