Muslim man accused military agents of abduction in Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 18, 2009) – After being accused as behind extrajudicial killings of political activists in the Philippines, the military is again dragged into another scandal after intelligence agents abducted a Muslim man in Zamboanga City on suspicion he is a member of kidnap syndicate.

The victim, Hadjan Mimpi, said he was freed after being interrogated for hours by the military. He said he was blindfolded and released on a remote village after the agents realized they picked up an innocent civilian.

Mimpi told police that he was abducted at gunpoint in broad daylight along Veterans Avenue in front of horrified civilians and forced inside a van on January 14.  

The 24-year old man said military agents were forcing him to admit that he is a member of a kidnap-for-ransom gang.

Witnesses first reported the abduction to the police. The report sent policemen scrambling to pursue the gunmen they initially suspected as kidnappers and sealed off several villages, putting up road blocks, but failed to catch up with the van.

Military intelligence agents tried to cover up the bungled arrest and phoned the police to say it was all a drill. The police said there was no military drill.

Mimpi said he would file a criminal case against those behind his abduction. The police and the Commission on Human Rights are also investigating the incident.

Political groups and left-wing organizations had accused the military as behind the killings of more than 900 activists and suspected communist rebel supporters since 2001 across the country, but security officials denied all allegations that soldiers were involved in extrajudicial or summary executions.

A Filipino human rights group called Karapatan blamed the continued political killings in the country and blamed the Arroyo government for the murders. It said the killings were triggered by the government's anti-insurgency campaign. 

The group said it recorded 977 cases of extrajudicial killings and 201 victims of enforced disappearances since President Gloria Arroyo came into power eight years ago. (Mindanao Examiner)