Mindanao bishops appeal to gov't: Save Pinoys caught in Sabah crossfire

Mindanao-based Catholic bishops on Saturday appealed to the Philippine government to exhaust all means to save the lives of Filipinos caught in the ongoing conflict in Sabah. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said the bishops also offered prayers for all the casualties in the conflict, "both Filipino and Malaysian." But the bishops also urged the Philippine government to ensure the "withdrawal with honor of armed [Filipinos] from the area.” “We pray for all the casualties, both Filipino and Malaysian, in the conflict.  We pray for their grieving families,” the bishops said, according to an article posted on the CBCP news site. Also, the bishops said they are counting on leaders from both the Philippines and Malaysia to “demonstrate wisdom and statesmanship in preventing further bloodshed and resolving the basic issues that resulted in tragedy.” But they urged the Philippine government to do more “for the sake of life and peace.” Malaysian security forces have been pounding an area in Lahad Datu in Sabah since Tuesday to flush out followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Kiram's followers had engaged the security forces in a three-week standoff since February, and armed clashes since March 1. While the sultan has offered a unilateral ceasefire, Malaysia rejected it. Bishops' appeal In their appeal, the bishops urged the Aquino administration “to support the appeal of the United Nations for an immediate end of the violence in Sabah and to press upon the two contending forces to heed the UN call.” They also called on the government to “resume the diplomatic work of resolving the propriety and the sovereignty question, a task historically entrusted to the government by the Sultanate of Sulu." Also, they called on government "to ensure the withdrawal with honor of armed [group] from the area.” The bishops said that even if the government may not agree with the methods used by Kiram's camp to assert its claim on Sabah, “the fact is: Filipino lives have been lost.” “Even now Filipino lives are at stake.  They were lost because they believed they have a right to reclaim a naturally rich territory for which they are being paid a measly sum every year.  We cannot simply let them sacrifice more lives for that cause,” they said. Among those who signed the appeal were: