Malaysia has deployed hundreds of soldiers outside a small town in Sabah state that was seized Feb. 12 by armed Philippine nationals. The group, which calls itself the Royal Sulu Army and comprises about 200 ethnic Tausug from the Philippines landed on the coast of eastern Sabah at Masjid Lama, near Lahad Datu. The Tausug are centered in Jolo in the Sulu Archipelago but stretch from Malaysia and Indonesia on Borneo to Mindanao in the southern Philippines. The territory where the group landed comprises what was once part of the Sultanate of Sulu, and the group has claimed it does not need to leave Malaysian territory because it is still part of the Sultanate. It has demanded recognition for its Royal Sulu Army, and it has called on Kuala Lumpur to refrain from deporting to the Philippines any Borneo-born Tausug. Though the Philippine government had engaged with the Malaysian government on reaching a peaceful resolution to the standoff, the Royal Sulu Army rejected Kuala Lumpur's Feb. 24 deadline to withdraw from the territory. At least six Malaysian police and 19 Philippine gunmen have been killed in clashes since March 1, and the Philippine government has said it cannot be responsible for the militants' safety. The standoff is already impacting the upcoming Malaysian elections, threatening Malaysia-Philippine relations and could lead to additional attacks by other ethnic militants in the Philippines and Malaysia.
