A standoff in Sabah erupted in violence on Friday morning, with 12 followers of the sultan of Sulu and two police officers killed as Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak declared his patience had run out.
The Philippines on Friday asked Malaysia to give the followers of the sultan of Sulu four more days to leave Sabah peacefully as the Filipino heirs to the resource-rich state began to review their position and plan their next move to reclaim the territory formerly known as North Borneo.
Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the Philippine and the Malaysian militaries had agreed to tighten their border patrols to prevent other “illegal entries” into each other’s territories and avoid complicating the situation in Sabah.
