Village Chieftain, Companion Attacked In Basilan Island

BASILAN ISLAND, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 03 Sept) – A village chieftain and his companion were wounded when gunmen attacked them at sea off Basilan island in southern Philippines, a municipal mayor said Monday.

Mayor Tahira Ismael, of Lantawan town, said the attack occurred Friday. She said the attack was connected to a family feud.

“There is an investigation and initial reports suggested the attack was related to a feud between two families,” she told the Mindanao Examiner.

She said the two victims were onboard a motorized boat when gunmen also on boats attacked them off Lantawan town. “This is an isolated case. Peace is slowly returning to our province,” she said.

The military has launched a major operation in Basilan to flush out Abu Sayyaf militants and Moro implicated in the killing of more than two dozen soldiers since July. (Mindanao Examiner)

9 Cops Hurt In Jolo Ravine Fall

JOLO ISLAND, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 03 Sept) – A police patrol car fell off a ravine injuring 9 passengers in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, their commander said Monday.

Superintendent Ahiron Ajirim said the driver lost control of the wheel while negotiating a road in the village of Gagil in Panglima Estino town on Saturday.

“It was an accident. Five of my policemen are still in the hospital and one cop broke his hand while the others are recuperating at home,” Ajirim told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the car was part of a convoy of three vehicles heading to the town’s center to inspect policemen. “The patrol car fell ten feet into the ravine,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Human Remains Discovered Inside Former Spanish Garrison In South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 03 Sept) – Construction workers have dug up dozens of human remains inside a former Spanish garrison in Zamboanga city in southern Philippines.

“The remains were probably soldiers killed during the Spanish war. It was the second time that human skeletons were discovered here since the 1970s. The site was a former battle field during the Spanish war,” said Victoria Saavedra, chief administrative officer of the Zamboanga City State College of Marine Science and Technology.

She said construction workers were digging canals near a marine aquarium in the area when they discovered the bones Sunday.

“They were digging about six feet already when they discovered the bones scattered all over. There were pieces of broken skulls and jaws and other bones,” she told the Mindanao Examiner.

Saavedra said no artifacts were found on the site, where many human skeletons had been recovered also in the 1970s.

The site was once part of a stone fort built on June 23, 1635 by the Jesuit priest Melchor de Vera as a military defense structure against the Moros and pirates.

It was originally named as Real Fuerza de San José and in 1719 renamed Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza, which roughly means the “Royal Force of Our Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza.” It was again renamed as “Fort Pilar” after its capture by the American forces in 1899.

The fort was attacked by the Dutch in 1646 and destroyed by Moro pirates in 1669 and again in 1720. It was reconstructed, but bombarded by the British in 1798.

It was abandoned by the Spaniards in 1898 and captured by U.S. expeditionary forces on November 16, 1899 until the fort was captured by the Japanese forces in 1942. Three years later, it was recaptured by the Americans and turned over to the government of the Republic of the Philippines on July 4, 1946. (Mindanao Examiner)

Rebels Attack Military Base In Southern Philippines

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Iraqi PM: Criticism 'signals' militants

An injured man is treated in hospital in the city of Baqouba, some 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2007. (AP Photo)

BAGHDAD - Iraq's beleaguered prime minister accused his American critics on Sunday of underestimating how hard it is to rebuild his country and failing to appreciate his government's achievements such as stopping the civil and sectarian war.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said told reporters that some of the criticism from Washington sends "signals to terrorists luring them into thinking that the security situation in the country is not good." He offered no specific examples.

He also said U.S. critics may not know "the size of the destruction that Iraq passed through" and do not appreciate "the big role of the Iraqi government and its achievements, such as stopping the civil and sectarian war."

The Democratic-controlled Congress is growing increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of political reform in Iraq. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have called for al-Maliki to be replaced.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and the top American military commander, Gen. David Petraeus, are to report to Congress during the week of Sept. 10 on the degree of progress achieved since President Bush ordered nearly 30,000 more troops to Iraq.

A draft report by the Government Accountability Office concluded Iraq has satisfied only three of 18 benchmarks set by Congress for measuring progress and partially met two others.

None of those five benchmarks are the high-profile political issues such as passage of a national oil revenue sharing law that the U.S. has said are critical to Iraq's future.

During an interview broadcast Sunday by Iraqi state television, Crocker also urged patience with the Iraqis as they try to reach power-sharing agreements among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.

"After 35 years of injustice under Saddam Hussein, there are some problems since liberation and the problems of 40 years cannot be solved in a year or two," Crocker said, speaking in Arabic. "What is important is that there is progress."

Separately, al-Maliki ordered what he said would be an unbiased investigation into last week's deadly clashes surrounding a Shiite religious celebration in Karbala, which many have blamed on the Mahdi Army militia of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Al-Sadr has himself demanded an investigation, while his followers have condemned the arrests of more than 200 people in Karbala — many of them supporters of the firebrand cleric. The bloodshed in Karbala saw more than 50 people killed and hundreds injured.

Al-Sadr, who has denied that the Mahdi Army provoked the confrontation, announced a surprise six-month suspension of the militia's activities last Wednesday following the fighting in Karbala, in an apparent attempt to deflect criticism.

"After the procrastination we had seen in the past two days, we warn the Iraqi government and the executive authorities in Karbala if they don't open a fair, neutral and quick investigation, the Sadr office will be obliged to take unspecified measures," spokesman Sheik Salah al-Obeidi said in Najaf.

Though the Iraqi government and U.S. commanders have praised al-Sadr's move to stand down his militia, security forces have been keeping the Mahdi Army under pressure, saying they are focusing on breakaway factions believed to be receiving weapons, training and money from Iran — a charge that Iranians deny.

A statement from Sadr's office said that more than 200 al-Sadr followers have been detained in the past three days in Karbala province, making al-Maliki's praise of the decision to freeze the Mahdi Army nothing more than "ink on paper."

Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Raid Shaker, commander of Karbala police, said 300 detainees are being questioned over the Karbala incident.

Jawad al-Hasnawi, a Sadrist member of Karbala's provincial council, accused the prime minister of reneging on promises to stop detaining people in the Karbala violence: "They have taken us back to the era of the former dictatorship."

Elsewhere, military spokesman Rear Admiral Mark Fox confirmed Sunday that U.S. forces arrested six people in a raid Thursday at the al-Sabah state-run newspaper in Baghdad. Fox said the military staged the raid on "actionable intelligence" and found illegal weapons when they searched the facility.

In the southern city of Basra, an Iraqi commander said that British forces would officially hand over its base at a palace complex within a few days.

"Iraqi forces are already deployed and concentrated in the palace," General Mohan al Fireji said at a press conference. "The Iraqi forces are ready to take security responsibility in Basra."

Following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Britain controlled security across southern Iraq, but has since handed over three of four provinces to Iraqi forces. Britain's Ministry of Defense has previously said it hopes to hand security responsibility for Basra, the last remaining province, over to Iraqi forces sometime this autumn.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has consistently refused to set a timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from the country, but Iraqi forces could take control of the country's second-largest city as soon as October, Britain's Sunday Times reported, citing unidentified government sources. (BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer)

Dengue Fever Kills 75 In Malaysia: AFP

A worker from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council dispenses mosquito poison using a fogging machine at a low-cost apartment complex in Ampang Jaya, Kuala Lumpur in 2005. Dengue fever has killed 75 people in Malaysia so far this year, local media reported Saturday, with a spike in the mosquito-bourne disease blamed on lingering hot, wet weather.(AFP/File/Tengku Bahar )

KUALA LUMPUR - Dengue fever has killed 75 people in Malaysia so far this year, local media reported Saturday, with a spike in the mosquito-borne disease blamed on lingering hot, wet weather.

The situation was "under control," the New Straits Times said quoting a health ministry statement, but people were urged clear any stagnant water from around their homes to stamp out Aedes mosquito breeding grounds.

Malaysia is among many Southeast Asian countries which have seen dengue cases rise this year, leading to warnings of a possible epidemic.

In the first four months of 2007, 44 people died of dengue in Malaysia, while 16,214 cases were reported. This is double the same period the previous year, when 21 people died out of 10,244 cases.

In squeaky-clean Singapore, cases of dengue so far this year have doubled to 3,600 from the previous year, while in Cambodia dengue deaths have already eclipsed fatalities in the whole of 2006.

The World Health Organisation believes 2007 could be on a par with 1998, when nearly 1,500 people died in Asia of dengue fever. The illness is endemic to Malaysia, which has seen cases surge 16 percent every year since 2003. Fatalities from dengue in Malaysia reached record levels in 2004, when 102 people died. (AFP)

US Sen. Larry Craig Resigns: AP

BOISE, Idaho - In a subdued ending to a week of startling political theater, Sen. Larry Craig announced his resignation Saturday, bowing to pressure from fellow Republicans worried about damage from his arrest and guilty plea in a gay sex sting.

"I apologize for what I have caused," Craig said, his wife Suzanne and two of their three children at his side with a historic Boise train station as backdrop. "I am deeply sorry."

Craig, 62, said he would resign effective Sept. 30, ending a career in Congress spanning a quarter-century.

Making no specific mention of the incident that triggered his disgrace in his remarks, he spoke for under six minutes and took no questions.

Among those attending was Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, who will appoint a successor for the remaining 15 months of Craig's term.

It was a relatively quick end to a drama that began Monday with the stunning disclosure that Craig had pleaded guilty to a reduced charge following his arrest June 11 in a Minneapolis airport men's room.

Craig at first tried to hold on to his position, contending in a public appearance on Tuesday that he had done nothing inappropriate and that his only mistake was pleading guilty Aug. 1 to the misdemeanor charge.

But a growing chorus of leading GOP leaders called for him to step down to spare the party further embarrassment and possible harm in next year's elections.

Otter said Saturday he has not chosen a replacement, although several Republicans familiar with internal deliberations said he favored Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch.

Otter called speculation that he has made a choice "dead wrong" and declined to say when he would fill the seat.

Craig said he would remain in the Senate until Sept. 30 in hopes of providing a smooth transition for his staff and whoever is chosen as his successor.

President Bush called Craig from the White House after the senator's announcement and told him he knew it was a difficult decision to make, said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.

"Senator Craig made the right decision for himself, for his family, his constituents and the United States Senate," Stanzel said.

Craig was arrested June 11 in a police undercover vice operation. The arresting officer, Sgt. Dave Karsnia, said in his report that the restroom where he encountered Craig is a known location for homosexual activity.

Craig has faced rumors about his sexuality since the 1980s. He has called assertions that he has engaged in gay sex ridiculous.

"I am not gay. I never have been gay," Craig said defiantly after a news conference Tuesday. He said he had kept the incident from aides, friends and family and pleaded guilty "in hopes of making it go away."

Other lawmakers embroiled in sex scandals also have resigned from Congress, albeit usually at the end of scenarios that took longer to play out than the one that claimed Craig.

Former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., quit last fall over sexually explicit Internet communications with male pages who had worked on Capitol Hill.

Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., resigned in 1995 amid allegations he had made unwanted sexual advances to 17 female employees and colleagues and altered his personal diaries to obstruct an ethics investigation.

On Saturday, Craig said he would pursue legal options to clear his name. He has retained Billy Martin, a Washington lawyer who represented Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in his dogfighting case, to pursue his legal options. Washington lawyer Stan Brand will represent Craig before the Senate ethics committee, said spokesman Dan Whiting.

"The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issues of our state and of our nation," Craig said. "I have little control over what people choose to believe. But clearly my name is important to me, and my family is so very important also."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Craig "made a difficult decision, but the right one."

"It is my hope he will be remembered not for this, but for his three decades of dedicated public service," McConnell said.

McConnell had been one of Craig's harshest critics, calling his actions "unforgivable."

Some Idaho residents who attended Craig's public resignation said it felt like a "political funeral."

Bayard Gregory, from Boise, said Craig should have been more forthright after his arrest.

"It's a horribly embarrassing experience to go through," Gregory said. "But if it were me, and I had done nothing wrong, I wouldn't have pleaded guilty."

Craig spokesman Sidney Smith said he did not know whether Craig would return to Washington on Tuesday, the start of the post-Labor Day congressional session.

"We haven't decided that yet, whether he's going to return or not," Smith said.

Craig represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century, including 17 years in the Senate. He was up for re-election next year.

Republicans, worried about the scandal's effect on next year's election, suffered a further setback Friday when veteran Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia announced he will retire rather than seek a sixth term. Democrats captured Virginia's other Senate seat from the GOP in the 2006 election.

Craig opposes gay marriage and has a strong record against gay rights. He was a leading voice in the Senate on gun issues and Western lands. Craig chaired the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and was a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, where he was adept at securing federal money for Idaho projects.

A fiscal and social conservative, Craig sometimes broke with his party, notably on immigration, where he pushed changes that many in his party said offered "amnesty" to illegal immigrants.

Much of the impetus behind Craig's push to ease bureaucratic hurdles to immigrant farm workers stemmed from his background as a rancher and the state's large rural, farming community.(AP)

NPA Base Falls In North Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 02 Sept) – Government soldiers hunting down communist insurgents have tumbled into a rebel base in the jungle of Sierra Madre in Quezon province, just outside the Philippine capital, officials said.

Officials said soldiers have claimed the rebel base Sunday after an overnight search for enemies in the area.

The base, used by New People’s Army rebels for training, was apparently abandoned before troops could even arrive.

The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, has been fighting to topple the democratic government and install a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Military Denies Torturing Civilians In Jolo Island

JOLO ISLAND, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 02 Sept) – The Philippine military denied Sunday reports that soldiers tortured civilians arrested on suspicion they had links with Abu Sayyaf militants tied to al-Qaeda terror network.

Troops were accused of torturing eight children and their parents last month after being arrested in Jolo island, where security forces were hunting down Abu Sayyaf militants blamed for the spate of killings and kidnappings in the southern Philippines.

“The reports are not true and the military is not engage and will not engage in torture. We always uphold the rights of every civilian,” Army Brig. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan, whose group was implicated in the torture, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Regional Social Welfare Secretary Bai Racma Imam, who was also quoted in the reports, also denied statements attributed to her.

“I did not say anything. I did not accuse the military of torture and the reports are simply not true. My lawyer will issue a statement about this report,” Imam said in a separate interview.

The report quoted a defeated politician in Jolo island as the source of the news. The report published in a newspaper in Manila was also picked up by foreign media.

Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon also ordered the military in Jolo island to explain the accusation. Pabustan said they submitted their reports and flatly denied the allegations. (Mindanao Examiner)

Stop RP Killings, US Solons Tell Arroyo: Manila Mail

WASHINGTON D.C. – Filipino groups in the US have hailed the letter signed by a bipartisan group of 49 congressmen asking President Gloria Arroyo to stop the extra-judicial killings in the Philippines saying it was an unprecedented act.

Katarungan’s committee for peace, justice and human rights in the Philippines in the tri-date area said that “not even during dark days of the Marcos dictatorship did US members of Congress deliver a letter of concern to the President protesting human rights abuses." The recent Methodist conference in Virginia Beach issued a resolution hailing the bi-partisian group of representatives.

It said the issue of human rights under President Arroyo is not just an issue of the Filipino-American community, but has become an issue for US lawmakers whose diverse constituents have raised concern over how their tax dollars may be being misused by Philippine security forces to kill, abduct and torture Filipinos exercising their democratic right to dissent.

In Manila, Malacanang said it was still verifying the authenticity of the letter and signatures of the congressmen.

Katarungan said that while Filipino American organizations mobilized to get the signatures of the congressmen, a good number who signed represented districts not known for having a large Filipino American population.

“It is truly a sad state of affairs when policy makers of another nation are compelled to request President Arroyo to exert ‘strong and immediate leadership’ because her administration has inadequately responded to the urging of its own citizenry.

Based on the current Philippine administration’s track record in responding to international outcry about the killings, we unfortunately do not expect a qualitative change in the human rights situation, which makes one wonder what it will truly take to stop the killings.

“As the cases of extra-judicial killings and abductions continue unabated, the Philippine government should also expect escalating forms of pressure from Filipino-Americans and the American public," it said.

Among the signatories to the letter are chairmen or ranking members of vital committees in the House of Representatives. Among them are Reps. Tom Lantos (Democrat-California), Committee on Foreign Affairs; David Obey (Democrat-Wisconsin), Ways and Means Committee; John Lewis (Democrat-Georgia), Oversight Subcommittee; Mike Honda (D-CA). Asian-Pacific American Caucus; James Oberstar (D-Minnesota) and Joseph Pitts (R-PA).

The letter said “the well-documented violence that continues with impunity must be ended.” They urged Arroyo to show strong and immediate leadership to put a top to the extra-judicial killings and other human rights abuses.

It said: “Since the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines continue unabated, and given the fact that there are many unanswered questions about the role of the Philippine government and military in these deaths, we respectfully request your strong and immediate leadership in investigating and prosecuting those individuals and/or groups, including those in the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] and PNP [Philippine National Police], responsible for these killings, and in eliminating the underlying causes of the violence."

Describing the letter as “a sincere communication between the two governments" intended to elicit a positive response from the Philippine government, the US legislators’ letter aired deep concerns over a “growing environment of impunity” in the Philippines.

“The killing of civilians who are peacefully exercising their lawful right in a democratic society to express dissent is a gross violation of universally recognized human rights and international law," the solons said.

They have also expressed concern that US aid to the Philippine military and police is being used to commit the killings, which human rights groups estimate have claimed the lives of more than 800 people — mostly left-wing activists — since Arroyo came to power in 2001, and other human rights violations as part of the government’s counterinsurgency program.

“We are very concerned that the extra-judicial killings could be a conscious and systematic part of the Philippine government’s counterinsurgency program and that financial assistance from our government is being used to support, directly or indirectly, those within the PNP and AFP who are responsible for the killings," they said.

They said the numerous reports that our offices “receive indicate the need for our close monitoring of this situation, particularly regarding the alleged use of US assistance to implement the abductions and killings."

The 49 US lawmakers who signed the letter to Arroyo are: Brian Baird (Democrat-Washington), Tammy Baldwin (Democrat-Wisconsin), Howard Berman (Democrat-California), Dan Burton (Republican-Indiana), Julia Carson (Democrat-Indiana), Rosa DeLauro (Democrat-Connecticut), Keith Ellison (Democrat-Minnesota), Phil English (Republican-Pennsylvania), Sam Farr (Democrat-California), Chaka Fattah (Democrat-Pennsylvania), Trent Franks (Democrat-Massachusetts).

Raul Grijalva (Democrat-Arizona), Luis Gutierrez (Democrat-Illinois), Maurice Hinchey (Democrat-New York), Mike Honda (Democrat-California), Jesse Jackson (Democrat-Illinois), Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (Democrat-Michigan), Mark-Steven Kirk (Republican-Illinois), Dennis Kucinich (Democrat-Ohio), Tom Lantos (Democrat-California), Rick Larsen (Democrat-Washington), Barbara Lee (Democrat-California).

John Lewis (Democrat-Georgia), David Loebsack (Democrat-Iowa) , Zoe Lofgren (Democrat-California), Doris Matsui (Democrat-California), Betty McCollum (Democrat-Minnesota), Jim McDermott (Democrat-Washington), James McGovern (Democrat-Massachusetts), Jerry McNerney (Democrat-California), Mike McNulty (Democrat-New York), Jerry Moran (Republican-Kansas), James Oberstar (Democrat-Minnesota), David Obey (Democrat-Wisconsin).

Donald Payne (Democrat-New Jersey), Collin Peterson (Democrat-Minnesota), Joe Pitts (Republican-Pennsylvania), David Price (Democrat-North Carolina), Jim Ramstad (Republican, Minnesota), Steven Rothman (Democrat-New Jersey), Bobby Rush (Democrat-Illinois), Jan Schakowsky (Democrat-Illinois), Adam Smith (Democrat-Washington), Fortney Stark (Democrat-California), Ellen Tauscher (Democrat-California), Lee Terry (Republican-Nebraska), John Tierney (Democrat-Massachusetts), Tim Walz (Democrat-Minnesota), and Frank Wolf (Republican-Virginia).

Last March, Karapatan, the Ecumenical Advocacy Network and other human rights groups staged demonstrations on Capitol Hill and testified in the Senate hearings chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) about the unabated extra-judicial killings.

Sen. Boxer warned she would move for the reduction of military aid unless the government did something to stop the killings.

“As you may know, there is increasing evidence from well-regarded human rights organizations, including the Melo Commission created by your government, which indicates the involvement of personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP)" in the killings, the solons’ letter told Arroyo.

Amnesty International and the United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston have reported similar findings.

Karapatan said that since Arroyo became president in 2001 until May 15 this year, there have been 863 extra-judicial executions (including 51 journalists) and 196 abductions.

The US State Department has proposed trimming US military aid to the Philippines from $30 million to a little over $11 million. But some members of Congress said this was only a recommendation and that they want the level to be the same as this year’s.

The lawmakers also cited the May 27 abduction of Pastor Berlin Guerrero, who was allegedly beaten by the abductors until he gave them the names of his family, parishioners, friends, and the password to his computer.

The abductors reportedly then replaced Guerrero’s computer documents with incriminating documentation connecting Guerrero to the underground left.(Manila Mail)

US Sen. Larry Craig Plans To Resign From Senate: AP

BOISE, Idaho - Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig's decision to quit spares his party the embarrassment of an indefinitely prolonged scandal following his arrest during a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport bathroom.

Craig will announce his resignation, effective Sept. 30, at a news conference in Boise Saturday morning, GOP officials in Idaho and Washington told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Still, opting to wait a month before officially bowing out raises questions of what Craig hopes to accomplish in Washington once the post-Labor Day session begins.

Word of the resignation came four days after disclosure that Craig had pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge arising out of his June 11 arrest during a lewd-conduct investigation at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Craig's regional director in Boise, Will Hart, declined to say if the senator will appear in Senate chambers Tuesday. Craig, should he show up, could continue to be a liability for his party as it tries to shed negative publicity, said Jasper LiCalzi, a professor of political economy at Albertson College of Idaho in Caldwell.

"If he's trying to walk into the Senate chamber, everybody is going to be following him," LiCalzi said. "I've been surprised by everything — this is one more."

The three-term Republican senator had maintained he did nothing wrong — except for making the guilty plea without consulting a lawyer. But he found almost no support among Republicans in his home state or Washington.

Although several Republicans familiar with internal deliberations said Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter favored Lt. Gov. Jim Risch as a replacement, both Otter aides and Risch said no decision had been made.

"I have not been promised the job of U.S. senator, nor has there even been a hint that the governor would appoint me to that position," Risch told the AP. "At this point in time, that discussion is very premature."

Mark Warbis, a spokesman for Otter, said the governor would not comment until he hears from Craig.

Craig has been out of public view since Tuesday, when he declared defiantly at a Boise news conference: "I am not gay. I never have been gay." But Republican sources in Idaho said he spent Friday making calls to top party officials, including the governor, gauging their support.

There has been virtually none publicly.

GOP lawmakers stripped Craig of leadership posts Wednesday, a day after calling for an investigation of Craig's actions by the Senate Ethics Committee. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Craig's conduct "unforgivable" and acknowledged many in the rank and file thought Craig should resign.

Craig, 62, has represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century and was up for re-election next year.

Larry LaRocco, a former Democratic House member who is campaigning for Craig's seat in 2008, said, "Obviously, change is in the air. I represent that change, and based on the last few days, people are really looking for that change."

Still, Idaho remains one of the nation's most reliably Republican states. The GOP controls the statehouse and all four seats in Congress, and Bush carried the state in 2004 with 68 percent of the vote.

Risch, the lieutenant governor, served for seven months as governor last year after former Gov. Dirk Kempthorne was named interior secretary. Risch had said earlier he was interested in Craig's Senate seat if Craig did not seek re-election in 2008.

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, also had been mentioned as a possible replacement for Craig, but the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because Craig has not resigned, said Otter would probably choose Risch.(AP)

Bush Anuncia Medidas Para Aliviar Impactos Hipotecarios: AP

WASHINGTON - El presidente George W. Bush anunció el viernes medidas para ayudar a los propietarios que enfrentan la amenaza de perder sus viviendas por incumplimientos de pagos, en el primer esfuerzo del gobierno por lidiar con la crisis hipotecaria.

Las iniciativas, que no están destinadas a rescatar a prestamistas ni especuladores, se dirigen a ayudar a los propietarios con hipotecas riesgosas para conservar sus casas. Bush también delineó esfuerzos para impedir que el problema se repita.

"El gobierno tiene un papel que desempeñar, pero es limitado", dijo Bush. "Un rescate federal de prestamistas sólo alentaría una recurrencia del problema".

El presidente insistió que la economía estadounidense es robusta y podrá capear las recientes turbulencias en los mercados financieros. Agregó que el mercado hipotecario, especialmente el de las hipotecas de alto riesgo, ha mostrado tensión inusitada.

Uno de los sucesos más preocupantes ha sido un aumento en las hipotecas de tasas ajustables, que empiezan con bajas tasas de interés y luego se ajustan a tasas mayores después de unos pocos años.

"Esto ha impulsado a algunos propietarios a tomar préstamos mayores de los que podían solventar en base a suposiciones exageradamente optimistas sobre el futuro desarrollo del mercado de la vivienda", dijo el presidente.

"Otros pueden haberse confundido por los términos de sus préstamos, o haber sido inducidos a error por prestamistas irresponsables. Sea cual fuere el motivo por el que escogieron este tipo de hipotecas, algunos prestatarios ahora no pueden abonar sus pagos mensuales" a riesgo de perder sus viviendas.

Un elemento clave del plan de Bush permitiría a los propietarios con buenos antecedentes crediticios, pero que no pueden hacer sus pagos hipotecarios, refinanciar su deuda en hipotecas aseguradas por la Administración Federal de la Vivienda para impedir que incurran en mora.

Hace algunos días, Bush pronosticó que la continua declinación en el mercado de la vivienda no sería una caída vertical sino que se iría suavizando.

Asimismo rechazó toda ayuda directa del gobierno a los propietarios que pierdan sus viviendas por ejecución hipotecaria, argumentando que sólo apoya la ayuda del gobierno federal para estimular las refinanciaciones y educar a los compradores potenciales sobre los riesgos hipotecarios.

"Todo el que pierda su vivienda es alguien con quien nos solidarizamos enormemente", dijo Bush en una conferencia de prensa el 9 de agosto. "Con la palabra 'rescate' no sé exactamente qué quieren decir. Si quieren decir subvenciones directas a los propietarios, la respuesta sería que no, no lo apoyamos". (AP)

Philippine Muslim Rebels Urge Arroyo To Solve Mindanao Insurgency

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 01 Sept) - Philippine Muslim rebels on Saturday urged President Gloria Arroyo to resolve the problems in Mindanao before her terms ends three years from now.

President Arroyo opened peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, in 2001, but there have been no major agreement to end the insurgency in the troubled region, except for a cease-fire accord.

But despite the truce, sporadic fighting between rebels and soldiers still continue in Mindanao with both sides accusing each other of violating the accord. In July, rebel forces killed 14 soldiers in a fierce battle in Basilan island after security forces encroached inside an MILF stronghold while pursuing Abu Sayyaf militants tied to Al-Qaeda.

The MILF is fighting for independence in Mindanao island, whose 16 million populations includes about 4 million Filipino Muslims.

The MILF accused Arroyo of wasting away six years in peace talks. “Don’t dribble too much, 2001 to 2010 is too long for a decisive President to clinch an agreement with the MILF to address the problem in Mindanao,” said Jun Mantawil, a senior rebel leader.

He said the MILF has asked Manila to be serious in the peace talks to solve the Muslim insurgency in Mindanao and put an end to sufferings of people in the strife-torn, but mineral-rich region.

Manila postponed peace talks last month in Kuala Lumpur, saying, it was not prepared to meet with the MILF panel.

Malaysia is brokering peace negotiations between the Filipino government and the MILF, but talks ended in September in Kuala Lumpur with both sides failing to sign any agreement on the most contentious issue — ancestral domain – which refers to the rebel demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland.

“The government will not be short of pretensions why the talks are not moving, but what it cannot hide is the fact the remaining term of President Arroyo is not far away and even the ancestral domain aspect of the Tripoli Agreement of 2001 has not been hurdled by the two parties despite the excellent facilitation of the Malaysian government,” Mantawil said.

Ancestral domain is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement with the Philippine government.

The ancestral domain covers the whole of Muslim autonomous region and other areas in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes. And even Palawan Island in central Philippines.

Manila previously offered the MILF the Muslim autonomous region, which is composed of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi which are among the poorest in the country torn by strife and clan wars since its creation in 1989. The MILF flatly rejected the offer and insisted on self-determination. (Mindanao Examiner)

Jolo Officials Hold Seminar On Responsible Reporting

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Politician Linked To Murder Of 2 Farmers In Southern Philippines

COMPOSTELA VALLEY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 01 Sept) – Communist insurgents on Saturday accused a politician as behind the murder of two farmers in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town in southern Philippines.

Authorities initially blamed the New People’s Army for the killings of the farmers late last month.

Aries Francisco, of the NPA’s Alejandro Lanaja Command, strongly denied the accusation and pointed to a politician as the alleged mastermind in the killings of the two farmers.

Both victims were opposed to the expansion of palm oil plantation that will affect many rice farmers in the province. It was unknown if the killings were connected to their cause.

The August 23 killings came barely two weeks after insurgents raided a hideout of suspected gunmen working for politicians and seized automatic rifles.

The NPA is fighting the past decades for a separate Maoist state in the Philippines and had broken off peace negotiations with Manila after accusing the Arroyo government as behind its inclusion in the terror lists of the United States and the European Union. (Mindanao Examiner)

Jolo Island Sheds Off Bad Image, Gets New Face

Clouds cover a mountain and the magnificent Tulay Mosque in Jolo island in the Sulu Archipelago in southern Philippines. Jolo Governor Sakur Tan is embarking on a massive tourism program aim at luring investors and visitors to the island, about 950 kilometers south of Manila. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

JOLO ISLAND, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 31 Aug) – Jolo is undergoing a major face-lift, literally, shedding its skin of bad news and putting on a new face to once more bring back its lost glory as one of the most beautiful island in southern Philippines.

Jolo Governor Sakur Tan said he is embarking on an ambitious tourism program that will lure travelers to the island, where dive sites, pristine beaches and virgin forest resorts are the main attractions, of course aside from its rich cultural heritage and exotic fruits and fresh seafood and mother-of-pearls.

“There is always this wrong impression that our place is dangerous or that there are fighting everywhere. Taosug or the local people are friendly and hospitable. There is no strife here, although operation to maintain peace and order is just but natural in any place.”

“We have a good and sound economy. We exports our famous coffee and exotic fruits and other products to other regions and provinces. Air and sea travel is not a problem. We want to be known as one of the best place to go in the Philippines,” Tan told the Mindanao Examiner.

Next week, a C-130 transport plane will pick up a cargo of mangosteen berries and durian fruits for shipment to supermarkets and agriculture and trade fairs in Manila.

Sen. Loren Legarda has filed a bill proposing the creation of a special economic zone and free port in Jolo island to promote and hasten the industrial and economic development of the area.

She said the bill allows foreign individuals and organizations to invest in the zone. Investors shall be granted fiscal incentives and tax exemptions.

“The bill answers the need for development in the area through the creation of a special economic zone and free port,” Legarda said.

Tan welcomed the proposal and said the zone will attract Filipino and foreign investors and give livelihood opportunity to many people.

“This is a good proposal. Put up an economic zone and turn the province into a trading hub that will open new gateway to Malaysia and neighboring countries to promote business and tourism,” he said.

Once approved, it shall be managed and operated by the Sulu Special Economic Zone and Free Port Authority (SSEZA) headed by a board of directors.

The SSEZA shall be provided with transportation, telecommunication, and other facilities needed to attract legitimate and productive foreign investments, generates linkage with industries and create employment opportunities for the people of the province, she said.

Tan said he would invite newspaper editors, television and radio reporters to Jolo and see for themselves that there is no truth to all the negative publicity journalists have written about the island.

“We are appealing to the Philippine media to be responsible and write only the truth about the island. We are not a war-torn island as depicted in news articles about Jolo. We are inviting every one to come and visit us and see the beauty of the island we call home,” he said.

Jolo island, known in the Philippines as Sulu province, was once under the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo. Although consisting of a mixed community of Muslims and Christians, the Taosugs dominate the Sulu Archipelago.

The Taosugs were among the first Filipinos to embrace Islam as a religion and a way of life. Their traditional religion-political structure is the sultanate. The sultan is the head of all ranks within the sultanate. (Mindanao Examiner)

NPA Rebels Yield In Southern RP

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 31 Aug) – Dozens of communist insurgents have surrendered voluntarily to Philippine military officials in Saranggani province in Mindanao.

Officials said at least 89 New People’s Army fighters surrendered on Thursday in the town of Alabel. They yielded dozens of automatic rifles and pistols to the Army’s 66th Infantry Battalion.

Col. Fidel Legiralde Jr., battalion commander, said the surrender of the insurgents were witnesses by Alabel town Mayor Corazon Grafilo and Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez.

The insurgents, Legiralded said, pledged their alliance to the government. (Mindanao Examiner)

Jolo Governor Orders Crackdown On Drugs, Weapons

Jolo island Governor Sakur Tan gestures as he speaks to police chiefs during a meeting in southern Philippines. Governor Tan orders police to arrest all known drug pushers and suppliers in Jolo and for authorities to seize all illegal weapons on the island. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

JOLO ISLAND, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 31 Aug) – Jolo island Governor Sakur Tan ordered Friday a massive crackdown on illegal drugs and has imposed a total gun ban in this southern Philippine island.

Tan met with the island’s 18 police chiefs in Jolo town and told them to step up the government’s anti-drug campaign and at the same time arrest owners of illegal weapons in an effort to stop the proliferation of unlicensed firearms on the island, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.

“We don’t want illegal drugs on the street and I have given orders to the police to arrest all those engaged in illegal drugs or those using these drugs. We also don’t want the proliferation of illegal weapons in this beautiful island,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Although drug use in taboo in this largely Muslims island, many young people are hooked in methamphetamine hydrochloride, popularly known as “ice,” and marijuana cigarettes.

Tan ordered the police to arrest those selling drugs. Most of the drugs come from nearby Zamboanga City.

He also ordered the dismantling of military checkpoints in Jolo and instead put flowers and other ornamentals that would beautify the island. The huge presence of armed soldiers around and checkpoints and roadblocks has made Jolo a virtual garrison.

Policemen were also told to be courteous and smile every time they speak to civilians, especially travelers or tourists. (Mindanao Examiner)

SRI LANKA: "Deadly" Climate for Reporters and Aid Workers

UNITED NATIONS - Sri Lanka, which is fighting a longstanding insurgency against Tamil separatists, is fast gaining notoriety as "one of the world's worst places" both for journalists and humanitarian aid workers -- due primarily to a rising death toll and veiled threats from government and paramilitary forces in the country.

At least four international non-governmental organisations monitoring the media -- the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Press Institute, Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists -- have singled out Sri Lanka as "deadly" for journalists.

"Journalists have been victims of murders, threats, kidnappings and censorship," said RSF in a report released last week.

An RSF fact-finding team specifically zeroed in on "the isolated, Tamil-populated Jaffna peninsula" where there have been "grave press freedom violations".

In 2006, described as "the most savage year for journalists and news media workers", the most dangerous place was Iraq where 46 newsmen were killed, followed by the Philippines (10), Mexico (seven), Sri Lanka (five) and Pakistan (four).

Last week, the consulting editor at the Sri Lanka Sunday Times, Iqbal Athas, was threatened and harassed for a series of articles he wrote detailing a corruption-ridden multi-million-dollar government deal involving the purchase of fighter planes from Ukraine.

Recounting the latest incident, Athas told IPS that a person purporting to be a retired Air Force officer walked into the Wijeya Newspapers Ltd., the publishers of the Sunday Times and several other publications in the native language Sinhala, and threatened the staff.

The visitor met the English-to-Sinhala translator, W.D. Gunaratne, and warned him not to translate any of Athas's articles into the local language newspaper (which has a larger readership than English language newspapers in Sri Lanka).

"He warned Gunaratne he would have to face the consequences if that happened," said Athas, who is also a military correspondent for the London-based Jane's Defence Weekly.

The visitor also warned that if Athas "does not give up his job and leave Sri Lanka within three months", he would meet the same fate that befell Tamil journalists, most of whom were killed by "unknown gunmen".

The Committee to Protect Journalists' Abi Wright told IPS that her organisation "is alarmed by the grave threats facing veteran journalist Iqbal Athas, who has come under extraordinary pressures following his investigations into irregularities surrounding a 2006 deal to purchase MiG-27 fighter jets from Ukraine".

She said Athas has already told CPJ that over the past two weeks-- when his security detail was abruptly withdrawn by the government after the publication of his articles about the deal-- he has been harassed and followed by unknown persons. She said Athas fears for his life and for the safety of his family.

"CPJ calls on the Sri Lankan government to act immediately to provide adequate security and ensure the safety of Iqbal Athas," Wright added.

She said that Athas is well-known as the defence columnist for the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka and a frequent contributor to international media outlets, including Cable News Network, Jane's Defence Weekly and the Times of London. He also received CPJs International Press Freedom Award in 1994.

Wright said CPJ will be sending a letter of protest to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse later this week.

The Colombo-based Free Media Movement (FMM) has already expressed its "grave concern regarding the safety and security of senior English language journalist Mr. Iqbal Athas."

"As senior Defence columnist for the Sunday Times, in the past months, Mr. Athas has been responsible for a series of articles on the irregularities in procurement of MIG aircraft for the security forces, from a company based in Ukraine," FMM said in a statement released Monday.

Referring to the continued threats to Athas and his family, FMM said: "In a context in which there have been repeated attacks and harassment of journalists and media persons in Sri Lanka in the past months, the Free Media Movement is convinced that there is a very real basis for Mr. Athas fears regarding his security."

"We call on the president, as minister of defence, to take all steps necessary to provide Mr. Athas with adequate security immediately. Failure to do so will only provide yet another indication of the lack of concern on the part of the government for the safety and security of media personnel in Sri Lanka."

Meanwhile, after a recent visit to Sri Lanka, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs described the Indian Ocean island nation as "one of the most dangerous places" for aid workers, second only to Afghanistan.

Addressing a meeting of the Security Council in June, John Holmes said that in 2006, 24 aid workers were killed in Sri Lanka, including 17 from Action Contre Le Faim, "in a single horrifying act."

The perpetrators of these and similar attacks -- including the killing of two Red Cross workers in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon and the murder of a Caritas International aid worker in Darfur, Sudan -- "are yet to be brought to account," Holmes said.

He said that civilians are too often deliberately targeted to create a climate of fear and to destabilise populations.

Holmes also pointed out that countries as far apart as Sri Lanka and Colombia were experiencing assassinations, disappearances and other violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law.

"In Sri Lanka, over 600,000 inhabitants of the Jaffna peninsula have faced shortages of basic necessities since August of last year when the government and the LTTE restricted access to the peninsula by road and by sea respectively," Holmes continued.

Implying Sri Lanka was virtually culpable of war crimes, he added: "Killing humanitarian staff and arbitrarily denying access violates international humanitarian law."

Ambassador John McNee of Canada placed Sri Lanka in the company of Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, northern Uganda, Lebanon and Somalia as countries that have failed to provide protection to civilians in war zones.

"Girls and boys are recruited as combatants; civilians become unwitting targets of suicide bombers; families are displaced from their homes; sexual violence is a deliberate weapon of war; and civilian infrastructure and economies are often shattered," McNee said.

The consequences of these actions play themselves out daily, he pointed out, in countries ranging from Sudan and Afghanistan to Somalia and Sri Lanka. (IPS/Thalif Deen)

Due To Insistent Public Demand, Alamat Returns To Manila Stage

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 31 Aug) - Due to a growing public clamor, Agham Theater Company (ATC), is set to re-stage a play entitled “Alamat” on October 8 and 9 at the Music Museum in the Philippine capital.

It is a dance-drama musicale play that has earned critical acclaim when it was first performed at the Music Museum, a play suited for intermediate, high school and college students although its appeal is ageless and universal.

"Alamat" is a story conceptualized by Patrick Almaden. It was originally staged at the Makati Parks and Garden Amphitheatre to critically acclaimed performances.

It is said that it deserves a legitimate venue since it has a very good production and literary values. Moreover, it aims at giving importance to nature as an integral part of man's existence.

The 2nd run takes in Creative Directors Agnes Macabuhay- Medina and Osler Ladia who conspired with Almaden to give the concept a more refreshing and novel treatment. The word surreal came about.

The likes of Salvador Dali & Magritte has inspired the artists to create the sets and costumes as something that happens only in the underworld. Strange as it may be, the play will feature characters with elements from nature but with influences of contemporary art and design.

The music, composed by Paulo Almaden will exhibit acoustic sounds interspersed with ethnicity to create a fusion of music and art that make up the production. The dances, blocking, and movements are surreal as well, with movements taken from nature and animal entities.

Human elements will be supplied by Daniel and his friends, lost in the forest, where they will experience unexplained happenings around Orkidya.

The script, spiced with contemporary lingo, will also present contrast to the language of the lower gods in their domain, with rich, almost poetic candor.

The concept will enable the audience to lose themselves in enchantment as they realized the value of the environment, the importance of human life and respect for other forms of life, whether spiritual or material.

Alamat takes the centestage again this October 2007 at the Music Museum.

For details pls. call 0918-2542354 and look for "Tope". You may also visit www.aghamtheatrecompany.multiply.com (Christopher Navarra)