Friday March 8, 2013

Lahad Datu: Manila wants to charge Jamalul first

MANILA: Self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III may be extradited to Malaysia to face charges over the actions of his followers but the Philippines wants him to be tried in his own country first.

A report in the Filipino online portal Rappler.com quoted Philippine President Benigno Aquino III as saying: “Let our citizens here in the country face the charges that we will be proffering first, then we will talk about other developments after they have satisfied the requirements of our laws.”

He also said the country did not have an extradition treaty with Malaysia, having only the “Asean Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty that had already been enforced”.

“All of these issues are being studied by the Department of Justice,” he said, adding that the Filipinos involved in the standoff should face charges in their home country first.

Aquino was responding to a statement by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman that it might ask the Philippines to hand Jamalul over.

In KUALA LUMPUR, Umno Youth urged the Philippine government to extradite Jamalul for allowing the intrusion and attacks by his people against Malaysian citizens.

Its Public Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Muhammad Khairun Aseh said the armed militants had clearly committed acts of terror and killed Malaysians.

“The intrusion and brutal attacks were designed and executed by the terrorists led by Jamalul.

“We hope that the Philippine government will issue an arrest warrant against him and his men and bring them to Malaysia to face criminal charges,” he said after presenting a protest memorandum to Philippine Embassy First Secretary and Consul Maria Antonina Mendoza-Oblena yesterday.

News

Friday March 8, 2013

Lahad Datu: Manila wants to charge Jamalul first