Showing posts with label பிலிப்பைன்ஸ். Show all posts
Showing posts with label பிலிப்பைன்ஸ். Show all posts

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

முஸ்லீம் பயங்கரவாதிகள் கிறிஸ்துவ கிராமங்களில் சூறையாடியதில் 30 கிறிஸ்துவர்கள் பலி

முஸ்லீம் பயங்கரவாதிகள் கிறிஸ்துவ கிராமங்களில் சூறையாடியதில் 30 கிறிஸ்துவர்கள் பலி

Talks in peril as Philippine troops step up hunt for Muslim rebels
AFP - 1 hour 37 minutes agoILIGAN, Philippines, Aug 19, 2008 (AFP) -


Troops on Tuesday stepped up the manhunt for Muslim separatist rebels after a murderous rampage in the southern Philippines left 30 people dead and threw peace negotiations into chaos.

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Hundreds of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels attacked towns in Lanao del Norte and Sarangani provinces Monday, looting business, burning houses and holding dozens hostage.

The near-simultaneous raids began at dawn, triggering intense gunbattles in the mostly Christian towns of Kolambugan and Kauswagan that raged until noon.

At least 29 civilians and three soldiers were killed, dozens injured and nearly 10,000 displaced by the fighting. Officials say the toll could rise further with some residents still missing.

President Gloria Arroyo's spokesman Jesus Dureza on Tuesday called for calm, but admitted peace talks with the MILF were now in peril.

"We're very sorry and we're very saddened by this," Dureza said in Manila. "I compare this (the talks) to a shattered glass, it would be very difficult to put the pieces together."

He stressed however that "peace is the only option for us."

Military vice chief of staff Lieutenant General Cardoso Luna said troop reinforcements have been sent to the area to go after the rebels, who had escaped into nearby woodlands.

"We have already freed the towns. We are on pursuit operations. We will not stop until we catch up with them," said Luna, who was leading the operations on the ground.

Kolambugan mayor Beltran Lumaque, whose town was the most heavily hit area, said: "They killed innocent, defenceless civilians. People are traumatized. We need food, medicines. We want the soldiers here."

He said the rebels freed late Monday eight more people they had seized to use as "human shields" against pursuing troops.

MILF rebels also ambushed on Sunday a military convoy, killing four soldiers and three pro-government militiamen.

The MILF signed a ceasefire agreement with Manila in 2003 which opened the way for peace talks.

However, on August 4 the Supreme Court halted a deal that would have expanded a Muslim autonomous area in the south to favour the MILF.

The towns attacked on Monday had opposed the proposed deal.

Arroyo condemned the attacks as "sneaky and treacherous" and ordered her troops to "defend every inch" of the Philippines.

She assured the public the government "will defend them at all costs against any move by any group that will disrupt our aspirations for a genuine and lasting peace" in Mindanao, where the MILF's 30 year rebellion has left over 120,000 dead.

MILF spokesman Mohagher Iqbal said the rebel leadership still held "primacy of the peace process" and said those who attacked belonged to a faction that were frustrated with the aborted land deal.

"This is a consequence of the non-movement of the peace process," he said.

The MILF leadership was moving to restrain fighters on the ground, Iqbal said, although he said he could not assure attacks would immediately stop.

Monday, May 26, 2008

கான்வெண்ட் சிறுமிகளை கற்பழித்த கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் கைது

கான்வெண்ட் சிறுமிகளை கற்பழித்த கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் கைது
14-year-old convent girl cries rape vs priest

NATONIN, Mountain Province - A Catholic priest is facing charges of rape and acts of lasciviousness after allegedly molesting convent girls.

Crystal (not her real name), 14 years old, filed the criminal charges against Fr. Gabriel Madangeng Jr., of Hingyon, Ifugao, parish priest in Natonin, Mountain Province.

Two other victims have come to the open reporting a series of alleged abuses committed by Madangeng. As of press time Sunday one victim has agreed to settle out of court.

All victims are convent girls and minors. Madangeng has since been transferred to Bontoc where the case will be heard this week.

Crytal's family refused to settle with the church despite alleged attempts by the Bontoc-Lagawe Vicariate to convince the family for an out of court settlement.

"They said they will pay for the schooling and medication of our daughter, but we will never do that. We are going to fight it all the way, no settlements," Crystal's father said.

The assessment of the Office of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development's (MSWD) finds Crystal "to be impaired as a result of the abuse she suffered from the abuser."

Crystal, in her sworn statement said, on July 2006 Madangeng bound her arms and legs to a bed at the Lay Formation Center of the Natonin Catholic Mission.

Based on Crystal's sworn statement with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Baguio City, Madangeng then proceeded to touch her body including her private parts despite pleas to stop.

"He threatened me with harm and said not to shout for help."

For a time Crystal remained silent about her harrowing experience. But her schoolmates, siblings and parents saw the changes in her.

She was frequently disoriented in school as well as at home at times acting like "her mind was away." She failed in five subjects in school and her mother once commented Crystal was acting like she was crazy.

It was only after Crystal's parents learned of her experience did they take her more seriously. They brought her to the MSWD for counseling.

After the incident, Jovita Salvador of the MSWD said Crystal has ceased to relate with her classmates, feeling depressed, unworthy and has low self-esteem.

"She is still at the stage of hatred and shame; she cannot perform her expected roles in school," Salvador added.

Crystal's father, a policeman in the town, said his wish is for the law to take its course.

The case is pending in court and hearing is set next week in Bontoc. ( Maria Elena Catajan/Sun.Star Baguio)

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

தெற்கு பிலிப்பைன்ஸில் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகளும் ராணுவமும் மோதியதில் 5 பேர் பலி

பிலிப்பைன்ஸில் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் போலீஸுடன் மோதியதில் 5 பேர் கொல்லப்பட்டனர்.
Fighting leaves five dead in the southern Philippines
AP, ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES
Tuesday, Feb 05, 2008, Page 4


Soldiers clashed with militants linked to al-Qaeda in the southern Philippines yesterday, leaving three rebels and two soldiers dead just days after a top Indonesian terror suspect eluded a military raid on a nearby island, an official said.

The fighting took place in Maimbung township on the western coast of Jolo island, a stronghold of the Islamic extremist Abu Sayyaf group about 950km south of Manila, while troops were searching for a local businesswoman kidnapped by militants last week, regional military spokesman Major Eugene Batara said.

The bodies of three rebels and an M-16 rifle were recovered from the scene of the clash, Batara said. Two soldiers were killed and five others wounded and transferred to an army hospital, he said.

Batara said troops were on a mission to rescue Rosalie Lao, 45, a Jolo resident who was abducted by the rebels on Jan. 28.

Last week, troops on nearby Tawi-Tawi island shot and killed an Abu Sayyaf commander, Wahab Upao, but missed the Indonesian terror suspect, Dulmatin, one of several operatives of the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah believed to be hiding in the southern Philippines

Dulmatin has been implicated in the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people in Bali, Indonesia.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

பிலிப்பைன்ஸ் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் தாக்குதலில் 14 பேர் பலி

பிலிப்பைன்ஸில் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் தாக்கியதில் 14 பேர் பலியானார்கள்.

14 slain in southern unrest--MILF, military
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 14:47:00 01/15/2008


COTABATO, Philippines -- Fourteen people have been killed in two days of violence in Mindanao, officials said Tuesday.

Twelve Muslims were killed on Monday when rival commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) clashed in Mamasapano town over a land dispute, said MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu.

Kabalu said the military did not intervene to break up the fighting.

In a separate incident on Tuesday, gunmen attacked a military outpost in the town of Palayan near Mamasapano, leaving two soldiers dead, said military spokesman Colonel Julieto Ando.

He did not say who opened fire on the soldiers, and Kabalu denied MILF forces were behind the attack.

The MILF has been fighting a separatist campaign for an Islamic state in the southern Philippines since 1978.

In 2003 it signed a ceasefire with the government in order to negotiate a peace settlement.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

பிலிப்பைன்ஸ் பாராளுமன்றத்தின் எதிரில் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாத தாக்குதல்- 3 பேர் பலி

ஒரு முஸ்லீம் பயங்கரவாதி மனம் திருந்தி மக்கள் பிரதிநிதியாக நின்று பிலிப்பைன்ஸ் பாராளுமன்றத்தில் இருப்பதை கண்டித்து அவர் மீது குறி வைத்து இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாத தாக்குதல் நடந்தது. அதில் மூன்று பேர்கள் பலியானார்கள்.

இதில் அந்த முஸ்லீம் பிரதிநிதியும், அவரது கார் ஓட்டுனரும், அவரது உதவியாளரும் கொல்லப்பட்டார்கள்.

வன்முறை மார்க்கத்தில் இருப்பவர்கள் எப்படிப்பட்ட அச்சுருத்தல் இருந்தாலும், அமைதி மார்க்கத்துக்கு வரவேண்டும். ஏராளமானவர்கள் அமைதி மார்க்கத்துக்கு திரும்புவதே வன்முறை மார்க்கத்தை பலவீனப்படுத்தும்.

இந்த முன்னாள் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிக்கும் அவரது உதவியாளர்களுக்கும் என் அஞ்சலி


Bomb kills 3 outside Philippine Congress
By OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press Writer
Tue Nov 13, 3:04 PM ET



MANILA, Philippines - A bomb exploded outside the House of Representatives late Tuesday, killing a former Muslim rebel-turned-congressman who had backed a U.S.-Philippine offensive against Islamic militants. A lawmaker's driver and a legislative staffer also died.


The remotely detonated bomb collapsed the ceiling at the building's entrance, damaged cars and injured seven people, including two congresswomen. Their injuries were not life threatening.

"I felt the blast although I was on the other side of the building," Rep. Teodoro Casino told The Associated Press.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said the target appeared to be Rep. Wahab Akbar, a former rebel who as governor of southern Basilan province gave his support to military operations against al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf guerrillas. Akbar died of wounds in a hospital, police said.

Puno sought to play down the possible involvement of Muslim extremists, however, saying the investigation was "pointing away from terrorist attack and more of a directed assault on a certain individual."

"There were threats on the life of Akbar," Puno told reporters. "The indications are that that was the case both in terms of location of the bomb and the manner it was set off."

While he turned on the Muslim rebels, Akbar also had many political foes, including those who ran against one of his wives who succeeded him as Basilan governor. Political rivalries in the southern Philippines are often accompanied by bloodshed, and assassinations of politicians are common.

Akbar, 47, was a member of the Moro National Liberation Front, a Muslim rebel group that dropped its secessionist goal and signed a peace accord with the government in September 1996.

Some security officials suspected Akbar knew the leaders of Abu Sayyaf, a radical Muslim group that has its roots on Basilan island. But they said he later had a falling out with Abu Sayyaf commanders and started fighting them.

Akbar was Basilan governor when U.S. troops arrived on the island in 1992 to train Filipino soldiers battling Abu Sayyaf. Over the years, the island was gradually transformed from a militant hotbed into a showcase of counterterrorism success and humanitarian development.

The key Abu Sayyaf leaders were killed last year in a clash with Philippine marines on neighboring Jolo island. But some of the group's fighters regrouped and returned to Basilan, where they have joined with other guerrillas to stage sporadic attacks.

At the bombing scene, national police chief Avelino Razon said a destroyed motorcycle was found and experts were conducting chemical tests to determine if it was used to carry the bomb.

Investigators suspected the bomb might have been hidden on one of two parked motorcycles and then remotely detonated as Akbar approached his car, mortally wounding him and ripping the motorcycles apart, the metropolitan Manila police chief, Geary Barias, said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo urged people not to jump to conclusions about the attack. "We're making a call against rumors, accusations that create confusion, fear and conflict," she said.

House Speaker Jose de Venecia told reporters that whoever was responsible, "I'm sure it was deliberately done to cow us,"

The blast occurred amid heightened political tensions in the country as Arroyo faces a third impeachment attempt in as many years.

"We cannot rule out anything until the investigation is completed," de Venecia said. "There are many threats to us personally and officially. We will have to decide whether we have to augment security."

The capital has been jittery since last month, when an explosion rocked a shopping mall in the financial district, killing 11 people and injuring more than 100. Police blamed an accidental gas leak, although owners of the mall disputed the finding.

___

Associated Press writer Jim Gomez contributed to this report.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

வளைகுடா பகுதில் வேலை செய்தபோது முஸ்லீமானவர்களால் பிலிப்பைன் ஷாப்பிங் மால் தகர்க்கப்பட்டது


ராஜா சுலைமான் ரெவாலூஷனரி மூவமண்ட் (ராஜா சுலைமான புரட்சி இயக்கம) என்ற அமைப்பே பிலிப்பைன்ஸில் ஷாப்பிங் கட்டிடத்தை தகர்த்தது என்று அறிவித்துள்ளது.

வளைகுடா நாடுகளில் வேலை செய்வதற்காக ஏராளமான பிலிப்பைன் கிறிஸ்துவ மக்கள் சென்றனர். அங்கு இருந்தபோது பயங்கரவாத இஸ்லாமிய பிரச்சாரத்தில் மதி மயங்கி இஸ்லாமை தழுவி இவர்கள் தற்போது பயங்கரவாதிகளாக ஆகியுள்ளனர்.

இவர்களே தற்போது பயங்கரவாதிகளாக ஆகியுள்ளனர்

வன்முறை மார்க்கத்தில் இணைந்த இவர்கள் மனம் திருந்தி அமைதி மார்க்கத்துக்கு வர இறையை இறைஞ்சுவோம்

Security
Philippines: Islamic militants blamed for fatal bombing


Manila, 22 Oct. (AKI) – A militant group of former Christians who have converted to Islam could be behind the bombing that killed 11 people in Manila on Friday.

According to local media reports, text messages and a telephone call supposedly from Sheik Omar of the Rajah Solaiman Revolutionary Movement (RSM) claimed responsibility for the attack.

The organisation has apparently called on the government to release the group leader, Hilarion del Rosario Santos, alias Ahmed Santos, or face more bombs.

Santos was arrested in 2005 in conjunction with an alleged plot to bomb a nightclub strip frequented by foreigners in Manila.

The powerful bomb detonated on Friday, shattered windows and sent concrete and other debris flying through the air. More than 100 people were injured in the attack.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has not indicated who they believe is behind the attack, but Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, AFP public information chief, has been quoted as saying that the Rajah Solaiman Movement has the capability to launch such attacks in Manila.

The US state department lists the RSM as a Islamic extremist group comprising Christian converts to Islam, many of whom embraced extremist Islamic ideology while working in the Middle East. It promotes the use of violence and terrorism against Philippino Christians and Westerners, with the aim of turning the Philippines into an Islamic state.

In a September 2005 report , leading expert on regional terrorism, Zacharia Abuza, said that the Philippines’ main Islamic terror group, Abu Sayyaf, and the Asian region's main terror organisation, Jemaah Islamiyah, had taken advantage of the ‘Balik Islam’ (Christian converts to Islam) networks.

Meanwhile, President Gloria Arroyo said the city's emergency services were on high alert, and 2,000 extra personnel had been drafted in "to prevent a similar occurrence".

"We assure everyone that a full-blown investigation is now under way," she said on local TV.

The president's security adviser Norberto Gonzales said the Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf has been trying to raise international support over the Internet.

"What is more ominous here is they may be planning a bigger attack," he said on Philippines radio.

In 2004, more than 100 people died when militants from Abu Sayyaf - who are battling the military in the south of the country - blew up a passenger ferry in the capital.

And in February 2005, four people died in a bomb attack on a Manila bus.

Friday, October 19, 2007

பிலிப்பைன்ஸ் ஷாப்பிங் மாலில் வெடிகுண்டு வெடித்து 8 பேர் பலி 89 பேர் படுகாயம்

இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் பிலிப்பைன்ஸ் ஷாப்புங் மாலில் வைத்த வெடிகுண்டால், 8 பேர் பலியானார்கள். 89 பேர் படுகாயம் அடைந்துள்ளனர்.

Eight killed, 89 hurt in Makati mall blast

Eight people were killed while at least 89 others were injured after an explosion ripped through an upscale mall in Makati City Friday afternoon.

Red Cross and police officials said 56 people injured in the blast were rushed to Makati Medical Center while 33 others were brought to Ospital ng Makati.

In a press conference, Philippine National Police chief Avelino Razon said the blast in the Glorietta 2 ground level at 1:30 p.m. was "probably caused by a bomb" and not a gas leak as earlier reported.

"This was a bomb. But beyond that we can't say anything else yet because we are still investigating. What I can say is it was not LPG that caused this," Razon told reporters.

He said there was still no conclusive evidence to determine if the blast was caused by a C-4 bomb, a military explosive, or any other improvised explosive device. He added that the police cannot definitely say if the explosion was a terrorist attack.

Director Geary Barias, National Capital Region Police Office chief, said bomb debris carpeted a 200 square-meter area in the mall. "The ceilings are damaged and may collapse," Barias said.

The explosion ripped through the roof of the mall and damaged nearby shops. Debris from the blast were scattered on the streets.

A general alert has been issued for the rest of the city and for the international airport, officials said. A meeting of the National Security Council was called for later in the day.

Barias placed all police units in Metro Manila on full alert status and ordered district offices to put up more checkpoints in the metropolis. He added that he will order more policemen deployed in nearby malls to maintain peace and order.

"We will send policemen to other malls to restore order especially here in Makati and to prevent any untoward incident," Barias told reporters.

The blast, which occurred during lunch-hour, spread panic in the city of 12 million people, which has in the past been the scene of attacks by Muslim separatist rebels.

Several shoppers said the blast was heard from a nearby baby store in the mall. Liana Navarro, sister of Black and White Movement’s Leah Navarro and who was in the mall with her mother, said several people including children were seen with “obvious injuries.”

Another witness, Arel Vertucio, said the explosion was so strong that it was felt up to the third level of the mall. Vertucio said he saw some people lying on the ground.

Eyewitness Icy Marinas was only 15 meters away from the Glorietta explosion when it occurred. She said the blast felt like an "intense earthquake."

She said she saw a pregnant woman crying after the blast while other women started rushing out of the mall with their families. She added that she saw "three bloodied men" near the blast site while the security guards just stood around with no reaction.

Charlie Nepomuceno, an employee at the Glorietta mall, said the powerful explosion appeared to have centered on an escalator.

"It left a deep crater at the foot of the escalator," he said. "It also ripped open the roof of the building. I saw a man thrown on to the roof who had lost a leg."

He said a badly mangled body of a woman was near the escalator.

Manila has largely been spared a spate of bomb attacks by Muslim rebels that have plagued the southern Mindanao region. But it has been hit in the past. A series of bomb blasts in 2000 killed at least 22 people.

President Arroyo ordered the police to “leave no stone unturned” in its investigation on the explosion.

“The President is deeply saddened by this incident and extends her sympathies to the families of the casualties…She has also ordered the PNP to get to the bottom of things and to leave no stone unturned,” Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.

Bunye said the President also ordered the Department of Social Welfare and Development to extend assistance to the victims. With a report from Reuters

Friday, August 10, 2007

பிலிப்பைன்ஸ்: இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் - ராணுவம் துப்பாக்கி சண்டை: 52 பேர் பலி

மணிலா, ஆக. 10-

ஈராக் மற்றும் ஆப்கானிஸ்தானில் தீவிரவாதிகள் பணய கைதிகளை கடத்திச் செல்வது, கார்குண்டு தாக்குதல் போன்ற வன்முறை சம்பவங்களில் ஈடுபடுவது போல பிலிப்பைன்ஸ் நாட்டி லும் `அடிசயாப்' என்ற தீவிர வாதிகள் வன்முறைகளில் ஈடுபட்டு வருகிறார்கள். இந்த இயக்கம் அல்கொய்தா இயக்கத்தின் ஒரு பிரிவாக செயல்பட்டு வருகிறது.

இந்த தீவிரவாதிகளை ஒடுக்க கடந்த சில நாட்களாக பிலிப்பைன்ஸ் ராணுவம் முடுக்கி விடப்பட்டது. ஜோலோ தீவில் தீவிரவாதி களின் முகாம்களை ராணுவம் முற்றுகையிட்டு தீவிர தாக்குதலில் ஈடுபட்டது. அப்போது தீவிரவாதிகளுக்கும், ராணுவத்துக்கும் இடையே கடும் துப்பாக்கி சண்டை நடை பெற்றது.

கடந்த 2 நாட்களாக நடந்த இந்த கடும் துப்பாக்கி சண்டையில் 25 ராணு வத்தினரும் 27 தீவிரவாதிகளும் கொல்லப்பட்டனர்.

ராணுவத்தினரை ஏற்றிச் சென்ற ஒரு லாரி மீது தீவிரவாதிகள் சுற்றிவளைத்து தாக்குதல் நடத்தினார்கள். இதில் பல ராணுவத்தினர் பலியானார்கள். அந்த பகுதியில் தொடர்ந்து சண்டை நீடிக்கிறது.

நன்றி மாலைமலர்

Monday, August 06, 2007

முஸ்லீம் பயங்கரவாதிகளுக்கு பின்னால் 80 சத முஸ்லீம்கள்!

மிண்டனவோ மாநிலத்தில் பிலிப்பைன்ஸில் தீவ்ரமாக இயங்கும் அபு ஸைய்யப் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாத குழுவின் பின்னால்தான் 80 சதவீத முஸ்லீம்கள் இருக்கிறார்கள் என்று பிலிப்பைன்ஸ் முஸ்லீம் எம்பி கூறியுள்ளார்.

இந்த அபு ஸைய்யப் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாத குழு அந்நியர்களையும் பிலிப்பைன்ஸில் உள்ள கிறிஸ்துவர்களையும் கடத்திச் சென்று அவர்களது தலைகளை துண்டிப்பதை வழக்கமாக கொண்டது.

80% of Muslims in Mindanao sympathetic to Sayyaf, says lawmaker
By DELON PORCALLA
The Philippine Star


The lone congressman of war-torn Basilan has revealed 80 percent of Muslims in Mindanao are “sympathetic” to the bandit group Abu Sayyaf, which gained international notoriety for kidnapping foreigners and beheading its captives.

Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar made the claim in a privilege speech as he insisted that some armed groups are riding on the notoriety of the Abu Sayyaf and adopted its brutal methods.

Akbar insisted that those behind the July 10 ambush of Marines, 10 of whom were beheaded, were not Abu Sayyaf but common criminals who are sympathizers of the bandit group.

“Before this august body, I would claim that 80 percent of the Muslims are sympathetic to the Abu Sayyaf,” said the former three-term governor of Basilan in a privilege speech before his colleagues in the House of Representatives last week.

He said some criminal syndicates took up the cudgels for the Abu Sayyaf just to gain media attention.

At the same time, Akbar urged the media to “refrain” from reporting the presence of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan, insisting that the remaining armed groups are merely espousing “Abu Sayyaf-like attitude.”

He said some members of the Abu Sayyaf still come and go to Basilan but maintained “no Abu Sayyaf lairs” exist in the province.

A self-confessed smuggler and deputy commander of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Akbar said he resented being tagged as co-founder of the terror group.

“Nung buhay pa sila, problema ko na, hanggang sa patay na sila, problema ko pa rin (When they were still active, it was my problem but now that they are dead, they are still my problem.) This accusation (of being a co-founder of Abu Sayyaf) is from time to time repeated in the media,” Akbar said. “Abu Sayyaf now is nowhere to be found.”

The problem with his name, Akbar pointed out, is “whenever there is an encounter between the armed groups and the military, the armed groups always shout Allahu Akbar (God is great) which is sometimes construed as my presence during the battle.”

According to Akbar, he became more popular because his name is often called out in clashes with government troops.

“Like for example the case of the previous Albarka incident. That’s how popular my name is and even in the battlefield the rebels are campaigning for me but it’s in a wrong time and place because the election is already over,” he said.

Akbar, like other Muslim lawmakers, is opposing the government’s planned “punitive action” against Moro rebels in Basilan.

“Pursuing peace through war cannot be a solution and can never be employed as an effective means to an end,” he said.

“Solving the problem by inflicting more damage on both sides is not solving the problem at all. Rather, it is aggravating the problem and driving the tamed civilians to become untamed. This policy to me is distraction and not attraction,” he said.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதத்தால் 1700 பேர் பிலிப்பைன்ஸில் 7 வருடத்தில் பலி

கடந்த 7 வருடங்களில் 1700 பேருக்கும் மேல் பிலிப்பைன்ஸில் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதத்தால் கொல்லப்பட்டிருக்கின்றனர்.

இதில் மோரோ இஸ்லாமிக் லிபரேஷன் பிரண்ட் என்ற அமைப்பு மிகத்தீவிரமாக இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதத்தை முன்னெடுத்து செல்கிறது என்று அறிக்கைகள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.

Philippines is Southeast Asia's terror hotspot: report

By Manny Mogato
Reuters
Monday, July 30, 2007; 1:20 AM


MANILA (Reuters) - More than 1,700 people have been killed or wounded in Islamic militant attacks in the Philippines during the last seven years, the highest number in Southeast Asia, a human rights group said on Monday.

In a report, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch blamed two small militant groups based in the southern Philippines for the killings -- Abu Sayyaf and the Rajah Solaiman Movement.

The scale of violence in the Philippines, however, has not received widespread attention outside the region, said John Sifton, senior researcher on terrorism and counter-terrorism at Human Rights Watch in New York.

"Extremist armed groups have spread terror among civilians in the Philippines," Sifton said.

"They have bombed buses carrying workers, food markets where people were shopping, airports where relatives were waiting for loved ones and ferry boats carrying families."

The 28-page report also faulted the Philippine government for not prosecuting those responsible for the attacks. Although some suspects had been arrested since 2000, it said very few had been brought successfully to trial.

The group also criticized Manila's new law to fight terrorism, saying it contained "dangerous over-broad provisions that violate human rights standards."

"The Philippines doesn't need a new abusive counter terrorism law," said Sifton. "The government isn't using the laws it already has, so why does it need new provisions that violate human rights?"

The Philippines is hosting Asia-Pacific's largest security gathering this week in Manila, where it is pushing for Southeast Asian countries to create a regional human rights body.

Human Rights Watch said it suspected the Abu Sayyaf and Rajah Solaiman continued to have links with rogue elements of larger Muslim rebel groups -- the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

The group called on the United States and the international community to provide assistance to ongoing peace talks between the government and Muslim rebels to make sure any deals reached would promote human rights and protect civilian population.

"To end the bombings, kidnappings and other violence, other governments have to pressure Philippine leaders to put a greater emphasis on protecting civilian life," Sifton said.