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Aquino appeals to Kiram to end Sabah standoff peacefully

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President Aquino. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday appealed to the sultan of Sulu to help end the standoff at Sabah in a peaceful way or face the full force of the law.

In a press conference in Malacanang aired on radio and television, the President said:

“The right thing to do now is order your followers to return home as soon as possible. The choices and consequences are yours. If you choose not to cooperate, the full force of the laws of the State will be used to achieve justice for all who have been put in harm’s way.”

“The point of no return has not been reached yet, but we are approaching that (time) fast”, Aquino read from a prepared statement, referring to an undesirable end to the standoff which started when followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III went to Lahad Datu in Sabah in a bid to occupy what they claim is their ancestral land.

“May I remind you as well that as a citizen of the republic, you are bound by the constitution and its laws,” he added.

Among the possible violations, Aquino said was Article 2 Section 2 of the Constitution which provides that “the Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy”.

The enabling law of this provision is Article 118 of the Revised Penal Code which punishes those who “provoke or give occasion for a war…or expose Filipino citizens to reprisals on their persons or property.”

Aquino said there were 180 people in Lahad Datu, 20 to 30 of who were armed.

As a leader, Aquino told Kiram to  exercise his influence among his followers.

“These are your people, it behooves you to recall them. It must be clear to you that this small group of people will not succeed in addressing your grievances and that there is no way that force can achieve your aims,” Aquino said.

Malaysia has given three extensions for the followers of Kiram to leave the area, with the last deadline set to end today, Tuesday.

Aquino said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario and Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman have agreed to sit down and resolve the issue.

Once an agreement has been reached, Aquino said a Navy ship would be immediately ready to ferry everyone home.

“There is a humanitarian ship with social workers and medical officers on board nearby to facilitate the peaceful departure of those in Lahad Datu,” Aquino said.

Aquino promised to have a dialogue with the sultan once the group arrives home.

He added that a study was ongoing to determine how strong the country’s claim was.

The last time that the Philippines raised the claim for Sabah was during the 1960s.


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Tags: Aquino iii , Global Nation , Sabah standoff

  • http://twitter.com/Olibo2 Olibo

    Sultan should ask the help of international muslim community. Pnoy has no guts to support their claims. We have this Chinese intrusion issues going on, and to back-up the retaking of Sabah is a wrong timing. This is just another ‘Tenant and Landlord story’, after occupying the rental property, the landlord is the one begging the renter to move out because of unpaid rent. In this case Sabah is leased for a pittance. Malaysia is a tight-ass.

  • http://www.facebook.com/pierrelight.rousseau Gregorio Del Pilar

    PNoy said in a statement referring to Sultan Jamalul Kiram III ”This is a situation that cannot persist. If you are truly the leader of your people, you should be one with us in ordering your followers to return home peacefully.” 

    Let me say this to you PRESIDENTE, If you are truly the leader of the Republic of the Philippines, you should support the claim of the Sultanate of Sulu to Sabah. Do you think this can be resolved in a diplomatic way? Will Malaysia give Sabah back to the Philippines with mere talks? Oh yes, I remember your great father Ninoy Aquino, he was the great senator who revealed the secret training of some Armed Forces of the Philippines called in its code name “Operation Merdaka” back in 1968 to annex Sabah to the Philippines. As a result many Filipinos in Sabah mostly Tausugs and Samas were massacred by Malaysians, after that event Malaysia continues to enjoy its earning of Billion Dollars every year from its control to the land of Sabah while paying the lease of only over $1,000.00 a year to the Sultan of Sulu. Your father Ninoy was really great. 

    Why are you afraid to break the relations of Philippines to Malaysia? Why is it that most Filipino politicians say that relation to Malaysia is important than the claim of Sabah? Why? Is it because Malaysia is also a member of ASEAN? Is it because Malaysia is a trading partner? Is it because Malaysia was one major factor of your peace deal with MILF? So what? Don’t you get it? Malaysia is using these ridiculous reasons to protect its control of Sabah.

    Let me tell you this, Malaysia for the longest time is a traitor country to the Philippines. Malaysia is secretly funding the rebellion in Mindanao to divert the attention of the Philippine government of its claim to Sabah. Malaysia is funding MILF, MNLF, Abuh Sayaf etc. They also supply the rebel groups with weapons to fight the government. It is wrong to be brothers with Malaysia because they don’t feel the same way with us.

    Once we regain Sabah, we don’t need Malaysia as trading partner, because our economy will benefit so much from Sabah’s rich lands, besides, we have United States, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, China etc. as major trading partners. Malaysia is nothing compare to these countries mentioned.

    Philippine government for a very long time ignored its claim to Sabah, the last move made by the government to claim Sabah by diplomatic and military means was when Ferdinand Marcos was president, succeeding chief executives chose to be friends with Malaysia that benefited Philippines, NOTHING. If there’s perfect time to pursue our claim, it should be NOW by sending Philippine Troops to back the Royal Army of Sulu. Will you allow our brother muslims fro Sulu be “slaughtered” “again” by the Malaysian authorities? If yes, that is an act of betrayal to our republic. 

    What PNoy is doing right now, his plea to the Sultan of Sulu to withdraw his armed men, his diplomatic style with Malaysia and his attempt to scare the Sultan’s clan of legal moves against them, does not in any way benefit the Filipino people, it benefits more to Malaysian people. Is Noynoy Aquino a Filipino or Malaysian? If he is a Filipino, then what do you call his actions now? Simple, an act of betrayal to the state and to the Filipino people, just like his Framework Agreement with MILF.

    Wake up Filipinos! Am I the only one here?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/4LY5E4QAOUAACUI7X4JPY5EFBI mike mateo

    PATRIOTS TO RECOVER SABAH OUR LAND FROM ILLEGAL LAND GRABBING BY MALAYSIA

    Our Royal Patron is: His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I, The Sultan of Sulu & The Sultan of Sabah, Head of Sultanate and Head of Islam, the 35th Reigning Sultan of Sulu and Sabah.
    As from 2004 His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I, recognized as the true
    Sultan of Sulu and Sabah by the Moro National Liberation Front
    (“MNLF”), which today including reservists number over 300,000 troops,
    and on 30 January 2009, HM Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I was also jointly
    recognized by His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and by H.E.
    President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This 15 June 2011, Sulu
    Governor H.E. Sakur Tan and the Sulu Provincial Board and Sulu
    Provincial Government also recognized and supported HM Sultan Fuad A.
    Kiram I as the legitimate Sultan of Sulu and Sabah. It is the
    purpose of this group to educate and enlighten not only our esteemed
    countrymen but the world on the issue of the unquestioned ownership of
    Sabah by the Royal Sultanate of Sulu, as from 1658 to this day, and the
    Philippine sovereignty rights and claims on Sabah, enshrined in the
    Sabah Sovereignty Transfer from the Royal Sultanate of Sulu to the
    Republic of the Philippines, on 12 September 1962, which was signed
    sealed and delivered by His Majesty Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I
    (Sultan of Sulu & Sabah 1947 to 1973), Head of Sultanate, and was
    duly signed by Emmanuel Pelaez concurrent Philippine Vice President and
    Foreign Affairs Secretary on consent by H.E. President Diosdado
    Macapagal. His Majesty Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I was
    the beloved Royal father of our current 35th Reigning Sultan of Sulu
    & Sabah — His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I, and being the last
    son of his father, His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I inherited all the
    rights, titles, ranks, positions and prerogatives of his father as the
    only anointed, true and legitimate Sultan of Sulu and Sabah. On
    being crowned in 2004 HM Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I, The Sultan of Sulu
    & The Sultan of Sabah, Head of Sultanate and Head of Islam, the 35th
    Reigning Sultan of Sulu and Sabah, pronounced these historic words as a
    Royal Edict: “Sabah is not only the land and property of the
    nine (9) Royal Kiram Family heirs but also of the Tausug people and the
    Filipinos as well as per Royal Edict of our father HM Sultan Esmail E.
    Kiram I (Sultan of Sulu and Sabah 1947 to 1973) and contained in the 12
    September 1962 Sabah Sovereignty Transfer from the Royal Sultanate of
    Sulu to the Republic of the Philippines.” We aim to recover
    Sabah from the unlawful occupation of Malaysia so that from Sabah’s GDP
    of over $50 billion a year, we can use such annual GDP for social and
    economic developments of our people in Sulu and Sabah and for Filipinos,
    who will distinctly benefit from our free hospitals and free medicines,
    free education, free housing for the widows, orphans, homeless, aged
    and infirm, as well as underprivileged and the poor in our midst.
    We will also provide for electricity, clean drinking water, sanitation
    systems, telecommunications, etc., and to foster, create and enhance
    jobs and industry beneficial to all. Let us all support and
    pursue the Policies of His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I on Sabah
    recovery from Malaysia, plus equal respect, understanding, harmony,
    brotherhood, equality and stability between all races, and of Muslims
    and Christians leading to eternal dividends of peace and prosperity for
    the Tausugs and the Filipinos and our beloved nation. Long live
    His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I, the Royal Sultanate of Sulu and
    Sabah, the Republic of the Philippines, the Tausugs and the Filipinos.
    God bless them all. God Defend the Right. Allahu Akbar!

  • rajah_sulaiman

    Malaysia divided us as Nation:
    Malaysia keep us at war with each other and divided  us  as a Nation. They  are  rebellion financiers for the  war in Mindanao supporting the MNLF,MILF..for decades now against the Philippine government. Admittedly, this is not unknown to Malaysian citizens. Ask the elders from Mindanao and they will tell you the same thing. Ask yourself how come the  MNLF,MILF has made an army of their own , so powerful, so self sufficient and acquired so much high powered guns???. This  despite the heavy bombings and war waged against these militants and the Philippine government. In truth, Armaments coming from  Libya pass through Malaysia to Sabah then to SULU… Now realizing what they have done. Malaysians  brokered in Peace and they become our instant heroes????? My call to clueless leaders coming from Luzon…study the political situation in the south before jumping into conclusion….. P’Noy should have shown compassion to our Mos;em brothers… if harm is done to them and sent back to philippines?? what do you think the tausugs should do?? instead of bombing sabah?? they will sow terror in manila….poor philippines.. just because P’noy is ill advised…..

  • rajah_sulaiman

    Brothers ever heard heard of Guantanamo???
    check here:”(Reuters) – The United States pays Cuba $4,085 a month in rent for the controversial Guantanamo naval base, but Cuba has only once cashed a check in almost half a century and then only by mistake, Fidel Castro wrote in an essay published on Friday.”
    Until now the americans are still paying for a piece of land they once invaded in Cuba.. ,This dates its way back under 1903  Spanish American Treaty. If so,Then why are Malaysian’s ashamed to pay the proper rent to  the Sultanate of Sulu???? These are their Moslem brothers isn’t it..????
    The last ruling coming from  the High Court of Borneo itself  is only in 1939,, wherein the the court ruled in favour of  the SULATANATE OF SULU and make the British continue paying its rent to the SULATANATE OF SULU..if so, Then why are Malaysian’s ashamed to pay the proper rent to  the Sultanate ???? These are their Moslem brothers isn’t it..????

  • rajah_sulaiman

    Brothers ever heard heard of Guantanamo???
    check here:”(Reuters) – The United States pays Cuba $4,085 a month in rent for the controversial Guantanamo naval base, but Cuba has only once cashed a check in almost half a century and then only by mistake, Fidel Castro wrote in an essay published on Friday.”
    Until now the americans are still paying for a piece of land they once invaded in Cuba.. ,This dates its way back under 1903  Spanish American Treaty. If so,Then why are Malaysian’s ashamed to pay the proper rent to  the Sultanate of Sulu???? These are their Moslem brothers isn’t it..????
    The last ruling coming from  the High Court of Borneo itself  is only in 1939,, wherein the the court ruled in favour of  the SULATANATE OF SULU and make the British continue paying its rent to the SULATANATE OF SULU..if so, Then why are Malaysian’s ashamed to pay the proper rent to  the Sultanate ???? These are their Moslem brothers isn’t it..????

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/VS5EYSP4FPOTVQCJZ24NRE6Z2M Edgardo Mendoza

    HELP OUR BROTHERS BENIGNO AQUINO IS A TRAITORS LIAR!



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