ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / October 1, 2009) – Fierce fighting between government troops and Moro rebels broke out on Thursday in the southern Philippine island of Sulu killing at least four people on both sides, officials said.
Officials said the fighting erupted at around 11 a.m. in the village of Bitan-ag in Panamao town. One soldier was killed and nine more were wounded in the clashes, said Marine Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, chief of the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.
“One of our soldiers was killed and nine others are wounded in the fighting. Three gunmen were also slain and troops recovered the bodies,” he said.
Other reports in Sulu said the fighting broke out after Moro National Liberation Front rebels ambushed the soldiers and that at least 9 gunmen were slain in the ensuing firefight.
Dolorfino said troops recovered a 90mm recoilless rifle and four munitions, an M16 and AK-47 automatic rifles, including an M1 sniper rifle.
The fighting erupted two days after Abu Sayyaf militants and Moro rebels destroyed a bridge in the town of Indanan, scene of previous clashes that killed 42 gunmen and soldiers.
Last month, Abu Sayyaf gunmen also ambushed a US military convoy, killing two counterterrorism specialists SSG Jack Martin and SFC Christopher Shaw, and a Filipino marine PFC Erwin Estrada – in Kagay village also in the town of Indanan.
A police post was also bomb on Tuesday morning in the village of Kasanyangan in Jolo town, but there were no reports of casualties.
US troops are deployed in Sulu since 2006 and assisting the Philippine military in defeating the Abu Sayyaf. Although security officials deny US forces were directly involved in combat operations, there were numerous reports from civilians that American soldiers actually participated in the operations aimed at capturing or killing militant leaders in Sulu and other areas in the restive southern region of Mindanao.
A US soldier was also killed and another wounded in a bomb attack at a roadside cafe near an army in Zamboanga City in October 2002.
The MNLF signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, but many of its members were disgruntled with the accord and accused the government of failing to uplift their living standards.
Dolorfino said troops were tracking down at least four most senior Abu Sayyaf leaders – Dr Abu, Albader Parad, Isnilon Hapilon and Yasser Igasan – including two foreign Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Mauiya and Quayem and some 200 followers.
The series of attacks occurred just as troops continue their operation against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants tagged as behind the series of bomb attacks and kidnappings for ransom in Sulu, one of five provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region.
Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, said military offensive against the MNLF continues in Sulu. He said government operations were directed as MNLF leader Khaid Ajibunm who had escaped a military raid last week. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, October 01, 2009
4 dead in fresh fighting in Southern Philippines
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
2 US soldiers killed in blast in Southern Philippines
The remains of a destroyed US military vehicle after a roadside bombing Tuesday, September 29, 2009 in the southern Philippine island of Sulu. Two US Special Forces soldiers and a Filipino marine were killed in the attack believed carried out by militants. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan).
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 29, 2009) – Two US soldiers and a Filipino marine were killed in a roadside bombing Tuesday in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Philippine military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner Jr said the blast killed two American soldiers and a Filipino marine in Sulu province. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
“We still don’t know who was behind the attack, but two US troops and a Filipino soldier were killed in the roadside bombing,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Police said three more Filipino soldiers were wounded in the attack that targeted the US and Philippine military convoy. Earlier reports said two US American soldiers were also wounded in the blast, but Brawner claimed that only two had died from the attack.
The attack occurred at around 8.30 a.m. in the village of Kagay in Indanan town where local troops are battling Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants since last week.
Security officials did not identify the slain US soldiers, but the wounded Filipino marines are all in critical condition. Other sources in Sulu named the slain Americans as SSG Jack Martin and SFC Christopher Shaw.
Brawner said the US and Filipino troops were on their way to inspect a school project when their vehicles rolled over a landmine.
US Special Forces are deployed in Sulu since 2006 and aiding the Philippine military in defeating the Abu Sayyaf. Although security officials deny US forces were directly involved in combat operations, there were numerous reports from civilians that American soldiers actually participated in the operations aimed at capturing or killing militant leaders in Sulu and other areas in the restive southern region of Mindanao.
A US soldier was also killed and another wounded in a bomb attack at a roadside cafe near an army in Zamboanga City in October 2002.
Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga city, said the US and Filipino troops were in a convoy heading to a school project when the bomb went off.
“The US troops are not involved in the operation against the Abu Sayyaf. They were there because there is a school project in the village,” Dolorfino said in a separate interview.
The wounded troops were rushed to a military hospital in Jolo town, where another bomb exploded at a police post.
There were no reports of casualties in the explosion which occurred at around 10.30 a.m. in the village of Kasanyangan.
Police said an improvised explosive was used in the attack in the village of Kasanyangan, but there were no reports of casualties. “This is the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf. We have tightened security in the villages to prevent future attacks,” said Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, commander of police forces in the capital town of Jolo.
He said the explosion targeted the command post of the Regional Mobile Group. The attack occurred three days after policemen killed an Abu Sayyaf militant, Karim Juldani, and captured another Albashir Adjili, in a firefight in Jolo town.
The two, Pingay said, were trying to sneak into Jolo when policemen stopped them near a checkpoint. He said police seized weapons from the two men.
Pingay ordered additional checkpoints around the town and appealed to citizens to stay vigilant and report to the police or military suspicious persons in their area.
“We must defeat terrorism. Citizens should stay vigilant,” he said.
The attack occurred just as troops continue their operation against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants tagged as behind the series of bomb attacks and kidnappings for ransom in Sulu, one of five provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region.
Fighting in Sulu between troops and militants had killed 42 people, including eight marines who were ambushed by the Abu Sayyaf in Indanan town last week. Nine soldiers were also wounded in the attack.
The Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, accused the military of attacking its forces in Sulu’s Indanan town. It said troops shelled one of its camps, killing two of its members and wounding 8 more.
The military’s Western Mindanao Command denied the accusations and said the offensive targeted the militant groups – the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya – adding, two of its feared terror leaders Mauiya and Quayem are being protected by the Abu Sayyaf.
Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, said military offensive against the MNLF still continues in Sulu. “Up to this time, the military offensive is going on,” he said on Tuesday.
He said government operations were directed as MNLF leader Khaid Ajibun who had escaped a military raid last week. (Mindanao Examiner)
Police post attacked in South RP
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 29, 2009) – Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants attacked a police post Tuesday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, where security forces are battling the group blamed for the spate of terrorism in the restive region, officials told the Mindanao Examiner.
Police said an improvised explosive was used in the attack in the village of Kasanyangan, but there were no reports of casualties. “This is the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf. We have tightened security in the villages to prevent future attacks,” said Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, commander of police forces in the capital town of Jolo.
He said the explosion occurred at around 10.30 a.m. and targeted the command post of the Regional Mobile Group. The attack occurred three days after policemen killed an Abu Sayyaf militant, Karim Juldani, and captured another Albashir Adjili, in a firefight in Jolo town.
The two, Pingay said, were trying to sneak into Jolo when policemen stopped them near a checkpoint. He said police seized weapons from the two men.
Pingay ordered additional checkpoints around the town and appealed to citizens to stay vigilant and report to the police or military suspicious persons in their area.
“We must defeat terrorism. Citizens should stay vigilant,” he said.
The attack occurred just as troops continue their operation against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants tagged as behind the series of bomb attacks and kidnappings for ransom in Sulu, one of five provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region.
Fighting in Sulu between troops and militants had killed 42 people, including eight marines who were ambushed by the Abu Sayyaf in Indanan town last week. Nine soldiers were also wounded in the attack.
The Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, accused the military of attacking its forces in Sulu’s Indanan town. It said troops shelled one of its camps, killing two of its members and wounding 8 more.
The military’s Western Mindanao Command denied the accusations and said the offensive targeted the militant groups – the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya – adding, two of its feared terror leaders Mauiya and Quayem are being protected by the Abu Sayyaf.
Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, said military offensive against the MNLF still continues in Sulu. “Up to this time, the military offensive is going on,” he said on Tuesday.
He said government operations were directed as MNLF leader Khaid Ajibunm who had escaped a military raid last week. (With a report from Geo Solmerano)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Rebels attack marines post in Southern Philippines
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 26, 2009) – Gunmen attacked a marine detachment in the southern Philippine province of Sulu where troops are battling Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants, officials said on Saturday.
Officials said the marines repulsed the attack which occurred late Friday in the village of Bato-Bato in Indanan town, scene of last week’s fierce clashes that left 34 militants and eight soldiers dead.
“Our marines repulsed the attack. No casualties were reported on either side,” said Marine Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command headquarters in Zamboanga City.
Hontiveros did not say who were behind the attack, but the town is a stronghold of Moro National Liberation Front rebels who aided Abu Sayyaf forces in last week’s clashes.
The MNLF accused the military of targeting them in the guise of pursuing the Abu Sayyaf in Indanan town.
It said security forces shelled their camp on September 20, although there were no reports of casualties. The military attack coincided with the Eid festival which signals the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
A Moro rebel leader, Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, said the military offensive targeted a stronghold of Khaid Ajibun, a senior leader of the MNLF in Camp Marang near the village of Talibang.
“The Muslims are celebrating the Hari Raya, but what greeted us are bombings from military aircrafts,” he said.
Sali accused the military of terrorizing the Muslims in Sulu, an accusation strongly denied by the armed forces.
“The Bangsamoro National Liberation Army declares publicly and calls and manifests our Islamic solidarity behind our brothers-in-Islam and to support the declaration of Jihad against the Philippine Government and Armed Forces of the Philippines for the restoration of sovereign states of the Bangsamoro Homeland. There are no terrorists in our homeland, but we are being terrorized by Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said.
The MNLF signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, but many of its members were disgruntled by the agreement and accusing the government of failing to honor the provisions of the accord.
Under the peace agreement, Manila would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.
Many of its members have either joined the Abu Sayyaf or Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which is fighting the past three decades for self-determination. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sulu fighting subsides; leaves Sayyaf gunman dead, 4 soldiers wounded
A private security guard is silhouetted by the sun as he mans his post at the Jolo port in Sulu province in the southern Philippines. Military and Abu Sayyaf militants clashed in Sulu’s Indanan town over the weekend, leaving a gunman dead and four soldiers wounded. ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 21, 2009) – Fighting subsided on Monday between security forces and al-Qaeda-linked militants in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials told the Mindanao Examiner.
Officials said four soldiers were wounded in the weekend fighting that also left one Abu Sayyaf militant dead in the hinterland of Indanan town. “We are now on a defensive position,” said Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command.
He said troops clashed with more than 200 militants in the town and that dozens had come from the nearby province of Basilan and reinforced the group of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon.
It was unknown why the military failed to detect or intercept about 40 Abu Sayyaf gunmen who arrived by boat in Sulu on Sunday morning.
The fighting in the province erupted after security forces shelled suspected Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya lairs in Indanan town, but a senior rebel leader of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, Madarang Sali, said the offensive targeted former Moro rebels under Khaid Ajibun.
Sali said the military attacked Ajibun’s camp without provocation, an accusation strongly denied by the military.
“We are not attacking the MNLF camp. The operation is directed at the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya position in the village of Buanza in Indanan town,” Hontiveros said.
Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are hiding and being by Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu - among them are Mauiya, Dulmatin, Zulkifli bin Hir and Umar Patek - who are all wanted for the spate of deadly attacks in the Philippines and Indonesia, including the Bali bombing in 2002. The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture.
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya as foreign terrorist groups alongside with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
Philippine authorities said the Jemaah Islamiya terrorists fled to Mindanao where they sought refuge under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf and rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Military offensive disrupts Muslim festival in Southern Philippines
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chieftain Murad Ebrahim leads the breaking of fast on Sunday, September 20, 2009 in the southern Philippines. In Sulu province, the military launched offensive against Abu Sayyaf and Moro rebels, disrupting the celebration of the Hari Raya, which signals the end of the holy month of Ramadan. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)The attack, which occurred shortly before 7 a.m. in the town of Indanan coincided with the start of Hari Raya festival which signals the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Several Muslims said the sounds of explosions from the shelling had disrupted solemn prayers in mosques. Angry Muslims cursed the military for disrespecting their tradition.
The Malay words ‘Hari Raya' translate as 'Day of Celebration' or the ‘Festival of Breaking the Fast'. Muslims usually attend Eid prayers in mosque in the morning. The celebrations begin with the birth of the new moon of Syawal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar.
The military said the offensive was aimed at capturing wanted persons. “There are some identified suspects who have standing warrants. I regret I can’t discuss operational details yet,” Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in the shelling.
Police said it received unconfirmed reports the military operation was directed at Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad in the mountain village of Talibang.
But a Moro rebel leader, Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, said the military offensive targeted a stronghold of Khaid Ajibun, a senior leader of the Moro National Liberation Front in Camp Marang near the village of Talibang.
“The Muslims are celebrating the Hari Raya, but what greeted us are bombings from military aircrafts,” he said in a statement sent to the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.
Sali accused the military of terrorizing the Muslims in Sulu, an accusation strongly denied by the armed forces.
“The Bangsamoro National Liberation Army declares publicly and calls and manifest our Islamic solidarity behind our brothers-in-Islam and to support the declaration of Jihad against the Philippine Government and Armed Forces of the Philippines for the restoration of sovereign states of the Bangsamoro Homeland. There are no terrorists in our homeland, but we are being terrorized by Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said.
The MNLF signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, but many of its members were disgruntled by the agreement and accusing the government of failing to honor the provisions of the accord.
Under the peace agreement, Manila would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.
It was unknown who ordered the offensive or what triggered the shelling, but Hontiveros said: “The suspects might be mustering a lot of conventional resistance necessitating the use of indirect fire weapons. We sincerely hope that these people who are suspected of complicity in crimes will peacefully submit to the courts where they can defend their name.”
Hontiveros said the offensive was part of a surgical operation against terrorists who were blamed for the spate of bombings in Sulu, but cut short of tagging the Abu Sayyaf in the attacks.
“It’s our common fight against the evils of society. This is surgical operation directed against terrorists who are destroying the image of Islam. They bombed and disturbed us twice during Ramadan. They hurt two Muslim soldiers going to mosque to pray. We are doing this for the good of peace and law-abiding Muslims. The disturbance and inconvenience now may make our Ramadan peaceful in the future,” Hontiveros said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Gunmen attack police post in North Cotabato, 3 wounded
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Troops liberate Philippine island after firefight with gunmen
MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 19, 2009) – Marines have killed 7 members of the former Muslim rebel group called Moro National Liberation Front in a firefight Wednesday on a small island they occupied in Palawan province in western Philippines, the military said.
It said soldiers stormed the island of Matangule off Palawan province and liberated villagers held by former rebels. It was unclear why the gunmen led by MNLF leader Abdullah Abdurajak occupied the island, but the military said the former rebels had held hostage dozens of civilians since Sunday for a still unknown reason.
The hostages were later freed, but the rebels, numbering about five dozens, refused to surrender peacefully and opened fire on soldiers sent to liberate the villagers and a firefight ensued. One soldier was also wounded in the fighting.
The military said two gunmen were also captured during the fighting, but others escaped despite the presence of navy patrol boats around the island, home to a few thousand Muslims, mostly fishermen.
The MNLF, under Nur Misuari, signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996 and ending decades of bloody war. After the peace agreement was signed, Misuari became the governor of the Muslim autonomous region. But despite the peace accord, there was a widespread disillusionment with the weak autonomy they were granted.
Under the peace accord, Manila would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the South and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.
Misuari is facing rebellion charges after his followers tried, but failed to occupy a major military base in Sulu province in the southern Philippines and another group held hostage over 100 people in Zamboanga City in 2001 in an attempt to stop the elections in the Muslim autonomous region.
Misuari fled to Sabah, his former refuge, but was arrested by the Malaysian authorities and sent back to Manila. Misuari is currently out on bail.
The MNLF Central Committee removed Misuari as chairman of the former rebel group and installed Muslimin Sema, the Front’s Secretary-General. But Misuari insisted that he is still the chieftain of the MNLF and accused Sema, also the mayor of Cotabato City, as traitor and so were those who supported Sema.
Last year, Misuari earned the ire of the Malaysian government after he renewed calls of the claims of the Philippines to Sabah. In retaliation, Sabah Progressive Party President Datuk Yong Teck Lee, furious over the rumblings from Misuari, has called for stricter laws on Filipinos traveling to the oil-rich state. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Philippines says Observer bid in OIC supported by member states
Sunday, May 24, 2009
RP's bid in OIC opposed by Turkey, 3 other countries
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Soldier killed, 5 others wounded in clash with MILF rebels in Southern Philippines
Officials said the fighting erupted in the village of Baiwas in Sumisip town where troops are tracking down kidnappers holding a loan collector, Leah Patris.
“The skirmishes lasted for about thirty minutes and resulted to the killing of one soldier and five others wounded. An undetermined number of enemies were also killed,” said Army First Lt. Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command.
She said troops were searching for Patris when they encountered the MILF rebels under Amir Mingkong. The town is a known lair of MILF rebels.
Patris and Ahmad Ilang were kidnapped on February 3 near Maluso town. The kidnappers had freed Ilang three days later. The two were employees of the Kasanyangan Foundation Inc. which is engage in micro-finance in Basilan, several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City.
The victims were with another employee, Nasra Mudjain, on a motorcycle when three gunmen intercepted them in the village of Upper Benengbengan in Sumisip town.
Mudjain managed to escape and reported the abduction to the police. Police tagged former Moro National Liberation Front rebels led by Commander Abugao as behind the kidnappings. The kidnappers had previously demanded P10 million for the safe release Patris.
Beside Patris, three Filipino teachers, a boy and a Sri Lankan peace worker are also being held by kidnappers in Basilan province.
More than a dozen people had been kidnapped in Basilan in recent months and most of those freed had paid millions of pesos in ransoms. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, March 13, 2009
GRP-MNLF-OIC review implementation of 1996 Final Peace Agreement
According to the official Philippine News Agency, the current session convened to evaluate the results of the joint working group meetings between the GRP and the MNLF which are being facilitated by the OIC-Peace Committee of Southern Philippines, also known as the Committee of 12 (C12) led by Indonesia. The first two sessions were held in Jeddah and Istanbul respectively.
At least five key issues are bones of contention in the protracted sessions of the GRP and MNLF, revolving mainly on the review of how the 1996 Final Peace Agreement has been implemented.
The issues include the integration of Muslims in mainstream government, the Shari'ah law and the judiciary, education and economic development.
Among others, the Agreement led to the establishment of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), with Nur Misuari as the first governor.
But GRP panel head Nabil Tan emphasized in his opening statement that "a review is not a renegotiation but a review of how implementation has fared."
Special Envoy Sayed El-Masry of Egypt, who represented the OIC Secretary-General, agreed with Tan.
"The Bangsamoro has been looking at us for many years to help them out," Masry said, as he reiterated appreciation for President Gloria Arroyo for her efforts in achieving peace in Mindanao.
Misuari led the 200-strong MNLF delegation, but he lamented the slow implementation process of the peace accord. He said it has been 33 years since the first Agreement was brokered by Libya and 13 years since the 1996 version in Indonesia and four years since the tripartite talks were first broached in Sanna, Yemen.
Misuari lambasted what he called as "platitudes after platitudes on peace" and appealed that his listeners "search (their) conscience, to make a resolution to break the cycle of terror and war in our homeland."
Misuari declared that the current sessions "is our last chance …and if we don't succeed in peace talks…we have no choice but to…probably return to our (MNLF) message of independence."
Ambassador Masry and two other members of the OIC C12 reacted and said "that's Misuari as he is…we've heard that before."
The OIC C12, which handles the Mindanao problem and led by Indonesia, includes Turkey, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Libya, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Brunei, Bangladesh, Senegal, Pakistan and Somalia.
Other high-profile MNLF members at the sessions included former ARMM Gov. Hussein Parouk, who is the MNLF's Foreign Affairs Secretary, and Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema.
Parouk noted that peace talks "can't go on forever, but a review of the Agreement" is vital. Even during his time as ARMM governor, Parouk had vigorously espoused putting Muslims in key government institutions such as the Supreme Court.
"Definitely, there is a Muslim who is qualified to be there (SC)…as much as there have already been Muslim associate justices in the Court of Appeals and the Commission on Elections," he told the Philippines News Agency at the sidelines of the session.
"We need to review an issue in the Shari'ah law and justice system for Muslims," he said. He referred apparently to the stringent requirement that admission to the Shari'ah Bar is predicated with membership in the secular and mainstream Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).
In his opening statement, Masry pointed to the urgency of getting real deals in the current sessions. "In front of us is a real clue to move forward and let not the momentum slip away from our grasp."
There is "urgency for everyone to find the courage to put substance in to the peace process," Masry emphasized. "The time is now…and I appeal to the OIC to be steadfast in their commitment."
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Philippines, MNLF, OIC meeting opens in Manila
The Philippine News Agency said a four-man delegation from the OIC, headed by Ambassador Sayyed Kaseem El-Masry, is now in the country to attend the three-day session.
The conference will be held at the Heritage Hotel in suburban Pasay City unitl Friday. El-Masry is the special envoy of OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanuglo.
Other members of El-Masry’s delegation are OIC Director Talal Daus, Director Taher Saif and Ali Demirci, El-Masry’s special assistant.
Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Reslan Jeni, who is also the chair of the Peace Committee for Southern Philippines (PCSP), will preside over the confab.
Members of the PCSP-OIC who are resident ambassadors will also attend the meeting.
The GRP delegation is led by Undersecretary Nabil Tan of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) headed by Secretary Avelino Razon Jr.
The two previous tripartite meetings were held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Istanbul, Turkey.
Tan said this will be the first time the Philippines will host the confab.
He said among the issues to be discussed are the Shari’ah and Judiciary; Special Regional Security Force and Unified Command for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; Natural Resources and Economic Development; Political System and Representation, and Education.
Gov. Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will attend the three-day meeting as representative of the ARMM.
It may be recalled that the GRP-MNLF signed the historic peace agreement in Malacanang on September 2, 1996 during the presidency of President Fidel Ramos.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
MNLF Members Gather For Summit With Nur Misuari In Mindanao
Some 10,000 members of the Moro National Liberation Front from different parts of Mindanao gathered at the football field of Agro-Industrial Foundation College of the Philippines in Davao City on Saturday, March 7, 2009 for their 3rd Grand Summit with MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari. (AKP Images / Ruby Thursday More)Monday, February 16, 2009
Convicted priest killer Norberto Manero joins former rebel group MNLF in Mindanao
Rival rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said Manero, who was convicted of killing an Italian missionary Tullio Favali in 1985, was recruited by Nur Misuari, chieftain of the MNLF.
It said Manero once headed the paramilitary force called Ilaga, who fought Moro and communist rebels in the 1970s.
“Former Moro mass murderer and priest killer Norberto Manero was recruited into the Moro National Liberation Front by no less than Chairman Nur Misuari, who sworn him into the group last week in Kabacan, North Cotabato,” the MILF said in a statement.
”Tens of thousands of Moro civilians died in the hands of these state-sponsored Ilaga gangsters forcing mass evacuation of people and abandonment of farmlands and communities.”
The MILF also quoted Manero as saying in a radio interview in Mindanao that he joined the Misuari’s group to promote peace in the troubled region.
“All of us want peace. I want to achieve peace. Since the MNLF works for peace I have decided to join the group of chairman Nur Misuari and (his) Chief of Staff, Major General Rodrigo Daud Fabillon),” Manero told the Bombo Radyo.
The MILF, a breakaway faction of the Moro National Liberation Front, also said that Misuari tried to revive the MNLF and went on sorties all over Mindanao recruiting not only Muslims, but also indigenous natives and Christians.
Manero was said to have eaten the brains of Favali after he shot the priest in North Cotabato’s Tulunan town. Manero’s group accused Favali, of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, of being a supporter of communist rebels.
After the killing, Manero was arrested, jailed and freed 22 years later. Manero also apologized over the murder of Favali and said he wanted to dedicate the rest of his life in service of the poor.
His release from prison was ordered by the Arroyo government after Manero signed an agreement in 2005 with Fr Peter Geremia, one of Favali's fellow PIME missionaries, and Bishop Romulo Valles that “he would never again get involved in the violence in the southern part of the country, and would never again resort to violence".
The agreement was what changed the possibility of parole for Manero. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Photo: Army Patrol In Sulu Province
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Army deserter, 6 ex-rebels arrested in South RP
Friday, October 03, 2008
Nur Misuari pledges to support government peace efforts in South RP
A US soldier scribbles a note as former Moro National Liberation Front rebel leader Nur Misuari speaks to Sulu Governor Sakur Tan during a meeting on Thursday, October 2, 2008 in Patikul town in the southern Filipino island of Sulu. Misuari has committed to help peace and development efforts in Sulu, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, where US forces are currently deployed and helping Governor Tan in various humanitarian and development projects and at the same time training Filipino troops. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)“We want peace. We don’t want war and I am helping President Arroyo to bring peace in the South,” Misuari said when he held a meeting with Sulu Governor Sakur Tan and senior military and government officials on Thursday at the Provincial Capitol in Patikul town.
Misuari, accompanied by dozens of supporters, said he was asked by Mrs. Arroyo to help in bringing peace in Mindanao, where troops are battling Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels.
Misuari spoke with Tan and Major General Juancho Sabban, commander of military forces in Sulu, and Undersecretary Nabil Tan, a presidential adviser, about his role as a peace maker.
He also met with his loyal forces in Sulu led by Habier Malik, who is wanted by the Philippine authorities for previously leading a series of attacks on government troops on the province.
In August, Misuari strongly criticized Mrs. Arroyo for her failure to honor the provisions of the peace accord the government signed 12 years ago.“We want freedom from the government. We don't need a limited freedom,” Misuari told his supporters at a mosque when he visited Zamboanga City.
“I have gone to all of the most dangerous places in Mindanao to tell our people to pray to almighty Allah for freedom. I call on our people to consolidate their unity and solidarity for freedom,” he said.
It was unknown whether Misuari would also meet with the leaders of the MILF, a breakaway faction of the MNLF. Manila suspended the seven-year old peace talks with the MILF after rebels launched a series of deadly attacks in Mindanao.
The MILF said the rebels mounted the attacks after the Supreme Court stopped the signing of the territorial deal between Manila and the MILF because many of its provisions were unconstitutional. But the MILF said the peace panels have initially signed the Muslim homeland agreement in July in Malaysia, which is brokering the talks and it would not renegotiate the agreement.
It said government peace negotiators and Mrs. Arroyo's emissaries rushed the signing of the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain so she can include it in her state of the nation address on July 28.
The controversial deal also sparked massive protests from politicians opposed to the agreement that would have granted about four million Muslims their homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao.
Arroyo later scrapped the Muslim homeland deal and abolished the government team negotiating with the MILF and suspended the peace talks and vowed to achieve peace in the restive region through dialogues and consultations with the communities and political leaders.
Misuari in the past said his group has nothing to do with the peace talks between the government and the MILF. “We are not involved (in the peace process). We are not a party to that. We are not bound by any consequences of any peace agreement,” he said.
The MNLF, under Misuari, signed the peace deal with Manila in September 1996 ending decades of bloody war. After the peace agreement was signed, Misuari became the governor of the Muslim autonomous region. But despite the peace accord, there was a widespread disillusionment with the weak autonomy they were granted.
Under the peace accord, Manila would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the South and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.
Misuari is now facing rebellion charges after his followers tried, but failed to overrun a major military base in Sulu province and another group held hostage over 100 people in Zamboanga City in 2001 in an attempt to stop the elections in the Muslim autonomous region. He fled to Sabah, his former refuge, but was arrested by the Malaysian authorities and sent back to Manila. Misuari is currently out on bail.
Early this year, the MNLF Central Committee said it removed Misuari as chairman of the former rebel group and installed Muslimin Sema, the Front's Secretary-General.
But Misuari insisted that he is still the chieftain of the MNLF and accused Sema, also the mayor of Cotabato City, as a traitor and so were those who supported Sema.
Misuari also earned the ire of the Malaysian government after he renewed calls of the claims of the Philippines to Sabah. In retaliation, Sabah Progressive Party President Datuk Yong Teck Lee, furious over the rumblings from Misuari, has called for stricter laws on Filipinos traveling to the oil-rich state.
The Malaysian official also said that the National Security Council should closely watch developments in the southern Philippines. Lee said the NSC and the Sabah State Security Committee should act on the problems brought about by Misuari's revival of the Sabah claims.
He also urged Kuala Lumpur to suspend the ferry service between Zamboanga and Sandakan and impose bonds on incoming visitors and to require ferry passengers to have return tickets and to step up operations against illegal Filipino immigrants.
The Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo lays claim to Sabah.
The Sultanate of Sulu was founded in 1457 and is believed to exist as a sovereign nation for at least 442 years. The Sultanate of Sulu obtained Sabah from Brunei as a gift for helping put down a rebellion on the Borneo Island.
The British leased Sabah and transferred control over the territory to Malaysia after the end of Second World War. Even after Borneo became part of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur still pays an annual rent of 5,000 ringgit to the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu Ismail Kiram.
Misuari said what Malaysia pays to the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo is but a pittance. (Mindanao Examiner)
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Former Hostage Dismayed At Zambo "Adopted son" Declaration For Yano
Bong Bue said Yano was never the liberator of the Cabatangan siege on November 21, 2001 when MNLF forces held hostage more than 100 people, including children, in Zamboanga City.
Bue said the late Interior and Local Government Assistant Secretary Abraham Iribani was the real liberator.
Bue said it was Iribani who negotiated with the late MNLF commander Julhambri Misuari for the release of the hostages. Bue described Yano's stint as Task Force Zamboanga commander during that time as a failure.
He stressed Yano failed to secure Zamboanga City.And with the council resolution making Yano an adopted son of the city, Bue said it refreshes the wounds they inflicted during the hostage taking.
Last week, the city council approved the resolution making Yano an adopted son despite opposition from some residents. Some councilors admitted they have some reservations on this matter but explained their resolution was based on Yano's stint as Task Force Zamboanga chief, his contribution to the tranquility of the city and his being a native of Zamboanga peninsula who now holds the highest position in the military.
Yano, meanwhile, in an earlier interview, said he did not ask for this title from the city council. He said he will respect the sentiments of some Zamboangueños, particularly the victims of the Cabatangan siege. Yano is set to be guest speaker during the biggest festivity in the city in October - the Zamboanga Hermosa festival. (Leila Vicente)