At least 28 allies of Sulu Sultan to face trial in Malaysia in September, DFA source says

From InterAksyon (Aug 27): At least 28 allies of Sulu Sultan to face trial in Malaysia in September, DFA source says

At least 28 allies of the Sultan of Sulu "who returned to their homeland" early this year--a move that spawned violence and irritated Philippine-Malaysia relations--will start this September, a source at Manila's foreign affairs department said.

And a conviction, especially a death sentence, is likely to derail the Mindanao peace process, said the head of Washington-based non-government organization working in Mindanao.

"Once [the] trial takes place, maybe something will happen, maybe nothing. (But) at some point it’s going to blow, especially if the Malaysians start killing a lot of people. The Philippines (might have given up the claim) but the local people will not. Right now it's like a break period," said Albert Santoli, president and founder of the Asia America Initiative, which has been helping in the upkeep of the public school system in Mindanao, particularly in Sulu and Lanao del Norte.

Those arrested after the February incursion into Lahad Datu were charged with violating Malaysia’s Penal Code, particularly Section 122 for waging war against the King and Section 130 KA for terrorism. The first offense carries the death penalty, while the second offense a jail term of up to 30 years.

Most of those on trial are alleged members of the Sultanate of Sulu's Royal Security Force, said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official who refused to be identified because he is not authorized to speak on the matter.

Among those facing trial is Datu Amir Bahar, nephew of Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III, who, according to the same source, was captured not in Lahad Datu, where the sultan’s allies holed themselves up after landing in Sabah, but in Sandakan.

The source said the Malaysian government seems very serious in its plan to prosecute those who occupied parts of Sabah.

“No less than their attorney general is leading the prosecution. Imagine (Justice Secretary Leila) de Lima being the one leading the prosecution, that is how serious it is,” the source said.

The Kirams were also charged as conspirators.

The source said the DFA has hired a Malaysian lawyer, one of the few Asian legal practitioners accredited by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, to represent RSF members who were arrested.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/69468/at-least-28-allies-of-sulu-sultan-to-face-trial-in-malaysia-in-september-dfa-source-says