Borneo Third Force

25/02/2026

Isu kewarganegaraan menjejaskan kira-kira 550,000 rakyat Filipina di Sabah melalui pengabaian sistemik oleh kerajaan mereka sendiri, yang membawa kepada kesan kemanusiaan yang serius seperti berikut:

* Keadaan Tanpa Kewarganegaraan (Statelessness): Sejak tahun 1970-an, kerajaan Filipina didakwa enggan memberikan identiti berdokumen yang asas kepada rakyatnya di Sabah,. Hal ini menyebabkan ratusan ribu individu ini hidup dalam keadaan tanpa kewarganegaraan yang sah dari tanah air mereka sendiri,.
* Kelewatan Pengeluaran Dokumen Perjalanan: Semasa proses penghantaran p**ang (repatriasi), Kedutaan Filipina dikatakan sengaja melambatkan pengeluaran Dokumen Perjalanan Sementara (TTD),. "Permainan kelewatan" ini menghalang proses kep**angan mereka ke Filipina secara teratur,.
* Tahanan di Depot Sementara: Akibat kegagalan dokumentasi dan kelewatan pihak kedutaan, ramai rakyat Filipina—termasuk kanak-kanak—terpaksa terus menderita dan terbiar di dalam depot tahanan di Sabah,.
* Pengabaian Demi Kepentingan Geopolitik: Sumber menyatakan bahawa kerajaan Filipina lebih mengutamakan tuntutan politik ke atas tanah Sabah berbanding memenuhi tanggungjawab moral dan undang-undang mereka untuk menjaga kebajikan rakyatnya, sama ada yang berdokumen mahupun yang tidak berdokumen,,.

Secara keseluruhannya, isu ini disifatkan sebagai satu "pengkhianatan kemanusiaan" kerana rakyat tersebut dijadikan mangsa dalam permainan geopolitik antara negara, manakala hak asasi mereka untuk memiliki identiti dan kewarganegaraan diabaikan,.

25/02/2026

https://jesseltontimes.com/2026/02/25/open-letter-to-the-philippine-department-of-foreign-affairs-dfa/

) Issued by: BORNEO THIRD FORCE, Email: [email protected] SUBJECT: The Legal and Moral Bankruptcy of the Sabah Claim and the Abandonment of 880,000 Filipinos KOTA KINABALU: To the Secretary and Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs: The recent reaffirmation of the Philippine claim....

24/02/2026

OPEN LETTER TO THE PHILIPPINE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (DFA)
[Scroll Down For BM]

BY: BORNEO THIRD FORCE

SUBJECT: The Legal and Moral Bankruptcy of the Sabah Claim and the Abandonment of 550,000 Filipinos

TO: The Secretary and Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs

Greetings.

Your recent reaffirmation of the Philippine claim over Sabah, couched in the language of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act of 2024, is a diplomatic hallucination that collapses under the weight of its own historical and legal contradictions. It is time to end this political ghost story and face the global and humanitarian reality.

I. The Failure of Definition and the ICJ Rejection

If this claim were anything more than a distraction, it would not have been dismantled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The 2001 Sipadan-Ligitan proceedings served as a public autopsy of the DFA's incompetence. When the world’s highest court asked you to define the "part" of North Borneo you claimed, your representatives stood silent, unable to provide "sufficient clarity" or the mandatory evidence to justify intervention. The resulting 14-to-1 ICJ rejection was the international community's verdict: the Philippine claim is a "non-interest."

II. The Extinguished Legal Path

Your reliance on the 1878 Agreement is a masterclass in selective translation. You cling to the word pajak (lease) while ignoring the term "forever and in perpetuity." The 1939 Macaskie Judgment long ago confirmed that the Sultan was stripped of political authority and payments were merely personal. This was further solidified by Judge Datuk Martin Idang at the Kota Kinabalu High Court, who ruled that Malaysia is the only "natural and proper forum," effectively extinguishing foreign arbitration. The 2024 annulment of the $15 billion award by the Paris Court of Appeal—and the criminal conviction of arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa—proves this was a legally bankrupt "sham."

III. The Humanitarian Betrayal

Most damning is your systemic failure to care for your own people. While playing geopolitical games, you have abandoned nearly 550,000 Filipinos in Sabah to a state of statelessness. Since the 1970s, you have refused to provide them with the basic documented identity of their homeland. Current repatriation exercises expose a deliberate "delay game" by the Philippine Embassy in issuing Temporary Travel Documents (TTDs), leaving your own citizens—including children—languishing in detention depots.

IV. Conclusion: A Violation of Self-Determination

By ignoring the 1963 Manila Accord, your own 1987 Constitution, and the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, you are fighting a losing battle against the self-determination of the Sabahan people.

You cannot claim the land while abandoning your people. Stop peddling 19th-century mistranslations and start fulfilling your duty to your documented—and undocumented—citizens.

The claim is dead. The responsibility remains.

Issued by: BORNEO THIRD FORCE
Email: [email protected]

BAHASA VERSION

SURAT TERBUKA KEPADA JABATAN HAL EHWAL LUAR FILIPINA (DFA)

OLEH: BORNEO THIRD FORCE

SUBJEK: Kebankrapan Undang-undang dan Moral Tuntutan Sabah dan Pengabaian 550,000 Rakyat Filipina

KEPADA: Setiausaha dan Pegawai Jabatan Hal Ehwal Luar Negeri

Salam sejahtera.

Pengesahan semula tuntutan Filipina ke atas Sabah baru-baru ini, yang termaktub dalam bahasa Akta Zon Maritim Filipina 2024, adalah halusinasi diplomatik yang runtuh di bawah beban percanggahan sejarah dan undang-undangnya sendiri. Sudah tiba masanya untuk menamatkan kisah hantu politik ini dan menghadapi realiti global dan kemanusiaan.

I. Kegagalan Definisi dan Penolakan ICJ

Jika tuntutan ini lebih daripada sekadar gangguan, ia tidak akan dimansuhkan oleh Mahkamah Keadilan Antarabangsa (ICJ). Prosiding Sipadan-Ligitan 2001 berfungsi sebagai autopsi awam terhadap ketidakcekapan DFA. Apabila mahkamah tertinggi dunia meminta anda untuk mentakrifkan "bahagian" Borneo Utara yang anda tuntut, wakil anda hanya diam, tidak dapat memberikan "kejelasan yang mencukupi" atau bukti mandatori untuk mewajarkan campur tangan. Penolakan ICJ 14-ke-1 yang terhasil adalah keputusan masyarakat antarabangsa: tuntutan Filipina adalah "tanpa kepentingan."

II. Laluan Perundangan yang Dipadamkan

Kebergantungan anda pada Perjanjian 1878 adalah kelas induk dalam terjemahan terpilih. Anda berpegang teguh pada perkataan pajak (pajakan) sambil mengabaikan istilah "selama-lamanya dan selama-lamanya." Penghakiman Macaskie 1939 telah lama mengesahkan bahawa Sultan telah dilucutkan kuasa politik dan pembayaran hanyalah bersifat peribadi. Ini telah dikukuhkan lagi oleh Hakim Datuk Martin Idang di Mahkamah Tinggi Kota Kinabalu, yang memutuskan bahawa Malaysia adalah satu-satunya "forum semula jadi dan wajar," yang berkesan memadamkan timbang tara asing. Pembatalan anugerah $15 bilion pada tahun 2024 oleh Mahkamah Rayuan Paris—dan sabitan jenayah penimbang tara Gonzalo Stampa—membuktikan ini adalah "penipuan" yang muflis secara sah.

III. Pengkhianatan Kemanusiaan

Yang paling teruk ialah kegagalan sistemik anda untuk menjaga rakyat anda sendiri. Semasa bermain permainan geopolitik, anda telah meninggalkan hampir 550,000 rakyat Filipina di Sabah kepada keadaan tanpa kewarganegaraan. Sejak tahun 1970-an, anda telah enggan memberikan mereka identiti asas yang didokumenkan tentang tanah air mereka. Latihan penghantaran p**ang semasa mendedahkan "permainan kelewatan" yang disengajakan oleh Kedutaan Filipina dalam mengeluarkan Dokumen Perjalanan Sementara (TTD), meninggalkan rakyat anda sendiri—termasuk kanak-kanak—terlena di depot tahanan.

IV. Kesimp**an: Pelanggaran Penentuan Nasib Sendiri

Dengan mengabaikan Perjanjian Manila 1963, Perlembagaan anda sendiri 1987, dan Perjanjian Persahabatan dan Kerjasama ASEAN, anda sedang berjuang dalam pertempuran yang kalah menentang penentuan nasib sendiri rakyat Sabah.

Anda tidak boleh menuntut tanah itu sambil meninggalkan rakyat anda. Berhenti menjajakan terjemahan salah abad ke-19 dan mula memenuhi tugas anda kepada rakyat anda yang berdokumen—dan tidak berdokumen.

Tuntutan itu mati. Tanggungjawab kekal.

Dikeluarkan oleh: BORNEO THIRD FORCE
Emel: [email protected]

02/02/2026

“Kami tidak meminta keluar. Kami meminta dipulihkan. Jika pemulihan ditolak, maka sejarah sendiri akan membuka pintu seterusnya.”

Menurutnya, Sarawak sejak sekian lama mengamalkan pendekatan yang menekankan kehormatan dalam perbezaan dan kedamaian dalam kepelbagaian, sesuatu yang wajar dijadikan contoh.

02/02/2026

“Kami tidak meminta keluar.
Kami meminta dipulihkan.
Jika pemulihan ditolak,
maka sejarah sendiri akan membuka pintu seterusnya.”

Menurut beliau, walaupun terdapat suara-suara tertentu yang membangkitkan isu berkenaan, realitinya proses tersebut bukan sahaja rumit dari sudut perundangan, malah melibatkan implikasi besar dari aspek politik, ekonomi dan keselamatan negara.

23/01/2026

BORNEO THIRD FORCE — DEEP DRESS DOWN

Kenyataan ini cuba “menutup lubang” dengan satu teknik klasik: bukan jawab inti masalah, tapi ubah bahasa supaya nampak selesai. Mari kita bedah satu-satu — setiap particularity — dan kita hempas habis.

1) “Laporan 5,207 hektar sebagai pampasan adalah tidak tepat” — INI PUTARAN BAHASA, BUKAN JAWAPAN

NRES menafikan frasa “pampasan”, tetapi tidak menjawab persoalan paling besar:

Apakah benar berlaku pelarasan garis sempadan yang membawa kesan wilayah?

Apakah dokumen, peta, titik koordinat, dan status undang-undang perubahan itu?

Menafikan “pampasan” hanya menukar naratif daripada “kalah-menang” kepada “teknikal-harmoni”, tetapi rakyat Sabah bertanya:
“Adakah Sabah dilibatkan? Adakah DUN Sabah setuju? Di mana dokumen?”

Sinar Harian melaporkan kerajaan menafikan serah tanah “sebagai pampasan”. ([Sinar Harian][2])

Tapi penafian itu bukan bukti. Bukti ialah: peta + MoU + status perlembagaan + rekod persetujuan Sabah.

2) “Tidak bersandarkan timbal balik / pampasan / untung-rugi” — INI ‘GASLIGHTING’ POLITIK

Ini ayat kosmetik: cuba buat rakyat rasa “tak patut bising” sebab konon bukan untung-rugi.

Tapi sempadan wilayah bukan isu “untung-rugi”. Sempadan ialah isu:

- kedaulatan negeri
- hak perlembagaan
- bidang kuasa DUN
- hak tanah adat & komuniti sempadan

Bila NRES kata “bukan pampasan”, itu tidak menghapus realiti bahawa jika ada pelarasan garis, ada implikasi wilayah dan implikasi itu mesti melalui proses perlembagaan.

3) “Dimuktamadkan melalui MoU 18 Feb 2025… selepas 45 tahun proses teknikal yang komprehensif dan telus” — TELUS KONON, TAPI TIDAK TUNJUK DOKUMEN

Ini puncak hypernormalisation: ulang perkataan “telus” sampai orang rasa telus… padahal dokumen tak keluar.

Jika benar “komprehensif dan telus”, maka keluarkan:

* teks MoU + lampiran teknikal
* peta sebelum/selepas
* titik OBP yang dimaksudkan (B-2700, B-3000 dsb)
* minit mesyuarat berkaitan
* timeline pelaksanaan
* kenyataan rasmi penglibatan Kerajaan Negeri Sabah

Tanpa itu, “telus” hanyalah kata-kata untuk mematikan soalan.

Tambahan p**a, media Indonesia menyatakan OBP “disepakati” melalui MoU pada mesyuarat bersama ke-45 di Pulau Sebatik. ([SuaraTV][3])

Malaysiakini p**a melaporkan perincian kampung yang disebut dalam naratif awam. ([Malaysiakini][4])

Maka, NRES tidak boleh hanya berkata “tidak tepat” — mereka wajib membetulkan dengan data rasmi.

4) “Kedaulatan negara?” — JANGAN JUAL ‘KEDAULATAN’ UNTUK TUTUP KEDAULATAN WILAYAH SABAH

NRES s**a guna slogan “kedaulatan negara”. Baik.

Tapi kedaulatan negara tidak boleh menelan kedaulatan negeri dalam kerangka Persekutuan.
Jika sempadan negeri Sabah terlibat, maka Article 2 Perlembagaan Persekutuan terpakai: perubahan sempadan memerlukan undang-undang Parlimen dan persetujuan badan perundangan negeri serta proses berkaitan. ([BHESS][5])

Soalan keras:

> Adakah DUN Sabah pernah mengundi persetujuan?
> Jika belum, atas kuasa apa kamu “muktamadkan”?

Kalau jawapan kabur, maka “kedaulatan” yang dilaungkan itu hanya kedaulatan Putrajaya, bukan kedaulatan Sabah.

5) “Proses 45 tahun” — PANJANG BUKAN BERMAKNA SAH

45 tahun perundingan teknikal tidak automatik menjadi:

* sah dari sisi perlembagaan
* sah dari sisi federalisme
* sah dari sisi hak orang asal

Teknikal boleh lama.
Tetapi legitimasidatang daripada:

* proses perlembagaan (Parlimen + DUN Sabah)
* ketelusan (dokumen dibuka)
* penglibatan komuniti sempadan
* FPIC untuk orang asal (kalau melibatkan tanah adat & identiti ruang)

Tanpa itu, “45 tahun” hanya jadi argument from exhaustion: buat rakyat penat bertanya.

6) “NRES” dan kuasa — KAMU KEMENTERIAN GARISAN, BUKAN PEMUTUS WILAYAH

Ini point Watchers yang paling tepat: kementerian garis boleh mengurus teknikal, tapi tidak boleh mengatasi proses perlembagaan negeri dan Parlimen apabila isu menyentuh sempadan negeri.

Bila NRES keluar statement seolah-olah ia “final authority”, itu ialah peralihan kuasa secara naratif — cuba jadikan sesuatu yang belum disahkan secara perlembagaan seolah-olah “sudah selesai”.

Inilah hypernormalisation: buat orang rasa “jangan tanya lagi”.

🟥 KESIMPULAN BTF: INI BUKAN “NARATIF TAK TEPAT” — INI “NARATIF DICUCI”

Jika NRES benar-benar serius tentang kedaulatan dan kemakmuran bersama, buat 3 perkara sekarang:

1. Buka semua dokumen (MoU, peta, lampiran, koordinat, minit) kepada rakyat Sabah.
2. Nyatakan secara hitam putih status perlembagaan: Parlimen? DUN Sabah? telah/ belum?
3. Panggil sidang khas DUN Sabah dan bentuk jawatankuasa semakan dengan wakil Sabah — bukan “briefing tertutup”.

Kalau tidak, maka kenyataan NRES ini bukan komunikasi awam — ia operasi penenang, untuk jadikan yang belum sah nampak sah.

Borneo Third Force tidak akan akur pada realiti palsu.

Show the documents — or withdraw the claim.

---

[1]: https://www.kln.gov.my/web/guest/-/kenyataan-media-penyelesaian-sempadan-darat-malaysia-indonesia-komitmen-terhadap-kedaulatan-dan-kemakmuran-bersama?utm_source=chatgpt.com "KENYATAAN MEDIA PENYELESAIAN SEMPADAN ..."

[2]: https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/765250/berita/nasional/kerajaan-nafi-serah-lebih-5000-hektar-kepada-indonesianbsp?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Kerajaan nafi serah lebih 5000 hektar kepada Indonesia"

[3]: https://suara.tv/22/01/2026/tiga-kampung-di-indonesia-masuk-wilayah-malaysia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Tiga kampung di Indonesia masuk wilayah Malaysia"

[4]: https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/766294?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Indonesia dapat 5207 hektar susulan pelarasan sempadan ..."
[5]: https://bhess.jpm.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Perlembagaan-Persekutuan-Cetakan-Semula-2020-1.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com "PERLEMBAGAAN PERSEKUTUAN"

08/01/2026

Ini bukan gosip. Ini bukan salah faham. Ini adalah KERUNTUHAN TADBIR URUS negeri Sabah yangedang dipertontonkan secara terbuka.

Serbuan Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia ke atas lInvest Sabah Berhad mendedahkan satu hakikat pahit:
agensi pelaburan negeri telah ditukar menjadi alat percutian, tuntutan palsu, dan konflik kepentingan peribadi.

1️⃣ MASALAH SEBENAR BUKAN SATU LAWATAN — TAPI BUDAYA

Osaka. Brunei. RAKIS 2024. Dubai.
Nama-nama ini sepatutnya melambangkan pelaburan, diplomasi ekonomi, dan ROI untuk rakyat Sabah.

Tetapi apa yang kita lihat?
➡️ Lawatan rasmi bertukar percutian keluarga
➡️ Tuntutan perbelanjaan tanpa justifikasi jelas
➡️ Dokumen kewangan tidak lengkap

Ini bukan “kesilapan teknikal”.
Ini penyalahgunaan kuasa yang sistemik.

2️⃣ CEO BUKAN KEBAL UNDANG-UNDANG

Jika dakwaan terhadap Dr. Firdausi Suffian benar, maka beliau bukan sekadar gagal sebagai CEO — beliau telah mengkhianati amanah awam.

Jawatan CEO bukan lesen melancong.
Dana syarikat bukan dompet peribadi.

Lembaga Pengarah yang kini “bermesyuarat khas” perlu menjawab soalan lebih besar:

Mengapa perkara ini tidak dikesan lebih awal?
Di mana audit dalaman selama ini?
Siapa yang meluluskan tuntutan?
Siapa yang tutup mata?

3️⃣ LEMBAGA PENGARAH: ANDA JUGA BERSALAH JIKA DIAM

Jika mesyuarat 7 Januari ini berakhir dengan:

“ambil maklum”
“tunggu siasatan”
“tiada tindakan sementara”

👉 Maka Lembaga itu sendiri adalah sebahagian daripada skandal.

Borneo Third Force menegaskan:

- Penggantungan segera CEO
- Audit forensik bebas (bukan audit dalaman kosmetik)
- Pendedahan penuh semua perjalanan luar negara 24 bulan terakhir
- Laporan awam kepada rakyat Sabah**

4️⃣ INI BUKAN ISU INDIVIDU — INI ISU SABAH

Setiap ringgit yang disalahguna:

adalah - peluang kerja yang hilang
adalah - pelabur yang lari
adalah - masa depan anak Sabah yang dicuri

Sabah - bukan koloni pentadbiran longgar.
Sabah - bukan ladang elaun elit.
Sabah - bukan mesin ATM untuk kroni.

5️⃣ AMARAN TERBUKA

Jika kes ini:

ditutup senyap
dikaburkan dengan PR
dikambinghitamkan kepada pegawai bawahan

Ini sebagai bukti KEGAGALAN STRUKTUR TADBIR URUS negeri.

Dan rakyat Sabah akan ingat siapa yang:

- berani bertindak
- dan siapa yang bersembunyi.

KESIMPULAN KERAS

Ini bukan soal reputasi individu.
Ini soal maruah institusi Sabah.

Jika Invest Sabah tidak dibersihkan sekarang,
jangan salahkan rakyat Sabah bila mereka hilang kepercayaan sepenuhnya terhadap “agensi pelaburan negeri”.

BERSIHKAN. DEDAHKAN. HUKUM.
Atau bersedia berdepan kebangkitan kesedaran rakyat yang tidak lagi boleh ditenangkan dengan alasan kosong.

Borneo Third Force 🥉

05/01/2026

THE BTF DRESS-DOWN

“82 seats” is not humility — it is a governing alibi.

Let’s cut through the incense and get to the bones.

When Anwar Ibrahim tells the nation that reforms are “tough” because PH has only 82 seats, what he is really saying is this:

> “Lower your expectations. We will manage decline, not deliver change.”

That is not statesmanship. That is alibi politics.

1) The Numbers Excuse Is a Shell Game

Every unity government in Malaysian history governs without 112 seats on its own. That’s the whole point of coalitions. If 82 seats is suddenly an obstacle, then why form a unity government at all?

You don’t ask the rakyat for a mandate and then complain you don’t have one.

Reforms don’t fail because of arithmetic. They fail because of priorities.

2) “Consensus” Has Become a Veto for the Old Order

Listen carefully to the language:

“Negotiated carefully”
“Consensus among component parties”
“Each party has its own priorities”

Translation:
UMNO, GPS, GRS get veto power — the rakyat gets patience lectures.

This is not reform.
This is elite cartel governance, where the slowest, most conservative partner sets the speed — and the destination never changes.

Consensus without timelines is institutional paralysis.
Consensus without red lines is capitulation.

3) Race Anxiety as a Permanent Emergency Brake

Anwar admits reforms stall when “race-related issues arise.”

But race has always been present in Malaysia.
What’s new is using race as a permanent emergency brake on justice.

Every time:

* corruption reform tightens,
* institutional independence advances,
* federal dominance is questioned,

— suddenly “sensitivities” appear.

This is not protecting harmony.
This is weaponising fear to protect power structures.

4) Sabah & Sarawak Reduced to Footnotes Again

Notice the framing:

> “Malays, Chinese, Indians, *and* Sabahan and Sarawakian communities”

Still appended. Still peripheral. Still managed — never empowered.

No mention of:

* MA63 enforcement timelines
* 40% revenue entitlement as a non-negotiable right
* Federal overreach rollback

For Borneo, “reform” remains **rhetoric without restitution.

5) The Moral High Ground Has Been Replaced by Managerial Language

Anwar says reforms are for “systemic change,” not individuals.

Yet:

* No independent AG reform with teeth
* No political financing law enacted
* No structural federalism reset

Integrity without enforcement is branding. Reform without confrontation is theatre.

BTF VERDICT

This speech is not a confession of difficulty.
It is a recalibration of expectations downward.

It tells Malaysians:

* Accept slower justice
* Accept compromised reform
* Accept elite consensus over pop**ar mandate

And to Sabah & Sarawak, it says:

“Wait again. Be patient again. Trust us again.”

BTF COUNTER-POSITION

Real reform does not ask permission from those it must dismantle.

If 82 seats is enough to govern, it is enough to reform. If it isn’t, then stop selling moral courage and start admitting political retreat.

Borneo Third Force 🥉rejects reform-as-excuse.
We demand reform-as-confrontation, federalism-as-rebalancing, and governance-as-delivery.

No more alibis.
No more patience sermons.
Deliver — or step aside.

The PKR president says reforms must be negotiated in the spirit of consensus building with other components of the unity government.

05/01/2026

Quote

"In Sabah and Sarawak, U.S. oil giants like ConocoPhillips maintain significant stakes in offshore blocks, such as deepwater projects off Sabah's coast, where the company eyes expansion despite withdrawing from Sarawak's Salam-Patawali field in 2025 amid disputes over state control—often prioritizing corporate profits over local sovereignty, environmental justice, and equitable resource sharing. U.S. influence extends to supplying radars, drones like ScanEagle for naval surveillance in Sabah. Historically, post-World War II, the U.S. supported Britain's "second colonial occupation" of Malaya with loans, arms, and anti-communist coordination during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), indirectly facilitating the transition of Sarawak and North Borneo (Sabah) into Crown colonies in 1946 to secure raw materials and contain regional threats, all while suppressing local independence movements."

ILPS Malaysia Statement of Condemnation: On the US Imperialist Aggression Against Venezuela

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – January 4, 2026

The International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) Malaysia joins the chorus of global voices in strongly condemning the brazen and unlawful military aggression by the United States against the sovereign nation of Venezuela. This act of naked imperialism, dubbed "Operation Absolute Resolve," represents a grave violation of international law, the principles of self-determination, and the right of peoples to chart their own destinies free from foreign domination.

On January 3, 2026, U.S. forces launched devastating airstrikes on key sites in Caracas, including the La Carlota airbase, Fuerte Tiuna military complex, the Miraflores Presidential Palace, and other locations, plunging parts of the capital into darkness and chaos. These strikes, which lasted from approximately 2:01 to 4:29 AM local time, served as a deadly diversion for the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by elite U.S. Delta Force operatives, aided by a CIA informant within the Venezuelan government. Reports indicate at least 40 Venezuelans—both civilians and military personnel—lost their lives, with unconfirmed numbers of injuries, while U.S. officials acknowledge minor injuries among their own troops. The taken leaders were swiftly extradited to the United States, where they are now detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, facing politically motivated charges of narco-terrorism, drug conspiracy, and weapons offenses—charges that echo the long history of U.S. fabrications to justify interventions in Latin America.

In a chilling display of colonial arrogance, U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that the United States will "run" Venezuela temporarily, overseeing a so-called "judicious transition" while inviting American oil companies to exploit the country's vast reserves—the largest in the world. This is nothing short of a resource grab, disguised as humanitarianism, that threatens to deepen Venezuela's economic woes and entrench foreign control over its natural wealth. Trump's remarks, hinting at potential future actions against Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico, signal an alarming escalation of U.S. hegemony in the region, risking wider instability and a refugee crisis, as evidenced by Colombia's border reinforcements and preparations for an influx of displaced Venezuelans.

This aggression has rightly sparked widespread international outrage. Nations such as Russia, China, Iran, Brazil, and others have denounced it as an act of war and a blatant breach of sovereignty, while Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and the Supreme Court have affirmed her role as interim leader, rejecting U.S. interference. Within Venezuela, supporters of President Maduro have taken to the streets in protest, even as opportunistic celebrations among some expatriate communities abroad highlight the deep divisions sown by years of U.S.-backed destabilization efforts.

As peoples' movements in Southeast Asia, we in ILPS Malaysia see this assault as part of a broader pattern of imperialist meddling that mirrors historical intervention. In our own region, U.S. imperialism has taken subtle yet pervasive forms, often through economic exploitation and military entrenchment. In Malaysia, the recent bilateral defense pact signed in October 2025 and the renewed Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in November 2025 formalize expanded military cooperation, including special forces training, amphibious warfare, and AI-enabled surveillance, all under the guise of regional security but effectively advancing U.S. strategic interests. Militarily, the U.S. bolsters its influence through joint exercises like Keris Strike 2025—a major trilateral exercise held in Perak, Malaysia, from July 17-31, 2025, involving over 2,700 personnel from the Malaysian, U.S., and Australian Armies—to enhance interoperability, jungle warfare skills, and coordinated live-fire drills with systems like HIMARS and artillery rockets, solidifying U.S. defense ties in the Indo-Pacific.

In Sabah and Sarawak, U.S. oil giants like ConocoPhillips maintain significant stakes in offshore blocks, such as deepwater projects off Sabah's coast, where the company eyes expansion despite withdrawing from Sarawak's Salam-Patawali field in 2025 amid disputes over state control—often prioritizing corporate profits over local sovereignty, environmental justice, and equitable resource sharing. U.S. influence extends to supplying radars, drones like ScanEagle for naval surveillance in Sabah. Historically, post-World War II, the U.S. supported Britain's "second colonial occupation" of Malaya with loans, arms, and anti-communist coordination during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), indirectly facilitating the transition of Sarawak and North Borneo (Sabah) into Crown colonies in 1946 to secure raw materials and contain regional threats, all while suppressing local independence movements. These patterns undermine the aspirations of working people, indigenous communities, and progressive forces striving for genuine democracy and economic justice. The U.S. actions not only endanger Venezuelan lives but also embolden similar aggressions elsewhere, threatening global peace and the right to self-governance.

We stand in unwavering solidarity with the Venezuelan people in their resistance against this imperialist overreach. ILPS Malaysia calls on all anti-imperialist organizations, governments, and individuals worldwide to:

• Demand the immediate release of President Maduro and Cilia Flores, and the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Venezuelan soil.

• Support Venezuela's sovereign institutions and reject any puppet regime imposed by Washington.

• Amplify calls for accountability at the United Nations and other international bodies, urging investigations into these war crimes.

• Build transnational networks of resistance, fostering unity among peoples' struggles in Latin America, Asia, and beyond to counter the tides of empire.

Let this moment awaken a gentle yet firm resolve: the era of unchecked imperialism must end through our collective action. The peoples of the world will prevail.