Malay News:Kiram clan refuses surrender, tells Sulu troops to stay in Sabah

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Despite reports of more Sulu deaths in Malaysia, the Kiram family has ordered its army to stay put and not accede to surrender, reminding them that their fight for ownership of Sabah was worthy of placing “honour above life”. Jacel Kiram, daughter of the self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram, told Radio dzMM today that her uncle Agbimuddin Kiram and his band of soldiers will not leave Sabah despite coming under heavy gunfire from Malaysian security forces. She appealed to the remaining members of the rebel group to stay loyal to Agbimuddin, the “crown prince” of Sulu, pointing out that their landing in Sabah on February 9 was merely their peaceful return “home”. “Please remain... this is honour above life,” she was quoted as saying in an online report on Philippine media network ABN-CBS News. “Their only wish is to stay there... it is their home, they want to live there peacefully.” Radio dzMM is the flagship radio station of ABN-CBS Corporation in the Philippines. At noon today, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Ismail Omar told reporters in Lahad Datu that another Sulu gunman was shot dead at 8am as he tried to slip by a security cordon in Kampung Tanjung Batu. This brings the Sulu death toll to 53, according to official figures from Malaysian authorities. The Kiram family called for a ceasefire on Thursday, promising that their troops would stay on the defensive and not attack when faced with Malaysian forces. But they stopped short of agreeing to leave Sabah, insisting that the east Malaysian state belonged to the Sultanate, based on historical records dating back to the 17th century. Malaysia rejected the call for a ceasefire and ordered its security forces to destroy every militant, saying it would only hold its fire if the Sulu group agreeed to surrender unconditionally. Faced with the ultimatum, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the militants had no other choice but to surrender.