KUALA LUMPUR -- The chief minister in Malaysia's eastern state of Sabah flatly rejected any Philippine rights to the territory in an interview, suggesting the government in Kuala Lumpur should take the intensifying dispute to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Shafie Apdal, briefly endorsed by veteran statesman Mahathir Mohamad as the opposition's choice to replace Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, joined Sabah leaders from across the political spectrum in blasting recent Philippine efforts to assert a claim that dates back about 60 years.
