|
Sultanate: Thanks for sending ship but Filipinos will stay in Sabah
The Sultanate of Sulu said on Sunday night it was not notified by the Philippine government about the dispatch of a ship to Lahur Datu to fetch Filipino Muslims who have been occupying a village in Sabah, Malaysia for days. But Abraham Iridjani, national spokesman for the sultanate, said that both the Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III and Crowned Prince Agbimuddin Kiram II thanked President Aquino for the humanitarian assistance. Asked whether the women in the group would return home in the humanitarian ship, Iridjani said the women were determined to stay with their husbands. The Sultanate of Sulu sent its followers to Sabah, which it has claimed as its ancestral domain for decades. Its claim has been supported by the fact that Malaysia has been paying the sultanate rent money for its lease of Sabah. The Sultanate sent its followers days ago after sensing that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which may soon sign a peace agreement with the Philippine government, was indifferent to the sultanates claims. The government dispatched on Sunday night, a ship to fetch and ferry back women and other civilians who have been among the 180 Muslim Filipinos and followers of the Sultan of Sulu holed up in a village in Sabah. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said, We sent the ship to Lahad Datu on a humanitarian mission. We are deeply concerned about the presence of five women and other civilians in the group, and we urge them to board the ship without delay and return home. As we have stated in countless occasions previously, we call on the entire group to go back to their homes and families, even at the same time we are addressing the core issues they have raised. Please do so for your own safety." Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III had said his followers will remain in the village. Posted by: ryuge 2013-02-25 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=362961 |