ON MILF-GPH PEACE TALKS: AJLPP SUPPORTS MILF DEMAND (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines or the AJLPP supports the demand of the largest Muslim revolutionary group in the Philippines that urged the Philippines government to end a decades-long armed struggle by the 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front for Muslim self-rule in the southern Philippines, the homeland of minority Muslims in the mostly Roman Catholic country. The Alliance noted that in the speech of MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal pointed out that peace talks has been "too long a process." The exploratory talks was held yesterday April 26-27, 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Alliance noted that the Philippine government and the Muslim groups have been negotiating with the government since 1976. The peace talks had been off and one since then in a classic “ talk, talk, fight, fight “ mood. Iqbal urged the Philippine government to submit a draft of a comprehensive accord when both sides hold their next meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Upcoming talks are expected in June.
Very few people know that the US military is directly involved in the fierce fighting going on in the Philippines between the Moro insurgents and the corrupt and brutal Arroyo regime supported by the Bush neocons and the warmongering Pentagon planners. Will you continue to allow US tax dollars to be wasted in this barbaric genocidal war against indigenous peoples? Over a thousand extrajudicial killings and "forced disappearances" under Arroyo's tenure, plus a few hundred Muslims dead as "collateral damage," may be the signs of US "benevolent hegemony" (Robert Kagan) and US "magnanimous imperial power" (Dinesh D'Souza). McKinley's "Benevolent Assimilation" lives on!
MORE WARS FOR GMA TO FIGHT (tags)
Communist leader Jose Maria Sison’s arrest by the Dutch police for two murders committed in the Philippines is yet one more example of the Philippines, a sovereign country, giving up its sovereignty to a foreign power by acknowledging The Netherlands’ jurisdiction over a case, or cases committed on Philippine soil. It would have been understandable, and even correct, for the Dutch authorities to order the arrest of Sison and whoever else among the self-exiles in the communist movement, if he and anyone of them broke Dutch law for a crime committed in Dutch territory. But to arrest Sison on charges of two murders committed in the Philippines years ago?
ANTI TERRORISM ACT IS A LICENSE FOR AND A WEAPON OF STATE TERRORISM (tags)
The Anti-Terrorism Act (Republic Act No. 9372 or the Human Security Act of 2007) is part of the global wave of fascist legislation and state terrorism generated by the so-called global war on terror under the Bush regime of the US government. Aside from being a tool of US imperialism, the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) is a repressive tool of the Arroyo regime for intimidating and suppressing the people’s democratic movement and the broad range of opposition forces.
PHILIPPINES:Gonzales to Reds: Truce or terror tag? (tags)
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, who assumed his post yesterday as officer-in-charge of the defense department prior to the installation of the permanent defense secretary, warned communist rebels that they would be identified as terrorists once the anti-terror law or the Human Security Act of 2007 takes effect this month. Gonzales said the New People’s Army (NPA), however, could avoid the terrorist tag if the rebels declare a ceasefire. “If the NPA rebels refuse to implement a ceasefire, they will be branded as terrorist like the Abu Sayyaf, Rajah Solaiman Group and the Jemaah Islamiyah,” Gonzales told reporters during turnover rites at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, attended by outgoing Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.
Elections in RP successful – US (tags)
A US State Department official said yesterday the May 14 elections were generally successful despite reports of violence and fraud. “I know there have been some problems with violence. But I would say overall the elections have been very successful and a real sign that the Philippines has a very well-developed democracy. It has never been an easy process,” Christopher Hill, US State Department assistant secretary for East Asia and the Pacific, said over Radyo ng Bayan. Hill’s observation followed an earlier statement of concern from the US Embassy in Manila on reports of violence in many parts of the country during the elections.
War in Mindanao :Palace, AFP reject OIC call for ceasefire in Sulu (tags)
Manila-- Malacañang is giving full support to the military offensive against renegade Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) forces in Sulu, which entered its fourth day of fierce fighting yesterday. While the government acknowledges the appeal of the 47-nation Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to disengage forces, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said there must be an assurance against further attacks from the renegade forces. Nearly 8,500 families ( 40,000 people)have fled the fighting and thousands crammed into schools and gymnasiums in downtown Jolo, relying on food rations from disaster agencies. The mass evacuations are a bitter development for conflict-scarred residents, who had hoped Jolo was becoming a more stable place after a long-running military campaign to rid the island of scores of Islamic militants.
8,000 families displaced in Sulu fighting; OIC steps in (tags)
More than 8,000 families ( 40,000 people)have fled their homes as Marines and Army troops hunted down renegade Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander Habier Malik and his men, who have killed 12 people in Sulu. For three days now, thousands of troops have been sent to Sulu to run after Malik’s band after he escaped when the military captured his sprawling hilltop encampment in Panamao, Sulu on Sunday. Reports said several MNLF commanders, along with an undetermined number of fighters from the towns of Pata, Daungdong and Capual in Sulu, are now fighting alongside Malik.
See how Australian conservatives run! “No Australian should be surprised. In fact I would like to think they would support it ... The people who murdered 100 Australians in Bali trained in this place with these people and that's why we're there." The statement by the Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson is his latest despicable attempt to garner support and justify increased Australian military involvement in Afghanistan – the truth is the Howard government is at the beck and call of the Americans, that is why ‘we’ are in Afghanistan, Mr. Nelson. Defence Minister Nelson, in preparation for Dick Cheney’s arrival in Sydney tonight, has resorted to flagrant LIES and K-Mart political strategies to demonstrate to Cheney that Australian conservatives are able emulators of their master’s cheap tricks and lying political methods.
US lauds ratification of Philippines' anti-terrorism bill (tags)
The US Embassy lauded yesterday the House of Representatives’ ratification of the anti-terrorism bill and the approval of the bicameral conference committee report on the bill. "For us, it is a very good and positive step (for the Philippines). The Philippine law enforcement and judicial authorities should have this kind of tools that are needed to counter terrorism," press attaché Matthew Lussenhop said. He also said the US government was not disappointed with the delay in the passage of the anti-terror measure, pointing out that "we respect Philippine democracy and its legislative consultative process and it takes time."
The Philippine armed forces fielded more than 10 warships around Sulu in what could be the single biggest naval blockade meant to trap Abu Sayyaf terrorists in their lair. Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said yesterday the naval blockade formed part of the "small unit tactics" designed to eventually wipe out local and foreign terrorists holed out in Sulu, as part of the military’s ongoing offensive dubbed Oplan Ultimatum
Sweden, Canada To Work for Peace talks with MILF (tags)
Sweden has joined a bloc of nations backing peace talks aimed at settling a bloody Muslim rebellion in the southern Philippines, while Canada has expressed interest in following suit, officials said Thursday.
MILF fighter killed in Taytay raid (tags)
A suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebel was killed in a shootout with Marines and police on an island in Laguna de Bay near Metro Manila yesterday. Following the pre-dawn raid, government forces also captured three other suspected MILF fighters in a hideout in Barangay Sta. Ana in Taytay, Rizal near the cities of Pasig and Taguig in Metro Manila. Meanwhile, MILF spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said Mohammad and Sanjali Utto are bandits, not members of the secessionist group. "They are not MILF," he said. "Police are linking them to our organization. We have no members active in Rizal." Kabalu said the police action of linking the captured suspects with the MILF could further delay the resumption of peace talks with the government. "It appears there are certain sectors out to sabotage the talks," he said.
RP wants US help in routing communists (tags)
The Philippine government will welcome US counterinsurgency assistance against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA), Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said on Thursday. Ermita hinted at growing US involvement in the Philippines’ internal security affairs while discussing the coming joint Balikatan war games in Jolo. Interviewed after his sendoff of President Arroyo, who left Thursday morning for Davos, Switzerland, Ermita said the Chief Executive is glad that both counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaigns are “moving forward, very smoothly.”
CIA, FBI, Aussie agents operating in south — AFP (tags)
Several American and Australian intelligence agents are in Mindanao to monitor terrorist activities, military sources here claimed yesterday. "Mindanao is crawling with CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and even Australian federal agents," a source told The STAR.
More Philippine troops sent to hunt for Janjalani, JI operatives (tags)
News sources and the Philippine military said Tuesday it will send another 2,000 troops to Jolo to bolster a US-backed four-month offensive to capture the country's top terror suspects. According ot news sources, about 6,000 Army troops and Marines have been searching for Indonesians Umar Patek and Dulmatin, suspected members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah network, who fled to the southern Philippines after allegedly plotting the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani since August 2006.
Usapang pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng MILF at GRP nais ibagsak ng rehimeng Arroyo (tags)
Lubos na kaisa ang Pesante-USA sa pahayag ng pamunuan ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) na ”Ang rehimeng Arroyo ang responsable sa pagbagsak ng usapang pangkapayapaan.” Naninidigan ang Pesante-USA bilang isang grupong nagtataguyod ng karapatang-pantao at kapayapaan sa Pilipinas na dapat maging seryoso ang GRP sa pakikipagnegosasyon sa MILF at manghinayang sa mangyayari kung babalik sila sa pang-uupat ng digmaan na kumitil na ng maraming buhay sa nakaraan.
Peace Talks ng MILF at GRP Nais ibagsak ng rehimeng Arroyo (tags)
”Ang rehimeng Arroyo ang responsable sa pagbagsak ng usapang pangkapayapaan.” Ito ang pahayag ng pamunuan ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) matapos mabigo noong Setyembre 7 ang ika-13 exploratory talks (mga usapan para makapaghanap ng kalutasan sa di pagkakasundo) sa pagitan ng mga kinatawan nito at ng Gubyerno ng Republika ng Pilipinas (GRP).
MILF: Raps vs Murad imperil peace talks (tags)
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) protested yesterday the inclusion of its chieftain, Al Haj Murad, in a criminal complaint filed in connection with the recent bomb attack in Makilala, North Cotabato, warning it could endanger the already stalled peace talks. Police filed a murder complaint the other day against Murad and several suspected MILF commanders with the Kidapawan City prosecutor’s office for allegedly plotting the Oct. 10 bombing that killed six people and wounded 29 in Makilala town, government prosecutor Al Calica said.
5,700 US troops coming for war exercises in Luzon (tags)
Some 5,700 American military personnel will join Filipino troops this month in major war drills, including live-fire exercises, amphibious landings and ship interdictions, US and Philippine military officials said yesterday.
5,700 US TROOPS COMING FOR WAR EXERCISES IN LUZON (tags)
ome 5,700 American military personnel will join Filipino troops this month in major war drills, including live-fire exercises, amphibious landings and ship interdictions, US and Philippine military officials said yesterday. Unlike recent training in Mindanao, the new joint exercises will not be aimed primarily at battling terrorism but focus on routine drills to enhance both forces’ capabilities to operate together, US Marine Capt. Burrell Parmer said.
Sulu offensives to continue through Ramadan – AFP Chief (tags)
Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. announced Monday. that military offensives against suspected al Qaeda-linked militants in the southern Philippines will continue throughout the Islamic holy month of Ramadan
US to beef up hunt for Abu-JI terrorists (tags)
The United States is increasing its support for the ongoing military offensive in Sulu against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah to hasten the capture of Abu Sayyaf chief Khadaffy Janjalani and Umar Patek and Dulmatin of JI, Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz said here yesterday. Cruz said Rear Adm. William VanMeter Alford Jr., chief of staff of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), made the commitment in a meeting with President Arroyo during her stop here on Sunday.
NPA'S BEATEN BY 2010- AFP (tags)
Government forces are geared up to accomplish their mission to neutralize the communist New People’s Army (NPA) before President Arroyo ends her term by 2010, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon declared yesterday
Aussie army chief gets briefing on hunt for JI leaders (tags)
Pesante-USA condemns Australia- A US junior imperialist partner in Southeast Asia's intervention in Philippine affairs. The chief of the Australian army secretly visited the southern Philippines yesterday for a briefing on the progress of the manhunt for two Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants behind the October 2002 Bali bombings. Lt. Gen. Peter Leahy flew here from Jolo, Sulu where he was updated on the hunt for Umar Patek and Dulmatin, both wanted for their involvement in the 2002 bombings on the popular Indonesian resort island that killed 202 people, 88 of them Australians.
NO RAMADAN LET-UP FOR MUSLIM MILITANTS -MILITARY (tags)
The Philippine military will continue its offensive against Al Qaeda-linked militants during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a military spokesman said Tuesday. Some 5,000 troops backed by intelligence gathering from the United States military have been locked in intense fighting with Abu Sayyaf militants thought to be sheltering Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) bombers on the southern island of Jolo.
AFP 6,000 TROOPS NOW PURSUING ABU SAYAFF IN SULU (tags)
Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon disclosed on Monday that 6,000 government troops have been deployed to intensify the ongoing pursuit operations against the band of Abu Sayyaf leader Khaddafy Janjalani and two Jemaah Islamiyah bomb experts in the jungles of Sulu.
US-RP Military dared to show proof of JI operations in Sulu (tags)
MILITARY authorities should justify their offensive in Sulu by presenting credible proof that Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) operatives from Indonesia are operating there, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said in a statement Saturday.
Sulu air, ground offensive continues (tags)
The Navy captured four suspected Abu Sayyaf supporters yesterday as they tried to breach a naval blockade of Jolo, Sulu to flee the military’s artillery bombardment and air strikes, which continued for the third day yesterday. The offensive is targeting Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants Umar Patek and Dulmatin who are wanted for the Bali bombings in Indonesia in October 2002.
Bali bombings linked to Al-Qaeda (tags)
Bali has been devastated by terror attacks possibly by Al-Qaeda. The attacks killed 26 people and injured more than 100.