( CNN ) -- An unusual standoff is unfolding on the island of Borneo where about 100 men from the southern Philippines have come ashore demanding to be recognized as representatives of a sultanate that has historical claims on the area , Malaysian authorities said . Malaysian police and armed forces are negotiating with the men , who arrived by boat Tuesday in the remote , eastern district of Lahad Datu , in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo . The men claim to be the `` Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu '' and say they do n't want their people to be sent away from the area , Tan Sri Ismail Omar , the Inspector General of the Royal Malaysian Police , said Thursday , according to the country 's national news agency Bernama . Malaysian security forces have surrounded the village where the men are , and discussions with the group are `` proceeding well , '' Ismail said . `` We have told them to leave Sabah peacefully , as we do not want any situation which can threaten the security of the people , '' he added . Founded in the 1400s , the Sultanate of Sulu once encompassed numerous islands in the southern Philippines . At one point , it also comprised parts of Borneo , including Sabah . 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 . Sulu is now part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the southern Philippines , an area whose islands come within a few dozen kilometers of Sabah and where Islamic militants groups such as Abu Sayyaf operate . A previous hostage drama . In 2000 , gunmen associated with Abu Sayyaf kidnapped more than 20 people , including Malaysians and Europeans , from a resort on the Sabah island of Sipadan , about 100 kilometers south of Lahad Datu , and held them for ransom in the southern Philippines . The group of Filipino men cornered in Lahad Datu say they do n't want to be linked with any militant group in the Philippines , Ismail said , according to Bernama . But police do n't rule out that the men are armed , he said . `` So far the situation is not tense and they appear to be behaving well , '' Ismail was quoted as saying . `` We believe the group has friends in the village but do not have homes there . '' Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said it was important that the matter `` be resolved without any bloodshed , '' Bernama reported . Philippine government and military officials are coordinating with their Malaysian counterparts on the matter , the official Philippines News Agency ( PNA ) reported Friday . Abigail Valte , a spokeswoman for Philippine President Benigno Aquino III , said the government is trying to `` ascertain the facts '' about the situation , according to PNA . She said Manila was ready to provide assistance to those involved in the standoff after Philippine diplomats in Malaysia had assessed the situation . The Philippine foreign ministry and the Malaysian prime minister 's office did n't immediately respond to requests for comment from CNN on Friday . Philippine military officials declined to comment on the matter . According to PNA , Manila still 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 . CNN 's Kathy Quiano contributed to this report .
NEW : Philippine officials say they are coordinating with Malaysia on the situation . Malaysian security forces are in talks with the men from the South Philippines . The men arrived in a remote district of the Malaysian state of Sabah on Tuesday . They claim to represent a sultanate that once ruled over Sabah , a Malaysian official says .