Have started to see support from the Philippines in support of these criminals, which i can only describe as nationalist in nature with accusations of rape and torture doing the rounds....which is simply not true.
These gunmen are hired Muslim criminals, pure and simple. The same groups that the Philippine government have been fighting for 20 years!
The claim that thousands have been deported is a false one. A Filipino family have been involved in violence and intimidation in Borneo. If the 'heirs' truly have a claim, then they should not have left. Fisherman did indeed settle throughout South East Asia, but they did so under the rule and sovereignty of the countries they settled in. The same applies to Chinese fishermen and traders, just because they settle in Vietnam, Philippines etc doesn't mean they own where they settle.The heirs have already asked for compensation which has been rejected.As soon as they left their claim lapsed. One person or family cannot own a country it belongs to the people living there. Borneo is not The Philippines. At the same time the islands near The Philippines are not Chinese they belong to the Philippines. The filipino 'claim' on Borneo will damage its relations with its neighbours for what reason? To try and get money for one family? Would any payment benefit the people? No. Let the family go to the International court and waste their own money doing so.
There doesn't exist a single historical map that shows Philippine sovereignty of any part of the island of Borneo. The claim is a private land ownership claim, which must be settled according to the laws of the governing country. The Philippine itself has very strict laws restricting foreign ownership of land, as do most of its neighbours. If the family in question were born and settled in Borneo then they would be citizens of that country and have a possible rightful claim. This is not a nationalist issue, it concerns private ownership. The Philippines would be better served looking at its own land ownership problems.Most of the land and wealth is controlled by a handful of rich families who gained their wealth through corruption and at the expense of normal Filipinos. The indigenous peoples of many islands have lost their lands to 'mainlanders' from Manila, take the Mangyans of Mindoro for example, who now sell trinkets on their own beaches which have been sold illegally to outsiders. This claim in Borneo stems from mining and the hopeful exploitation of the natural resources of that area.The land should belong to those that live and farm the land, and those that were born there and raised their children there.
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