Answering Mr Del Rosario - Philippine Foreign Secretary
MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is requesting the Malaysian government to provide a “safety corridor” to allow evacuation of innocent civilians caught in the violence in Lahad Datu, Sabah.
The request was conveyed by DFA Secretary Albert Del Rosario to Malaysian ambassador Mohammad Zamri bin Mohammad Kassim in light of the recent clashes between the “Royal army” of the Sultanate of Sulu and Malaysian authorities.
“[Del Rosario] requested that the government of Malaysia establish a safety corridor for women, children and other civilians not involved in the hostilities,o paint ” DFA Spokesman Raul Hernandez told reporters Tuesday.
When asked if it has been approved or denied, Hernandez said that it was still under consideration of the Malaysian authorities.
“We have not received any official response to [the request],” he said.
There are at least 570,000 Filipinos in Malaysia as of 2011, according to data from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, including 447,000 without appropriate papers.
My reply to Mr Del Rosario is as follows:
Mr Del Rosario,
Foreign Secretary of the Phillipines.
It was a group of lawless Filipinos who have invaded our country with firearms and have shot, mutilated and beheaded our people. The fact that our Government gave them four weeks to pack up and leave Malaysia unmolested and without even having to face a single legal charge or arrest speaks volumes of our peaceful handling of these lawless people. Only when they repeatedly rebuffed all this hospitality and embarked on shooting and beheading our Policemen did we act with force to repel them.
If such was our handling of violent invaders, rest assured that Malaysians have no issues with peaceful Filipinos who live here and earn an honest living. They are hadrworking people and contribute positively to our economy.
Therefore please do not try to paint an incorrect picture that even a single Filipino who lives in Sabah or anywhere else in Malaysia is under any kind of unwarranted threat from the Malaysian Armed Forces or from the Malaysian people which warrants the idea of a ‘safe corridor’ to evacuate innocent Filipinos'.
Contrary to your suggestion, many Filipinos who live in Sabah wish to remain in Sabah. They enjoy social services and economic opportunities almost at par with any other Malaysian. Their children enjoy free primary and secondary education. Many of them also attend universities and colleges here. They have access to world class medical facilities almost for free at Government hospitals and clinics.
To a large extent they live in comfortable homes in Sabah which enjoy modern amenities like water, electricity and satellite television. Plus they have economic opportunities - jobs and businesses to sustain themselves and their families. And most of them who have lived long enough in peaceful Malaysia will not want to identify with these Sulu invaders. So you can rest assured that you will not be seeing too many Filipinos in Sabah packing their bags to return home.
Sincerely yours,
Syed Akbar Ali
BLOG BN 2013
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