Jacel Kiram, daughter of the self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram, told Radio dzMM today that her uncle Agbimuddin Kiram and his band of soldiers will not leave Sabah despite coming under heavy gunfire from Malaysian security forces.
She appealed to the remaining members of the rebel group to stay loyal to Agbimuddin, the “crown prince” of Sulu, pointing out that their landing in Sabah on February 9 was merely their peaceful return “home”.
“Please remain... this is honour above life,” she was quoted as saying in an online report on Philippine media network ABN-CBS News. “Their only wish is to stay there... it is their home, they want to live there peacefully.”
Radio dzMM is the flagship radio station of ABN-CBS Corporation in the Philippines.
At noon today, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Ismail Omar told reporters in Lahad Datu that another Sulu gunman was shot dead at 8am as he tried to slip by a security cordon in Kampung Tanjung Batu.
This brings the Sulu death toll to 53, according to official figures from Malaysian authorities.
The Kiram family called for a ceasefire on Thursday, promising that their troops would stay on the defensive and not attack when faced with Malaysian forces.
But they stopped short of agreeing to leave Sabah, insisting that the east Malaysian state belonged to the Sultanate, based on historical records dating back to the 17th century.
Malaysia rejected the call for a ceasefire and ordered its security forces to destroy every militant, saying it would only hold its fire if the Sulu group agreeed to surrender unconditionally.
Faced with the ultimatum, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the militants had no other choice but to surrender.
Agbimuddin and his men stayed put, however, and reported back to the Sultanate yesterday, saying they were safe and on the run but were hungry.
According to media reports, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) kicked off its investigation on the Sabah violence yesterday, summoning Sulu Sultanate adviser Pastor “Boy” Saycon for questioning next Tuesday.
Several reports said the subpoena was likely part of the NBI’s pursuit of conspiracy claims in the ongoing armed conflict in Sabah.
Quoting the Sultanate’s spokesman Abraham Idjirani, The Philippine Star said yesterday that this was the start of the government’s “crackdown” on Jamalul’s followers, who are now bracing themselves for the possibility of facing criminal charges for starting the rebellion in Sabah.
The daily said the subpoena, signed by Intelligence Services deputy director Reynaldo Esmeralda, was delivered at 4pm yesterday to Saycon’s office in Makati by NBI agents.
Saycon, the Council for Philippine Affairs (COPA) secretary-general, has been linked to destabilisation plots in past administrations, according to ABS-CBN News in its online report yesterday.
“I suspect it would be because of the recent developments and the entry into Sabah,” Saycon told The Philippine Star, despite admitting he was yet to reach the subpoena.
“It is anticipated that supporters of the sultan will be charged. They are now preparing the ground for more subpoenas… the threat of the government has been lingering for the past two weeks.”
The political strategist also reported that the Sulu Sultanate had put together a team of lawyers to assist supporters who might be investigated or hauled to court over the Sabah violence, which Malaysian authorities said on Thursday had claimed the lives of 52 Filipinos and eight Malaysians.
“I think the government wants to put up a conspiracy without any basis and blame people instead of solving the worsening crisis in Sabah,” Saycon alleged, according to the English broadsheet.