Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Al-Jazeera’s news team briefly detained in Sabah by Malaysian authorities

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Below is a STATEMENT I received on the brief detention of journalists who went to Sabah to cover the stand-off between followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysian authorities. The producer, Jamela Alindogan, is a fellow member of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).

Sabah is one issue that all Filipinos should familiarize themselves with. It is unfinished business with Malaysia. The rightful claimants to Sabah – the Royal Sultanate of Sulu, their descendants and followers  – are fellow Filipinos who have been crying out for justice all these years. More than 50 years ago, they entrusted the Philippine government to pursue their rightful claim.

As soon as time permits, I will be posting documents, interviews  and what I know about Sabah.

I have not forgotten, though, my promise to post my Part 3 on the controversial and possibly unconstitutional amendments to the Intellectual Property Code.

 

Meanwhile, I’d like to share with you what happened to the Al-Jazeera news crew:

On February 19th, 2013, an Aljazeera news crew comprising of Senior Asia Correspondent, Steve Chao, Producer Jamela Alindogen and cameraperson, Mark Giddens were deployed to Sabah, Malaysia to report on the standoff between an armed group calling itself the “Royal Sulu Army” and the Malaysian authorities.

The crew arrived in the village of Tanjung Labian early on the morning of February 20 and enlisted the help of local villagers to take them by boat to investigate the security situation.

Less than a kilometer away from Tanjung Labian, a police patrol vessel intercepted the boat and ordered it to stop. The Al Jazeera crew were then told they could not go any further, and that they would need to be questioned at a local police station in Tanjung Labian. Authorities refused to say why the news team was being questioned, only that we were not allowed in the area, and that superiors had given the order. The crew was also detained.

The time was 7:30am.

From the police station, Al Jazeera’s news crew was then taken in a police lorry for questioning at another police station about half an hour drive from the village.

Correspondent Steve Chao was told that they would have to be interviewed by Malaysia’s Special Branch, as the Prime Minister’s office was overseeing the situation in the area, which they described as sensitive.

All three were questioned, sometimes together but also separately.

During questioning, Al Jazeera’s producer, who is based in Manila for Al Jazeera, was accused several times of working for the Sultanate Sulu Army, despite showing the authorities her ID, which clearly identified her as a staff member of Al Jazeera English Network.

Those in charge of questioning were not in uniform and declined to provide their full names or rank. They were at all times polite. When asked, they acknowledged that Al Jazeera had broken no laws and that when intercepted, the boat was far from the no-go security zone.

When asked where the security zone began, authorities refused to answer, saying they were not allowed to provide that information.

They said no media, domestic or international, would be allowed in the area because of safety concerns and the risk that journalists might “disrupt political negotiations” with the Sulu Sultanate army.

They reiterated that this was a “sensitive political situation”.

At all times Al Jazeera’s news team cooperated with authorities.

When asked why they were being detained for so long if they had not broken any laws, the authorities apologized, but said they were following procedures and instructions.

After approximately six hours, Al Jazeera’s news team was released.

Al Jazeera’s mandate is to report factually on any events of public concern. The channel has always encouraged authorities to provide the necessary journalistic space to allow for equal, balanced, and factual reporting in order to serve the public interest.

At the same time, Al Jazeera has always attempted to abide by the rules of the respective countries in which it operates.

For further reference, the report filed by our news team following their detention can be found here:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/02/201322102345987766.html

Comments

  1. wala akong makitang dahilan para angkinin ng Pnas ang sabah.
    iyan ay pag-aari ng sultan. ang sabah ay kanila. ibinigay sa mga ninuno nila.
    sinong mga nakikisawsaw sa pag-angkin?
    huwag tayong padaya at pasulsol.
    eto ang aking stand: kung kaya nating ipagtanggol ang spratlys at scarborough, yun na lang ang ating pag-ukulan ng panahon at resources.
    patahimikin naman natin ang ating bansa.
    sobra na ang parusa ng mga maliligalig na dayuhang pumapasok sa ating mga back gates…

  2. In the PDI yesterday, Manolo Quezon III wrote a timeline on the Sabah-North Borneo issue from 1640s to present. I think it is an excellent guide for us in forming our opinions regarding the matter. I posted the link yesterday but it is still awaiting moderation.

  3. Atin ang Sabah!

    Bawat Pinoy ay dapat ipahiwatig ang ating pag angking ng ating teritoryo.

    Porket mahina ang military natin at ang ating mga nahalal ay sumisipsip sa Malaysia hindi nangangahulugan na pati tayong mga Pilipino ay gumaya sa mga bahag ang buntot at makapili na mga Pinuno.

    Delicate ang sitwasyon pero hindi nangangahulugan na hindi tayo iimik. Matagal ng ninakaw ang ating lupa ng mga dayuhan, alam ng Malaysia na hindi kanila ang Sabah at ito ay maling naihabilin sa kanila ng mga Bitoy, nagbabayad pa ng renta, so kahit na mga Malaysiano ay alam na sa Pilipinas ang Sabah.

    Hindi tayo makikigiyera pero hindi rin tayo mananahimik. Ang atin ay atin, kung gusto ng Malaysia ng compromise di hatiin ang Sabah para lahat panalo!

    Mali si PNoy dito pero tayong Pinoy ay dapat pumanigbsa tama…

      • there’s an article on the website free malaysia today written by amir ali on march 2, 2013, titled ‘Lahad Datu – the real story?’ that said on november 2010 the sultan has declared sulu independent state from philippines. maybe we should not be calling the sultan’s followers filipinos, but the sultan’s people.

        on the same webpage, an article titled ‘Umno – Lahad Datu link- Tian Chua Slammed’ said that on march 1, 2013, the sultan’s people in Lahad Datu raised a white flag as ruse to draw in malaysian cops, and then, fired on malaysian cops killing 2 of them. malaysians returned fire and 12 of sultan’s people died. sabi nila, using the white flag was act of cowardice daw.

        free malaysia today is a fascinating website.

        by the way, senator miriam santiago said if the sultan is claiming sabah for himself, he ought to negotiate directly with malaysia.

        • dagdag lang po it. amir ali in his article ‘Lahad Datu – the real story?’ said also that when the sultan declared sulu an independent state on november 2010, the sultan put sulu on constitution based on s——- law. that constitution is different from our democratic one.

        • online ‘free malaysia today’ also said that malaysians are baffled how the armed invaders (sultan’s people) manage to slip through their state of the art radar monitoring system that constantly monitor their coastlines. I say, if jamming device had been used to disable radar thus allow sultan’s people to land safely, malaysian intel should be able to work that one out.

          there was also report that said anwar ibrahim, malaysian opposition leader, and close friend of erap, may have invited the invaders to come and boost his prospect this coming election. anwar ibrahim had always wanted to be prime minister but ended up being opposition. malaysian intel has yet to confirm the report though, and if they’re really interested, I say, they could monitor cell phone conversations between anwar ibrahim and the sultan’s people, if any.

  7. Former Sabah chief minister proposes settlement with Sulu sultan – report

    MANILA, Philippines — A former chief minister of Sabah has proposed that the Malaysian government offer the sultan of Sulu a lump sum compensation of 200-million ringgit (around P2.6 billion [RM1=P13.14]) in a bid to settle the sultanate’s claim to the territory, the east Malaysian newspaper Daily Express reported.

    Close to 200 followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III have been occupying a village in Lahad Datu town since mid-February in a bid to press their claim to Sabah and have rejected calls from both the Malaysian and Philippine governments for them to leave.

    Sabah is historically part of the Sulu sultanate but was leased by the British who ceded it to Malaysia when the country was created in 1963.

    The report said Tan Sri Harris Salleh wrote Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein suggesting that RM50 million from the settlement be given to the direct descendants of the sultant and the balance used for the development of a “Felda-style settlement scheme in Mindanao.”

    Felda, Malaysia’s Federal Land Development Authority, was founded to help resettle rural poor and organize them into cooperatives planting cash crops. It has since evolved into running various economic development and business enterprises, with one of these, Felda Global Ventures Holdings, believed to be the world’s largest plantation operator.

    “I appeal to the Federal Government to consider settling once and for all the issue of the claim and the yearly payment to the Sultan of Sulu,” he was qupoted as saying in a statement released on Wednesday.

    “These unsatisfied issues will remain and crop up from time to time. Therefore, it is in our interest, in particular Sabah, to have friendly neighbors,” Harris was quoted in the report as saying.

    He also warned against using force to drive out the sultan’s followers, saying: “It can be expected that Malaysian security forces will come out with flying colors. But the scars will remain forever, just like other countries such as Northern Ireland, Spain and many others.”

    Harris suggested that the Malaysian government deal directly with the sultan instead of his followers holed out in the town of Lahad Datu.

    The former Sabah minister pointed put that it was impossible for Malaysia to control the whole coastline of Sabah, which stretches around a thousand kilometers from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu.

    “Thus, it is important these issues be settled amicably once for all and be friends among the Malay stock countries,” he said.

    Harris also said that with the increasing openness between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, “the issue on who and who are Sabahans or, for that matter, Malaysian does not arise anymore” since, in the next 50 to 100 years, there will no longer be any borders between these countries.

    • Harris suggests RM200m formula

      Published on: Thursday, February 28, 2013

      Kota Kinabalu: Former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh has proposed that the Malaysian Government permanently settle the long-standing issue raised by the Sultan of Sulu by way of a lump-sum compensation payment of RM200 million.

      “I appeal to the Federal Government to consider settling once and for all the issue of the claim and the yearly payment to the Sultan of Sulu,” he said in a statement, here, Wednesday.

      He said the suggested amount of RM200 million was merely equivalent to the monthly expenses for the armed forces to control Sabah’s coastline.

      Towards this end, Harris said he had written to Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein that RM50 million is to be allocated from the RM200 million direct to the Sulu Sultan’s descendants while the balance for the development of a Felda-style settlement scheme in Mindanao.

      “This will benefit both the heirs of the sultan as well as the people of Mindanao,” he said, adding that the Malaysian Government should deal directly with the Sultan of Sulu rather than talking to leaders of the intruders at Lahad Datu.

      He said any confrontation of arms would definitely cause casualties on both sides. “It can be expected that Malaysian security forces will come out with flying colours. But the scars will remain forever, just like other countries such as Northern Ireland, Spain and many others.

      “These unsatisfied issues will remain and crop up from time to time.

      Therefore, it is in our interest, in particular Sabah, to have friendly neighbours,” he said.

      Harris said Malaysia must acknowledge that no matter what, it was impossible to control every part or metre of Sabah over a 1,000km coastline right from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu.

      “Thus, it is important these issues be settled amicably once for all and be friends among the Malay stock countries.

      Everything will then be running smoothly in the Asean countries to move forward to become a developed Asia.

      China has already led the way.

      “The issue on who and who are Sabahans or for that matter Malaysian, does not arise anymore.

      All those citizenship with legally issued Identity Card are a fait accompli issue.

      “Surely it is not the intention to trace the original Sabahans, who are reportedly only the descendants of Murut and Rungus.

      The rest – the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians and others – were descendants of immigrants a few hundred years ago,” he said.

      People are free to go anywhere they like since it is expected that in the next 50 to 100 years from now there would be no more borders among the countries.

      SOURCE: Daily Express, http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=84456