More Sultanate of Sulu articles

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July 10, 2008

Sultan of Sulu scores ‘state plans’ of MILF

With the brewing tension in Southern Philippines due to the projected Bangsa Moro state, Sultan Muhammad Fuad A. Kiram I, the 35th reigning Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo (Sabah), issued last Aug. 8, 2008, a press statement condemning the "illegal and unlawful landgrabbing of the ancestral and monarchial domain of the Sultanate by the so-called Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).’’

Sultan Fuad Kiram I said:

"We are strongly opposing the landgrabbing tactics of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) of the ancestral and monarchial domain belonging to the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo (now Sabah) since time immemorial.

"The Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo (Sabah) is the true owner of the land areas being taken by the MILF as part of the so- called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE).

"It is high time for the GRP- MILF panel to stop the negotiation and the proposed Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) be thrown to the waste-basket so as to protect the interest of the sultanate. The members of the panel must be transparent and consult the reigning Sultan Kiram.

"The MILF and GRP panels have no business giving away our historic homeland duly recognized by the foreign governments even before the coming of the Spaniards in the 14th century and the United States government in the Philippines.

"We are going also to pursue our legal claim of North Borneo (Sabah) because this is part and parcel of our homeland in Asia given by the Sultan of Brunei as a ‘reward’ to the Sultanate of Sulu for helping in quelling the revolt against the Sultanate of Brunei in 1658. We, the legal owners of North Borneo (Sabah), are being deprived of our legal rights to the vast and rich resources of North Borneo for the Tausugs of the Sultanate. North Borneo was annexed by Great Britain in 1963 during the formation of the Malaysian state.

"The Great Sultanate of Sulu was founded by our greatgrandfather Sultan Kiram, in 1457 and the sultanate has existed for at least 442 years and recognized by the Western powers at that time.’’

March 8,2008

Solons push House bill creating autonomous region of Sulu

Luzon and Mindanao lawmakers pushed yesterday the enactment of House Bill No. 1533 seeking the creation of a separate and distinct autonomous region for the Sulu Archipelago and the historical Sultanate of Sulu.

Rep. Hermilando I. Mandanas of the second district of Batangas, along with Reps. Yusop Jikiri of the first district of Sulu, Nur Jaafar of Tawi-Tawi and Munir Arbison of the second district of Sulu, said the enactment of HB 1533 could bring about a lasting solution to the armed conflict in the South.

Mandanas, principal author of HB 1533, said the long history of the people of Sulu Archipelago has left an indelible mark in their culture and tradition.

"While they share the same religion as the Maranaos, the Maguindanao, and other Muslims in Mindanao, they are a people apart, with their own tongues, customs, traditions and ways of thinking, in the same way that Tagalogs, Cebuanos and Ilocanos, while Christians have different traditions, customs and dialects," Mandanas said.

The bill seeks to amend Republic 9054, an Act to Strengthen and Expand the Organic Act for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, amending for the purpose RA 6734, the Act Providing for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, subject to a plebiscite to be held in Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, in accordance with Section 18, Article 10 of the Constitution.

"The creation of Autonomous Region for the Sultanate of Sulu Archipelago shall take effect and amendments to RA 904 shall be deemed ratified when approved by a majority of the votes cast by the constituent units of the Autonomous Region of the Sultanate of Sulu Archipelago, in a plebiscite which shall be held not earlier than 90 days or later than 120 days after the enactment of HB 5369," Mandanas said.

Mayor Alvarez I. Snaji and Hadji Panglima Jingona Pangambayan of Sulu joined the public clamor for immediate enactment of HB 5369 stressing that the historical background and cultural structure under the Sultanate has proven to be enduring, effective, and endearing to the needs of the people of Sulu Archipelago, due to the respect, love and reverence they have for the Sultan and the institutions of the Sultanate.

"The people look upon the Sultan as a revered leader who wields enormous influence thus, interweaving the institution of the Sultanate into the social and political fabric and economic environment of the Sulu Archipelago, consisting of the present provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan. It would boost the development of the region," Pangambayan said.

Pangambayan said that as correctly pointed out by Mandanas in his bill, the Sultanate of Sulu, established in 1457, predated the arrival in 1521 of the Spaniards in the Philippines and the founding of Manila in 1571 as a Spanish outpost.

Oct 4, 2004

New Sultan of Sulu vows to recover Sabah from KL

MANILA (Reuters) - The newly crowned sultan of Sulu in the southern Philippines said yesterday he will fight to get back the state of Sabah from Malaysian control, claiming territorial rights over the North Borneo territory.

"I will fight for my family's rights in the World Court," Rodinood Julaspi Kiram II told hundreds of followers outside a mosque in Quezon City, where he was crowned the 29th sultan of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo.

"Malaysia is illegally occupying Sabah. Sabah is ours, we will take it back."

Kiram said he was appalled to watch television images of Filipino women and children being maltreated by Malaysian police in several Sabah communities. Tens of thousands of Filipinos in Sabah have been sent back home since 2002.

"The Malaysians have no authority to expel Filipinos from Sabah because the territory belongs to us," he said, adding he would enlist the help of the Philippine government to bring his case to the International Court of Justice.

Kiram, 56, is only now ascending to the sultanate's throne, five years after his father's death, because of confusion over succession rules. The last Sultan of Sulu left about 70 families as heirs.

Kiram said Malaysia helped Muslim rebels fight Manila in the 1970s, providing the separatists with sanctuaries, training bases, weapons, and moral support. He said he knew about Malaysia's role in the rebellion because he was a former guerrilla leader himself.

Kiram said Malaysia has recently changed strategy and agreed to broker peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Muslim rebels only to protect its claims on Sabah.

On Monday, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will host a private dinner with Mahathir Mohammad, Malaysia's former prime minister, due to address a business conference this week.

Arroyo's spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, said Arroyo will thank Mahathir for his key role in brokering talks between the government and Muslim rebels, due to resume this month in Kuala Lumpur.

The dispute over Sabah is among long standing irritants in ties between the two Southeast Asian nations, but was placed on the backburners as trade and investment links grew in the early 1990s.