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Standoff on Borneo between Filipino group and Malaysian authoritiesBy Jethro Mullen, CNN
February 15, 2013 -- Updated 0652 GMT (1452 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Malaysian security forces are in talks with the men from the South Philippines
The men arrived in a remote district of the Malaysian state of Sabah on Tuesday
They claim to represent a sultanate that once ruled over Sabah, a Malaysian official says
Authorities say they are encouraging them to leave the area peacefully
(CNN) -- An unusual standoff is unfolding on the island of Borneo where about 100 men from the southern Philippines have come ashore demanding to be recognized as representatives of a sultanate that has historical claims on the area, Malaysian authorities said.
Malaysian police and armed forces are negotiating with the men, who arrived by boat Tuesday in the remote, eastern district of Lahad Datu, in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo.
The men claim to be the "Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu" and don't want their people to be sent away from the area, Tan Sri Ismail Omar, the Inspector General of the Royal Malaysian Police, said Thursday, according to the country's national news agency Bernama.
Malaysian security forces have surrounded the village where the men are, and discussions with the group are "proceeding well," Ismail said. "We have told them to leave Sabah peacefully, as we do not want any situation which can threaten the security of the people," he added.
Founded in the 1400s, the Sultanate of Sulu once encompassed numerous islands in the southern Philippines. At one point, it also comprised parts of Borneo, including Sabah.
The historical connection still fuels tensions between Malaysia and the Philippines, with Manila retaining a "dormant claim" to Sabah through the Sultanate of Sulu, according to the CIA World Factbook.
Sulu is now part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the southern Philippines, an area whose islands come within a few dozen kilometers of Sabah and where Islamic militants groups such as Abu Sayyaf are believed to be active.
The group of Filipino men cornered in Lahad Datu say they don't want to be linked with any militant group in the Philippines, Ismail said, according to Bernama. But police don't rule out that the men are armed, he said.
"So far the situation is not tense and they appear to be behaving well," Ismail was quoted as saying. "We believe the group has friends in the village but do not have homes there."
February 15, 2013 -- Updated 0652 GMT (1452 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Malaysian security forces are in talks with the men from the South Philippines
The men arrived in a remote district of the Malaysian state of Sabah on Tuesday
They claim to represent a sultanate that once ruled over Sabah, a Malaysian official says
Authorities say they are encouraging them to leave the area peacefully
(CNN) -- An unusual standoff is unfolding on the island of Borneo where about 100 men from the southern Philippines have come ashore demanding to be recognized as representatives of a sultanate that has historical claims on the area, Malaysian authorities said.
Malaysian police and armed forces are negotiating with the men, who arrived by boat Tuesday in the remote, eastern district of Lahad Datu, in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo.
The men claim to be the "Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu" and don't want their people to be sent away from the area, Tan Sri Ismail Omar, the Inspector General of the Royal Malaysian Police, said Thursday, according to the country's national news agency Bernama.
Malaysian security forces have surrounded the village where the men are, and discussions with the group are "proceeding well," Ismail said. "We have told them to leave Sabah peacefully, as we do not want any situation which can threaten the security of the people," he added.
Founded in the 1400s, the Sultanate of Sulu once encompassed numerous islands in the southern Philippines. At one point, it also comprised parts of Borneo, including Sabah.
The historical connection still fuels tensions between Malaysia and the Philippines, with Manila retaining a "dormant claim" to Sabah through the Sultanate of Sulu, according to the CIA World Factbook.
Sulu is now part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the southern Philippines, an area whose islands come within a few dozen kilometers of Sabah and where Islamic militants groups such as Abu Sayyaf are believed to be active.
The group of Filipino men cornered in Lahad Datu say they don't want to be linked with any militant group in the Philippines, Ismail said, according to Bernama. But police don't rule out that the men are armed, he said.
"So far the situation is not tense and they appear to be behaving well," Ismail was quoted as saying. "We believe the group has friends in the village but do not have homes there."
