Jamalul Kiram
BBC
At least five police officers have died in an armed clash with gunmen
in eastern Sabah state, officials in Malaysia say.
At least 100 Filipinos landed by boat in the Lahad Datu district last
month.
They say documents dating back to the 19th Century are proof that the
area belongs to them.
The Muslim clan, which calls itself the Royal Army of Sulu, has
occupied the village of Lahad Datu since early February.
On Friday, 12 Filipinos and two Malaysian police officers were killed
in a gun battle there.
In the latest incident, national police chief Ismail Omar said that
five policemen were killed in an "ambush by unidentified gunmen". One
report said two attackers also died.
The Lahad Datu crisis began when a group of at least 100 clan members
were led into the region in early February by Agbimuddin Kiram, the
younger brother of the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III.
The Sulu Sultanate once spread over several southern Philippine islands
as well as parts of Borneo, and claimed Sabah as its own before it was
designated a British protectorate in the 1800s.
Sabah became part of Malaysia in 1963, and the country still pays a
token rent to the Sulu Sultanate each year.
The Royal Army of Sulu wants Malaysia to recognise it as the rightful
owner of Sabah, and to renegotiate the terms of the old lease -
something Malaysia has made clear it has no intention of doing.
No comments:
Post a Comment