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The group of Filipino men, believed to number between 100 and 300, arrived three weeks ago on the east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah, on Borneo, demanding to be recognized as representatives of a sultanate that used to rule the area.Malaysian authorities initially tried to persuade the men to return peacefully to their homes in the nearby southern Philippines. But the intruders refused to budge, and the standoff turned violent in recent days as clashes in the region reportedly left nine Malaysian police officers and 19 intruders dead.< snipped >The standoff has touched on an unresolved territorial issue between the Philippines and Malaysia, as well as Manila's efforts to improve relations with Islamic insurgents in the country's south after decades of violence.< snipped >'The Royal Army'The Filipino men have called themselves the Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu, a former Islamic power in the region that once controlled parts of the Philippines and Borneo. Its influence has since faded, and it is now a clan in the poor, restive southern Philippines.The sultanate's leadership has been riven by internal power struggles in recent decades, but the squabbling family members appear to have united in the decision to send their followers to Sabah, a move that has alarmed Malaysians and complicated efforts by the Philippines to pursue peace talks with Muslim rebels in its southern islands.< snipped >The economic, cultural and historical links between Sabah and the nearby Philippines islands, as well as the porous nature of the border between the two, means that many of the sultanate's followers have friends and relatives in Lahad Datu.And the historical connection still fuels tensions between Malaysia and the Philippines, with Manila retaining a "dormant claim" to Sabah through the Sultanate of Sulu, according to the CIA World Factbook.'The Philippines claims much of the eastern part of Sabah, which was leased to the British North Borneo Company in 1878 by the Sultanate of Sulu. In 1963, Britain transferred Sabah to Malaysia, a move that the sultanate claimed was a breach of the 1878 deal.Malaysia still pays a token rent to the sultanate for the lease of Sabah.
