Not discounting the possibility of Malaysians being among the slain gunmen, the Philippine government has offered to assist in identifying the remains of the enemy that were retrieved from two villages at Felda Sahabat here since Sunday.
Philippine Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Jesus J. Yabes said families of the intruders who were killed here are concerned as they are in the dark over the matter.
"We hope the Malaysian government will provide us with details of those killed. We understand there may be difficulty identifying the bodies but we are willing to assist.
"We have our own ways of identifying these bodies as to which family they belong to. There may also be non-Filipinos among them." he told theSun during a visit at the Felda Sahabat Residence Resort.
When asked if he believed there may be Malaysians among the dead gunmen, he said: "Why not? These days in armed conflicts all over the world, it is no longer a single nationality fighting a cause but others who share the same interests integrate and fight together."
To date, security forces have gunned down 57 terrorists of the group that was sent on the orders of Sulu chieftain Jamalul Kiram.
According to him, Philippine President (Benigno Aquino III) has sent officials to meet Jamalul to resolve and end the resistance to avoid more bloodshed.
"We understand Malaysia has its interests and security to protect but we are also here on the humanitarian aspect as we are concerned about the welfare of our nationals living here.
"Legal assistance to Filipinos detained by security forces, if the need arises, will be offered by us. Those in detention should be tried according to the law and treated humanely. We have a policy where we render legal assistance to our nationals even if they have been held for serious crimes." he said.
Yabes, who was accompanied by officials from his ministry and the embassy in Kuala Lumpur, also spent almost an hour at Kampung Batu Batu, a Suluk settlement in Felda Sahabat.
Azman Buyong, a Sulu contract worker at the village who holds Malaysian permanent residence status, told theSun the intrusion had disrupted the daily lives of villagers in the area.
"Loss of income and the fear we face are causing us hardship. The Sulu community lives peacefully with others and we have been treated well. We are against what the intruders are doing and support all action by the police to put an end to it," he said.
Azman said security forces should have moved in on the gunmen much earlier and not given them more than a week to surrender.
Friday 22 March 2013
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/642893
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