'Deadline' lapses for Sulu Royal Army in Sabah “This is our land” NO LEAVING – Food still flows in

Sulu sultan scoffs at PNoy's warning, remains defiant. Sitti Krishna Idjirami (left) sister of Jamalul Kiram III (center), the 74-year-old Sultan of Sulu, and Crown Prince Bantillan Kiram (right) speak at a press conference in Manila on Tuesday. President Benigno Aquino III has warned Jamalul Kiram III that he would face the 'full force of the law' if he did not withdraw his gunmen from Sabah, Malaysia, but the elderly ruler remained defiant. AFP/Ted Aljibe

A group of the Sulu Sultanate crowned Prince Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, remained defiant after a restless Tuesday night in Sabah as the midnight "deadline" for their surrender lapsed, they also said early Wednesday that they are running out of food.

"We are ... poised to retaliate," Kiram said in an interview on dzBB radio, adding he received text messages from "sympathizers" Tuesday night that the deadline was nearing.

On Tuesday, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Raul Hernandez was quoted by Balita as saying DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario has requested Malaysia to extend the deadline until Tuesday midnight as Manila continues to persuade the group to leave peacefully.

But when asked if Malaysian authorities moved in when the "deadline" lapsed, Kiram said nothing happened.

"Walang nangyari (Nothing happened)," he said.

He also said that while they managed to get some sleep, they had to take shifts to keep watch.

'Negotiations'

For now, he said they are open to "negotiations" with Malaysian authorities, and may ask them to "respect human rights" and allow their sympathizers to bring them food.

"They must also allow sympathizers, not to stop them from coming to bring us food," he said.

He said they have been running out of food.

Kiram also said they are willing to listen to Foreign Affairs official Jose Brillantes if he meets with them.

No bigtime funding

On the other hand, Kiram insisted no one funded their trip to Sabah.

President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday had said the group may have had "collaborators" and wanted them investigated.

"Walang gumagastos sa amin. This is self-reliance," he said.

Malaysian police to resolve 'intrusion' soonest

On Tuesday, Malaysian police said the "intrusion" will be resolved soonest, and advised the public not to be worried.

Deputy Inspector General Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar was quoted in a report by Malaysia's Bernama news agency as saying the episode since Feb. 12 will be resolved.

"We will end the present standoff and I advise people not to worry. God willing, we will solve the matter as soon as possible," he said.

 

He refused to comment on supposed "negotiations."

Never back-down

In a telephone conversation with The Star, Azzimudie said his group was ready to face an attack.

"We are fine. We expect the Malaysian forces to attack today (Tuesday). We are ready to defend ourselves, we are not afraid," he said.

Asked why he thought the group would be attacked, he replied: "Because it is shown on TV and was in the radio that the deadline is over. We are not afraid because we know we are right. This is our land."

Asked if he was not afraid as he only had about 30 armed men, Azzimudie said: "We are prepared, we are waiting. We will not attack (but) we will defend ourselves."

Azzimudie, who has also been in telephone contact with his brother, had stated that he would only take orders from Jamalul Kiram.

In the meantime, the secretary-general of the sultanate, Abraham Idjirani, said that the group rejected Aquino's appeal to return to the Philippines.

After keeping the Sulu patriots encircled for nearly three weeks, Malaysian security forces, who had been waiting for an order to disarm the group, made their presence at several strategic locations in and outside the surrounding Felda plantations yesterday.

Government and army medical teams are on standby should the green light be given to deport the Sulu group.

Asked if the move against the Sulu Sultanate crowned Prince Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram will be made within the next 24 hours, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said: "Maybe. We are set to end the stand-off."

In a nationally televised statement from Malacanang, Aquino appealed to the Sulu Sultan to end the stand-off peacefully or face the full force of the law.

He said: "The point of no return has not been reached yet, but we are approaching that (time) fast."

Stating that there were 180 people in the Sulu Sultanate crowned Prince Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, with about 20 to 30 armed, Aquino warned that as citizens of the Philippines, they were bound by its laws and the constitution which renounces war as an instrument of national policy.

With report from GMA News and the Star Online- Malaysia

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MNLF - ready for WAR for SULTAN KIRAM; cited Aquino would face the court for selling the Philippines

MNLF men on alert as Sabah deadline nears

The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) has alerted placed all its fighters in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi as tension mounted between the 235 followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysian security forces in Lahad, Sabah.

Relatedly, the Malaysian national government, has taken over from the Sabah prefectorate the lead role in resolving the almost three-week long Lahad Datu crisis as the extended  deadline for the followers of Sulu Sultanate to leave and return peacefully to the Philippines is about to lapse.

The deadlines was set at Tuesday night.

"Wait and see kami. Our  forces in Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and its islands are in full red alert and ready once the situation (in Lahad Datu)  worsen," Haji Gapul Hajirul, MNLF political officer said.

The MNLF, through Hajirul, issued this statement after the group adopted a resolution of the Sultanate of Sulu calling on the United Nations to send a peacekeeping force to Sabah to prevent bloodshed between the Sultanate forces and the Malaysian authorities.

Hajirul also bared that armed civilians in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi are very eager to enter Sabah to support the Sultan's followers.

This confirmed earlier ground monitoring by intelligence sources that groups of armed Tausogs have assembled in several areas, waiting for an opportunity to enter Sabah. These civilians reportedly are relatives of the sultanate's men now holed up in a shoreline village in Lahad Datu.

"The only thing that prevents these armed civilian groups from swarming to Sabah is the naval blockade being enforced by the Philippine Navy (PN)," a source from Sulu said.

At least six naval gunboats are currently imposing the naval blockade the prevent undocumented Filipinos from going to Sabah due to the prevailing security situation in Sabah.

The MNLF, meanwhile, said that President Aquino's statement warning Sultan Jamalul Kiram III may have aggravated the situation.

"By the action shown by PNoy, it's far from the peaceful solution. Siya ang dapat makasuhan dahil ipinagbili na niya ang Pilipinas," Hajirul said.

Kiram thanks PNoy

Kiram, meanwhile, said that he is thankful for Aquino's concern for him.

"For the first time, we thank the President for his official pronouncement on the standoff in Sabah and we are happy that he is officially aware of the issue now. You will note that emissaries sent to us have been denied by Malacanang in the first four days of the issue and that those emissaries sent were not diplomatic people but rather political and military officials," the Sultan said in a press statement.

He added: "Mr. President what more proof do you want us to show that Sabah is ours? By the mere fact that Malaysia is paying us annually in the amount of 5,300 Malaysia ringgit, it is not enough?"

He said that aside from the late President Diosdado Macapagal, the late strongman, Ferdinand Marcos, has in fact solicited the authority from the Sultan of Sulu and also given the special power of attorney to pursue the claim.

This, the Sultan said, erases doubts on the diplomatic recognition of the Philippine government to the Sultanate of Sulu as the rightrul owner of North Borneo.

He also stressed that he has not committed any crime when he permitted his brother, Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, to enter Lahad Datu with armed security men.

"History proves that the Sultan of Sulu has never been involved in any violence in its quest for justice. As far as we are concerned we havent' committed  a crime," the Sultan said, adding that the action is a benevolent aspiration and not a violent reaction to fight for what is historically, legally and morally right. (http://bit.ly/13OtvE8)

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