Malaysia refuses access to Filipinos in violence
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KUALA LUMPUR (AP) - Malaysia's foreign minister says authorities will not let armed members of a Filipino royal clan who are being hunted in Borneo meet Philippine officials or family members who might seek to negotiate their safety.
Clashes sparked by the clansmen's intrusion into Malaysia's Sabah state have killed 56 Filipinos and nine Malaysian police and army personnel this month.
The clan wants to reassert a decades-old territorial claim to the eastern Borneo state, which is a short boat ride from the southern Philippines.
The clan's Manila-based leader, Esmail Kiram II, said this week that a group of Filipinos could try entering the area to meet the clansmen and discuss how to resolve the crisis.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said on Wednesday that authorities could not guarantee the safety of any negotiators.
