MANILA, Philippines - Groups led by militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) will stage a picket in front of the Malaysian embassy on Wednesday to call an end to the crackdown on Filipinos in Sabah.
Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said they are protesting reports of human rights violations committed by Malaysian security forces during the offensive against members of the Sulu Royal Army now holed up in Lahad Datu.
There are reports of serious allegations of abuses by Malaysian forces such as arbitrary arrests, beatings and even extrajudicial killings.
Reyes said they condemn the Malaysian military and police operations against Filipinos in Lahad Datu and other affected areas that have displaced thousands of Filipinos in Sabah.
The groups also pressed Malaysian officials to allow independent parties including foreign media to investigate reports of human rights abuses and to provide all forms of humanitarian assistance for Filipinos.
"Malaysia must stop the crackdown. It must stop targeting Filipino civilians," Reyes said.
Reyes also slammed the Department of Foreign Affairs' statement that it will still have to validate the claims of abuses before they can act on them.
"Our countrymen, including their children, risked life and limb by sailing from Sabah to flee from the abusive Malaysian forces and then the government will tell them to make a formal written statement first? Why is the burden of proof still on the refugees? It seems that their suffering is still not enough," Reyes said.
He added that many of the refugees will probably refuse to write a formal statement because they are still hoping to return to their communities in Sabah.
“It is understandable that many of them will not sign a formal statement out of fear that the document can be used against them by Malaysian authorities. We are sure that as soon as the crisis subsides, those who fled Sabah will return because of lack of livelihood in Tawi-Tawi or Sulu," Reyes said.