From Lawfare (Oct 14): Water Wars: Full Speed Ahead for the Americans, While the British Reverse Course (By Elliot Kim)
U.S. Conducts Its Fourth FONOP in Five Months, as the U.K. Revises Its Policy on FONOPs in the South China Sea
This week, the U.S. Navy conducted the Trump administration’s fourth freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea, while the United Kingdom seemingly reversed its policy on such operations.
On October, the USS Chafee conducted a FONOP near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. The guided-missile destroyer reportedly came within 16 nautical miles of the Paracels, which have been controlled by China since 1974. The USS Chafee notably did not pass the 12 nautical mile threshold that would delineate territorial waters under the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea. U.S. naval vessels conducting FONOPs generally sail within 12 nautical miles of the disputed island to indicate that the United States does not recognize the territorial claims. Pentagon officials did not comment on the specific operation but reiterated that the United States carries out regular FONOPs and will continue to do so.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army responded to the Chafee by deploying a warship, two fighter jets and a helicopter, according to a press release by the Chinese Ministry of Defense. Pentagon officials confirmed the PLA response but noted that the interaction between the PLA forces and the Chafee was “safe and professional.” The Defense Ministry also stressed that the “Chinese military will further strengthen its naval and air defense capability to safeguard its sovereignty and security.” On the diplomatic side, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged “serious representations” with U.S. officials over the Chafee’s operation, according to Hua Chunying, the spokesperson who addressed the issue during the Ministry’s daily press conference. Hua also urged the United States to “faithfully respect China’s sovereignty and security interest as well as regional countries’ efforts to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea and stop such wrongdoings.”
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom appears to be changing its position on FONOPs in the South China Sea. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, when Defense Secretary Michael Fallon was asked about FONOPs at a Conservative Party conference earlier this month, he replied that while that while British military did not plan to conduct FONOPs to challenge China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. “We will exercise our right of navigation,” Fallon said, but “the Americans have been carrying out specific exercises throughout some of the disputed islands, and we’re not, we don’t have plans to do that.”
This pronouncement seems to reverse the U.K. government’s position from July, when Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson stated that the Royal Navy would deploy its two new aircraft carriers to soon conduct FONOPs in the South China Sea. At the time, Defense Secretary Fallon himself confirmed that Britain planned to send a naval vessel to the South China Sea to conduct a FONOP.
In Other News…
Taiwan
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen delivered a speech in front of the Presidential Office Building commemorating Taiwan’s National Day on October 10th. During her address, President Tsai highlighted previously announced plans to utilize Taiping Island–also known as Itu Aba Island–as a regional center for humanitarian assistance and logistical. The disputed territory is the largest naturally occurring island of the Spratlys and is also claimed by China, the Philippines and Vietnam. In addition, Tsai mentioned in her speech that Taiwan is building “a station to monitor greenhouse gases” on the Dongsha Islands, which are also claimed by China but controlled by Taiwan. Tsai called these plans to develop the Taiping and Dongsha Islands “a source of pride for the Taiwanese people and a force for stability, peace, and prosperity in the region.”
Philippines
Earlier this month, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police received a donation from China of three thousand M4 rifles, three million rounds of ammunitions and 90 sniper scopes. At the donation ceremony, the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, Zhao Jianhua, avowed that China is “committed to friendly and cooperative relations with the Philippines.” Ambassador Zhao pointed to the donation of arms, ammunitions, and accessories as “another demonstration of China’s commitment” to maintaining these relations.
At the same event, Ambassador Zhao sought to reassure the Philippine public about the presence of Chinese ships in the South China Sea. Noting that it was “quite natural” for Chinese ships to be in disputed waters, because the countries shared overlapping claims, Zhao also stated that China had no intention of settling maritime disputes with the Philippines by force.
Australia
Two Australian naval vessels arrived in Manila on Tuesday for a good will visit. The HMAS Adelaide, a landing helicopter dock, and the HMAS Darwin, a guided missile frigate, were greeted by Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorley and Philippine naval officials. Later in the day, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte toured the Adelaide and thanked Ambassador Gorley, the Australian officers and the crew.
The five-day port call is part of one of the largest deployment of Australian military assets to the region in several decades. According to Cpt. Jonathan Earley, the head of the Australian military contingent, the two ships plan to participate in humanitarian aid and disaster relief drills with the Philippine military. Earley was clear that there were no plans for these ships to conduct a FONOP in the South China Sea. He nevertheless affirmed Australia’s “strong interest in regional security and respect for international law…[including] the freedom of trade, and the ability to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight where required.”
Analysis and Commentary
This week’s commentary focused on U.S. and Japanese strategy regarding the Senkaku Islands. Tetsuo Kotani, executive director and secretary-general of the Japan Institute of International Affairs, penned an op-ed in the Japan Times calling on President Trump to visit Okinawa during next month’s visit to Japan. Comparing Okinawa to the DMZ, Kotani argues that President Trump should visit “the frontlines” of the East China Sea maritime disputes in order to emphasize that the United States protects the Senkaku Islands under the U.S.-Japan security treaty. The op-ed notes that Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, made a similar visit in May when he visited Yonaguni Island, which is just 80 nautical miles from the Senkaku island chain.
Meanwhile, Grant Newsham of the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies outlines a plan in the Asia Times for Japan to defend its islands from China. In response to the steadily escalation of military activity near disputed islands in the East China Sea, Newsham calls for regular and frequent air and naval patrols and exercises with American forces in the areas surrounding the Ryukyu Islands, Japan’s southern chain of islands stretching into the East China Sea. Newsham further calls on Japan and the United States to end “decades of timid behavior” that have “put [the Senkaku Islands] at risk” by using two maritime firing ranges near the islands that have been dormant since the Carter administration.
Finally, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gave a speech at Columbia University last month calling for a more cooperative U.S.–China relationship. In response, Professor Panos Mourdoukoutas of LIU Post acknowledged that economically such a relationship makes sense but expressed pessimism that the two countries could cooperate when it comes to the South China Sea. According to Mourdoukoutas, the two countries have fundamental disagreements about what the definition of the South China Sea. While “Washington and its allies think of the body of water as an open sea[,] Beijing thinks that [the South China Sea] is its own sea.”
https://www.lawfareblog.com/water-wars-full-speed-ahead-americans-while-british-reverse-course
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Syndicates may be providing foreign militants with fake documents to enter Malaysia, police say
From the Straits Times (Oct 14): Syndicates may be providing foreign militants with fake documents to enter Malaysia, police say
Police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said on Saturday (Oct 14) the 45 foreign terrorists nabbed in the country this year had used various methods to sneak into Malaysia. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
The Malaysian police are looking into the possibility that syndicates are providing foreign terrorist fighters with fake documents to enter the country, The Star reported.
Police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said on Saturday (Oct 14) the 45 foreign terrorists nabbed in the country this year had used various methods to sneak into Malaysia, including with fake travel documents and student visas.
"There are also some of them who came into the country to study in religious institutions. We are working closely with the respective authorities, especially higher learning institutions, to detect these militants to curb this problem," he told a press conference.
Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi had said on Friday that a total of 45 foreign terror fighters were detained in several special operations held between January and Oct 6 this year.
The arrests were made based on intelligence that remnants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had been instructed to infiltrate other countries to launch attacks after losing the majority of their bases in Iraq and Syria.
Among the 45 terrorists detained by Malaysia's Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division were nine from the Abu Sayyaf Group, three from the Turkish Fetullah Terrorist Organisation, one from an Albanian terror cell linked with ISIS and another from the Jamaatul Mujahideen which operates in Bangladesh.
Thus far, 13 have been brought to court, 12 were deported to their respective countries, seven were freed while one has been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015. The remaining 12 are still under investigation.
Mohamad Fuzi said police have also nabbed three more militants over the last three days.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/syndicates-may-be-providing-foreign-militants-with-fake-documents-to-enter-malaysia
Police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said on Saturday (Oct 14) the 45 foreign terrorists nabbed in the country this year had used various methods to sneak into Malaysia. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
The Malaysian police are looking into the possibility that syndicates are providing foreign terrorist fighters with fake documents to enter the country, The Star reported.
Police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said on Saturday (Oct 14) the 45 foreign terrorists nabbed in the country this year had used various methods to sneak into Malaysia, including with fake travel documents and student visas.
"There are also some of them who came into the country to study in religious institutions. We are working closely with the respective authorities, especially higher learning institutions, to detect these militants to curb this problem," he told a press conference.
Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi had said on Friday that a total of 45 foreign terror fighters were detained in several special operations held between January and Oct 6 this year.
The arrests were made based on intelligence that remnants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had been instructed to infiltrate other countries to launch attacks after losing the majority of their bases in Iraq and Syria.
Among the 45 terrorists detained by Malaysia's Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division were nine from the Abu Sayyaf Group, three from the Turkish Fetullah Terrorist Organisation, one from an Albanian terror cell linked with ISIS and another from the Jamaatul Mujahideen which operates in Bangladesh.
Thus far, 13 have been brought to court, 12 were deported to their respective countries, seven were freed while one has been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015. The remaining 12 are still under investigation.
Mohamad Fuzi said police have also nabbed three more militants over the last three days.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/syndicates-may-be-providing-foreign-militants-with-fake-documents-to-enter-malaysia
Court orders arrest of alleged Abu Sayyaf bomb expert's mom
From Rappler (Oct 14): Court orders arrest of alleged Abu Sayyaf bomb expert's mom
Judith Dongon is ordered to appear before a regional trial court to face charges of resistance and disobedience of an agent of a person in authority
BOHOL, Philippines – A court here issued an arrest warrant against the mother of a suspected terrorist bomb expert, who, together with a female police official, had attempted to rescue Abu Sayyaf remnants that drifted to Bohol in April this year.
Judith Dongon, 62, mother of alleged bomb expert Renierlo Dongon, has been ordered to appear before Regional Trial Court Branch 48 Judge Jorge Cabalit, to face charges of resistance and disobedience of an agent of a person in authority.
J. Dongon, her son Renierlo, a 13-year-old son of Rajah Sulaiman Movement leader Ahmed Santos, and now dismissed Police Superintendent Maria Cristina Nobleza were arrested on April 22 in Clarin town, Bohol, on suspicions of attempting to rescue Abu Sayyaf stragglers.
The 4 were aboard a black Nissan Navara when they were intercepted at a checkpoint set up by the army and the police at the height of the hot pursuit operations on the fleeing Abu Sayyaf bandits that tried to infiltrate Bohol.
Police recovered at their rented apartment in Panglao town, Bohol some bomb-making materials and blasting caps.
Flying out of Camp Crame in Quezon City, R. Dongon and Nobleza, considered "high-risk detainees," arrived in Bohol Friday, October 13, to face charges on illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Certain roads in the city were closed to commuters Friday as the court heard the case for Dongon and Nobleza.
Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operatives were deployed outside the court building.
Tight security was also established at a district jail here where the couple (the two had claimed they wed under Muslim rites) were temporarily detained while waiting for a late-afternoon commercial flight back to Camp Crame.
Whereabouts
The impromptu issuance of the arrest warrant came after judge Cabalit was informed by provincial prosecutor Eric M. Ucat that J. Dongon is not detained in Bohol.
A police officer from Camp Crame had confirmed with Cabalit that J. Dongon has not been under the custody by the PNP national headquarters since her arrest in Bohol last April.
Earlier, PNP Director General Roland "Bato" Dela Rosa branded Judith Dongon as a "hard-core mother" due to her alleged ties with extremists.
Judith's daughters, according to Dela Rosa, had married slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan (who was killed by the Special Action Force in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, in 2015), Abu Sayyaf founder Khadaffy Janjalani, Abu Sulayman al-Muhajir (believed to be a senior member of al-Qaeda's Al Nusra Front), and Santos.
R. Dongon was the alleged culprit in the 2012 bombing in Cagayan de Oro City which killed 4 persons, including two police officers.
Dongon, who was once detained in Camp Crame, was later released by court due to some "legal technicalities."
Request granted
Meanwhile, the court here granted separate medical check-up requests by Dongon and Nobleza.
Nobleza, through her legal counsel Sarah Soriano Hermida, told the court she has an impaired vision. Dongon, appearing before the court without a lawyer, told the judge he needs his metal braces removed.
At the hearing, the judge ordered police escorts that the two cannot go to any other hospital except the PNP General Hospital in Quezon City.
Cabalit, on the other hand, gave the prosecution team 15 days to comment on Nobleza's omnibus motion to quash the information and the motion to dismiss the case.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/185258-court-orders-arrest-mother-alleged-abu-sayyaf-bomb-expert
Judith Dongon is ordered to appear before a regional trial court to face charges of resistance and disobedience of an agent of a person in authority
ABU SAYYAF LINKS. Alleged bomb expert Renierlo Dongon (left) and dismissed Police Superintendent Maria Cristina Nobleza (wearing a hijab) are temporarily detained at a local jail facility in Bohol on October 13, 2017, as they await a commercial flight back to Camp Crame in Quezon City. Photo by Michael Ortega Ligalig/Rappler
BOHOL, Philippines – A court here issued an arrest warrant against the mother of a suspected terrorist bomb expert, who, together with a female police official, had attempted to rescue Abu Sayyaf remnants that drifted to Bohol in April this year.
Judith Dongon, 62, mother of alleged bomb expert Renierlo Dongon, has been ordered to appear before Regional Trial Court Branch 48 Judge Jorge Cabalit, to face charges of resistance and disobedience of an agent of a person in authority.
The 4 were aboard a black Nissan Navara when they were intercepted at a checkpoint set up by the army and the police at the height of the hot pursuit operations on the fleeing Abu Sayyaf bandits that tried to infiltrate Bohol.
Police recovered at their rented apartment in Panglao town, Bohol some bomb-making materials and blasting caps.
Flying out of Camp Crame in Quezon City, R. Dongon and Nobleza, considered "high-risk detainees," arrived in Bohol Friday, October 13, to face charges on illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Certain roads in the city were closed to commuters Friday as the court heard the case for Dongon and Nobleza.
Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operatives were deployed outside the court building.
Tight security was also established at a district jail here where the couple (the two had claimed they wed under Muslim rites) were temporarily detained while waiting for a late-afternoon commercial flight back to Camp Crame.
Whereabouts
The impromptu issuance of the arrest warrant came after judge Cabalit was informed by provincial prosecutor Eric M. Ucat that J. Dongon is not detained in Bohol.
A police officer from Camp Crame had confirmed with Cabalit that J. Dongon has not been under the custody by the PNP national headquarters since her arrest in Bohol last April.
Earlier, PNP Director General Roland "Bato" Dela Rosa branded Judith Dongon as a "hard-core mother" due to her alleged ties with extremists.
Judith's daughters, according to Dela Rosa, had married slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan (who was killed by the Special Action Force in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, in 2015), Abu Sayyaf founder Khadaffy Janjalani, Abu Sulayman al-Muhajir (believed to be a senior member of al-Qaeda's Al Nusra Front), and Santos.
R. Dongon was the alleged culprit in the 2012 bombing in Cagayan de Oro City which killed 4 persons, including two police officers.
Dongon, who was once detained in Camp Crame, was later released by court due to some "legal technicalities."
Request granted
Meanwhile, the court here granted separate medical check-up requests by Dongon and Nobleza.
Nobleza, through her legal counsel Sarah Soriano Hermida, told the court she has an impaired vision. Dongon, appearing before the court without a lawyer, told the judge he needs his metal braces removed.
At the hearing, the judge ordered police escorts that the two cannot go to any other hospital except the PNP General Hospital in Quezon City.
Cabalit, on the other hand, gave the prosecution team 15 days to comment on Nobleza's omnibus motion to quash the information and the motion to dismiss the case.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/185258-court-orders-arrest-mother-alleged-abu-sayyaf-bomb-expert
Duterte firm: No more peace talks with Reds
From the Manila Times (Oct 15): Duterte firm: No more peace talks with Reds
SAYING he has had enough, President Rodrigo Duterte declared that it’s time to resume fighting as he insisted that he no longer wanted to revive the peace negotiations with communist rebels.
“No more, wala na (It’s over). We can start the war, yes, after I shall have completed the training and distribute the new firearms, we will go into an offensive,” Duterte said in an interview aired on government-run People’s Television Network on Friday night.
“To the communists, let us fight again. Let us fight again for another 50 years,” the President added.
Duterte’s latest pronouncement was contrary to chief government negotiator Silvestre Bello 3rd’s statement on Thursday that the President was still open to the resumption of the talks with the communists.
On Friday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana echoed Bello’s pronouncement that the peace talks were “still alive.”
Bello, in a news conference in Malacañang, said the government did not formally terminate the talks despite the President’s earlier pronouncements.
He also said the President was not abandoning his promise to pursue “lasting peace” under his term by ensuring that the peace negotiations between the government and the communist rebels would be successful.
“When the President came in…he made a very clear statement that his legacy to our countrymen is a lasting peace for our country. So I don’t think that the President has abandoned that legacy,” Bello said.
“The talks are alive and we are just waiting for the President to give us the instruction to go back to the peace table,” he added.
Lorenzana said the peace process was only put on hold as disagreements on some issues were still unresolved.
“The President is adamant in resuming talks without a bilateral ceasefire,” the Defense chief said in a statement on Friday.
He said he had told the President that a proposed “ceasefire” must include: no extortion, no attacks on civilians and their properties, no attacks on the military and the police, and no recruitment or expansion.
“The [communist rebels]know these parameters…but it seems they are not sincere because they continue to burn equipment of companies who refuse their extortion demands and attack police and military,” Lorenzana said.
Duterte has been flip-flopping on the idea of reviving the peace negotiations, questioning the sincerity of the communists in dealing with the government.
The fifth round of talks scheduled for May 27 to June 1 was cancelled by the government after the Communist Party of the Philippines ordered the New People’s Army (NPA), its armed wing, to step up offensives against government forces implementing martial law in Mindanao.
Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23 to quell the Maute terrorist group that attacked Marawi City.
In July, Duterte told the government negotiating panel to drop the talks unless the NPA stopped its attacks on government troops and other illegal activities. He also insisted on a bilateral ceasefire agreement.
http://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-firm-no-peace-talks-reds/356545/
“To the communists, let us fight again. Let us fight again for another 50 years,” the President added.
Duterte’s latest pronouncement was contrary to chief government negotiator Silvestre Bello 3rd’s statement on Thursday that the President was still open to the resumption of the talks with the communists.
On Friday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana echoed Bello’s pronouncement that the peace talks were “still alive.”
Bello, in a news conference in Malacañang, said the government did not formally terminate the talks despite the President’s earlier pronouncements.
He also said the President was not abandoning his promise to pursue “lasting peace” under his term by ensuring that the peace negotiations between the government and the communist rebels would be successful.
“When the President came in…he made a very clear statement that his legacy to our countrymen is a lasting peace for our country. So I don’t think that the President has abandoned that legacy,” Bello said.
“The talks are alive and we are just waiting for the President to give us the instruction to go back to the peace table,” he added.
Lorenzana said the peace process was only put on hold as disagreements on some issues were still unresolved.
“The President is adamant in resuming talks without a bilateral ceasefire,” the Defense chief said in a statement on Friday.
He said he had told the President that a proposed “ceasefire” must include: no extortion, no attacks on civilians and their properties, no attacks on the military and the police, and no recruitment or expansion.
“The [communist rebels]know these parameters…but it seems they are not sincere because they continue to burn equipment of companies who refuse their extortion demands and attack police and military,” Lorenzana said.
Duterte has been flip-flopping on the idea of reviving the peace negotiations, questioning the sincerity of the communists in dealing with the government.
The fifth round of talks scheduled for May 27 to June 1 was cancelled by the government after the Communist Party of the Philippines ordered the New People’s Army (NPA), its armed wing, to step up offensives against government forces implementing martial law in Mindanao.
Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23 to quell the Maute terrorist group that attacked Marawi City.
In July, Duterte told the government negotiating panel to drop the talks unless the NPA stopped its attacks on government troops and other illegal activities. He also insisted on a bilateral ceasefire agreement.
http://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-firm-no-peace-talks-reds/356545/
Troops capture wounded NPA rebel
From the Philippine Star (Oct 15): Troops capture wounded NPA rebel
Barangay residents told reporters that Randy Anggit Indo was one of five NPA rebels wounded in the encounter. John Unson
Soldiers captured a wounded communist rebel and recovered roadside bombs during encounters in Makilala town on Saturday.
The 42-year-old Randy Anggit Indo of the Guerilla Front 51 of the New People’s Army was brought by personnel of the 39th Infantry Battalion to a hospital.
He was one of more than 30 NPAs who figured in running gunfights with members of the 39th IB on Saturday in Barangay Batasan in Makilala, a hinterland town in North Cotabato.
Military said hostilities erupted when Indo and his companions opened fire on soldiers and militiamen dispatched to check the reported presence of NPAs in the barangay collecting “protection money” from villagers at gunpoint.
Two soldiers were wounded in the ensuing skirmishes, according to Lt. Col. Harold Argamosa, 39th IB commander.
Barangay residents told reporters Indo was one of five NPAs wounded in the encounter. His comrades fled in nearby Barangay Biangan in the same town.
Argamosa said the rebels also left an M-16 assault rifle and three improvised explosive devices along their escape route as they fled in haste.
“We treat wounded enemies with compassion in keeping with International Humanitarian Laws. He (Indo) will be turned over properly either to the Makilala municipal police or the North Cotabato provincial police office,” Argamosa said.
Argamosa said explosives found by soldiers at the scene of the encounter were immediately deactivated by ordnance experts.
Answer to Marawi extremism seen as more than just religion
From Channel News Asia (Oct 13): Answer to Marawi extremism seen as more than just religion
The Marawi siege is reaching its end. But it is the protracted scars of this conflict, and the city’s role as a centre for religious militant insurrection, that still has the community concerned.
Damage sustained at Masjid Abu Bak'r mosque after fighting in the area. (Photo: Jack Board)
2related media assets (image or videos) available..
MARAWI, Philippines: The Masjid Abu Bak'r mosque is completely empty and cavernous. Prayers have not been held for months.
Outside, heavy rain shrouds a nearby two-story building riddled with bullet holes. Fierce fighting broke out here in the early stages of the conflict between Islamic State-linked militants and the Philippine military.
It was through a religious assembly here in mid-May that some Maute group members reportedly penetrated Marawi, evading the eyes of authorities already wary of extremist activities in the city.
The roof of the mosque provides a sweeping vista of the battleground, which has been reduced to a handful of crumbling buildings in the city’s business core alongside Lake Lanao. The minarets of other mosques adorned with the crescent moon of Islam are easily spotted in the distance.
2related media assets (image or videos) available..
MARAWI, Philippines: The Masjid Abu Bak'r mosque is completely empty and cavernous. Prayers have not been held for months.
Outside, heavy rain shrouds a nearby two-story building riddled with bullet holes. Fierce fighting broke out here in the early stages of the conflict between Islamic State-linked militants and the Philippine military.
It was through a religious assembly here in mid-May that some Maute group members reportedly penetrated Marawi, evading the eyes of authorities already wary of extremist activities in the city.
The roof of the mosque provides a sweeping vista of the battleground, which has been reduced to a handful of crumbling buildings in the city’s business core alongside Lake Lanao. The minarets of other mosques adorned with the crescent moon of Islam are easily spotted in the distance.
This building was badly damaged as militants held positions around Masjid Abu Bak'r mosque. (Photo: Jack Board)
The siege is reaching its end. But it is the protracted scars of this conflict, and the role Muslim-majority Marawi has played as a centre for religious militant insurrection that still has the community concerned.
Supt Ebra Moxbin, Marawi’s police chief and a practising imam, knows the Marawi community well. He remains worried about the wider implications of the siege but does not put the problems down to religion.
“You know it's not exactly religion but it's with money that they can convince people,” he said.
“One of the reasons is that the majority of the followers of Islamic State in Lanao del Sur are marginalised. That’s one of the reasons why the Maranao people choose to follow them."
Marawi's White Mosque was held by the Maute Group for months. (Photo: Jack Board)
"THIS IS FOR ISLAM"
Abu Bakr Andi, now living in a tent city as an evacuee, personally witnessed the initially soft hand of the infiltration. He says he was approached by the group that eventually attacked Marawi as part of a local recruitment drive.
He did not take the approach seriously at first and admits it was money - not ideology - that was used to attract supporters to their cause. “They asked me ‘who here among you would like the join the ISIS group’. None of us believed them,” he said.
“We never thought something like that would happen. We didn’t really pay attention. But then I asked ‘what is it for?’ They said this is for Islam. This is for jihad.
“So I sort of joked, ‘Ok then if we’re going to join you how much will you give us?’ He said 75,000 pesos (US$1,450).”
Disenfranchised teenagers are a prime target for recruitment by militant groups. (Photo: Jack Board)
As a man with a healthy income and a family’s safety to consider, he says he could resist the overtures where aimless youth could not. "It’s because they’re young. They can easily be manipulated. They’re not as strong-willed and easily give in.”
Pressure has been placed on local madrassas – religious schools – to reform their curriculum and teachings to prevent future troubles.
Imam Abdul Basit’s madrassa remains closed but he is looking ahead towards when teachings eventually resume. He said radicalism has been driven by outsiders and the local community is already wary of their influence.
“Its not the right thing that you will recruit people even if they’re still young,” he said. “If there’s anyone who will teach the wrong values we will ask him to leave. Here in this area, there is no one like that.
“We teach them to love other people, to embrace friendship – that’s why we are here in this world.”
Some of his counterparts though are less willing or able to make the same denouncements.
"We don’t like their way of life," Imam Abdul Basit says about militant groups in Marawi. (Photo: Jack Board)
"THEY WILL NOT DISAPPEAR"
In an interview with Channel NewsAsia in June, Grand Imam Idah Ali of the Lanao Islamic Center in Baloi said he would not criticise the militant movement.
“I cannot do anything about ISIS. These people have a personal interest. I cannot say about this because if I talk about them, what will happen? Maybe they will be angry at me,” he said.
Muhd Saiful Alam Shah from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University believes there are genuine risks to religious leaders in Mindanao del Sur due to inter-marriages and the tribal nature of the community, but discreet objection can be done through a new approach to learning Islam.
Madrasas are mostly closed throughout Marawi. (Photo: Jack Board)
“Critical thinking should be part of religious learning rather then mere acceptance of what was taught. The clerics must be bold enough to tackle hard questions relating to religious narratives used by militants to advance their cause,” he said.
“Mainstream clerics have the upper hand in influencing public opinion about Islam.”
Closely intertwined are the opportunities being presented to young people, and the hopelessness that can emerge and be exploited when few are presented. Extremists have taken advantage of the widespread poverty in the region - one of the poorest in the Philippines - to recruit followers and rally support.
“The next question is why one should stay alive when there is nothing that he can look forward to in life? The standard of living must be developed. This can be regarded as communal rehabilitation,” Saiful said.
Marawi is a Muslim-majority city in a country dominated by Catholicism. (Photo: Jack Board)
Prominent local religious leader Sultan Abuk Hamidula Atar argues that if the solution to heal Marawi comes through money and physical rebuilding efforts, it is bound to fail. Instead, there needs to be an understanding of the causes of radicalisation, particularly among disenchanted youth who have been victims of conflicts for years.
“I am afraid of this situation, instead of crushing the radical group you are now producing another big radical group,” he said.
Rehabilitating community relations and preventing an extremist return to Marawi will require a bigger effort than ever before, targeted at different sectors, according to Colonel Romeo Brawner, the deputy commander of Joint Task Group Ranao.
“It’s more of a whole of nation approach. It’s not just the military preparing in case this thing happens again,” he said, adding that local government units and civilian volunteers would present the first line of defence to the threat of rekindled militancy.
Madrasa's are under pressure to amend their curriculums for young boys. (Photo: Jack Board)
While this attempt to raise a caliphate in Mindanao has failed, the protracted battle has exposed a national weakness and provided a spotlight to the perpetrators. President Rodrigo Duterte has already warned about the fight moving to new places.
"They will not disappear. They will regroup anywhere and everywhere,” he told soldiers on Wednesday (Oct 11).
For residents of Marawi, most of whom are still displaced, it is a frightening prospect.
“We get scared now by everything,” Abu Bakr Andi said. “When I see the soldiers my heart pounds. We are the ones who will suffer.”
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/answer-to-marawi-extremism-seen-as-more-than-just-religion-9304776
The siege is reaching its end. But it is the protracted scars of this conflict, and the role Muslim-majority Marawi has played as a centre for religious militant insurrection that still has the community concerned.
Supt Ebra Moxbin, Marawi’s police chief and a practising imam, knows the Marawi community well. He remains worried about the wider implications of the siege but does not put the problems down to religion.
“You know it's not exactly religion but it's with money that they can convince people,” he said.
“One of the reasons is that the majority of the followers of Islamic State in Lanao del Sur are marginalised. That’s one of the reasons why the Maranao people choose to follow them."
Marawi's White Mosque was held by the Maute Group for months. (Photo: Jack Board)
"THIS IS FOR ISLAM"
Abu Bakr Andi, now living in a tent city as an evacuee, personally witnessed the initially soft hand of the infiltration. He says he was approached by the group that eventually attacked Marawi as part of a local recruitment drive.
He did not take the approach seriously at first and admits it was money - not ideology - that was used to attract supporters to their cause. “They asked me ‘who here among you would like the join the ISIS group’. None of us believed them,” he said.
“We never thought something like that would happen. We didn’t really pay attention. But then I asked ‘what is it for?’ They said this is for Islam. This is for jihad.
“So I sort of joked, ‘Ok then if we’re going to join you how much will you give us?’ He said 75,000 pesos (US$1,450).”
Disenfranchised teenagers are a prime target for recruitment by militant groups. (Photo: Jack Board)
As a man with a healthy income and a family’s safety to consider, he says he could resist the overtures where aimless youth could not. "It’s because they’re young. They can easily be manipulated. They’re not as strong-willed and easily give in.”
Pressure has been placed on local madrassas – religious schools – to reform their curriculum and teachings to prevent future troubles.
Imam Abdul Basit’s madrassa remains closed but he is looking ahead towards when teachings eventually resume. He said radicalism has been driven by outsiders and the local community is already wary of their influence.
“Its not the right thing that you will recruit people even if they’re still young,” he said. “If there’s anyone who will teach the wrong values we will ask him to leave. Here in this area, there is no one like that.
“We teach them to love other people, to embrace friendship – that’s why we are here in this world.”
Some of his counterparts though are less willing or able to make the same denouncements.
"We don’t like their way of life," Imam Abdul Basit says about militant groups in Marawi. (Photo: Jack Board)
"THEY WILL NOT DISAPPEAR"
In an interview with Channel NewsAsia in June, Grand Imam Idah Ali of the Lanao Islamic Center in Baloi said he would not criticise the militant movement.
“I cannot do anything about ISIS. These people have a personal interest. I cannot say about this because if I talk about them, what will happen? Maybe they will be angry at me,” he said.
Muhd Saiful Alam Shah from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University believes there are genuine risks to religious leaders in Mindanao del Sur due to inter-marriages and the tribal nature of the community, but discreet objection can be done through a new approach to learning Islam.
Madrasas are mostly closed throughout Marawi. (Photo: Jack Board)
“Critical thinking should be part of religious learning rather then mere acceptance of what was taught. The clerics must be bold enough to tackle hard questions relating to religious narratives used by militants to advance their cause,” he said.
“Mainstream clerics have the upper hand in influencing public opinion about Islam.”
Closely intertwined are the opportunities being presented to young people, and the hopelessness that can emerge and be exploited when few are presented. Extremists have taken advantage of the widespread poverty in the region - one of the poorest in the Philippines - to recruit followers and rally support.
“The next question is why one should stay alive when there is nothing that he can look forward to in life? The standard of living must be developed. This can be regarded as communal rehabilitation,” Saiful said.
Marawi is a Muslim-majority city in a country dominated by Catholicism. (Photo: Jack Board)
Prominent local religious leader Sultan Abuk Hamidula Atar argues that if the solution to heal Marawi comes through money and physical rebuilding efforts, it is bound to fail. Instead, there needs to be an understanding of the causes of radicalisation, particularly among disenchanted youth who have been victims of conflicts for years.
“I am afraid of this situation, instead of crushing the radical group you are now producing another big radical group,” he said.
Rehabilitating community relations and preventing an extremist return to Marawi will require a bigger effort than ever before, targeted at different sectors, according to Colonel Romeo Brawner, the deputy commander of Joint Task Group Ranao.
“It’s more of a whole of nation approach. It’s not just the military preparing in case this thing happens again,” he said, adding that local government units and civilian volunteers would present the first line of defence to the threat of rekindled militancy.
Madrasa's are under pressure to amend their curriculums for young boys. (Photo: Jack Board)
While this attempt to raise a caliphate in Mindanao has failed, the protracted battle has exposed a national weakness and provided a spotlight to the perpetrators. President Rodrigo Duterte has already warned about the fight moving to new places.
"They will not disappear. They will regroup anywhere and everywhere,” he told soldiers on Wednesday (Oct 11).
For residents of Marawi, most of whom are still displaced, it is a frightening prospect.
“We get scared now by everything,” Abu Bakr Andi said. “When I see the soldiers my heart pounds. We are the ones who will suffer.”
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/answer-to-marawi-extremism-seen-as-more-than-just-religion-9304776
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