Nur Misuari poses problems for Malaysia, RP<\/p>\n
Julia Yeow, Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
The capture of Philippine Moro rebel leader Nur Misuari posed a
\nproblem on Monday for Malaysia, which wants to deport him quickly
\nbut has been asked by Manila to hold onto him for a while.<\/p>\n
The government said on Monday it was preparing to deport
\nMisuari, but was studying a request by Philippine President
\nGloria Arroyo that it put the troublesome former governor on
\ntrial for illegal entry.<\/p>\n
\"At this point in time, the move is on for deportation as this
\nis a Philippine internal issue,\" home affairs press secretary
\nRohaizad Abdul Rahman told AFP.<\/p>\n
\"However, because Misuari has broken local laws, the
\nPhilippine government has requested for us to look into the
\nmatter first.\"<\/p>\n
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo said on Sunday she wished
\nto see Misuari remain in jail in Malaysia pending a trial rather
\nthan be returned to the Philippines, where a rebellion he
\nallegedly led killed 113 people last week.<\/p>\n
\"We will let Malaysia investigate him first for the violation
\nof their own laws and charge him, dispose of him in accordance
\nwith their own laws,\" Arroyo told AFP.<\/p>\n
\"I am sure the investigation will take some time. Malaysia
\nwill be dealing with him (but) personally, I want him to stay in
\na Malaysian jail.\"<\/p>\n
\"With Misuari gone, I think the return to normalcy would be
\nvery rapid,\" Arroyo said.<\/p>\n
This makes him a wanted man that nobody appears to really
\nwant, analysts say.<\/p>\n
\"He is in a sort of no-man's land,\" political analyst A.B.
\nShamsul told AFP.<\/p>\n
\"Support for Misuari has become almost non-existent because no
\ngovernment wants to take the risk of association which might
\nindicate sympathy for Islamic terrorists,\" Shamsul said.<\/p>\n
\"Malaysia wants to have as little to do with him as
\npossible ... and the Philippines obviously doesn't want him
\nback.\"<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Misuari would not be
\ngranted asylum by Muslim-majority Malaysia, which gave him and
\nhis guerrillas sanctuary in the early 1970s.<\/p>\n
He criticized Misuari's Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
\nfaction for failing to develop the Autonomous Region in Muslim
\nMindanao (ARMM), where he had been governor since signing a peace
\ntreaty with Manila in 1996.<\/p>\n
Last week, Misuari fled after allegedly masterminding a series
\nof attacks on security installations in southern Jolo island in
\nwhich at least 113 people died. He was arrested on Saturday off
\nan island in Malaysia's Sabah state.<\/p>\n
Misuari reportedly staged the revolt after Arroyo backed a
\nrival MNLF faction for the ARMM governor's post in elections on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
Manila's ambassador to Malaysia said Monday although Misuari
\nwas wanted by the Philippines government, requests for him to be
\nhanded over to Manila would only come after Malaysia had carried
\nout investigations.<\/p>\n
\"The situation is that he was arrested by Malaysian law and so
\nthe problem has to be handled first under Malaysian procedures,\"
\nJose Brillantes told AFP.<\/p>\n
Malaysian and Philippine authorities are also looking into
\nMisuari's possible involvement in last year's kidnappings by Abu
\nSayyaf guerrillas from the Philippines of 23 people including 10
\nWestern tourists in dive resorts off Borneo island.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nur-misuari-poses-problems-for-malaysia-rp-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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