Govt's decision to refuse truce right, say observers

The government's decision not to consider the request for a truce from the group of armed militants that had intruded into Sabah last Feb 12 was received favourably by observers who also wanted them to be flushed out immediately. Describing the decision as right, former army chief General (Rtd) Tan Sri Mohd Azumi Mohamed said the militants had been given the chance to retreat but remained adamant and chose instead to challenge the country's sovereignty. "If there were to be a truce, it must be without conditions, they must surrender first and lay down their arms," he said when contacted by Bernama today. At a media conference at Felda Sahabat 16, Lahad Datu after visiting the 'Ops Daulat' operation grounds yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak stressed that Kuala Lumpur would not consider any truce as long as the militants refused to lay down their arms unconditionally. Media reports from the Philippines today quoted self-proclaimed Sulu sultan Jamalul Kiram as having ordered his followers, who were now holed up in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu since their intrusion, to lay down their arms after a Malaysian security offensive on Tuesday left a number of them dead. Najib in his visit also announced the establishment of a Special Security Area in Sabah and the addition of five battalions from the police and army to reinforce security. Mohd Azumi who had been in the thick of 'Ops Pasir', an operation to manage security along the coastlines of Sabah and Sarawak, said such measures would boost security coordination between the police and army. Meanwhile, Malaysia's former Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Tan Sri Razali Ismail said the militant group must be flushed out to end the intrusion. "I think they should be thrown out of this country, never come to Malaysia (again), and it is up to the Philippine government to take further action," he said when contacted by Bernama. Razali who is also Global Movement of Moderates Foundation chairman saw it pointless to extradite Jamalul Kiram to Malaysia as it would further allow the intrusion and Sabah claim issues to prolong. He also regarded the claim by the so-called sultan that Sabah belonged to Sulu as baseless, as the state was legally Malaysia's according to international law. "The claim has gone on for too long and Sabahans themselves have already declared that Sabah belongs to Malaysia, so stop (claiming), no more claims, close the chapter," he said. Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said an indepth study on the extradition of Jamalul Kiram ought to be done prior to any action. "We leave it to the Attorney-General to advise whether it could be legally done or not," he said. The Attorney-General's Chambers was earlier reported to have said it would submit an application to extradite Jamalul Kiram to Malaysia from the Philippines if there was a case against him.