North Borneo Standoff Malaysia vs Sultanate of Sulu: Philippines Send 5 naval ships

A Philippine Navy ship patrols the Sulu Sea near the port of Sulu province southern Philippines/EPA

"Going there with arms is not the way to resolve this. When you brandish arms naturally the other side has only one way to respond to such a challenge,'' Philippines president Benigno Aquino reportedly said in his first public comment on the incident. He urged the gunmen to give up peacefully.

Lahad Datu Standoff: Philippines naval ships in Tawi-Tawi waters to help stabilise situation

LAHAD DATU: Six Philippines naval ships have been deployed to the seas of Sulu and Tawi Tawi to prevent possible spill over from the standoff between Malaysian forces and the self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan's gunmen.

The ships are only conducting patrols within the waters of Tawi Tawi islands, less than half-hour speed boat ride from the seaside village of Tandau where the Sulu group has been holed up since Feb 9.

Philippines navy spokesman Lt Comm Gregory Fabic was quoted as telling the media in Manila that the naval vessels would not dock in Sabah waters but were there to help make the situation stable.

He stated that there were also no instructions given for the evacuation of the Sulu group led Raja Muda Azzimudie Kiram, the brother of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III.

``We are hoping that this will be resolved peacefully. If they are retreating, we are not there to help them because we need instructions if they can be picked up,'' Fabic was quoted as saying.

``If there are conflicts, we cannot help them. We will (only go there) if it is resolved peacefully and are given instructions to repatriate them,'' Fabic added.

The Sulu group of about 100 have insisted on staying put in Tanduo although a Friday deadline for them to be deported is looming.

The Malaysian security forces, who have thrown a tight land and sea cordon around the group, are reportedly in a position to deport the group anytime but are holding back pending efforts to resolve the standoff through negotiations without bloodshed.

Meanwhile, Philippines president Benigno Aquino reportedly said in Manila that the Sulu gunmen, who claimed that North Borneo was part of the Sulu Sultanate, should give up peacefully.

``Going there with arms is not the way to resolve this. When you brandish arms naturally the other side has only one way to respond to such a challenge,'' Aquino was quoted as saying in his first public comment on the incident.

Aquino also stated that his government had been talking to all parties, including the Sultan's family, to find a peaceful solution.

Philippines Foreign secretary Albert del Rosario stated in a separate statement that Aquino had ordered his government authorities ``to do everything'' possible to try and urge them to peacefully withdraw and to do this as quickly as possible.  (http://bit.ly/139brbN )

The Star Online

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Why the D.C. lawyer suing China for the Philippines still thinks he can win

When the government of the Philippines announced last month it was taking China to court over territorial claims in the South China Sea, it was seen by some as a surprising but savvy move -- a first step toward establishing some sort of law and order in East Asia's waters, which, up until now have been a sort of aquatic Wild West, with nations planting flags on rocks, roping off shoals, and building up tiny reefs to stake their claims.

The hearing was to determine the validity of China's claims to a wide swath of ocean that encompasses waters near the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, among other countries. Manila even generated some buzz by hiring D.C. lawyer Paul Reichler to argue its case, a man who's made his name as a "giant-slayer" in the world of international law for his often-successful track record of suing the U.S. Russia, and Britain on behalf of countries like Nicaragua, Georgia and Mauritius.

Then, on Tuesday, China made clear it had no plans to participate in any international court arbitration. Though the hearing will go on without China's participation, the decision, some may think, doesn't bode well for hopes that China might abide by a ruling that doesn't go its way.

Still, Reichler, who was hired by the Philippines last year, thinks the rising power could come around.

"They're very smart people," he said in an interview last week. "And I think they might come to understand that in the long run their best interests are served by being a responsible member of the international community."

Reichler's faith in the power of international law to wrangle even the largest of powers comes from his success suing the United States. He took America to The Hague on behalf of the Sandinista government of Nicaragua in the 1980s, over U.S. support of the Contras, and won -- an effort that earned him the ire of figures like John McCain. As a result of the victory - and the international pressure that accompanied it -- he says, Congress cut off funding for Contra support.

"It's a very high cost to prestige to be branded as an international wrongdoer and then not comply," he said.

The decision not to take part in the arbitration is "unfortunate," Reichler said in an email (China has long said it doesn't want to its territorial conflicts "internationalized").  "They had an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to the international legal order, to show respect for its procedures, and to agree to be bound by its rules. Had they seized this chance, they would have proven that they are not only a great power, but a responsible one."

But the pressure on Beijing to comply with an unfavorable ruling - even if it doesn't participate - will still be there, Reichler said.

"To me, China has always denounced imperialism, denounced unilateralism, has denounced violations of the U.N. Charter," he said. "This is an opportunity for China to really show its true colors." (http://atfp.co/YElmQS)

Foreign Policy 

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