(UPDATE - 10:41 a.m.) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with Malaysia's representative to the world body as he continued his bid to resolve the ongoing crisis in Sabah.
This developed as Human Rights Watch urged Malaysia to "provide clear and accurate information" on the situation in Sabah and to "ensure the protection of all civilians in the area and allow humanitarian access for the provision of emergency assistance to those affected by the violence."
A statement on Ban's UN page said he told Hussein Haniff, Malaysia's permanent representative, that "efforts should be made to ensure that human rights will be respected and loss of life will be prevented" as Malaysian forces continue operations to flush out followers of the sultanate of Sulu who landed in Sabah early last month to press their claim to the territory.
"The Secretary-General noted the efforts that were made by the governments of Malaysia and Philippines to find a peaceful resolution to the situation," the statement said.
"He reiterated his hope that the situation will be resolved as soon as possible, and that efforts will continue to be made to ensure respect for human rights and to avoid further loss of life," it added.
HRW deputy director for Asia Phil Robertson also joined calls for "all parties to the conflict" to "heed the call of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to 'act in full respect of international human rights norms and standards'."
On Thursday, Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III announced that he was ordering his followers in Sabah to observe a unilateral ceasefire.
However, Malaysian officials, led by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, rejected the truce and said the only way to end to crisis was for the sultan's followers to surrender without conditions.
"We're concerned about the Malaysian government's use of the Security Offenses Special Measures Act to detain reportedly more than 50 individuals, and call on the government to either charge them with a recognizable criminal offense or release them," Robertson also said.
The operations, which have centered around Lahad Datu town, have so far claimed the lives of 52 Filipinos and eight Malaysian policemen, according to Malaysian security officials, although the sultanate has owned to only losing 10 dead, four wounded and 10 captured from the more than 200 of its followers led by the crown prince, Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram.
On Friday, Malaysian Armed Forces chief Gen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said they believe Agbimuddin's group has gone into hiding to evade continuing operations to flush them out, which have included air strikes by fighter jets.
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