Peace now, Resume the Peace Talks, Now! (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) with the five million strong Filipino American community in the United States wrote to you in the interest of true justice and lasting peace in the Philippines. The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) expresses its alarm and consternation on the recent developments on the peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). We are greatly troubled that the Philippines have never known a period of relative peace since 1972 when the US-Marcos dictatorship waged war against the New People’s Army (NPA and the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the Moro people represented by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) until it surrendered in 1996 and then by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Up to now Mindanao is a battle ground with more 2.6 million people affected by the war and more or less 750,000 war refugees in Central Mindanao and elsewhere.
RP ‘surprised’ at Malaysia monitors’ pullout (tags)
he Philippines on Tuesday said it was surprised at Malaysia’s decision to end its monitoring mission to the troubled southern Mindanao island this year. The government’s chief peace adviser Jesus Dureza said he had just finished a trip to Kuala Lumpur and officials there had given “no indication of any announcement of total withdrawal.” “I feel that we, as neighbors, should be working very closely for peace,” Dureza said. “I am confident that Malaysia will be with us all the way.”
Delay in peace talks deliberate, says MILF (tags)
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the largest Muslim separatist rebel group in the country, accused Manila on Wednesday of delaying the peace talks. Manila is negotiating peace with the MILF, an army of about 12,000 rebels with millions of Muslim supporters. Peace talks were stalled after both sides failed to sign an agreement on the Muslim ancestral domain.
Philippine Military Put Up P1-M bounty for MNLF Commander Ustadz Habier Malik in Sulu (tags)
The Philippine military is offering a P1-million reward for the capture of National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander Ustadz Habier Malik who has been leading clashes against government troops in Sulu for a week now. Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said Malik, who has some 300 to 500 armed followers, has joined the Abu Sayyaf terrorists, the target of a separate massive military offensive. "We should be very careful about this because definitely there is a group that would try to exploit the situation, at least the Abu Sayyaf," he said. "Let us be very clear," he said. "This is not an operation against the MNLF. This is an operation against Habier Malik so that he will be made to answer for his criminal liabilities, including the death of a child."
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.
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.
Clashes continue between AFP militias and MILF; 6 killed in Mindanao (tags)
Reports from the militart Camp Siongco reported that three progovernment militias and three Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels were killed in continuing military operations in remote villages of Midsayap, North Cotabato. Meanwhile, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu denied the military’s account, citing it was the soldiers who harassed their forces stationed near Barangay Rangaban on January 25. “The military shelled our position and followed up by continuing ground operation until Saturday afternoon,” he said.
GRP sGRP Seeks new deadline in talks with MILF (tags)
News sources in Mindanao reported today that the Philippine government failed twice to meet a self-imposed deadline to submit a new proposal to break a deadlock in peace talks with the Moro islamic Liberation Front (MILF) over territory, increasing anxiety over when the talks would resume.
RP Govt moves to revive peace talks with MILF (tags)
--The Philippine government is determined to break a deadlock in talks with Muslim separatist rebels to prevent an outbreak of violence, an adviser to President Arroyo said Monday.
Arroyo regime has a malicious view of the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations (tags)
The highest officials of the Arroyo regime, especially executive secretary Eduardo Ermita, chief of staff Mike Defensor and presidential adviser Jesus Dureza, have repeatedly declared that there is no need to resume the formal talks between the GRP and NDFP negotiating panels but that the office of the presidential adviser on the process will coordinate with local units of the GRP to stage localized negotiations with elements that they hope to attract from the local forces of the revolutionary movement.
Maguindanao gov withdraws militiamen from 5 town (tags)
Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan has ordered militiamen involved in clashes with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels to stand down and pull out, a Malacañang official said yesterday. Jesus Dureza, national security adviser, said the order has brought back calm to Shariff Aguak and four other towns affected by the clashes that started on June 28. More than 20,000 people were displaced because of the skirmishes, which civilian officials said killed at least seven members of the Civilian Volunteers’ Organization (CVO) and three MILF rebels.
Gov’t sticks to war, rejects Reds’ peace bid (tags)
MALACAÑANG remains committed to pursuing its all-out war against communist rebels even if exiled leaders of the communist-led National Democratic Front have asked Norway to convince President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo to return to the negotiating table.In a statement, the NDF said it had sent its top leadership to Oslo on Monday for four days of consultations with the Norwegian foreign ministry. Norway had facilitated the peace talks between the Philippine government and the NDF before negotiations were scuttled in 2004.