Malaysian Prime Minister: All-out action to be taken vs. Pinoys in Sabah standoff

From GMANews (Mar 2): Malaysian Prime Minister: All-out action to be taken vs. Pinoys in Sabah standoff

After Friday's shooting left 12 Filipinos and two Malaysian policemen dead, Malaysia said it is taking "all-out action" against a group of armed Filipinos that engaged security forces in a 17-day standoff in Sabah.

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the deadline for the Filipinos to leave is now over, Malaysia's The Star online news site reported.

Twelve followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III died in a shootout with Malaysian security forces Friday, Malaysian police said, in a bloody climax to the 17-day standoff.

According to a report of the Agence France-Presse, Hamza Taib, police chief of the Malaysian state of Sabah, said two Malaysian policemen were also killed and that the standoff with the Filipino group continued, contradicting earlier official statements suggesting it was over.

The Malaysian Prime Minister expressed regret over the bloodshed but said he had authorized police and armed forces to take whatever action necessary to end the impasse.

In The Star report, Najib said Malaysia will employ "whatever means must be used to cripple the group."

“There will be no compromise; either they surrender or face the consequences,” he said.

Nine buried

Meanwhile, the camp of the Sulu Sultan on Saturday said at least nine of the Filipinos killed in the standoff have been buried in Sabah.

Radio dzBB's Paulo Santos on Saturday reported information from the Kiram camp that nine of the Filipinos killed in the shooting in Sabah were already buried as Islamic tradition states that the deceased person must be buried within 24 hours after his or her death.

The Sultan's camp also reiterated that Malaysian forces were the first to fire in the shooting that erupted.

On the other hand, in a post on his Twitter account, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said it was the Filipinos who first fired at the Malaysian forces.

"(On) Lahad Datu, I confirm that our security forces have not taken a single shot but were shot at at 10 a.m. this morning!" he said.

Aside from the contradicting reports on who fired first, there is also a question on whether the standoff has already ended.

GMA News Online has sought the Palace and the Department of Foreign Affairs for updates and clarification on the issue but has yet to receive a reply.

On Friday, the DFA said the incident was over, and that the Kiram group “escaped and ran toward the sea” while being pursued by Malaysian police.

"The Kiram group escaped and ran towards the sea. Ten men of the Kiram group surrendered and the owner of the house where kiram stayed was killed," DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said.

Negotiations, diplomacy

The Star news site quoted Hishammuddin as saying Malaysian security forces had done all it can to prevent bloodshed.

Hishammuddin said Malaysian authorities had allowed time for negotiations and diplomacy.

Najib earlier said he has given "full mandate" to police Inspector-General Tan Sri Ismail Omar and Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Zulkefli Mohd Zin "to take whatever action is deemed necessary.”

Najib also said security had been beefed up, with the intruders totally surrounded. He said the Royal Malaysian Navy is patrolling the sea to prevent the Filipinos from escaping.

The Sultan of Sulu sent the group, led by the Sultan's brother Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, on Feb. 9 to the resource-rich territory they claim as their own, creating a diplomatic crisis between Manila and Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia regards the group as intruders.

Sabah, located south of Mindanao, is territorially disputed by the Philippines and Malaysia. A Philippine claim for sovereignty over Sabah has lain dormant for decades, but Malaysia continues to pay a yearly rent to the heirs of Sultan of Sulu, who claim to be the descendants of the original Filipino sultan who had control over the territory for centuries.

The armed group is demanding recognition from Malaysia and renegotiation of the original terms of a lease on Sabah by the Sultanate to a British trading company in the 19th century. Malaysian officials have said the group's demands would not be met.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/297364/news/nation/malaysian-prime-minister-all-out-action-to-be-taken-vs-pinoys-in-sabah-standoff