Sulu intruders mull 'disengagement'

VIDEO | 9.40 min The root of the Sulu insurgency

Jamalul Kiram III, a self-claimed Sulu sultan, has dispatched representatives to meet the Philippines government to discuss "disengagement" of his followers armed incursion into Sabah.

According to Manila-based Interaksyon, the two-hour meeting between Jamalul Kiram's younger brother sultan Bantilan Esmail Kiram II and Interior Minister Manuel Roxas II took place at the national police headquarters in Quezon City today.

Roxas said among the things they discussed was “disengagement” and the likely outcome of Jamalul Kiram's followers should they lay down their arms.

"Among the things discussed was, for example, since the leader of Malaysia publicly said the surrender of arms is the only condition to end the fighting, so, one of their questions was the manner (and) the mechanisms,” Roxas told reporters after the meeting.

Since the first gun battle with Malaysian security forces on March 1, 52 of Jamalul Kiram’s followers have been killed, according to Malaysian figures.

Roxas said Bantilan Esmail Kiram II was also briefed on Manila's efforts to ensure the safety of Filipinos in Sabah.

He declined to provide further details on the discussions, but stressed that he would be meeting President Benigno Aquino III soon.

Jamalul Kiram's followers landed in Lahad Datu, Sabah, on Feb 9, ostensibly on a peaceful mission to stake their claim over their historical territorial rights.

However, his men were heavily armed and have killed eight Malaysia police personnel and wounded many others. They are also accused of mutilating the body of a police officer and beheading another.

Putrajaya has vowed that the armed intruders would be captured or destroyed.

Although Jamalul Kiram has announced a unilateral ceasefire, his men are still attacking Malaysian security personnel trying to flush them out of hiding in the Felda Sahabat area.