Kiram’s nephew falls in Sabah
ANEPHEW of Sulu sultan Jamalul Kiram 3rd was arrested in Sabah along with his wife, leading Malaysian authorities to say that the group that “invaded” the island in February had been crippled.
Reports said that Datu Amir Baha Hushin Kiram and his wife, Gina Taves,
were captured in a swamp in Kampung Sri Melor Bugaya in the town of Semporna on Saturday. Datu Amir Baha is a son of Sultan Bantilan Esmail Kiram 2nd, the Sulu sultan’s younger brother.
Malaysian authorities had tagged Datu Amir Baha as one of the top commanders of the group whose members are now being hunted in Sabah. However, the sultanate of Sulu denied this, saying that Datu Amir Baha was not a leader of the group since he had even spoken against the sultanate’s plan to go to Sabah.
According to a report of the New Straits Times, seized from the couple were two laptop bags, three hand phones, a Western Union card, a SIM card, a broadband device and a memory card, and documents “related to the Sulu Sultanate and signed by Sultan Islam Dalus Kiram 2nd.”
The New Straits Times reported that Police deputy Inspector-General Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said a local “coordinator” for the sultan’s followers in Sabah was also arrested.
So far, 408 supporters of Kiram had been arrested since Malaysian security forces started their offensive operations on March 5.
Kiram’s spokesman, Abraham Idjirani, said that they have yet to confirm Datu Amir Baha’s arrest.
He said that Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, leader of the sultanate’s royal force in Sabah, called them up on Saturday but did not mention anything about Amir Baha’s arrest.
“Datu Amir Baha did not do anything illegal, in fact, he even opposed the sultanate’s plan to go to Sabah. He even served as mediator and helped the Malaysian government in previous negotiations with the sultanate’s forces before the March 1 massacre,” Idjirani said.
He was referring to the first encounter between Malaysian security forces and Agbimuddin’s men where 10 of followers of the sultan were killed.
Idjirani clarified that Amir Baha was not a “military commander” of the sultanate’s royal forces.
“He is not a commander. He is not even a part of the Royal Security Forces,” he said.
He added that the sultanate is alarmed by the rampant illegal ar-
rests of Filipino residents in Sabah.
Assistance
Meanwhile, Malacanang on Sunday said that the Philippine government is ready to provide legal assistance to Datu Amir Baha.
In an interview aired over staterun Radyo ng Bayan, Palace deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said that the government has an obligation to ensure that the rights of Filipinos are respected.
“As the President said, we would be extending assistance. It’s not dependent on whether you believe in their cause or not, but the fact is, they will be facing charges and we will be extending assistance,’’ she added.
Earlier, President Benigno Aquino 3rd ordered embassy officials in Kuala Lumpur to provide lawyers for the eight Filipinos who have been charged in connection with Agbimuddin’s incursion in Lahad Datu.
The eight Filipinos were charged with waging war against Malaysia’s king and harboring people who commit terrorist acts. The first offense reportedly carries a penalty of death penalty upon conviction while the second offense provides for a jail term of up to 30 years.
“Automatic na bibigyan natin ng legal assistance kung sinumang kababayan natin ang nalalagay sa — ‘yung humaharap sa pagsasakdal, regardless kung naniwala tayo doon sa pinaglalaban nila o hindi [We automatically give legal assistance to any Filipino facing trial regardless if we believe in their cause or not],” he said “May obligasyon tayo na pangalagaan ‘yung kanilang mga karapatan [We have an obligation to protect their rights],” he added.
Not yet finished
Valte also said that the study being done by various government agencies on the country’s claim on Sabah is not yet done.
“While there is progress on that front, wala pa, hindi pa po sila tapos (they have not finished yet),” Valte said, noting that the President also ordered a similar study on how to handle and what the government should do following the issue on the West Philippine Sea ( South China Sea).
“Given the weight and importance of those particular issues, it might take sometime for the agencies to synthesize the information that is already available to them,” she added.