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The Philippine military yesterday disputed a newspaper report that its naval and coast guard forces killed 35 gunmen to stop them from entering the Malaysian state of Sabah. |
Malaysia’s The Star quoted Malaysian Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as saying at a news conference yesterday in Penang that Philippine troops shot the gunmen from southern Sulu province before they could enter Malaysian waters, after the gunmen had refused to turn back.
Philippine regional naval commander captain Renato Yonque said the border with Malaysia has been “very quiet,” and “we have no information on that.”
“We have checked with the Philippine Navy and the Eastern Mindanao Command and they have received no such report,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines AFP spokesperson Colonel Arnulfo Burgos added.
This was echoed by Colonel Edgard Arevalo, the navy’s spokesperson on West Philippine Sea issues.
Arevalo said he spoke to the commander of the Navy task force based in Tawi-Tawi at 2.25pm and received no confirmation about the supposed incident as claimed by Hamidi.
Acting navy spokesperson lieutenant commander Gregory Fabic also said both the western command and Naval Task Force 62, which have jurisdiction over the area where the supposed incident happened, denied Hamidi ‘s claim.
Both navy officers declined to comment on why the Malaysian minister made his claim and said the department of foreign affairs would be in a better position to do so.
Hamidi claimed the militants were shot when they refused to turn back despite warnings not to cross into Malaysian waters. Had the militants entered Malaysia, he said, “we would have taken them out.”
Malaysia is holding general elections on May 5. In February, more than 200 followers of the sultanate of Sulu went to Sabah to press their claim to the territory. In March, a standoff between the sultanate’s followers and Malaysian security forces erupted into violence.
The Kiram clan claimed that there would be more clashes in Sabah after the general elections are over. Its spokesman said 1,000 volunteers have already landed in Sabah and will link up with the Sulu sultanate’s forces there to reclaim the north Borneo state.
Hamidi and his aides did not immediately answer calls to their cell phones.