A leaked US cable from 2001 highlighted the tug-of-war between Malaysia and the Philippines to wash their hands off Mindanao rebel Mur Misuari.
The Malaysian government had previously given refuge to Misuari and his followers during the Mindanao war in the 1970s. However, this time around prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad ruled out political asylum.
K Kabilan, Free Malaysia Today
The Philippines had hoped that it could force Malaysia to incarcerate former Muslim Mindanao governor Nur Misuari here in 2001 by linking him with terrorist group Abu Sayyaf and the kidnapping of 21 people from Sipadan island a year before.
To achieve this, Manila had shared intelligence on Misuari with Kuala Lumpur.
“A (Malaysian) foreign ministry contact said that Manila was now alerting Malaysian authorities to Misuari’s connections to Abu Sayyaf and the Sipadan kidnappings,” said a confidential US embassy cable to the US State Department in Washington on Nov 28, 2001.
The cable was leaked by whistleblower site WikiLeaks exclusively to FMT today.
US diplomats based in the US embassy here had named the Malaysian foreign embassy contact in the cable, stating that he was from the Southeast Asia Division of the ministry.
According to the cable, quoting the ministry official, Manila was feeding information to Malaysia “perhaps as a convenient way to keep Misuari incarcerated in Malaysia while the Malaysian police carry out what is sure to be a complex terrorism investigation”.
Misuari and six of his Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) followers were arrested by the Malaysian authorities on Nov 24, 2001 for trying to enter Sabah illegally.
They were fleeing southern Philippines after instigating a war between Manila and his armed supporters, resulting in as many as 200 people dead.
It was reported at that time that Malaysia was looking forward to send back Misuari to the Philippines as it did not want to handle Misuari and get involved in a complicated affair.
The Malaysian government had previously given refuge to Misuari and his followers during the Mindanao war in the 1970s. However, this time around prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad ruled out political asylum.
“This is an internal matter of the Philippines and Malaysia should not interfere by providing refuge to rebels from other countries,” he was quoted as saying in Bernama then.
Manila not confident of getting conviction
The Phlippines, however, was keen to let Malaysia handle Misuari. The then Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was quick to point out Misuari’s alliance with Abu Sayyaf and the Sipadan kidnapping, hoping that this would prompt Malaysia to take action against Misuari.
“It’s not right to identify Misuari (with the) MNLF anymore. It’s better to identify him with the Abu Sayyaf,” she was quoted as saying in newspapers.
The confidential US cable noted that Malaysian officials were aware that the Philippine government was “talking out of both sides of its mouth”.
The cable noted that while Arroyo was hoping for Malaysia to handle the Misuari problem, her foreign ministry, however, was sending a different message to Malaysia – that his deportation would be requested following the completion of Mindanao elections where Misuari’s successor as governor is to be elected.
“The Philippine government fears that putting Misuari on trial for rebellion will not only cause a popular backlash, but may not result in conviction,” added the cable, quoting the Malaysian foreign ministry source.
“The Philippine government was not confident it could secure a conviction, and worried that Misuari may ultimately slip away,” it added.
Arroyo had hoped that a conviction in a Malaysian court would be a “safer and more effective method of keeping Misuari group behind bars”, the cable stated.
“Personally, I want him to stay in (a) Malaysian jail,” CNN had quoted Arroyo just days after Misuari’s arrest in Sabah.
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 002464
CINCPAC FOR FPA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/11
TAGS: PTER, PREL, PINS, MY, RP
SUBJECT: MALAYSIA PROBES MISUARI TIES TO ABU SAYYAF GROUP
REF: (A) KUALA LUMPUR 2446 (B) MANILA 6796
CLASSIFIED BY A/DCM JAMES F. ENTWISTLE FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D).
1. (C) SUMMARY: CONCERNED THAT ANY CHARGES FILED AGAINST NUR MISUARI HERE WOULD PROVOKE A DOMESTIC BACKLASH, MALAYSIAN OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO INSIST THEY ARE PREPARED TO DEPORT THE MORO NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT (MNLF) LEADER TO THE PHILIPPINES. NEVERTHELESS, MALAYSIA'A SECURITY APPARATUS IS INCREASINGLY INTERESTED IN MISUARI'S ALLEGED CONNECTION TO THE ABU SAYYAF GROUP AND POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT IN THE KIDNAPPING OF WESTERN TOURISTS ON THE MALAYSIAN ISLAND OF SIPADAN IN 2000.
ACCORDING TO A FOREIGN MINISTRY CONTACT, MANILA IS SHARING INTELLIGENCE ON MISUARI'S POSSIBLE ROLE IN THE SIPADAN KIDNAPPING, WITH THE HOPE THAT A RESULTING INVESTIGATION WOULD KEEP THE REBEL LEADER INCARCERATED IN A MALAYSIAN JAIL.
THE MFA MAINTAINED THAT MANILA IS TALKING OUT OF TWO SIDES OF ITS MOUTH, WITH PRESIDENT ARROYO'S OFFICE INDICATING THAT MISUARI'S ACTIVITIES MAY REQUIRE A PROLONGED MALAYSIAN INVESTIGATION, AND THE PHILIPPINE FOREIGN MINISTRY CLAIMING THAT MANILA IS READY TO ACCEPT MISUARI IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING ELECTIONS IN THE AUTONOMOUS REGION OF MINDANAO (ARMM).
AN MFA CONTACT OPINED THAT GOP FOOT-DRAGGING IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO FEARS THAT A REBELLION TRIAL FOR MISUARI IN THE PHILIPPINES MAY NOT ULTIMATELY RESULT IN A CONVICTION, AND IN THE
END HE MAY JUST "SLIP AWAY." END SUMMARY.
2. (C) THE LOCAL PRESS REPORTED NOVEMBER 28 THAT DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ABDULLAH BADAWI SAID THE GOM IS READY TO IMMEDIATELY DEPORT MISUARI AT MANILA'S REQUEST.
CHIEF MINISTER OF THE BORNEO STATE OF SABAH, CHONG KAH KIAT, SAID THAT MALAYSIA "WOULD LOVE TO SEND HIM BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE."
CABINET MINISTER FOR YOUTH AND SPORT AND UMNO YOUTH CHIEF HISHAMMUDDIN HUSSEIN, WHO KNOWS MISUARI PERSONALLY AND EVEN DESCRIBES HIM AS A "FRIEND," CALLED FOR MISUARI'S IMMEDIATE DEPORTATION TO THE PHILIPPINES. HISHAMMUDDIN, WHO IS LIKELY NOW DEFENSIVE ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MISUARI, TOLD THE PRESS THAT MISUARI'S ACTIONS "CREATE A NEGATIVE IMAGE OF MUSLIMS AND TARNISH THE SANCTITY OF ISLAM."
UNMO YOUTH EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBER SHAMSUL ANWAR SULAIMAN TOLD US THAT THE PARTY HAD SENT A STRONG RECOMMENDATION TO THE PRIME MINISTER THAT MISUARI BE RETURNED TO THE PHILIPPINES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
SHAMSUL CONFIRMED THAT HE, HISHAMUDDIN, AND OTHER UMNO FIGURES HAD BEEN CLOSE TO MISUARI IN THE PAST.
3. (C) WHILE THE GOM MAY WISH TO BE RID OF MISUARI, THERE IS GROWING INTEREST IN HIS ALLEGED CONNECTION WITH THE ABU SAYYAF GROUP AND HIS POSSIBLE ROLE IN THE SIPADAN ISLAND KIDNAPPINGS IN 2000.
FOLLOWING A MEETING OF THE MALAYSIA'S NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 24, AN UNNAMED OFFICIAL TOLD THE LOCAL PRESS THAT MISUARI AND HIS CAPTURED AIDES COULD PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES OF "MILITANT GROUPS."
A FOREIGN MINISTRY CONTACT IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DIVISION, ZULKEFLY MD NOOR (STRICTLY PROTECT) SAID THAT MANILA WAS NOW "ALERTING" THE MALAYSIAN AUTHORITIES TO MISUARI'S CONNECTIONS TO ABU SAYYAF AND THE SIPADAN KIDNAPPINGS, PERHAPS AS A CONVENIENT WAY TO KEEP MISUARI INCARCERATED IN MALAYSIA WHILE THE MALAYSIAN POLICE CARRY OUT WHAT IS SURE TO BE A COMPLEX TERRORISM INVESTIGATION.
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE ROYAL MALAYSIA POLICE, NORIAN MAI, ACKNOWLEDGED TO THE PRESS THAT MISUARI AND HIS SIX CAPTURED SUPPORTERS WERE BEING INVESTIGATED FOR LINKS TO THE ABU SAYYAF GROUP, THOUGH NONE OF THE MEN, INCLUDING MISUARI, HAVE BEEN FORMALLY CHARGED.
4. (C) ZULKEFLY PROVIDED SOME ADDITIONAL INSIGHT INTO THE GOM'S DEALINGS WITH MANILA, MAINTAINING THAT THE GOP IS TALKING OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF ITS MOUTH. WHILE THE PHILIPPINE FOREIGN MINISTRY KEEPS ASSURING THE GOM THAT MISUARI'S DEPORTATION WILL BE REQUESTED FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF ELECTIONS IN MINDANAO, PRESIDENT ARROYO'S OFFICE HAS INDICATED THAT THE GOM "SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE LONG-HAUL."
ACCORDING TO ZULKEFLY, THE GOP FEARS THAT PUTTING MISUARI ON TRIAL FOR REBELLION WILL NOT ONLY CAUSE A POPULAR BACKLASH, BUT MAY NOT RESULT IN A CONVICTION. ZULKEFLY SAID THE GOP WAS NOT CONFIDENT IT COULD SECURE A CONVICTION, AND WORRIED THAT MISUARI MAY ULTIMATELY "SLIP AWAY."
ZULKEFLY AGREED WITH THE VIEW THAT PERHAPS THE GOP HOPES A CONVICTION IN A MALAYSIAN COURT WOULD BE A SAFER AND MORE EFFECTIVE METHOD OF KEEPING MISUARI GROUP BEHIND BARS.
HUHTALA
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