NINE Filipinos were sentenced to death by the Malaysian Court of Appeals on Thursday for occupying and waging war in Lahad Datu, Sabah in 2013.
In a decision, the Court of Appeals dismissed their plea against their conviction and sentenced Datu Amidbahar Hushin Kiram, 54, the son of the late Sultan of Sul Jamalul Kiram; Julham Rashid, 70; Virgilio Nemar Patulada, 53; Salib Akhmad Emali, 64; Tani Lahad Dahi, 64; Basad Manuel, 42; Atik Hussin Abu Bakar, 46; Al-Wazir Osman, 62; and Ismail Yasin, 77, to death “for waging war and [being] part of the terrorist group.”
Justice Datuk Setia Mohd Zawawi Salleh granted the prosecution’s appeal to upgrade their earlier verdict of life imprisonment to death.
Zawawi said the ultimate sentence was death as there were elements of planning in their attack.
He said the attack by foreign enemies was unprecedented in the Malaysian history and it was ruthless in terms of life, property and traumatizing effect.
Department of Foreign Affairs on Migrant Workers Affairs acting executive director Raul Dado confirmed the report.
“They are meeting immediately with embassy lawyers to move for a possible reconsideration of the verdict,” Dado said.
Dado also said that the team in Manila is also coordinating on the issue.”©”©“Diplomatic initiatives will begin immediately both here and Manila,” Dado said.
About 200 followers of Kiram arrived in Lahad Datu, Sabah, on Feb. 9, 2013 to reclaim their “ancestral homeland.” They were led by Kiram’s brother, Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram.
The claim was based on an old document showing the Sulu Sultanate as the owner of Sabah, which was eventually leased to a British railroad company.
Britain turned the oil-rich territory to the Malaysian Federation in the 1960s, but Kuala Lumpur continues to pay an annual leasing fee to the Sultanate of Sulu.
The sultanate insists that the yearly settlement is an admission that it is the rightful owner of Sabah.
Some 68 Filipinos and 10 Malaysian security personnel died in the fighting.
The sultan, aged 75, died of multiple organ failure on Oct. 20, 2013.
The hearing began on Jan. 6. The 27 Filipinos were represented by legal counsels Datuk N Sivananthan, Kamarrudin Mohmad Chinki, Rowiena Rashid and Abdul Gani Zulika.