Malaysia can crush our group anytime, says Kiram spokesman

MANILA--Malaysian security forces deployed in a town in Sabah can easily neutralize the some 200 followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who are trying to reclaim the resource-rich territory, a spokesman for the sultanate said Tuesday.

In a televised press briefing, Abraham Idjirani maintained their call to prevent further bloodshed and settle the issue peacefully before an international tribunal.

“Ang totoo natatakot na ang mga iba. Sino ba ang hindi matatakot against all odds? 211 against 100,000 plus (Malaysian soldiers). Aapakan lang, wala silang magawa,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed the attack of troops on armed Filipinos holed up in Lahad Datu following the clash that killed eight policemen and 12 Kiram followers last week.

Upon learning this report, Idjirani apparently just left the fate of the standoff to God.

“Wala na tayong magawa because so many times we appealed to them (Malaysia) na pag-usapan. Kung hindi mapakiusapan, let the divine intervention judge whether kung ang ginagawa natin ay nagsasabi tayo ng totoo o hindi. In the case of the (Aquino) government, their refusal to talk with us is now a sign that this is the kind of national policy they are adopting towards the issue,” he said. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)