Lahad Datu Standoff

Lahad Datu Standoff

Lahad Datu Standoff (German: Lahad Datu stalemate ) or Lahad Datu Crisis is the Malaysian media name for an armed conflict on the east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah that began in the village of Kg.Tanduo in the Lahad Datu district . On February 11, 2013, around 200 militant supporters of Jamalul Kiram III went ashore there in order to assert a renegotiation of historical territorial claims of the descendants of the Sultan of Sulu. The incident sparked considerable diplomatic tensions between the Philippines and Malaysia and reached a further level of escalation with a combat mission by the Malaysian armed forces on March 5, 2013. The Malaysian government declared the conflict over on June 29, 2013 with the termination of the DAULAT military operation .

backgrounds

The conflict was fed by two different disputes, some of whose roots go back far into the history of Malaysia and the Philippines, namely the

• Territorial dispute over North Borneo and the
• Succession dispute over the Sultanate of Sulu.

In the territorial dispute over North Borneo, the Philippines make claims to the territory of the Malaysian state of Sabah. The basis of the claims is the historical sphere of influence of the Sultanate of Sulu, which originally extended from the Sulu Archipelago to the northern parts of Borneo . For the land ceded by Sultan Jamal-ul Azam on January 22, 1878 to the North Borneo Chartered Company , the company paid 5,000 Straits dollars. To date, Malaysia has paid 5,000 ringgit annually to the government of the Philippines to maintain the contract, but has objected to any further claims.

In the succession dispute over the Sultanate of Sulu, various descendants of the last Sultan of Sulu claim to be the rightful heir to the throne. The armed group in Kg. Tanduo consists of followers of Jamalul Kiram III. In addition to Kiram III, there are other relatives of the former sultan who, however, have different points of view in the Lahad Datu conflict.

The decisive trigger for the decision to invade Malaysian territory with an armed group was provided on December 7, 2012 by the Philippine President Benigno Aquino III for a peace treaty (“Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro”) with the Islamic Liberation Front of the Moros (MILF), through which the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu saw their role in the future of Sulu being passed over. In a statement on November 11, 2012, Jamalul Kiram III demanded that a contingent of civil and military forces led by his brother Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram should enforce his claim to North Borneo.

procedure

Starting point of the crisis in Kg.Tanduo

Occupation of Kg.Tanduo

Kg Tanduo in 2014, after being converted into a military base

On February 11, 2013, a group of 235 uniformed and partially armed Filipinos led by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, coming from Simunul , Tawi-Tawi , reached the small town of Tanduo, about 135 kilometers northeast of Lahad Datu . The client of the group, which calls itself "Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo", was Jamalul Kiram III, who describes himself as the rightful heir to the throne of the Sultanate of Sulu . Kiram's goal is to assert territorial claims on the eastern parts of Sabah that arise from the North Borneo dispute over the former North Borneo .

Gun battle on March 1, 2013

An extended ultimatum, with which the Malaysian government had requested the occupiers to leave Sabah immediately, expired on February 26, 2013. On March 1, around 10:15 am, an exchange of fire broke out between the Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo ”and the Malaysian police in the course of which 10 armed members of the Sultanate were killed and four others injured. There were two deaths on the part of the Malaysian police.

Expansion of the conflict

On March 2, 2013, the Sabah police chief, Ismail Omar, reported that a group of ten armed men in battle uniforms resembling those of the Sultanate fighters had been seen near the town of Kunak, between Lahad Datu and Semporna . The Malaysian government then began to strengthen the police and army units, and members of the Royal Malay Regiment were relocated to Sabah.

The following day, March 3, 2013, a local police unit was ambushed in the village of Kampung Sri Jaya Siminul during a patrol at around 6:30 am. The ten armed men of the Sultanate killed the head of the Bukit Aman police station and four policemen. The remaining police officers - around 30 men from the headquarters of the district police in Semporna - holed up in the village. Two Sultanate fighters were also killed during the exchange of fire. According to other reports, a total of six Malaysian police officers and seven attackers were killed; including an assailant who was beaten to death by villagers while trying to take a hostage.

Attack by the Malaysian Armed Forces

On March 5, 2013, Royal Malaysian Air Force fighter jets (three F / A-18 Hornets and five BAE Hawks ) attacked Kirams Camp in Tanduo. The attacking forces of the army and the police at the same time encountered enemy rifle fire. During the subsequent security measure (code name “Ops Sulu” or “Ops Daulat”, “Operation State Sovereignty”) it was found that the rebel leader Agbimuddin Kiram and some of his supporters had evidently escaped from the siege ring around Kampung Tanduo. The security forces then searched the surrounding farmland and the FELDA plantations.

Political Impact

Some observers said the incident could have an impact on Malaysia's immigration policy. It is possible that Malaysia will take (more) action against Filipino immigrants. There are currently several hundred thousand Filipinos living in the country as illegal immigrants. The previous immigration policy gave the illegals a relatively large amount of leeway and in the past resulted several times in large-scale legalization programs in which the illegals could easily acquire Malaysian citizenship.

Reactions

Several states issued travel warnings after the Standoff; On March 3, 2013, the Federal Foreign Office advised tourists not to travel to the districts of Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan and Sandakan that were not absolutely necessary due to the current confusing situation and the risk that could not be ruled out . On June 28, 2013, this travel warning was lifted and there was a general reference to the existence of safety zones ("Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (ESSZONE)") in some villages on the east coast; an increased number of police and military is to be expected there.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Philippines' Aquino calls for talks on Sabah . In: Agence France Presse . Retrieved March 18, 2013. 
2. ↑ The Star Online: Lahad Datu: Ops Daulat officially ends today ( memento of October 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) of June 29, 2013
3. ^ Owen Rutter: British North Borneo - An Account of its History, Ressources and Native Tribes , page 119, Constable & Company Ltd, London, 1922
4. ^ Regina Lim: Federal-state relations in Sabah, Malaysia: the Berjaya administration 1976-85 , page 17, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2008, ISBN 978-981-230-811-5
5. ↑ Geoffrey Marston: International Law and the Sabah Dispute (PDF; 312 kB), which contains the official English translation of the contract
6. ↑ Randy David: The Sabah Standoff . In: Malaysia Today . Archived from the original on February 24, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 6, 2013. 
7. ↑ Allan Afdal Nawal: 2 more claim to be real sultan of Sulu . In: Philippine Daily Inquirer , February 26, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013. 
8. ↑ ^{a b c} Heirs of Sultan of Sulu pursue Sabah claim on their own . In: Philippine Daily Inquirer , February 16, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2013. 
9. ^ Malaysian security forces moving in on village . In: The Star Online . Retrieved March 6, 2013.
10. ↑ No surrender, we stay . In: Philippine Daily Inquirer , March 3, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013. 
11. ↑ Jethro Mullen: Filipino group on Borneo claims to represent sultanate, Malaysia says . In: CNN , February 15, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013. 
12. ↑ Mike Frialde: Sultanate of Sulu wants Sabah returned to Phl . In: The Philippine Star , February 23, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2013. 
13. ↑ Dennis Carcamo: Sulu sultan spokesman: 10 men killed in Sabah . In: The Philippine Star , March 1, 2013. 
14. ↑ Malaysia standoff with armed Filipinos ends in violence . In: Yahoo! News , March 1, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. 
15. ^ Pi, Thomas: Another group of intruders spotted . In: Free Malaysia Today , March 3, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2013 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  
16. ^ Police, Armed Forces Beef Up Operations in Sabah's East Coast . In: Bernama , March 3, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013. 
17. ↑ Sean Yoong: 5 Police, 2 Assailants Killed Amid Malaysian Siege . In: ABC News , March 3, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013. 
18. ↑ Charles Ramendran: Lahad Datu crisis: Five more cops killed in Semporna . In: The Sun Daily , March 3, 2013.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
19. ↑ Malaysia police die in fresh Sabah gun battle . In: BBC News , March 3, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013. 
20. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from September 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
21. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
22. ↑ BBC: Malaysia soldiers attack armed Filipino clan in Borneo , March 5, 2013; Accessed March 6, 2013
23. ↑ Malaysiakini: F / A-18 and Hawk fighters bomb Kg Tanduo , March 5, 2013; Accessed March 6, 2013
24. ^ GMA News: Malaysian fighter jets bomb Sabah camp of sultan's men , March 5, 2013; Accessed March 6, 2013
25. ^ Malaysian security forces in all out attack against Sulu gunmen . In: The Star Online , March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013. 
26. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
27. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
28. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
29. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from January 1, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
30. ↑ Malaysia: Travel and Safety Advice; As of March 6, 2013 (content of this travel warning no longer available at the specified location) . In: Foreign Office - Berlin . Retrieved March 6, 2013.
31. ↑ Malaysia: Travel and Safety Advice; As of August 28, 2013 . In: Foreign Office - Berlin . Retrieved August 28, 2013.

Remarks

1. ↑ The abbreviation "Kg." Or "Kg" stands for ( mal. ) "Kampung" and means "village". “Kg.” Is an integral part of the place name and is prefixed to the name of a village in Malaysia.
2. ^ Raja Muda : mal. for "heir to the throne" or "crown prince".
3. ↑ FELDA is an abbreviation for "Federal Land Development Authority". This means that the plantations are operated on the basis of a development measure by the Malaysian state.