Bangsamoro folk to learn from Malaysia

From AsiaOne News (Dec 7): Bangsamoro folk to learn from Malaysia

JOHOR BARU - Residents from the Southern Phillipine Bangsamoro area will be sent to Malaysia for training and education in a variety of areas, said Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Murad Ebrahim. "There is a group of Bangsamoro students studying in Malaysia and other parts of the world but we hope to increase the number based on availability of places," Murad said on the sidelines of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) here. Murad said other than educational opportunities, the Bangsa-moro people would also be analysing the economic development of Malaysia to see how local policies can be applied to Bangsamoro. "We will also study how Malaysia achieved what it has achieved. We have noticed that the experiences which Malaysia has gone through is relevant to us," he said. He noted that Bangsamoro were also impressed with the Islamic Banking system in Malaysia and were keen to adopt the system as well.

Meanwhile, on the WIEF, Murad said a special session was held for investors interested in Bangsamoro. "A total of 30 investors, including Malaysians, attended the event and they expressed willingness to travel to Bangsamoro to see for themselves the situation on the ground and decide on how they would like to invest," he said, adding that the region was rich in natural resources and had 20 kinds of minerals, including natural gas. On the framework agreement and why he was confident that it would be executed according to plan, Murad said this was because many militant groups in the area were aiming to achieve the same goal as the MILF. "We all want independence and freedom for the Bangsamoro people and the framework agreement is directed to this," he said. The framework agreement was signed between the Philippine Government and MILF in October, ending 40 years of conflict in the region.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20121207-388119.html