YOURSAY 'Malaysia had been supplying arms and training for the MNLF for years, hoping to strengthen them in the name of Muslim brotherhood.'

Lahad Datu attack may escalate into 'civil war'

Ferdtan: Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) political chief Gapul Hajiru has sounded his warning that the Lahad Datu incident may result in a ‘civil' war (a correct technical term to use if they are Malaysian citizens).

According to Philippine Star , there are more than 8,500 Filipinos in Sabah who are mostly Tausugs, said to be members of the fiercest of Philippine Moro tribe.

Are they the courtesy of former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad's ‘citizens-for-votes' project?

The Sulu sultanate may or may not have a legitimate claim over Sabah, but that is not the topic for discussion here.

We are wondering why the armed Sulu intruders came in the first place? And the timing too. Were they taking advantage of the government in the wake of the coming general election?

I tend to believe this could be a suicide mission, not unlike the Palestinian suicide bombers, to highlight their claim over Sabah. They hope to bring the world's attention to their forgotten cause/claim.

They hope to get the Malaysian authorities back to the negotiation table. We hope our government is not so weak and stupid enough to take that course.

Their claim has been a non-issue for so long and even the Philippine government has not made/support any active claim on Sabah.

Quigonbond: Putrajaya has a lot to answer to:

1) How did the Sulu gunmen get past our border? Was it failure of our Navy?

2) How did the two commandos die? What were their standing orders? What were the tactics and mission objective? Where were they? Who gave the order?

3) Why did the siege/standoff persist so long? Does it have anything to do with BN being afraid to lose votes from the Sulu people who have been given ICs (identity cards)?

4) Are they going to take pro-active measures to ensure there is no escalation of violence in Sabah?

Low Kok Kok: This is real karma. Malaysia had been supplying arms and training for the MNLF for years hoping to strengthen them in the name of Muslim brotherhood.

In Project IC, Mahathir gave thousands of Malaysian blue ICs to defeat the Christian-based PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah). Now innocent law-abiding Malaysians are paying the sins of Umno.

We cannot trust Umno-BN to defend the country as they cannot even defend us against some pirates.

Where are all the Sukhoi jets, Polish-made combat tanks, Scorpene submarines and attack helicopters? Why should we sacrifice the life of two brave Malaysians over such a minor incursion?

Onyourtoes: Can we now see the consequence of our years of appeasement? Now they are threatening us with civil war. Now they are telling us only the MNLF chairperson Nur Misuari could decide on the matter.

I don't blame the police and the armed forces for not able to contain the situation now. I blame Umno politicians for their expediency and short-sighted policy.

The Moros have been fighting against Manila in the southern Philippines for years. You think they will not fight with Kota Kinabalu or Kuala Lumpur simply because we are their Muslims brothers.

Well, perhaps the nincompoops can't think that there are no permanent enemies and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

Ourvotesdecide!: The continued failure by Najib Razak to remove these armed invaders from Sabah clearly shows how incompetent he is as PM of this country.

In the first place, they are foreigners. They invaded and occupied Malaysian soil so clearly they have violated our laws and sovereignty. After surrounding them, Malaysia should have responded with air strikes if they refused to surrender.

By allowing them to dictate what they want, Malaysia is sending the wrong message to the world - that anyone can armed themselves and invade and occupy a piece of Malaysian territory with impunity.

Broken Foot: My condolence to the families of the two police officers who died at Kampung Tanduo. Unnecessary blood has been shed and yet we are no closer to resolving this standoff.

The treasonous act of issuing ICs to these Philippine islanders has embolden their leaders into thinking that they have the support of their community in Sabah and the right to be there.

With nearly one million ‘legal' and illegal Filipinos residing there, it is natural for them to think so. These are unintended consequences when greedy politician are only looking out for themselves rather than the well-being of the nation.

Our political leaders must stop dithering and start making some tough decisions before the situation degenerate any further. This is an armed invasion. Get the military leaders involved.

This situation is best handled by the military rather than the police. Much of the taxpayers' money has been spend to equip them. It's high time that we put them to good use. If these people refuse to leave, throw them out.

Restless_Native: No, Sabah will not disintegrate into civil war on account of handful of Moros.

This is a breach on the nation's sovereignty that had to be decided in an unequivocal manner. The slow reaction to this incursion may have emboldened the invaders, made worse by the indecisive handling.

My heart goes out to the poor slain commandos and their families. Given what has transpired, the reaction should have been more robust for a quick containment.

My suspicion is that the police field forces are totally untrained for this kind of encroachment (Sabah has a huge coastline, for heaven's sake) hence caught totally unprepared. They should fire the top brass and get properly qualified personnel to train them.

Some countries used retired military types from the West to train their forces. Malaysia insists on training themselves when we know that their intelligence agencies, their armed forces, their police forces are all totally outclassed in just about any situation - civil disobedience, robberies or armed assault.

Kgen: The traitors who sold the state to the Filipinos to stay in power now have to face the consequences of their traitorous act. Yes, Mahathir, we are looking at you. In future, Indonesians may stake a claim on Selangor.

Fair Play: Indeed, if this escalates into a civil war, it will erase any doubt from the rakyat's mind who the one person who should be held responsible for this sad state of affairs.

Open Minded: Pakistan is now paying dearly for its support and sanctuary for terrorist organisations like the Taliban.

It is an open secret that the Umno-led government has long given open refuge and finance for terrorists in Sabah and Thailand and it seems to be payback time.

Unfortunately, our soldiers and police personnel have to pay the price. My condolences for those who have lost their loved ones. You play with fire and you get burnt.

Project IC's chickens coming home to roost

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .