By Ritchie Horario /Manila Times
The sultanate of Sulu is considering asking China’s help in its bid to regain Sabah.
Abraham Idjirani, spokesman of the sultanate, yesterday said Sultan Jamalul Kiram had raised the possibility of seeking help from China to recover the disputed territory from Malaysia.
“Yes, Sultan Jamalul Kiram has been considering this move, just like asking the help of the US, the United Kingdom, and other countries that had connection with Sabah in the past,” he said. He said that there’s nothing wrong in Kiram asking help from China.
“You see, the Sultanate of Sulu and China had already established relations centuries ago. So, it is not surprising if some of the sultanate’s heirs go to China for help to recover their historical right over Sabah,” Idjirani explained. Sulu sultans, according to Idjirani, had visited China during the reign of Ming dynasty’s emperor Yongle in 1417.
One of them, Sultan Paduka Batara, died in Dezhou, Shandong province, where he received a state funeral befitting Chinese emperors, according to Idjirani.
