MANILA — Shots have been fired in a tense standoff between a group of armed Filipinos and Malaysian police officer who have them surrounded in a remote northeast area of Malaysia, a Philippine presidential spokesman said Friday.
The group, which is occupying an isolated village in attempt to revive a historical claim to the area, tried early Friday morning to breach the perimeter established by Malaysian police, said Ricky Carandang, a Philippine presidential spokesman.
The group claims the territory in Malaysia’s Sabah State as its own, and has rejected a plea from President Benigno S. Aquino III of the Philippines to leave. The group’s seizure of the coastal village has complicated relations between the Philippines and Malaysia.
After the group tried to breach the perimeter, the Malaysian police fired warning shots to force them to return to the cordoned off area and no one was injured, Mr. Carandang said.
“They apparently tried to leave the area and were stopped,” Mr. Carandang said by telephone. “We have conflicting reports but this is what we have verified so far.”
The group’s leader, who is based in Manila, claimed on Friday that the Malaysian police opened fire on them. The leader, Prince Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, told the Philippine radio station DZBB that the group was fighting back and that there had been Filipino casualties.
The episode began Feb. 12, when the group, which is seeking to revive a historical claim to part of Borneo, arrived by boat from the Philippines and seized the land. The Philippines on Monday sent a navy vessel to the area with medical and diplomatic personnel to pick up the group or escort them back to the Philippines, hoping to resolve the situation.
Mr. Aquino said Tuesday that his government had sent emissaries to meet with Mr. Kiram to resolve the issue.
“These are your people, and it behooves you to recall them,” Mr. Aquino said to the leader in his Tuesday statement. “It must be clear to you that this small group of people will not succeed in addressing your grievances, and that there is no way that force can achieve your aims.”
The Philippines has been coordinating with the Malaysian government to resolve the issue peacefully, but Malaysian police officials in the area where the standoff is taking place had earlier suggested that they were prepared to use force if necessary.
Malaysia Said to Open Fire on Armed Filipinos
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Malaysia Said to Open Fire on Armed Filipinos
