New Sultan of Sulu named

MANILA, Philippines - A younger brother of the late Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo Jamalul Kiram III is the new successor to the throne.

Sultanate of Sulu spokesman Abraham Idjirani said Datu Esmail Kiram, 73, is the new sultan of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo succeeding his elder brother Jamalul, who died last October 19 at the Philippine Heart Center.

Idjirani said Esmail will be known as Sultan Esmail Kiram II.

Idjirani said there was no hindrance to the younger Kiram's succeeding his elder brother.

"Everybody accepts the law and order of succession in the sultanate. The crown prince, Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, had already made known that he will observe the succession's law and order," he said.

The Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo hugged the headlines for a time after a band of some 300 of its fighters led by Agbimuddin Kiram landed in Sabah in an apparent attempt to force the Sabah issue into their favor.

The landing of the Sultanate's armed men in Lahad Datu in Sabah triggered clashes with Malaysian security forces.