Malaysian report 'complete lie': Sultanate of Sulu

From the Manila Bulletin (Apr 25): Malaysian report 'complete lie': Sultanate of Sulu

"That is a complete lie, a fabrication!"

The Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo (SSNB) made this strong statement on Thursday, denying and rejecting a news report in a Malaysian newspaper that said that Philippine Navy and Coast Guard personnel killed 35 Suluk (Tausug) militants on Wednesday trying to get into Sabah.

"We are denying that because no one is going there in Sabah because of the election there," sultanate spokesman Idjirani said on Thursday.

"If that is true, then the news will quickly spread like wildfire," he said.

According to Idjirani, the last time people from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan went to Sabah was over two weeks ago referring to the 1,000 or so members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who volunteered to help the sultanate's Royal Security Force (RSF).

"My wife and I were in Sulu on Wednesday. We did not hear anything. We arrived in Manila only in the evening," said Idjirani.

He said the sultanate has no plans to disrupt the 13th General Elections (GE13) of Malaysia, saying "We are not involved in the election there, and we are not with the Malaysian opposition."

He accused Malaysian Defense Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zaid Hamidi of "lying and fabricating reports" about the supposed 35 slain Suluk militants.

Hamidi's statement came out on Thursday in the online edition of the The Star, citing an "intelligence report" that reportedly said the Suluk men wanted to disrupt the election.

The Malaysian official said the Suluk men were shot by Filipino soldiers after they refused to turn back, but were still in Philippine waters.

Idjirani noted that the report came as President Benigno S. Aquino III is in Brunei attending the summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"Maybe the Malaysian government wants the President to become angrier with the sultanate," the sultanate's secretary-general said.

"We wish the President success in his trip and hope that he will talk about Sabah at the ASEAN summit. The Suluk people in Sabah are going to exercise their right to vote. Our people here in Sulu are doing everything to help their relatives in the May 13 election in our country," he adds.

He said everyone in Region 9 is busy helping their relatives win in the electoral race and have no time to go to Sabah.

Idjirani said in Sabah (formerly North Borneo), there are over 600,000 Suluk people who are eligible voters because they have the identification cards (IC) called "Mahathir MyKad" issued in the past by the government.

"The Suluk people in Sabah will be a crucial factor in the election. They are going to vote in order for them to distance themselves from the Sabah standoff and show they are not members of the Royal Army of the sultanate," he said.

He recalled that a certain "Mr. Jambon" of Sabah's Kadasan tribe spoke in the British Parliament in 2010 and exposed the Malaysian government's distribution of the ICs.
"Obviously, the purpose of giving ICs to Filipinos and other foreigners in the territory was to court voters to favor administration candidates," said Idjirani.

In early February this year, Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram led 235 RSF members to Sabah to revive and stake their "historical rights" over the disputed territory.

A three-week standoff ensued as Malaysia wanted them to stand down and return to the Philippines.

The rajah muda did not budge, saying they went to Sabah to live settle peacefully because it is their "ancestral home."

On March 1 fighting erupted, and escalated on March 5 to a massive offensive launched by the military and police of the Muslim country.

After about 70 dead, the rajah muda and his men reinforced by hundreds of MNLF members are still on the island, Idjirani said.

http://www.mb.com.ph/article.php?aid=9245&sid=1&subid=2