Kuala Lumpur: The Kiram clan has disowned the eight charged with intrusion into Sabah as Malaysians and not Filipinos, saying that two of those accused had actually died in a clash with Malaysian security forces.
Self-styled Sultan Jamalul Kiram III's spokesman Abraham Idjirani had told the Philippines media the sultanate learned about the "fall guys" from a source in Sabah.
"Our basis for saying that they are not Filipinos is that our source from Sabah called us to say they are Malaysians. They are not Filipinos," he was quoted as saying by Philippine Daily Inquirer.
"To confirm this, they (Malaysian authorities) should divulge where they were caught. If they were caught outside Lahad Datu, they were [Malaysian] civilians," he said.
The Philippine daily quoted Syarulnizam Salleh, chair of the human rights subcommittee of the Sabah Lawyers Association (SLA), as saying the eight charged with launching terroristic acts and waging war were Filipinos.
Syarulnizam told the newspaper that he learned about the nationality of the eight men during his meeting with Malaysian Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail on Thursday night.
However, the SLA posted on its website that Malaysian authorities had arrested not only Filipinos but also Malaysians in the security operations to end the intrusion by followers of the claimant to the Sulu throne.
The Malaysian authorities have arrested 108 people suspected of links to the Sulu group led by Jamalul's brother, Agbimuddin Kiram.
The eight alleged followers of Jamalul faced judge P. Ravinthran of the Tawau High Court on Thursday on the charges brought by the Malaysian authorities against them the day before.
The case begins on April 12.
Published by Daily Express - March 24, 2013
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