Trial of Kiram followers over Sabah row to start January 2014

From GMA News (Nov 2): Trial of Kiram followers over Sabah row to start January 2014

A Malaysian high court judge has scheduled for January 2014 the start of the trial of 30 people over the standoff between followers of the late Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysian forces in Sabah earlier this year.

The trial dates include January 6 to 10, January 15 to 17, January 27 to 30, and February 10 and 14, according to a report on Malaysia's New Straits Times.

High Court judge Stephen Chung set the trial dates during a case management process at the Sabah Prisons Department headquarters in Kota Kinabalu.

Expected to lead a six-member prosecution team is Malaysian Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.

The report quoted Abdul Gani as saying he "cannot confirm" if there will be 50 witnesses. "It might go up or down," he added.

On the other hand, lawyer Datuk Sivananthan will be the lead counsel for 27 of the defendants. Other counsels include Kamaruddin Mohmad Chinki, Rowiena Rasid and Abdul Gani Zulika.

Last February, Kiram's followers engaged Malaysian forces in a standoff in Lahad Datu in Sabah. The standoff ended in bloody clashes starting March 1.

Sultan Kiram died last month, but sultanate spokesman Abraham Idjirani said the sultan had ordered his followers to continue efforts to "repossess" Sabah.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/333679/news/nation/trial-of-kiram-followers-over-sabah-row-to-start-january-2014