BAYAN MUNA Party-list Representative Neri Colmenares condemned the reported Malaysian atrocities committed against Filipinos and criticized the indecisive action of the Aquino government in defending the rights of Filipinos in Sabah.
“Malaysian troops must be held accountable for human rights violations. The death of many of our countrymen warrants fast and decisive action from our government which should demand that Malaysia allow representatives of the Philippine government and human rights organizations to investigate the reports that many of the 53 Filipinos reportedly killed by Malaysian forces were unarmed civilians. We should be more insistent in demanding accountability from Malaysia especially since Malaysia has refused to investigate the reported human rights violations,“ Colmenares said. He added that the safety of its citizens is a primary duty of the government and it takes precedence over the concern to maintain good diplomatic relations with other countries, apparently pertaining to the unconcealed effort of the Aquino government not to antagonize the Malaysian government.
Colmenares also reacted to media reports of accounts from evacuees arriving in Sulu that Filipinos in Sabah are being targeted for abuse and violence by the Malaysian police and military resulting in the exodus of Filipinos from the island. “Sabah is home to hundreds of thousands of our countrymen, we should do something for them instead of just waiting for thousands of possible refugees to arrive in Tawi-tawi. This is humanitarian crisis of serious proportions. Those of Filipino origin such as Bajao, Iranun, Yakan, Orang Suluk and a mixture of Visayans and Chavacanos, now numbering 800,000 possibly outnumber even the Kadaza Dusun, the original natives of Sabah. Malaysia cannot just make refugees of the largest ethnic group in Sabah by committing crimes against humanity to cow them. The Aquino
government’s pronouncements of having to document and verify first the reported human rights violations are mere lip service since they have not formally asserted that we be allowed to enter Sabah and investigate. Malaysia is courting a long term insurgency if it persists in committing abuses against the very people who have inhabited Sabah for decades or no one is held to account for the atrocities,” he warned.
Colmenares urged the government to conduct high level official talks with Malaysia to ensure that the rights of our countrymen are safeguarded and to insist that Philippine officials and human rights groups be allowed access to the area of conflict so they can truly assess the situation and respond appropriately to our people’s needs.