The 2013 Lahad Datu standoff, also known as the Lahad Datu incursion or Operation Daulat (Malay: Operasi Daulat), was a military conflict in Lahad Datu, Malaysia. The conflict began on 11 February, when 235 militants arrived in Lahad Datu by boat, and ended on 24 March. The militants, self proclaimed as "Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo", were sent by Jamalul Kiram III, a claimant to the throne of the Sultanate of Sulu.
The militants' stated objective was to assert the territorial claim of the Philippines to eastern Sabah. Malaysian security forces surrounded the village where the group had gathered. After weeks of negotiations and several deadlines for the group to withdraw, the killing of local policemen prompted Malaysian security forces to flush out the militants with a military operation. At the end of the standoff around 72 people were left dead, including 56 militants, 10 Malaysian security force personnel, and 6 civilians. The surviving militants were all either captured or escaped. 9 of the captured Filipino militants were sentenced to death for waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong by the Court of Appeal of Malaysia in 2017, and have their death sentence upheld by the Federal Court of Malaysia in 2018. Even when Malaysia abolished mandatory death penalty in 2023, which allows all death row inmates to filed for a review on their death sentence to the Federal Court, the Federal Court in 2024 continue to uphold the death sentence for 7 out of the 9 Filipino militants (the other 2 Filipinos died while in prison).
The Lahad Datu incursion has had lasting impacts for the people of Sabah. Before this incursion, the government of Malaysia continued to pay an annual cession payment amounting to roughly $1,000 to the indirect heirs of the Sultan honoring an 1878 agreement, where North Borneo – today’s Sabah – was conceded by the late Sultan of Sulu to a British company. However, Malaysia suspended these payments in response to this attack that killed civilians and members of the Malaysian armed forces. In 2019, eight of these Sulu heirs, who insisted they were not involved in the standoff, hired lawyers to pursue legal action based on the original commercial deal. These litigations would later be known as the Malaysia Sulu case, which spanned across multiple jurisdictions in Europe such as Spain, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, as the purported Sulu heirs tried to enforce a seizure of roughly $14.9 billions of Malaysia's foreign assets through forum shopping. However, all attempts by the purported Sulu heirs were ultimately defeated by the Malaysian government and the seizure order was quashed by the courts in all four aforementioned European countries by November 2024. The case is still ongoing with claimants facing legal setbacks.
Background
National territorial dispute
The Philippines retains a territorial claim to eastern Sabah, formerly known as North Borneo, through the heritage of the Sultanate of Sulu. The basis of this claim is that the dominion of the sultanate historically spanned from the Sulu Archipelago into parts of northern Borneo. In line with the International Court of Justice court decision in the case concerning sovereignty of Pulau Ligitan and Pulau Sipadan in 2002, Malaysia claimed that Sultan of Sulu indisputably relinquished the sovereign rights of all its possession in favour of Spain on 22 July 1878, hence relinquishing any claim to Sabah.
Sulu succession dispute
The unresolved status of the Sultanate of Sulu was a driving issue behind the standoff, with the militant group claiming Jamalul Kiram III as the legitimate Sultan of Sulu. The militant group claimed that Kiram's supposed role as Sultan justified their occupation, however, Kiram's status as sultan has been disputed by several other claimants to the sultanate.
Initiation
Heirs to the sultanate felt excluded by the framework of a peace deal between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, as announced on 7 October 2012 by Philippine president Benigno Aquino III. In response, Jamalul Kiram III, claiming to be Sulu's legitimate heir, decreed on 11 November 2012 that a civilian and military contingent should assert his territorial rights in North Borneo. He appointed his brother and Raja Muda ("heir apparent" or "crown prince"), Agbimuddin Kiram, to lead the group.
Months later on 11 February 2013, Agbimuddin Kiram and at least 101 followers arrived in the village of Tanduo, located near Tungku in Lahad Datu from neighbouring Simunul island, Tawi-Tawi, in the southern Philippines. Around eighty people fled from 15 homes in Tanduo.
Development
Malaysian police blocked roads leading from Lahad Datu to Tanduo. Malaysian police boats patrolled nearby waters. Filipino security agencies blocked off entry from the southern Philippines and deployed six naval ships to help stabilise the situation. An additional Philippine naval ship was sent to Malaysian waters off Lahad Datu to provide humanitarian assistance.
On 26 February 2013, President Aquino appealed to Kiram III to recall his followers and to hold discussions with the government to address his family's concerns. In a press conference held at Malacañang Palace, Aquino said that the longer Kiram's III followers stayed in Sabah, the more they endangered their own lives, but also the thousands of Filipinos living there. Addressing Kiram III, he said, "It must be clear to you that this small group of people will not succeed in addressing your grievances, and that there is no way that force can achieve your aims". Aquino reminded him that as a Filipino citizen, he was bound by the Constitution of the Philippines and its laws. The president said that he had ordered an investigation into possible violations of laws by Kiram III, his followers and collaborators. He cited the Constitution's provision on renouncing war as a policy instrument and Article 118 of the Revised Penal Code, which punishes those who "provoke or give occasion for a war...or expose Filipino citizens to reprisals on their persons or property". He said a dialogue to address the country's territorial dispute to eastern Sabah could be arranged after the standoff ended. Aquino declined to confirm reports of other parties allegedly behind the standoff to sabotage the Bangsamoro peace process. Aquino's statement was supported by Senator Kiko Pangilinan, who said:
This standoff has reached a critical point where the Philippine government must now act decisively and do what is necessary to protect the general interest of the Filipino people. Kiram is essentially declaring war on Malaysia. He must understand that it has never been a policy of the Philippines to take on other countries by force. Regardless of Sulu's rightful claim to Sabah, an armed invasion will unlikely lead to an amicable resolution. This has come at a time when we are so close to achieving lasting peace with our brothers from the South. Malaysia has played a crucial role in brokering talks between the Philippine government and our Muslim brothers in Mindanao. We cannot afford to have a wedge between our country and Malaysia because of one person's whim.
Kiram III remained defiant and said his men would not go back home "until an arrangement has been done by our officials and the president, and if that will be arranged accordingly with a written agreement signed by the parties concerned". He shared that in his last conversation with Agbimuddin, his brother told him that their followers were firm in their decision to stay in Sabah. The 74-year-old sultan said he was ready to be jailed if the Philippine government filed a case against him and members of his clan. He said he could not understand what his violation against the Constitution was, saying he had always respected it and that "coming home to their homeland" was not a crime. Kiram III asked Malaysia to "sit down in a square table and to diplomatically settle the issue on the claim" stressing the need to "come up with a win-win solution". He reiterated that he and his men "will not initiate the violence... But are prepared to defend our lives and aspirations" and that the Sabah issue "can be peacefully settled without threat, but in a diplomatic way". His daughter Sitti Jacel said her father's followers were not in Lahad Datu to wage war but to reside peacefully on their ancestral territory. She added that they would not leave without a solution. She expressed disappointment at the apparent lack of support from the Philippine government, adding that Manila needed to balance diplomatic relations and the interests of its constituents.
On 7 March 2013, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry issued a statement that said it considered Kiram's III forces as a group of terrorists "following their atrocities and brutalities committed in the killing of Malaysia's security personnel". It added that the label had the agreement of Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario. This was denied by the Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia, Jose Eduardo Malaya, who said Del Rosario was "taken out of context". It was clarified that Del Rosario agreed that those responsible for the killing of Malaysian police forces committed "terroristic acts".
Military operations
Timeline of attacks
1 March:
- 10:15 – First shootout between the sultanate's forces and the police at the Tanduo village, two police officers and 12 sultanate's men killed.
3 March:
- 6:30 – Ambushed at the Semporna, killing six police officers and six terrorists also killed.
5 March:
- Military and police begun mopping-up operations codenamed "Ops Daulat".
11 March:
- Security forces end the siege on the Tanduo village.
24 March:
29 June:
- Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) put in place security arrangements and undertake operations on the Ops Daulat area.
1 March skirmish
At around 10:15 am on 1 March 2013, three days after Malaysia's extended deadline for the group to leave Lahad Datu, a confrontation occurred between the sultanate's forces and Malaysian police, with shots exchanged. According to Abraham Idjirani, Kiram's spokesperson, 10 army members were killed with four more injured. The Malaysian lost two casualties. The owner of the house where Agbimuddin Kiram and his men had stayed was killed in the exchange. Malaysian Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein claimed that Kiram's men opened fire and denied that their security forces retaliated. Initial reports from the Malaysian embassy in the Philippines stated that no fatalities resulted.
Ambassador Mohammad Zamri bin Mohammad Kassim told Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario that the "standoff was over" and that 10 "royal army" members had surrendered to Malaysian authorities after the assault. He added that members of Kiram's group had escaped and ran towards the sea, pursued by the police. Idjirani responded that none of their members were in Malaysian custody. He denied that their forces fled after the clash. He said "the standoff is not over, unless there's a concrete understanding or agreement that can be reached".
Idjirani claimed that Malaysian officials wanted "to cover up the truth" when they claimed that no one was hurt in the incident. He appealed to the Malaysian government to stop the attack, saying Kiram's men were primarily armed only with bolos and knives and only a few handguns. He claimed that snipers from the Malaysian police were targeting their group. He added that the sultanate was looking at the possibility of elevating the matter to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations Human Rights Commission. He said that their men had moved to another location to continue their fight and urged Malaysia to hold talks.
Sabah Police Commissioner Hamza Taib meanwhile said no one surrendered. He added that 12 men from Kiram's group were killed when they tried to break the security cordon imposed. Hamza claimed that the Filipinos opened fire at the Malaysian police who were forced to fire in self-defence. He said they found various weapons, including M16 rifles, pistols and SLR rifles and ammunition from the group. He said Agbimuddin's group were still in Tanduo and that the security cordon was holding because Malaysia wanted the occupation to be resolved peacefully.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak later confirmed that two police officers, identified as Inspector Zulkifli Bin Mamat and Corporal Sabaruddin Bin Daud from 69 Commandos, had been killed. The Sabah police commissioner, in a separate statement, said that 12 of Kiram's followers died. Najib said he had given Malaysian security forces a mandate to take "any action" against the group. Najib added that "no compromise" was acceptable and that "either they surrender or face the consequences".
Armed men in Kunak
On 2 March 2013, a group of 10 armed men were spotted near Kunak, a district between Lahad Datu and Semporna, according to Royal Malaysia Police Inspector-General Ismail Omar. He said that three were in military fatigues similar to those being worn by the sultanate's forces. The Malaysian government doubled the number of police and army officers, deploying members of the Royal Malay Regiment, in areas where the sultanate's armed supporters were believed to be present.
Semporna attack
At around 6:30 am on 3 March 2013, fewer than 10 gunmen, claiming to be from the Sulu Sultanate, ambushed the police during a surveillance operation on a village off the coast of Semporna. The Bukit Aman special branch superintendent and four operatives were killed in the action. The police party remained trapped in the village surrounded by the attackers. The superintendent had led three dozen policemen, from the Semporna District Police Headquarters, after having been ordered to investigate following a tip-off that a group of armed men were at Kampung Sri Jaya Siminul in Semporna District. The operation was launched at 4 pm on Saturday, following intelligence reports of the existence of a firearms cache in the village, and that an uprising by groups of villagers believed to be of Philippines origin residing there was in the making.