Tuesday 5 March 2013

War in Borneo - the story continues



It’s been quite a busy news day in the UK, so it’s perhaps not surprising that there’s not a lot of coverage of what’s going on in North Borneo. But for anyone who thought that the story of The White Rajah belonged to a completely different age, it might be worth checking out who the Sultan of Sulu is.

The Sultanate of Sulu was founded in 1457, but it’s a long time since it was recognised as an independent state. The old Sultanates are obviously just part of history, irrelevant to the 21st century. Except that, on 11 February 2013, over 200 Filipinos arrived in Sabah state to reclaim it on behalf of the Sultanate.

This all sounds like a protest that could be safely ignored, and for almost a month, the Malaysian government did their best to ignore it. Then, this morning, fighter jets, infantry and armour went in.
So, over 150 years after James Brooke gained Sarawak in a war between different factions in Borneo’s ruling elite, the fighting continues.

3 comments:

  1. For the latest news (courtesy of Associated Press) check http://news.yahoo.com/filipino-gunmen-seek-ceasefire-malaysia-borneo-070349574.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just been chatting to Viviena Teng in Sarawak. Apparently, fighting there continues. Sabah (in the north, where it's all happening) is oil rich and oil, as we all know, attracts trouble. So far, according to her, around 12 government troops and police and 38 rebels have died. Yet news sources around the world remain strangely silent.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Local news reports suggest a slightly higher death toll overall, citing 56 gunmen and 10 security forces.

    ReplyDelete