US Military Covering Up Sulu Incident

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 01, 2008) – US military authorities continue to deny reports that American soldiers have forcibly closed down a government hospital in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.

US troops in Sulu ordered last month a hospital in Panamao town to close every night and prevented medical personnel from treating patients after sundown.

Dr. Silak Lakkian, head of the hospital, has complained about how US troops meddled into their operations.

US soldiers also threatened to shoot anybody in the hospital incase there is an attack by terrorists. American soldiers have been in Sulu since 2006 to train local forces to hunt members of the Abu Sayyaf group said to have links to Al-Qaeda.

The Philippine military also ordered US troops away from the hospital. There were alleged threats to US forces camped near the hospital.

The meddling of US troops in local affairs drew widespread criticism and protests from provincial leaders and has triggered calls from political activists in Manila for Congress and Senate to hold an investigation into the incident.

“They have already apologized,” Philippine Army Special Forces commander Brig. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan told the Mindanao Examiner.

Provincial governor Abdusakur Tan had angrily criticized the nightly closure, saying US troops did not have the authority to make that order. He also ordered the resumption of hospital’s operation at night to cater to emergencies.

But the US military command in Zamboanga City has continuously denied the incident, despite an investigation over the weekend about the incident.

The Philippine military’s Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga City quoted a US military spokesperson, Lt. Cdr. Melissa Schuermann, as saying: “All these information were allegations and are not true unless proven otherwise.”

A Philippine military spokesman Maj. Eugene Batara said Western Mindanao Command chief Maj. Gen. Nelson Allaga ordered a separate investigation into the meddling of US forces in the operation of the hospital.

He said the Western Mindanao Command and the US Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines have exerted coordinative efforts to address the reported incidents and bring out the truth regarding the matter.

“The directive to investigate is to determine the truthfulness of the allegations and the result of the investigation shall serve as the basis in recommending the appropriate punishment to the guilty party or mediate the differences or misunderstanding between the parties involved if any.”

“The Western Mindanao Command chief further stressed that the Armed Forces of the Philippines shall uphold the sovereignty and integrity of the Filipinos and shall bring the matter to proper US authorities if warranted, pending the result of the investigation of (Philippine Army’s) Joint Task Force Comet (in Sulu),” Batara said.

"The hospital has resumed operations at night and everything is back to normal again," Pabustan said.

The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) called on Congress and the Senate to immediately launch a thorough probe on the real role of US troops in Mindanao.

“We are calling on both Houses of Congress, to call for respective investigations on the matter…We have to uphold our sovereignty if not then foreigners will just trample it under their feet," Rafael Mariano, chairman of KMP and president of the Anakpawis party-list group, said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Is It War On Terror Or War On Civilians Or Simply Paranoid? US Military Reprimanded In Philippines

SULU ISLAND, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 31, 2007) – The Philippine military ordered US troops away from a government hospital after they forcibly closed it down in the southern province of Sulu.

US troops ordered Muslim doctors and hospital staff to close down the Panamao District Hospital at night since December 3. American troops who put up a base near the hospital even told the doctors to treat their patients at the municipal hall.

Dr. Silak Lakkian, head of the hospital, has complained about how US troops meddled into their operations.

US soldiers insist there is a threat against them in the town from suspected Abu Sayyaf militants, but the report was disputed by local security forces.

American soldiers are in Sulu since 2006 to train Filipino troops and assist and advice them in the so-called war on terror. Rebels are active in Sulu province, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.

On Monday, the Philippine military banned US soldiers from near the hospital and even sent Filipino soldiers to guard the hospital.

The governor of Sulu, Sakur Tan, allowed the resumption of the hospital operations at night to cater to emergencies and patients in Panamao after a meeting with military and town officials over the weekend.

At the meeting, the US military commanders in Sulu apologized for the incident.
“The hospital has resumed operations at night and everything is back to normal again,” Brigadier General Ruperto Pabustan, commander of the Philippines Army Special Forces in Sulu, told Mindanao Examiner.

The news of the incident only broke out Saturday after hospital staff complained to authorities and journalists about how US troops forcibly shut down the hospital at night and even threatened to shoot anybody if there was an attack against the foreigners.

“US troops have no authority to impose on us,” the governor said.

The US military tried to cover up the incident and denied it ever happened and blamed the local media for the “blunder.”

Local villagers and some Filipino troops also have complained about the arrogance of US soldiers in Sulu. Some US troops have allegedly treated Filipino soldiers like vassal.

Some US troops also prevented curious Muslim villagers to go near them in public places as though the locals were terrorists.

American troops had in the past also harassed Filipino journalists who were covering joint RP-US military war games in Zamboanga City and Sulu and in some occasions arrested and seized the cameras of reporters who took photos and videos of them.

It was also in Sulu that hundreds of US soldiers slaughtered some 800 Muslim villagers, including innocent women and children, during the Moro rebellion in March 1906 that has become known as the First Battle of Bud (Mount) Dajo also called the "Moro Crater Massacre."

During this battle, 790 men and officers, under the command of Colonel J.W. Duncan, assaulted the volcanic crater, which was held by several hundred rebels protecting Muslim villagers. (Mindanao Examiner)

US Troops Losing War For Hearts And Minds In Sulu

SULU ISLAND, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 29, 2007) – Philippine authorities have began an investigation into disturbing reports that US troops deployed in Sulu province had ordered the closure of a government hospital in the town of Panamao.

The soldiers allegedly barged into the Panamao District Hospital on Dec. 3 and ordered its closure for a still unknown reason.

US troops are in Sulu province since early this year to assist and advice Filipino forces in fighting terrorism.

Dr Silak Lakkian, head of the hospital, has complained about how US troops meddled into their operations.

The news only broke out Saturday after local journalists learned about the incident, but US military officials were not available to make any statement.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan said he will personally on the reports involving US troops and has talked to Major General Reuben Rafael, commander of Philippine military forces in the province, about it.

“US troops have no authority to impose on us,” he said.

It was not immediately known whether the US military tried to cover up the incident, but General Rafael, also said that he will look into the reports. “We will look into this,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Local villagers and some Filipino troops also have complained about the arrogance of US soldiers in Sulu. Some US troops have allegedly treated Filipino soldiers like janitors and laborers in the province.

Heavily-armed US troops were also preventing curious Muslim villagers to go near them in public places as though the locals were terrorists.

American troops had in the past also harassed Filipino journalists who were covering joint RP-US military war games in Zamboanga City and Sulu and in some occasions arrested and seized the cameras of reporters who took photos and videos of them.

It was also in Sulu that hundreds of US soldiers slaughtered some 800 Muslim villagers, including innocent women and children, during the Moro rebellion in March 1906 that has become known as the First Battle of Bud (Mount) Dajo also called the “Moro Crater Massacre.”

During this battle, 790 men and officers, under the command of Colonel J.W. Duncan, assaulted the volcanic crater, which was held by several hundred rebels protecting Muslim villagers.

This dark part of history always hound US troops in Sulu where activists and villagers opposed their presence in the province. It was unknown how the Panamao incident will affect the presence of Americans in Sulu. (With reports from Nickee Butlangan and Juan Magtanggol)