________________________________________________

Malaysiakini

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussien said that the prime minister will announce the formation of a new Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the Lahad Datu intrusion.

The announcement will be made on Monday, according to the Chinese-language daily China Press today on its Facebook page.

Hishammuddin also reportedly expressed hope that former Sabah Chief Minister Harris Salleh would produce evidence to back his allegations of police power abuse  against the Sabah Sulu community to prevent the issue from being politicised.

Harris has previously reportedly claimed that the police have unlawfully confiscated and destroyed identity cards and immigration documents of the community’s members – an allegation that Inspector General of Police Ismail Omar vehemently denies.

PM to announce RCI on Lahad Datu intrusion

——–

THE WATER VILLAGES IN SABAH

Straight from the horse’s mouth: Dr Mahathir on why he allowed water villages.

Now he wants to get rid of them.

Malaysiakini

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said water villages in Sabah were not demolished during his administration over fears of rebellion.

However, things have changed now, and the current situation in Sabah requires that such villages are destroyed.

“If we tried it at the time, they would have revolted. Most of them consist of outsiders.We don’t want a lot of trouble, for no reason.

“But this time, they (villagers) are paving the way for aliens that are unknown to the (authorities),” Mahathir told reporters today.

Former PM explains why he allowed ‘water villages’

——–

Malaysiakini

‘Water villages’, networks of houses built on stilts on Sabah’s coast, should no longer be allowed, as they can be used for foreign intrusion and contribute to pollution, said former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“We used to station immigration officers on the water villages, but now we station them on land. So foreigners are free to come into the water villages to do what they want.

“Even if they carry weapons we cannot check… To inspect the water villages are difficult because of the cramped walkways, it makes us open to attacks (ambushes),” said Mahathir…

“I think after this, we cannot allow water villages. They also generate effluent,” he warned.

speech

——–

Free Malaysia Today

“There are many others who are victims too, including the minority communities.”

He called on the United Nations to conduct a high-level fact-finding mission on the Sabah situation before making assumptions or deciding on a course of action.

Sabah natives: We’re losing our lives too

Media organisations are urged to highlight the misery of indigenous peoples living in the Lahad Datu area.

KUALA LUMPUR: A group representing Sabah natives has urged the media to highlight the suffering indigenous peoples have to bear as Malaysian forces battle Sulu invaders in the state.

Andrew Ambrose, who leads the Sabah Coalition of Human Rights Organisations (Sacohuro), told reporters today that the presence of security forces in the Lahad Datu area had severely disrupted the lives of locals.

He paid tribute to the soldiers and policemen fighting the invaders and offered his sympathies to the families of the fallen, but said the natives too were losing their lives in a sense.

“The presence of security forces have been greatly felt, thanks to the media, which have been showing images of them on ground zero on a daily basis,” said Ambrose.

“But the people of Sabah, especially the indigenous people, are feeling insecure and helpless.

“Our fears are justified. Recently, a gunman threatened the father of a member of one of our support organisations. We believe the stranger was one of the intruders.

“It’s hard enough to live in fear. But not only have we been deprived of our right to be safe; our freedom of movement too has been restricted.”

He said roadblocks put up by the security forces had added to the misery of the locals.

“Roadblocks have limited the people from performing their daily routines and earning their livelihood.”

Sabah natives: We’re losing our lives too

——–

WHILE WE HEAR OF REFUGEES OF WAR IN PARTS OF AFRICA, THE PROBLEM IS NOW REAL AND GROWING IN OUR OWN COUNTRY…

Free Malaysia Today

An estimated 800,000 Filipinos are believed to have made Sabah their home.

Philippine Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman was reported to have said some 1,500 Filipino illegals from Sabah had arrived in the coastal towns of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi since Friday.

Manila braces for Filipino exodus from Sabah conflict zone

March 13, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 ― The Philippine government is readying for a potential refugee crisis in its southern islands with Filipinos fleeing Sabah’s restive east coast as Malaysia’s defence forces step up the hunt for Sulu militants it regards as terrorists.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has ordered government officials to stock up on food supplies and step up humanitarian support to Filipinos ― including illegal emigrants seeking better jobs ― who have started returning to the republic by the hundreds since last Friday, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported today.

“The president wants the heads of government agencies to ensure that there will be sufficient supply of food and government support to our countrymen in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

“The president ordered us to ensure the safety of Filipinos living in those areas and that the government is ready in case there will be an influx of evacuees,” Philippine Interior Secretary Mar Roxas was quoted as saying.

The Aquino administration has ordered 100,000 sacks of rice to be delivered to evacuation centres in the south Philippines, the paper reported, as fear over food shortages appeared to be driving up prices of the staple there.

Manila braces for Filipino exodus from Sabah conflict zone

——–

Malaysiakini

Police will hunt down individuals who post disparaging comments about the actions of security forces in Sabah via social media, warned deputy inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar.

“I have issued orders to hound those who post statements that disparage or demean the actions of our forces, especially those who have fallen or are injured,” he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

“Don’t commit stupid acts like this… I ask that they stop. We will hound them, we will take action.”

When asked about the legal provisions and penalties for this, Khalid vaguely said that there are “various ways” to do so.

He conceded that action could not be taken against foreigners as “that is out of our jurisdiction”

Cops to hunt security forces scorners on social media

——–

As Malaysian security forces continued to hunt down followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III in Sabah, Malaysian police warned residents against flyers that create racial disharmony, a Malaysian news site reported Monday.

“So far, we have received two reports of flyers asking the Suluk community here to join in the reprisal (with Sulu terrorists),”  said Tawau district  police chief assistant commissioner Awang Besar Dullah, according to the New Straits Times.

The NST report said Tawau is one area in Sabah with a large Suluk/Tausug community.

District Criminal Investigations Department chief deputy superintendent Awang Arshad Awang Bakar added the flyers were placed at windshield wipers of cars.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/298801/news/nation/malaysian-police-warn-residents-vs-flyer

——–

Investigate the story that the invaders were invited to Lahad Datu by Umno members.

Investigate the tale that one Umno local leader is related to the Sultan of Sulu and that he had lost a court battle with Felda and was miffed enough to ask the Sultan of Sulu to come to Lahad Datu to reclaim land taken by Felda.

Free Malaysia Today

Probe Umno links to Sulus

The bigger fear among Umno leaders is that any drastic military action would have destroyed the reservoir of potential voters among the Filipinos with Malaysian Identity Cards.

Umno Baru godfather Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the government misread the situation in Lahad Datu.
……….

Mahathir claims the government “acted cautiously” because the intruders were Muslims.

But the likelihood is greater that the bigger fear among Umno leaders was that drastic military action would have destroyed the reservoir of potential voters among the Filipinos with Malaysian Identity Cards, beneficiaries of Mahathir’s “Project IC” in Sabah.

To unleash our military might would be to destroy a fixed deposit that has kept Umno-Barisan Nasional in power here for decades.

What perhaps is needed now is an investigation into the links between the Sulu intruders and Umno.

Investigate the story that the invaders were invited to Lahad Datu by Umno members.

Probe Umno links to Sulus

——–

Free Malaysia Today

Philippine Navy to fetch 400 more Sabah evacuees

The evacuees, from different parts of Sabah, left Sandakan in small boats.

BONGAO (Tawi-Tawi): The Philippine Navy has sent a vessel to fetch more than 400 Filipinos who have fled Sabah to escape a crackdown by Malaysian authorities and being caught up in the violence between followers of the sultanate of Sulu and security forces.

The evacuees, from different areas in Sabah, left Sandakan in small vessels and sailed for Taganak Island in the Turtle Islands and are without food because they fled hurriedly.

They are expected to reach here tonight after being fetched by the navy.

They will be the second major batch of Filipinos who have fled Sabah since Friday’s arrival here of 125 evacuees.

Philippine Navy to fetch 400 more Sabah evacuees

——–

Free Malaysia Today

800,000 Filipinos may be sent home

Those who became Malaysian citizens under Project IC will be the most affected.

MANILA: The majority, if not all, of the 800,000 Filipinos based in Sabah may be sent back to the Philippines on the premise that they had acquired their Malaysian citizenship illegally over the past 20 years under a controversial systematic granting of citizenship to foreigners dubbed Project IC (identity cards).

Project IC, which is blamed on former Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad, was said to be among the factors that led followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to “invade” Sabah in February. Most of the Filipinos who benefited from the project in the past are Tausugs from the nearby islands of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

800,000 Filipinos may be sent home

——–

Free Malaysia Today

Fleeing Filipinos claim bloody crackdown

Philippines officials claim there are now close to a thousand refugees from Sabah in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and more on the smaller islands.

KOTA KINABALU: Fearful Filipinos, many with papers stating they are Malaysian, are reportedly fleeing the state in small boats to escape an alleged crackdown by police on suspected supporters of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III of Sulu.

Claims of shooting and beatings at the hands of the police are being made by those who landed in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, the Inquirer, a Philippines web news portal reported yesterday.

“They dragged all the males outside the house, kicked and hit them,” it quoted Amira Taradji recounting her family’s ordeal in Sandakan.
……….

She alleged that some of the arrested men, who tried to dissuade the police from arresting them by waving immigration documents, were killed just the same for trying to evade the raiders.
……….

She said that though she and here family are MyKad holders, they abandoned their home when the police raids started on Monday night claiming that the police were ruthless.

Fleeing Filipinos claim bloody crackdown

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Free Malaysia Today

Prices soar as Sabah seals borders

The ongoing security sweep in Tawau, Lahad Datu and Sandakan has dampened ‘informal trade ties’ between east coast Sabah and southern Philippines.

TAWAU: The sealing off of the maritime border between Sabah, the Southern Philippines and Indonesia – something that Malaysian authorities had in the past said was extremely difficult due to the proximity of both – is having an unexpected effect.

The prices of contraband cigarette have risen in the east coast over the last couple of days suggesting that the naval blockade has cut off the traditional illegal sea routes into Sabah which had enabled the multi-million ringgit trade in smuggled goods to flourish.
……….

Philippines internet news portal, the Inquirer has also reported that goods coming to and from Malaysia have been constricted, forcing traders here to jack up their prices.

On Mindanao, which is geographically closer to Sabah than the country’s political centre, most of the products, including food, fuel and clothing, are imported from Malaysia.

Rice in Bongao, it reported is now being sold at P750 to P800 (RM57-60)per sack from its original price of P680 (RM52), while fuel is sold at P60 (RM4.60) per litre from its original price of P45 (RM3.45) per litre.

Prices soar as Sabah seals borders

——–

DESPITE YEN YEN’S REASSURING “IT’S SAFE TO COME”, TOURISTS CANCEL THEIR BOOKINGS….

MATTA Sabah chapter chairman K.L. Tan, “Several foreign countries have advised their citizens to avoid coming here (to Sabah) without taking into account that the intrusion occurred only in a remote area.”

Star

• 10 Mar 2013
• The Star Malaysia

Tourism industry takes a dip in Lahad Datu

Events in Lahad Datu have had a negative impact on tourism, with hotels and tour agencies receiving cancellations from holidaymakers.

Sandakan’s Sabah Hotel sales and marketing director Anthony Kong said the first week of March was usually busy but cancellations had been pouring in since the intrusion.

http://mystar.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

——–

Temporary ‘refugees’

About 2,000 people from several villages have been relocated to several community halls in Lahad Datu after Sulu gunmen came to shore.

Star

• 10 Mar 2013
• The Star Malaysia

Gruelling life for those displaced by Sulu gunmen

LAHAD DATU: Suhana Ahma fans her two month-old first-born with a piece of cardboard to ward off flies as he sleeps on the concrete floor.

Much-needed contribution: Volunteers unpacking aid sent by Kelab Putera 1Malaysia during the Lahad Datu standoff at Felda Sahabat.

Their home for now is the Cenderawasih community hall located in the massive Felda Sahabat land development scheme (240,000ha), about four times bigger than Singapore island.

Suhala, 24, and her husband, Mohd Yusof Atti, 29, are among 2,000 people from several villages relocated to several community halls here after Sulu gunmen came to shore.

Apart from Cenderawasih, located near the main township, the other centres are Fajar Bakti and Embara Budi, some 20km away.
……….

As they wait out the offensive against the gunmen, the displaced families try to make the best of their disrupted lives…and worry about their homes and belongings…

http://mystar.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

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Free Malaysia Today

Did Najib lie to the nation?

Najib is wrong in making unilateral claims that Sabah belongs to Malaysia when historical legal documents and agreements may indicate otherwise.

Yesterday, Najib made the following statement at a press conference in Lahad Datu: “The question of Sabah within Malaysia should not be disputed by anyone. Let not anyone underestimate Malaysia’s commitment to have Sabah within Malaysia forever. No one can dispute this, from within and outside the country. We will uphold the principle and fact of Sabah within Malaysia absolutely”.

Now, with the involvement of the two late former prime ministers of Malaysia – Tunku Abdul Rahman and Abdul Razak Hussein – in the Manila Accord and joint statement which contained straightforward and unambiguous stipulations, the question that begged to be answered now is: why did Najib lie to the whole nation without even blinking his eyes?
……….

Internationally, is Najib not telling the whole world, especially foreign investors, that what Malaysia agrees and signs at any time may not be fulfilled or respected at Malaysia’s whims and fancies?
………….

Effectively, he has also slapped each and every Malaysian who has an ounce of dignity.

The writer is a former Sabah tour operator; loves food and speed; and blogs at http://legalandprudent.blogspot.com giving no quarters. The opinion and interpretation heretofore contained are exclusively his alone.

Did Najib lie to the nation?

——–

Free Malaysia Today

There was no Sabah referendum’

Najib Razak:

“On the question of polemics of whether Sabah is a part of Malaysia, I want to stress that the issue had been finalised in 1978 and Sabah is a valid region in Malaysia,” he said.

(The Cobbold Commission was set up to find out whether the people of Sabah and Sarawak were agreeable to the proposal to create Malaysia, made up of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak.)

There was no Sabah referendum’

——–

Malaysia Chronicle

Friday, 08 March 2013 06:54

LESSONS FOR S’PORE: M’sian Armed Forces versus Sulu gunmen in Sabah

Written by  David Boey

At a more basic level of security preparedness, it would be ill-advised for the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to display the level of tolerance shown by the Malaysians during this episode.

Crucial observations made by the writer, a former defence correspondent for the Straits Times, who maintains Senang Diri , a blog about Singapore defence matters (http://kementah.blogspot.sg/).

1 The casual attitude to personal protection equipment by Malaysian soldiers and General Operations Force field police has been noted by defence observers.

* Body armour is rarely seen. When worn by some officers, the body armour appears to be of the soft body armour type which is not designed to withstand full metal jacket projectiles discharged from firearms or mortar rounds.

* Headgear in the form of ballistic helmets is almost never worn. And let’s not even go into protective eyewear like goggles.

2 The poor quality of firearms used by the Police General Operations Force.

Their M-16 5.56mm rifles are aimed using iron sights. Night-fighting capability? Non-existent.

3 Even after a deadly ambush, it is noteworthy that armoured vehicles appear to be in short supply in Sabah. Vehicle patrols by the police there continue to be mounted in unarmoured Land Rovers and trucks.

-AsiaOne

LESSONS FOR S’PORE: M’sian Armed Forces versus Sulu gunmen in Sabah

——–

Rumour?

A news blackout on the ongoings in Lahad Datu and a lack of informed regular updates from the Malaysian authorities have given wind to widespread rumours, the latest being that a group of Moro militants bombed a bridge in Sandakan and a truck heading towards Lahad Datu was attacked.

Free Malaysia Today

Guerrilla warfare – militants hitting back?

A Moro National Liberation Front source is of the view that the war in Sabah will be ‘very costly’ to the Malaysian security forces.

LAHAD DATU: As images of mutilated bodies flood the blogs and rumours of more attacks spew via SMSes and e-mails,  Lahad Datu is appearing more and more like a guerrilla front.

Malaysia’s rejection yesterday of a unilateral ceasefire called by self-styled Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and its determination to wipe out the “remnants” of the militants of the week-long brutal armed attack simply means that Sabah is in trouble, says a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) source.

Said the source who declined to be named: “The Malaysians have opened an insurgency problem in Sabah by firing the first shot. Sabah is going to be a real headache for the Malaysians.”

Guerrilla warfare – militants hitting back?

——–

Malaysia Chronicle

Wednesday, 06 March 2013 11:39

6 ‘MYSTERIES’ behind Lahad Datu intrusion: Come clean or crisis will prolong – PR tells Najib

Written by  Wong Choon Mei, Alaa Soleiman, Malaysia Chronicle

The PR lawmakers want an explanation from Najib over 6 key aspects that have sparked great public concern, especially amongst Sabahans, saying that until the PM was willing to confront the issues, unhealthy and dangerous rumor-mongering would continue to spread.

Six key questions

The 6 issues that have since become the central talking points throughout the nation and which the PR leaders want Najib to respond to are:

1 How many armed intruders were in Lahad Datu and how could they have slipped past Malaysia’s security lines?

2 Were the police given clear instructions and information to carry out their jobs during the strikes?

3 Were the security forces given sufficient facilities to defend the country’s borders?

4 Did the intrusions occur as a result of failed monitoring and intelligence?

5 Why wasn’t the intrusion regarded as an armed threat right from the start?

6 Was it an error of judgment on the part of Najib and his administration to misread and underestimate the danger and threat arising from the intrusion?

6 ‘MYSTERIES’ behind Lahad Datu intrusion: Come clean or crisis will prolong – PR tells Najib

——–

Misuary also claimed he had warned Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that fighting the Sulu gunmen in Sabah “would be tantamount to war”.

Malaysian Insider

MNLF chief warns of ‘chaos’ if Sulu Sultan arrested

By Clara Chooi
Assistant News Editor
March 06, 2013

Self-proclaimed Sultan Sulu Jamalul is laying claim to Sabah as his “royal” birthright. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 ― President Benigno Aquino III will not be forgiven for standing back while Malaysia rained bombs on Filipino citizens in Sabah, rebel leader Nur Misuari has said, warning of chaos if the self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III is arrested or his men apprehended.

Misuari, who leads the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a political-turned-rebel Muslim group he founded in 1969, said Aquino should be more decisive and stop Malaysia’s attack on Jamalul’s men in Sabah instead of siding with his southern neighbour.
………..
“And for what reason is he (Aquino) aligning this country with Malaysia, a colonial power occupying the land of our people? I am against that, totally against that with all my soul. I hope the president will be properly advised. I hope he will recant. Otherwise we won’t forgive him,” he added during a press conference yesterday at Jamalul’s residence in Taguig City, Philippines.

“And there is an attempt even to arrest the sultan, I understand. Let them do that. The country will be in total chaos if they do, I promise you.”

MNLF chief warns of ‘chaos’ if Sulu Sultan arrested

———-

The crisis in Sabah is a national issue and it is only right and proper than Parliament, at least, be informed.

Pakatan MPs started demanding for the emergency session after the standoff began when more than 200 intruders – some armed – occupied the village of Tanduo in Lahad Datu.

However, the government has been silent on the matter.

Malaysiakini

VIDEO | 2.13 min

Elected representatives from opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat  reiterated today their demand for an emergency session of Parliament to discuss the Lahad Datu crisis.

“There are 222 MPs who need to know (about Lahad Datu), not only the Pakatan MPs,” PKR Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul said at a joint Pakatan press conference in Petaling Jaya today.
……….
Abdul Khalid pointed to Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s earlier dismissal of the Lahad Datu invaders as a threat, and the statement by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz (left) that the incident is not a war, but just an incursion.
……….
The third member of the Pakatan trio at the press conference today – DAP Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong – believes that the matter of national security requires bipartisan involvement.

Pakatan MPs keep up push for emergency session

——–

Latest reports

If the claim is true, the Moro fighters will be engaging Malaysian security forces with little or no experience in warfare.

Free Malaysia Today

Veteran Moro guerrillas heading to Sabah

The fighters are veteran members of the Moro National Liberation Front and some have slipped through the security forces.

MANILA: Battle-hardened Moro guerrillas have sailed from Mindanao to reinforce followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who are battling Malaysian forces in Sabah, one of their leaders said Wednesday.

The fighters are veteran members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who waged a decades-long insurgency against the Philippine government before signing a 1996 peace pact, Muhajab Hashim told AFP.

“Many have slipped through the security forces. They know the area like the back of their hands because they trained there in the past,” Hashim told AFP.

“We are expecting more of them to join (the fighting) even if our official instruction is for them to refrain from going.”

Veteran Moro guerrillas heading to Sabah

——–

Free Malaysia Today

Pro-Pakatan blogs link Najib to Sulu Sultan

Several pro-Pakatan Rakyat blogs posted pictures in their blogs; one being the sultan attending the Umno annual general assembly and the other, Najib posing with Jamalul’s brother.

PETALING JAYA: With several mainstream media linking Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to the instrusion in Lahad Datu, several pro-opposition blogs posted pictures linking Umno and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to the Filipino intruders.

Greenboc.blogspot.com posted a picture of the self-styled Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, the leader of the Sulu intruders, attending the 2012 Umno general assembly.

“He was guest at the Umno annual general assembly. Jamalul was invited as a sign of friendship. What are you going to say now?” reads the post in the blog.
……….

However, the most intriguing part of the story comes from Philippines-based media, Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation, quoting Nur Misuari on Feb 22 that the intruders were there on “invitation”.

Nur Misuari claimed that he heard that the group led by Crown Prince Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, younger brother of Jamalul, went to Sabah because they were allegedly promised to be settled there by Najib himself.

Pro-Pakatan blogs link Najib to Sulu Sultan

Free Malaysia Today

Manila trip ‘not linked to Sabah invasion’

Anwar says Tian Chua and Sivarasa visited Manila on a fact-finding mission regarding Manuel Amalilo, who is wanted by the Philippines but protected by Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR MPs Tian Chua and R Sivarasa’s Feb 7 trip to Manila was unrelated to the Royal Sulu Sultanate army’s intrusion into Sabah, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said today.

He stressed that the two MPs had visited Manila to obtain information on Manuel Amalilo, whose deportation to the Philippines was blocked by Malaysian authorities on Jan 25.

Amalilo is wanted in the Philippines for allegedly scamming 15,000 Filipinos of RM859 million under a company known as Aman Futures Group.

Manila trip ‘not linked to Sabah invasion’

——–

‘Business as usual’ for Lahad Datu palm oil refiners

As the standoff against intruders continue, refiners in Lahad Datu claim their operations have not been adversely affected.

“It is business as usual for now although we will continue to monitor the situation as we value the safety of our workers,” a Kuala Lumpur Kepong official told KiniBiz today.

It is understood that there have been no problems of access to the plantations, although trucks transporting crude palm oil to the ports have had to take a longer route due to security roadblocks.

“Still, there has been no disruption,” the official said.

Other refiners are Kwantas Corp and Wilmar International. Wimar’s refinery is a joint venture with TSH Resources. The three refineries have a production capacity of 1.8 million tonnes per annum.
……….

This clarifies a Reuters report yesterday that Malaysian palm oil refineries located near the standoff point are “preparing to halt operations if the violence drags on”.

10,000 Felda workers on leave

……….

Part of the violence is taking place within Felda Global Venture’s 95,542-ha Felda Sahabat plantation.

Sabah contributes about a third of the country’s palm oil production, but analysts believe that the fighting will have limited impact on planters earnings.

——–

Malaysiakini

Hundreds of Filipino residents have fled northern Borneo amid fears of being caught in hostilities between Malaysian troops and followers of a Philippine sultan asserting ancestral rights over the territory, officials in Manila said today.

About 280 Filipinos arrived in batches overnight in the southern Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi from Sabah, where Malaysian forces were hunting armed fighters of sultan Jamalul Kiram III that set up camp in Lahad Datu district on Feb 12.

“They feel so afraid that they would be caught in the fighting, so they fled and brought their families with them,” said Ramon Santos, a regional civil defence director.

Filipinos flee hostilities in northern Borneo standoff

1 Pakatan Rakyat: Seek a political solution

“A political solution must be made as a long-term strategy to improve the situation in Sabah,” PKR lawmaker Datuk Johari Abdul told reporters at the party’s headquarters here.

Pakatan warns of prolonged Sabah crisis

2 They have little to lose but by bringing the battles right to the heart of our towns, they have nothing to lose; but not us, our terrified civilians will become refugees and our developments devastated.  Click on:   Lahad Datu: Is there a solution?

3 There is a need for a clear chain of command

There is no clear chain of command with regard to what is happening in Lahad Datu, says a former army chief, Gen (Rtd) Md Hashim Hussein.

He said that when you have that situation, there must be a clear command structure.

“This is need to coordinate the operations. Right now, I think it is not there,” he said.

Ex-army chief rues lack of clear chain of command

4 Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has blasted the BN government for not being swift, competent and firm in handling the Lahad Datu situation.

The failure is in the (BN) leadership. Where were the statements; what were the instructions, why the need to wait for 23 days?

Anwar pours scorn on gov’t handling of Lahad Datu

5 No, the Philippines didn’t call them terrorists!

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has denied a Bernama report that Manila and Kuala Lumpur have agreed to label intruders who killed eight Malaysian security personnel in Lahad Datu and Semporna as ‘terrorists’.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported today that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila has clarified that Del Rosario had only concurred in describing the killings as “terroristic acts”.

Del Rosario had met with Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman in Kuala Lumpur on Monday night.

Manila denies calling intruders ‘terrorists’

6 Indonesia evacuates more citizens from Sabah

About 8,000 Indonesians work at 52 plantation blocks in Sabah.  

NST

JAKARTA: Indonesia has evacuated more than 600 of its citizens working in the palm oil plantation in Sabah, China’s Xinhua news agency reported. Indonesia also said it plans to move more workers, Xinhua quoted a local media report on Wednesday.

Read more: Indonesia evacuates more citizens from Sabah – Latest – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/indonesia-evacuates-more-citizens-from-sabah-1.229667#ixzz2Mpowp3xY

——–

Star

• 6 Mar 2013
• The Star Malaysia

Lights out by 6pm, families stay quiet and fearful

SEMPORNA: For the past three nights, Norsiah Dahalan and her sisters have been moving about in the dark in their home at Kg Tanjung Kapor.

Keeping tabs: Norsiah and her family members waiting for the latest news update on the situation in Lahad Datu and Semporna on television.

“We are afraid to switch on the lights as we don’t know if there are gunmen wandering around our kampung, and we don’t want to be seen,” she said at noon yesterday.

“We have a little light outside so that we can see if there are people milling about.”

Kg Tanjung Kapor is a water village with easy access to the sea and many use it freely to enter and leave Semporna.

Norsiah was relieved to hear news of the Sulu gunmen at Kg Tanduo being defeated by Malaysian security forces.

“However, we can’t let our guard down because we don’t know if the situation has been resolved once and for all, or whether it will flare up in other places.

“We’re all still afraid. And I’m still going to switch my lights off for the next few days – just in case,” she said. “We don’t know if those still out there will take revenge.”

The school at Kg Tanjung Kapor has been closed since six policemen were killed in a shootout at the Simunul water village, about 9km from Norsiah’s home on Saturday night.

The village is quiet in the evenings too as people are afraid to go out after nightfall.

Fisherman Juhanti Jailani, 58, hasn’t been sleeping much.

“Even if I hear a slight noise, I wake up,” he said.

Lights out by 6pm, families stay quiet and fearful

——–

Star

• 6 Mar 2013
• The Star Malaysia

Many are playing it safe

She said everyone was worried as they were not sure what was really going on.

“There is no point in taking risks by staying on there,” she added.

Many are playing it safe

——–

The 59-year-old Najib, who is due to call for the country’s 13th general elections, was criticized for hesitating a tad too long and for ignoring the advice of military strategists.

“The feedback from the security forces personnel when I was there (in Lahad Datu days before the eruption of violence) was that they were able to handle the matter but the political will from above was weak,” Kit Siang said.

Anwar praises M’sian security forces, reminds Najib – WE MUST ALWAYS BE READY & TOUGH!

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Tuesday, 05 March 2013 01:20

Don’t talk so big – MNLF chief Nur Misuari tells Najib

Written by  Carolyn O. Arguillas, MindaNews

DAVAO CITY – “Cooler heads” must prevail to stop the bloodshed in Sabah from escalating, Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chair Nur Misauri  said  as he urged the Malaysian Prime Minister, whom he claims to be a friend,  to “desist from sending more forces… tone down your voice ” and the Sultan of Sulu “not to aggravate the situation.”

“I don’t like trouble with the (Philippine) government . I don’t like trouble with Malaysia . I want peace,” Misuari told Vice Mayor  Rodrigo Duterte in a meeting from 11:35 p.m. Saturday to 12:05 a.m. Sunday at the Royal Mandaya Hotel.

Misuari is in the city to attend a conference of the Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Conference for Peace and Development.

“It would be to the best interest of everybody if you can stop  the uprising there and just talk about.. pag-usapan na lang natin…” (let’s talk).  Duterte told Misuari whom he greeted a “happy birthday” at the end of the 30-minute meeting.

Don’t talk so big – MNLF chief Nur Misuari tells Najib

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No, they were not given money by the Opposition in Malaysia!

Sulu militants’ spokesman denies that Malaysian opposition gave funds

By Ida Lim
March 05, 2013

A villager pulls a sampan with the body of a dead Filipino militant that was killed on Saturday, for removal at Simunul village in Sabah’s Semporna district on March 4, 2013. A spokesman for a group of Sulu militants denies receiving funds from the Malaysian opposition. – Reuters picKUALA LUMPUR, March 5 – A spokesman for a group of Sulu militants who had intruded into Sabah today said the Malaysian opposition did not channel funds to him, a Philippine news portal reported.

Sulu militants’ spokesman denies that Malaysian opposition gave funds

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Palm Oil refineries may shut down!

Singapore’s Wilmar International, and Malaysia’s KL Kepong and Kwantas Corp. own the refineries and have been slowing operations following a curfew imposed by authorities last week after Filipino gunmen attacked Malaysian security forces in Sabah.

Free Malaysia Today

Refineries may halt operations if assault continues

Oil palm refineries in Lahad Datu have been slowing operations following a curfew imposed by authorities last week after Filipino gunmen attacked Malaysian security forces in Sabah.

KUALA LUMPUR: Three Malaysian palm oil refineries with a combined capacity of 1.8 million tons plan to halt operations if a Malaysian military attack on an armed Filipino group on Borneo island drags on, refinery officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

“The three companies owning these refineries are looking to cease operations if it becomes worse and there is a high chance it will happen,” said a refinery official with direct knowledge of the matter.

Refineries may halt operations if assault continues

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Malaysiakini

Protests in Manila, Najib’s photo burnt

Filipino activists protested in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Makati City, Manila, and called for an end to the violence against armed groups aligned to the Sulu sultanate in Sabah.

According to ANS-CBN News, the protesters also burnt a large poster depicting Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak shaking hands with Filipino President Benigno Aquino III.

Some 100 protesters gathered outside the embassy this morning, soon after Malaysian security forces started to bombard Kampung Tanduo in Lahad Datu, where the Sulu sultanate’s army was holding up.
…

…
Protesters were made up of different groups. A portion of the protesters was clearly supportive of the Sulu sultanate, describing its troops in Sabah as “Tausug Martyrs”.

Some groups did not have a religious tone and instead called on the Filipino government to revive their country’s claim over Sabah.

Protests in Manila, Najib’s photo burnt

……….

Over 100 Filipinos — Catholics and Muslims — gathered to protest over the assault on the Sulu rebels and also to voice support for the Sultanate of Sulu’s claim on Sabah.

Malaysian Insider

Malaysian embassy shuts down as Filipinos protest over Sabah claim

UPDATED @ 03:37:36 PM 05-03-2013

By Ida Lim
March 05, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — Unhappy Filipinos demonstrated in front of the Malaysian embassy hours after an attack by the Malaysian army this morning on their fellow countrymen who had intruded into Sabah.

The embassy in Manila shut down at 7 this morning, the time of the attack on the Filipino Muslim militants in Sabah, the Philippine TV network ABS-CBN reported on its website.

Malaysian embassy shuts down as Filipinos protest over Sabah claim

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Tony’s tweet on helping the army raises eyebrows

Instead of generating praise for helping the army, Fernandes’s posting only gave way to more criticisms over the government’s handling of the conflict in the east coast of Sabah…

On several online fora, many netizens say they are dumbfounded why military planes were not mobilised instead. Some even wonder whether the planes have been grounded due to technical problems.

The Royal Malaysian Air Force’s fleet of aircraft includes 16 C-130 Hercules military transport planes meant to airlift large number of soldiers.

One blog however defended the move, saying it is one way of honouring members of the armed forces.

Harakahdaily,

04 March 2013

Mar 4: Why are soldiers transported to a conflict site using commercial passenger planes?

The question is at the centre of a raging debate among the Malaysian online community, following a Twitter post by Air Asia founder and group CEO Tony Fernandes showing military personnel preparing to board an Air Asia plane.

“Flights are rearranged today as we are helping the army transfer staff to East Malaysia. Pls be patient,” the prominent tycoon twitted last night.

“As mentioned please be patient with some flight arrangements on flights as we are helping the army,” he announced again.

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PR urges Malaysians to rally behind our men, warns BN

Harakahdaily,

04 March 2013

Mar 4: Pakatan Rakyat’s top leaders have warned the government of its duty to guard the nation’s sovereignty, saying they were disappointed with the lack of will shown by BN leaders in firming up to the intruders.

“Failure to defend the nation’s sovereignty amounts to a betrayal of the people’s trust. Pakatan Rakyat would like to remind national leaders to be firm in defending our territorial sovereignty and not slacken in ensuring the safety of every Malaysian especially in Sabah following the armed intrusion by foreigners in Lahad Datu and Semporna,” said a joint statement issued by the coalition.

The statement is signed by PAS president Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang, PKR’s Anwar Ibrahim and DAP’s Lim Kit Siang.

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In the last few days, Malaysian and Filipino hackers have launched cyber offensives on multiple websites of both countries, including government-owned ones.

Malaysian Insider

In Lahad Datu conflict, Google bombs and Wiki-wars

By Emily Ding
March 04, 2013

A screen capture of a Google search page shows the edited Wikipedia entry for Sabah.KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 ― Supporters of Filipino militants in Sabah have turned to “Google bombing” to press the Sultanate of Sulu’s claim on the state, according to the Agence-France Presse.

“Google bombing” is the practice of creating spurious links in order to elevate a site’s ranking on the search engine’s listings.

The French news agency reported that users searching for “Sabah” using Google would find the search engine displaying a cached excerpt from online encyclopaedia Wikipedia as saying, “Sabah is illegitimately considered one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, and is said to be its easternmost state but in fact, it is part of the Sultanate of Sulu. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo.”

The Wikipedia page for Sabah had earlier been edited to display the aforementioned paragraph, but has since been returned to the original that reads: “Sabah is one of the 13 member states of Malaysia.”

In Lahad Datu conflict, Google bombs and Wiki-wars

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Guess who’s the Sulu sultan’s royal advisor?

Harakahdaily,

04 March 2013

Mar 4: Following several political blogs’ publication of his business card, UMNO Youth exco member Lokman Noor Adam (pic) today admitted his links to the Sulu sultanate, which has been at the centre of the ongoing violence in the east coast of Sabah.

……….

Earlier, several blogs questioned Lokman’s links to the now defunct sultanate, amid allegations by UMNO-controlled traditional media that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had a hand in the armed incursion in Lahad Datu.

The blogs published an image of the business card issued by the Shah Alam office of the ‘Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo’, bearing Lokman’s name above the title “Advisor to The Crown”.

Lokman, once active in the ‘reformasi’ movement and who went on to become a Supreme Council member of the now-renamed Parti Keadilan Nasional, is a virulent critic of Pakatan Rakyat and appears frequently on UMNO’s ceramah series to condemn Anwar.

Popular blogger ‘Tulang Besi’ meanwhile pointed out that representatives of the so-called Sulu sultanate had attended the UMNO general assembly and their pictures are already disseminated on social media.

——–

About half the population of the resource-rich state which is around three million is acknowledged to be made of “new Malaysians”, all mostly Muslims and convenient converts with names that sometimes unmask them as simply jobless immigrants cashing in on the policy of predominantly Muslim Malaysia which has opened its doors to Muslim immigrants, especially in the once Christian majority state of Sabah.

Free Malaysia Today

Lahad Datu – upshot of a dubious policy

Desperate situations call for desperate measures. What does one do when one is cornered and could lose power?

KOTA KINABALU: As tensions escalate in Sabah over the attack by Filipino intruders in the east coast and the death toll climbing to 26, the prospect of it sparking off unrest statewide is growing.

As many are pointing out, there is more to this crisis than meets the eye. It is something that has been simmering for years, waiting for the right conditions that would ignite it.

All that has transpired up to now points to a well-organised takeover of the seaside village of Kampung Tanduo by an armed group numbering some 200-300, something that locals had been predicting could happen anytime.
………..

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad explained on Sunday that the government had not taken action initially as the intruders were fellow Muslim brothers and they were eligible for some leeway.

Tragically, the policemen and soldiers at the frontline of this unexpected war with Filipino militants and locals, who feel they owe their allegiance to the Sulu sultan rather than Malaysia, have paid with their lives due to misguided strategies and outright underhand electioneering tactics.

Lahad Datu – upshot of a dubious policy

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“I hold PM and Umno personally responsible because they ‘own’ this paper (Utusan Malaysia) and their representatives sit on the Board,” said Surendran who pointed out that the matter was admitted in court during a separate defamation hearing against Utusan Malaysia, during which the High Court judge had decided in favour of Anwar.

Sundaily

Anwar threatens legal action against Utusan and TV3

KUALA LUMPUR (March 4, 2013): Malay daily Utusan Malaysia and TV station Sistem Television Malaysia Berhad (TV3) have been given 24 hours from this morning to retract reports which alleged involvement of Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as “instigator” of the ongoing Lahad Datu crisis.

Anwar’s lawyer N. Surendran and Latheefa Koya said demand letters which stated that a failure to respond will result in “swift legal actions” being taken against the companies have been sent to both parties this morning.

Speaking during a press conference at PKR’s headquarters, Surendran referred to a March 2 front page report by Utusan Malaysia, headlined “Ketua Pembangkang dikaitkan dengan Pencerobohan?” which he described as “baseless, slanderous and malicious”.

Anwar threatens legal action against Utusan and TV3

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Malaysiakini

PKR vice-president Tian Chua has denied making a ‘mati katak’ remark about Malaysian police commandos, describing this as “total fabrication” that is aimed at tarnishing his image.

Chua, who is also Batu MP, said he was nowhere in Puchong at the time he was purported to have made the remark.

“Yesterday some pro-BN blogs published false news, quoting me, that I (had made) derogatory remarks about the police commandos, using the term ‘Komando Mati Katak’ (commandos died in vain) during a ceramah in Puchong,” he said in a statement.

“This are false stories. I was not in Puchong and I did not gave any derogatory speech undermining the sacrifice by our security forces. In fact, I was in Johor where I stated I have full confidence and give my full support to our security forces.”

Tian Chua denies making ‘mati katak’ remark

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