Sweden asks China to cooperate over severed cables    Childcare worker who abused more than 60 girls jailed for life    Indian airlines hit by nearly 1,000 hoax bomb threats    Georgia postpones EU membership bid until 2028    K-Pop group NewJeans split from agency in mistreatment row    Lulu opens new store in Al Fakhriyah, Dammam as it further strengthening its presence in Saudi Arabia New Lulu stores are set to open in Makkah and Madinah    Defending the Truth: Saudi Arabia and the 2034 World Cup    UNCCD COP16 will witness ministerial dialogues to address global land degradation The conference to host first dual-track dialogue on environmental issues    Culture minister visits Diriyah Art Futures    Saudi Arabia calls for enhanced international cooperation to address water sector challenges    GCC Preparatory Ministerial Meeting discusses developments in Gaza and Lebanon    RCRC Chief: Riyadh Metro, featuring environmental sustainability, will improve quality of life and revolutionize transportation    Saudi Arabia hosts over 13 million foreign residents from 60 countries, says human rights official    Al Taawoun seals AFC Champions League Two knockout spot with 2-1 win over Al Khaldiya    Elon Musk publicizes names of government employees he wants to cut    Al-Jasser: Riyadh Metro to accommodate one million passengers daily    Al Hilal advances to AFC Champions League knockout stage despite 1-1 draw with Al Sadd    Best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies    Most decorated Australian Olympian McKeon retires    Adele doesn't know when she'll perform again after tearful Vegas goodbye    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Malaysia refuses access to Filipinos in violence
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 14 - 03 - 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, MalaysiaMalaysian authorities will not let armed members of a Filipino royal clan who are being hunted in Borneo meet with Philippine officials or family members who might seek to negotiate their safety, the foreign minister said Wednesday.
Clashes sparked by the clansmen's intrusion into Malaysia's Sabah state have killed 56 Filipinos and nine Malaysian police and army personnel this month, according to Malaysian government estimates. One of the clan's Philippine-based leaders, Esmail Kiram II, said earlier this week that a group of Filipinos could try entering the area to meet the clansmen and discuss how to resolve the crisis if a cease-fire is declared.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said Wednesday that authorities could not guarantee the safety of any negotiators. “This is not the right time, this is not the right place for any outsiders apart from the security personnel to be in the area,” Anifah told reporters after briefing more than 80 foreign diplomats about the crisis.
Anifah reiterated Malaysia's stance that the Filipino gunmen must surrender unconditionally and face prosecution.
Kiram told The Associated Press in Manila on Wednesday that personally meeting his younger brother, who is leading the Filipinos in Sabah, would be crucial in ending the standoff without further casualties. “It will be difficult if we can't get Malaysia's cooperation,” Kiram said in response to Anifah's comments.
Malaysian and Philippine authorities had tried to convince the clansmen to leave peacefully after they began occupying a remote village on Sabah's eastern seaboard last month. Anifah said Malaysian authorities would also not grant legal access for now to dozens of Filipinos detained in Sabah on suspicion of providing help or information to the clansmen. They are being held under a national security law that allows detention without trial for up to 28 days before they must be freed or brought to court.
Kiram's younger brother, Agbimuddin, has said he would rather die than surrender his Philippine sultanate's rights to Sabah. On Wednesday, two Philippine navy gunboats intercepted 35 suspected followers of Agbimuddin who apparently fled Sabah aboard two motor boats and were traveling back to the southern Philippines, regional military commander Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo said.
The men were carrying 11 firearms and at least one was wounded and treated on a Philippine navy ship off Tawi Tawi, the country's southernmost province, he said. Navy officials said the men would be turned over to local police for investigation.
Philippine navy vessels patrolling the sea border with Malaysia have also intercepted Filipino settlers who were leaving following the violence amid concerns about a Malaysian crackdown on Filipino suspects. — AP


Clic here to read the story from its source.