MANILA — The Malaysian police opened fire on a group from a Muslim royal clan from the Philippines that has occupied a village in Malaysia and ignored pleas to leave, the group’s leader said Friday.
The group claims the territory in Malaysia’s Sabah State as its own, and has rejected a plea from President Benigno S. Aquino III of the Philippines to leave. The group’s seizure of the coastal village has complicated relations between the Philippines and Malaysia.
The group’s leader, Prince Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, told the Philippine radio station DZBB that the Malaysian police had opened fire on members early Friday, according to The Associated Press. He was quoted as saying that the group was fighting back and that there had been Filipino casualties.
The episode began Feb. 12, when the group, which is seeking to revive a historical claim to part of Borneo, arrived by boat from the Philippines and seized the land. The Philippines on Monday sent a navy vessel to the area with medical and diplomatic personnel to pick up the group or escort them back to the Philippines, hoping to resolve the situation.
Mr. Aquino said Tuesday that his government had sent emissaries to meet with Mr. Kiram to resolve the issue.
“These are your people, and it behooves you to recall them,” Mr. Aquino said to the leader in his Tuesday statement. “It must be clear to you that this small group of people will not succeed in addressing your grievances, and that there is no way that force can achieve your aims.”
The Philippines has been coordinating with the Malaysian government to resolve the issue peacefully, but Malaysian police officials in the area where the standoff is taking place had earlier suggested that they were prepared to use force if necessary.
Malaysia Said to Open Fire on Armed Filipinos
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Malaysia Said to Open Fire on Armed Filipinos
