As Sulu sultan Jamalul Kiram's militants continue their standoff with Malaysian authorities in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Manila has ordered a study of Jamalul’s claim to Sabah and deployed six naval ships to the waters off Sulu and Tawi-Tawi to contain the conflict.

NONE According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer , President Benigno Aquino (right), in an apparent move to appease Jamalul, ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of the President to study the legal validity of the sultanate’s claim to Sabah.

Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the DOJ would look into the legal aspects of the claim. The DFA will deal with the policy dimension while the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office will handle the historical aspect of the claim.

The study, which has no deadline, will include an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the Sulu sultanate’s claim to Sabah, Leila said.

“I will try to finish it in a few days,” she said.

Manila has also sent emissaries to Jamalul to talk to him about settling the crisis peacefully, the daily reported.

Several Philippine senators suspect the intrusion on Feb 9 by dozens of armed men, who claim to be the ‘royal army of Sulu’, to be part of a plot to derail the peace process between the Philippine government and the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

NONE Malaysian authorities have surrounded the group and a standoff has been in place since Feb 12, with "negotiations" said to be going on.

Yesterday, AFP reported that Aquino criticised the group and warned that their actions could lead to conflict.

He said his government had been talking to all parties, including the sultan’s family, to find a peaceful solution.

Six Philippine ships deployed

Another report published by The Star-Asia News Network says six Philippine naval ships have been deployed in the sea off Sulu and Tawi-Tawi to prevent a possible spillover from the Lahad Datu standoff.

The ships are only conducting patrols within the waters of Tawi-Tawi islands, less than a half-hour speedboat ride from the seaside village of Tandau, where the Sulu group has been holed up.

Philippines Navy spokesperson Lt-Commander Gregory Fabic was quoted as telling the media in Manila that the naval vessels would not dock in Sabah waters but were there to help make the situation stable.

He said there were no instructions given for the evacuation of the Sulu group led by Azzimudie Kiram, the brother of Jamalul.

“We are hoping that this will be resolved peacefully. If they are retreating, we are not there to help them because we need instructions if they can be picked up,” Fabic was quoted as saying.

“If there are conflicts, we cannot help them. We will (only go there) if it is resolved peacefully and are given instructions to repatriate them,” Fabic added.

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