Philippines Asks Malaysia About Alleged Rights Abuses

[News_Editor]

Philippine officials have asked Malaysia to clarify news reports that Filipinos in Malaysia’s eastern Sabah state were being mistreated while authorities crack down on Filipino gunmen staking a claim on the resource-rich region. The Department of Foreign Affairs on Sunday also reiterated a call for Malaysia to give Philippine diplomats full access to Filipinos who are being held outside the part of Sabah where Malaysian forces are battling followers of a sultan from the southern Philippines who revived a historical claim in the area. The Philippine Foreign Affairs Department said in a statement that it “views with grave concern†Philippine news reports alleging Filipinos have been rounded up in Lahad Datu and other Sabah areas.—AP

Source: Irrawaddy.org