March 7th, 2013
03:06 AM ET
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Philippine clan leader wants truce in Sabah

One of the leaders of a clan from the southern Philippines called for a ceasefire Thursday amid deadly clashes in the Malaysian state of Sabah between armed clan members and Malaysian security forces.

The call for the ceasefire was made at a news conference in Manila by Abraham Idjirani, the spokesman for one of the leaders of the Sultanate of Sulu, a now defunct kingdom in the southern Philippines whose followers arrived in a remote corner of Sabah last month and claimed sovereignty over the area.

After failing to persuade the scores of clan members to leave peacefully, Malaysian security forces launched an offensive using fighter jets and mortar shells on Tuesday. But the clan's leadership said its followers hadn't suffered casualties from the attack.

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Filed under: Malaysia • Philippines • World
March 6th, 2013
04:51 AM ET
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Malaysia hunts Filipino intruders on Borneo

A day after launching airstrikes and mortar shells in a remote part of the island of Borneo, Malaysian security forces searched house-to-house Wednesday for gunmen from the Philippines who infiltrated the area last month and clashed with police.

The group of Filipino men is believed to number between 100 and 300.

It arrived three weeks ago on the east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah, on Borneo, demanding recognition as representatives of an old sultanate that once ruled the area.

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Filed under: Malaysia • Philippines
Malaysian court: Iranian can be extradited to Thailand over Bangkok blasts
Bangkok bombs crime scene on Wednesday, February 22, 2012.
June 25th, 2012
04:16 AM ET
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Malaysian court: Iranian can be extradited to Thailand over Bangkok blasts

A Malaysian court has ruled that an Iranian man suspected of being involved with a series of bombs that went off in Bangkok in February can be extradited to Thailand.

Masoud Sedaghatzadeh is wanted by the Thai authorities for his alleged involvement in the Bangkok blasts along with several other Iranians.

It is not yet clear when Sedaghatzadeh will be extradited, as he plans to file an application to a higher court in Malaysia, seeking his release from prison.

The explosions in Bangkok did not cause any deaths, but the Thai authorities have said they were intended for Israeli diplomats. The devices used explosive materials that are not available in Thailand and were most likely smuggled in, the police have said.

The Bangkok blasts came a day after a device attached to an Israeli Embassy van in New Delhi exploded, and another device, found on an embassy car in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, was safety detonated.

Israeli officials blamed Iran for the attacks, but Tehran has denied the accusations.

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Filed under: Iran • Israel • Malaysia • Terrorism • Thailand
Woman rescues husband in tiger attack
A Malaysian Tiger at the National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur.
February 14th, 2011
08:02 AM ET
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Woman rescues husband in tiger attack

A villager in Malaysia has his wife to thank after she charged a tiger that had pounced on him in the forest, according to the Malaysia Star.

Tambun Gediu, who is in his 60s, was hunting for squirrels Saturday morning when he heard some rustling in the leaves, he told the Star.

He said the tiger was upon him so fast he didn't have time to react, according to the paper.

“My first instinct was to climb a tree but the tiger pounced and started clawing me,” he told the Star. “I had to use all my force to push the tiger’s mouth away from my face while shouting for help.”

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Filed under: Malaysia • Tigers
3 teenage boys among 7 Somalis facing death in Malaysia piracy case
Piracy suspects are escorted from a magistrate's hearing in Kuala Lumpur on January 31.
February 11th, 2011
10:41 AM ET
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3 teenage boys among 7 Somalis facing death in Malaysia piracy case

Seven Somalis, including three boys under 15 years old, could face the death penalty if convicted on charges of firing on Malaysian armed forces while attempting to a hijack a merchant ship.

The seven appeared before a Malaysia magistrate in Kuala Lumpur on Friday to hear the charges against them. They did not enter a plea and were transferred to a prison to await the next court action, set for March 15, the Malaysian national news agency Bernama reported.

The charges stem from an attack on the container ship Bunga Laurel in the Gulf of Aden on January 20.

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Filed under: Malaysia • Pirates • World