MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippine government said today it is still verifying reports that seven more Filipinos who were part of the sultanate of Sulu's royal army have been charged with terrorism in Malaysia in connection with the continuing violent standoff in Sabah.
In a briefing, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said that they are still awaiting a report from their Malaysian counterparts as to the veracity of reports that came out in Malaysian media that a second batch of Filipinos have been charged with the criminal offense which is punishable by either life imprisonment or death before a Malaysian court.
Hernandez said the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur are coordinating with Malaysian authorities so that they may be supplied with pertinent details of those charged, their personal condition and the matter of legal representation.
"Once we have obtained this information, our embassy will go through the application process for consular jail visit. We wish to reiterate that we are ready to extend consular and legal assistance to our nationals in connection with the Lahad Datu incident," he said.
Earlier, eight other Filipinos were similarly charged before a Malaysian court. They were among the more than 100 arrested under the Malaysian law for "harboring persons committing terrorist acts" and "waging war" against the king of Malaysia.
The arrested Filipinos were supposedly among the 200 brought to Lahad Datu in Sabah by Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of the sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram, in their effort to forcibly take back their ancestral lands from Malaysian control.