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| Southeast Asia | |
| MNLF urges UN, OIC to intervene in Sabah | |
| 2013-03-04 | |
| As violence spread in Sabah, the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) were urged yesterday to intervene and initiate negotiations between Malaysia and the Sultanate of Sulu. The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which made the request, however, said the Philippine government should be excluded from the negotiations. MNLF leader Nur Misuari also urged Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to stop sending more troops to Sabah and "tone down your voice." Misuari said he and his clan are the true owners of Sabah and the Malaysian state of Sarawak. He said history would bear out that Sabah and Sarawak were the original properties of his great, great grandfather.
Hashim urged the UN, through its committee on human rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to send representatives to Sabah to observe measures being carried out by Malaysian forces against Filipinos. The sultanate of Sulu claims much of Sabah, as ancestral land, and receives an annual payment from Malaysia. The sultanate wants the payment to be increased. Misuari arrived in Davao City Saturday night for a meeting with Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. He said, "The blood of our brothers in Sabah is sacred. I hope Najib will not persecute our civilians in Sabah as it will trigger bigger trouble and it will drag us into war, and I don't like that. I am calling on Najib to please tone down your voice. All of us want peace. We do not want war." He said the Sabah conflict could be settled in a "brotherly way... to the best interest of everybody." The MNLF chief said his grandnephew is a relative of the Malaysian prime minister, whom he considered a friend. Misuari admitted that some of those who went to Lahad Datu were his relatives and members of his group, but denied instigating the trip to Sabah. He said, "How can that be? I was in Africa for more than a month with my wife and I have nothing to do with the move of the sultan." He emphasized that sending "only 200" men to Sabah "is not my style." Philippine president Aquino was reportedly furious and suspected that certain quarters instigated the Lahad Datu incident to sabotage the peace process with the MNLF's breakaway group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Misuari said, "I pity the President. He does not know what he is talking about. He will become a laughingstock in the whole world." Misuari noted reports that he would be arrested for the Sabah incident. He said, "They blame me for it. Why am I being blamed for this? They said I financed it. But where would I get the money to finance a takeover?" Vice Mayor Duterte said there was no evidence linking Misuari to the incident in Sabah. He said, "I'm very sure that Nur Misuari would not do that." | |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #3 IMO the MNLF is still at odds wid the MILF + other Mindanao-based Moro opposition groups. Personally, at this time I'd to know iff AQ-linked ABU SAYYAFF + Malay-Indonesian, etc. foreign Islamist Milterr Groups are planning like MNLF to militarily intervene in the crisis??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2013-03-04 18:37 |
| #2 Is this the "poison pill" that's going to be the next reason the MLNF can't keep the peace with the national government? |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-03-04 14:01 |
| #1 The sultanate of Sulu claims much of Sabah, as ancestral land, and receives an annual payment from Malaysia. The sultanate wants the payment to be increased. Kinda sez it all. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-03-04 12:03 |