From the Philippine Star (Aug 20): China ships planting markers in Phl zone
The Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea are not only conducting an extended maritime patrol over Recto Bank but are also putting markers within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the oil-rich area, a senior security official bared yesterday.
“They’re not only patrolling in the area, they are also installing their own markers. While they’re continuously putting up their own maritime markers at Recto Bank, we are also continuously blasting them,” the security official told The STAR.
The latest maritime operation that resulted in the destruction of the markers put up by Chinese at Recto Bank was launched middle of July.
This operation was in line with the standing government directive issued in the 1990s to remove any structures put up by anybody in the area, the security official said.
A naval officer, who used to be assigned in the area, confirmed the government directive, adding that during his time there were several instances that elite naval teams had to be dispatched to remove the Chinese markers at Recto Bank.
Recto Bank is believed to contain huge mineral deposits. And maritime security experts, including former National Security Adviser Roilo Golez, believe that this is the main reason why the Chinese continue posturing at the West Philippine Sea, specifically in Ayungin Shoal.
Ayungin Shoal is strategically located between Panganiban Reef and Recto Bank where the government has ongoing oil exploration projects.
China started deploying regular maritime patrols in the disputed region and has blockaded the entrance of Ayungin Shoal in a bid to starve the Philippine Marines guarding the area and force them to abandon their post aboard a grounded Philippine Navy ship, BRP Sierra Madre.
On a regular basis, at least three Chinese coast guard missile-firing frigates are guarding Ayungin Shoal. They are coming from Mischief Reef.
Mischief Reef is now under Beijing’s de facto control after it grabbed the unoccupied area from the Philippines in 1994, purportedly as a fishermen’s shelter but later transformed into a highly fortified forward naval facility.
“It would be a different story if anybody or groups will force their way into Recto Bank. We will not allow it,” a naval officer said.
Last Aug. 1, a Chinese coast guard vessel harassed a small fishing boat carrying local officials and journalists on their way to Pag-Asa Island in Palawan. This will be included in the diplomatic protest that the Philippines will file this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Meanwhile, the militaries of the Philippines and the United States are holding a five-day forum on biological, chemical and nuclear hazards to enable them to address risks posed by dangerous substances.
The expert exchange on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards started last Monday and will be held until Aug. 22 at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato said the event would allow Filipino soldiers to learn from the experiences of their counterparts at the US Army Pacific Command.
“They (US troops) have the experience during World War II. We do not have such experience. They will share with us their experiences and organizational structure,” he said in a phone interview.
Detoyato said sufficient knowledge about hazardous substances would enable the troops to protect life, property and the environment.
“We can learn the best practices and hopefully, we can develop our own doctrine later on,” he added.
Detoyato clarified that the Philippines is not facing any biological, chemical, nuclear or radiological threat. The event just seeks to improve the capabilities of soldiers so they can respond to any emergency.
“We should always be ready. For example, it can happen, in factories. A chemical spill is possible,” he said. “It will also enable us to help our neighbors as a member of the family of nations.”
Detoyato said the Philippines has an advantage in terms of detecting threats posed by hazardous substances. “We are an island nation and such threats can be easily detected and controlled because of the point of entry is through airports and seaports.”
The Philippine Army’s Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear was activated on April 16, 2013 to detect, identify, decontaminate and dispose of biological agents to save lives and protect the environment.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/08/20/1359591/china-ships-planting-markers-phl-zone
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
‘Six policemen killed in ambush found in gruesome state'
From the Borneo Post (Aug 20): ‘Six policemen killed in ambush found in gruesome state'
KOTA
http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/08/20/six-policemen-killed-in-ambush-found-in-gruesome-state/
Investigating officer Insp Jamirin Kintai, who was part of a
team in extracting the bodies of the policemen from Kampung Simunul, Semporna
at 6.45pm on March 3 last year, said two of the victims were decapitated.
“Sergeant Baharin Hamid was decapitated with his brain and
right eye missing from his skull and there were fractures on his face. Lance
Corporal Mohd Azrul Tukiran was also beheaded and had injuries on his body,
skin and flesh. His face had been removed and only exposed his facial bones,”
he said.
Jamirin also told the court that Lance Corporal Salam
Togiran was “almost decapitated with his head attached to his body by a few
inches of skin at the neck.”
Slash wounds were present on the heads and bodies of
Sergeant Abdul Aziz Sakiran and Superintendent Ibrahim Lebar, while ASP Michael
Padel sustained injuries on both his shoulders and chest, he said. During
cross-examination, Jamirin said he discovered that the incident involving the
six policemen was related to the intrusion by Sulu gunmen at Kampung Tanduo,
Lahad Datu, in Febraury last year.
Meanwhile, Bukit Aman Special Branch officer ASP Mohamad
Hasnal Jamil told the court three of the accused were named in a communication
interception conducted at Bukit Aman from Feb 14-17 last year regarding the intrusion
in Lahad Datu.
He identified the accused as Salib Akhmad Emali, Julham
Rashid and Al Wazir Osman alias Abdul. He said eight mobile phone numbers were
intercepted, in which three numbers 019-5398122 used by Salib Akhmad;
012-8384472 used by Julham and 014-6774272 used by an individual known as ‘Imam
Tua’ and later identified as Al Wazir, were the most active in communication
with one other number, 014-2847213, used by one Raja Muda Agbimuddin.
“How did you know of the names of these individuals?” asked
Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Abdul Wahab Mohamed.
Mohamad Hasnal answered: “We had been monitoring the
communication of the users of the numbers and those names were mentioned.” The
Special Branch officer told the court that he was instructed by the late
Ibrahim to fly to Lahad Datu on Feb 18 last year to carry out surveillance on
the three individuals for a week beginning Feb 19 last year.
He said on Feb 25 last year, he briefed a police officer,
ASP Noraidin Awang Maidin, at the Tungku police station in Lahad Datu on
apprehending Salib Akhmad at Abadi Emas Oil Palm Plantation in Tungku.
On March 1 last year, he said he had provided related
information at the Semporna police station to apprehend Julham at Kampung
Pangkalan Badai, Kunak and Al Wazir in Semporna.
Salib Akhmad, Julham and Al Wazir are charged with waging
war aggainst the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which carries the death sentence or
life imprisonment, and being members of a terrorist group, an offence
punishable with life imprisonment and a fine. Salib Akhmad is also charged with
recruiting members for a terrorist group.
They are among thirty accused, comprising 27 Filipinos and
three local residents, jointly tried in the case, in which some are facing
multiple charges of being members of a terrorist group or waging war against
the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or willfully harbouring individuals they knew to be
members of a terrorist group. The hearing before Justice Stephen Chung at the
Sabah Prisons Department continues today.
http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/08/20/six-policemen-killed-in-ambush-found-in-gruesome-state/
FVR: Iraq extremists training 100 Filipinos
From ABS-CBN (Aug 19): FVR: Iraq extremists training 100 Filipinos
At least 100 Filipinos are reportedly undergoing training with jihadists currently creating havoc in Iraq and Syria, former President Fidel V. Ramos warned on Tuesday.
At least 100 Filipinos are reportedly undergoing training with jihadists currently creating havoc in Iraq and Syria, former President Fidel V. Ramos warned on Tuesday.
Ramos, in an interview on ANC Beyond Politics, mentioned the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
"The report that has been reaching us retired people... at least 100 of our young Filipino Muslims have already infiltrated Iraq to undergo training to return and be jihadists or militants," he said.
Ramos did not give details but said the Abu Sayyaf has been encouraged by the success of the Islamic State (IS), formerly known known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
IS, which has displaced Al Qaeda, recently declared an Islamic caliphate in territory it controls in Iraq and Syria.
Hardline Moro guerrillas have pledged allegiance to IS, according to an Agence France-Presse report.
Clips have been uploaded on YouTube showing both BIFF gunmen and the Abu Sayyaf rebels pledging support to the Islamic State (IS).
"We have an alliance with the Islamic State and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," BIFF spokesman Abu Misry Mama told AFP by telephone on Friday.
Misry confirmed that a YouTube video uploaded on Wednesday, showing a purported BIFF leader flanked by armed men reading a statement of support for the IS, had come from his group.
BIFF split in 2008 from the Philippines' main Muslim rebel group, the 12,000-member MILF. The latter signed a peace agreement with President Benigno Aquino's government last March.
BIFF, which is believed to have a few hundred fighters, has rejected the peace talks and pursued the decades-old armed campaign to establish an Islamic state in the southern Philippines which was begun by the MILF.
Abu Misry, described by the Philippine military as a BIFF spokesman, said his group had no plans to impose the radical IS brand of Islam in the Southeast Asian nation.
Beheadings, mass executions, and the taking of child brides have marked the IS campaign across large parts of Iraq and Syria.
Abu Misry said his group had not sent any fighters from the Philippines to help the IS, nor was it recruiting people to join the IS.
"But if they need our help, why not?" he added.
The Philippine military, however, has downplayed links between IS, the Abu Sayyaf, and the BIFF.
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Maj. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said any connections remain "unverified."
"It can be claimed by anybody who wants to take (advantage) so they can become more notorious, so that they will be feared more since they have links (with IS)," he said.
Tutaan also refused to recognize videos posted on YouTube showing the groups pledging support for the IS.
"We do not dignify (videos on) YouTube... A lot of things can happen on YouTube… We are just being careful on our pronouncements before the media because we don't want to cause undue alarm... These (linkages) are unverified," he said.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/08/19/14/fvr-iraq-extremists-training-100-filipinos
"The report that has been reaching us retired people... at least 100 of our young Filipino Muslims have already infiltrated Iraq to undergo training to return and be jihadists or militants," he said.
Ramos did not give details but said the Abu Sayyaf has been encouraged by the success of the Islamic State (IS), formerly known known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
IS, which has displaced Al Qaeda, recently declared an Islamic caliphate in territory it controls in Iraq and Syria.
Hardline Moro guerrillas have pledged allegiance to IS, according to an Agence France-Presse report.
Clips have been uploaded on YouTube showing both BIFF gunmen and the Abu Sayyaf rebels pledging support to the Islamic State (IS).
"We have an alliance with the Islamic State and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," BIFF spokesman Abu Misry Mama told AFP by telephone on Friday.
Misry confirmed that a YouTube video uploaded on Wednesday, showing a purported BIFF leader flanked by armed men reading a statement of support for the IS, had come from his group.
BIFF split in 2008 from the Philippines' main Muslim rebel group, the 12,000-member MILF. The latter signed a peace agreement with President Benigno Aquino's government last March.
BIFF, which is believed to have a few hundred fighters, has rejected the peace talks and pursued the decades-old armed campaign to establish an Islamic state in the southern Philippines which was begun by the MILF.
Abu Misry, described by the Philippine military as a BIFF spokesman, said his group had no plans to impose the radical IS brand of Islam in the Southeast Asian nation.
Beheadings, mass executions, and the taking of child brides have marked the IS campaign across large parts of Iraq and Syria.
Abu Misry said his group had not sent any fighters from the Philippines to help the IS, nor was it recruiting people to join the IS.
"But if they need our help, why not?" he added.
The Philippine military, however, has downplayed links between IS, the Abu Sayyaf, and the BIFF.
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Maj. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said any connections remain "unverified."
"It can be claimed by anybody who wants to take (advantage) so they can become more notorious, so that they will be feared more since they have links (with IS)," he said.
Tutaan also refused to recognize videos posted on YouTube showing the groups pledging support for the IS.
"We do not dignify (videos on) YouTube... A lot of things can happen on YouTube… We are just being careful on our pronouncements before the media because we don't want to cause undue alarm... These (linkages) are unverified," he said.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/08/19/14/fvr-iraq-extremists-training-100-filipinos
NPA mum on appeal to release preacher
From the Sun Star-Davao (Aug 20): NPA mum on appeal to release preacher
THE New People's Army (NPA) remained tight-lipped over the Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's appeal to release the female preacher who they have held captive since August 7.
Duterte, who is also the chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) in Davao, appealed to the rebels for the immediate and safe release of Jemima Canillas Dimaano who was abducted at Purok 2 in Barangay Anitapan in Mabini town.
Philippine Army's 10th Infantry Division spokesperson Captain Ernest Carolina, in a phone interview, said the NPA remained silent as to when they will release the female pastor, though they made a promise to the mayor that they will release Dimaano.
The NPA has not yet released a statement on the matter either.
"Until now, she (Dimaano) is being held by the rebels. Wala pang information kung kailan siya iri-release [kung sooner ba or later]," Carolina said, adding that the military and police are continuously conducting its security patrol to keep the community in its area of responsibility safe.
Dimaano is reportedly being held by one Maruz Matina, NPA's unit commander who is operating in Mati in Davao Oriental. The military, until now, remained puzzled as to why the rebels abducted the pastor of Foursquare Gospel Church.
The mayor previously negotiated for the safe release of policemen and soldiers kidnapped by the NPA in Davao Region.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2014/08/20/npa-mum-appeal-release-preacher-360700
THE New People's Army (NPA) remained tight-lipped over the Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's appeal to release the female preacher who they have held captive since August 7.
Duterte, who is also the chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) in Davao, appealed to the rebels for the immediate and safe release of Jemima Canillas Dimaano who was abducted at Purok 2 in Barangay Anitapan in Mabini town.
Philippine Army's 10th Infantry Division spokesperson Captain Ernest Carolina, in a phone interview, said the NPA remained silent as to when they will release the female pastor, though they made a promise to the mayor that they will release Dimaano.
The NPA has not yet released a statement on the matter either.
"Until now, she (Dimaano) is being held by the rebels. Wala pang information kung kailan siya iri-release [kung sooner ba or later]," Carolina said, adding that the military and police are continuously conducting its security patrol to keep the community in its area of responsibility safe.
Dimaano is reportedly being held by one Maruz Matina, NPA's unit commander who is operating in Mati in Davao Oriental. The military, until now, remained puzzled as to why the rebels abducted the pastor of Foursquare Gospel Church.
The mayor previously negotiated for the safe release of policemen and soldiers kidnapped by the NPA in Davao Region.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2014/08/20/npa-mum-appeal-release-preacher-360700
Military officers ‘ready to die’ for Palparan
From the Manila Times (Aug 19): Military officers ‘ready to die’ for Palparan
http://www.manilatimes.net/military-officers-ready-die-palparan/120183/
SOME supporters of retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan in the
125,000-strong Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said they are ready to
sacrifice their careers and even their lives in order to protect the former
general.
A member of the newly-formed “Free Major General Jovito
Palparan Movement” told The Manila Times that a number of military officers
look up to the former general and are willing to “take the bullet” for him.
The officer who requested anonymity on Tuesday said the
group resented comparisons made between Palparan and former Navy officer Sen.
Antonio Trillanes 4th, who also languished in jail during the administration of
then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
“When you talk of military respect, do not put the names of
Sen. Trillanes and Gen.Palparan in one sentence. They are not on the same level. They’re miles apart.
For Gen. Palparan, we will take the bullet for him, we are now risking our
careers and reputation.
We are ready to die for him because we all know and we
believe that dying for him is dying for this country’s democracy,” the source,
a military captain, said in an interview.
Trillanes has pushed for the transfer of Palparan to a
military detention facility to ensure the latter’s safety.
The senator also warned that if the AFP will not guarantee
the protection of Palparan, it may cause demoralization among the ranks as it
may set a precedent that soldiers will have to face lawsuits for performing
their duty as members of the military after their separation from active
service.
But the source said Trillanes’ statement did not sit well
with their ranks.
“The truth is, if the senator wants to help, then help. If
he wants the general secured and safe, then make it happen. We are dismayed
with media blitz and propaganda. We cannot help but think that some individuals
want to be part of this because of the huge support for Gen. Palparan by the
majority,” the military officer added.
“Maybe they think that by supporting our cause, they will
look handsome in the eyes of our soldiers. Anyway, we in the active military
service have a way of knowing if the senator is really exerting his best effort
in helping the general.”
Another source, a lieutenant colonel, confirmed that many
politicians have expressed support for Palparan and would want to meet with the
group supporting the retired general.
“But for us military officers, we are vigilant enough to
know that politicians, especially those who want to topple the administration,
would try to infiltrate our ranks and agitate us further,” he said.
“We weigh things and contemplate our actions properly. We
will not let ourselves be used by these people who have vested interests, Our
undying support to Gen. Palparan is also our fight against the CPP/NPA/NDF,”
the source added, referring to the Communist Party of the Philippines
http://www.manilatimes.net/military-officers-ready-die-palparan/120183/
MNLF: Celebrating 1st Anniversary Declaration of Bangsmoro Republik, using “rule of law” in land-grabbing causing Mindanao War and invoking Philippine Constitution in perpetuating colonialism
Editorial posted to the MNLF Website (Aug 14): Celebrating
1st Anniversary Declaration of Bangsmoro Republik, using “rule of
law” in land-grabbing causing Mindanao War and
invoking Philippine Constitution in perpetuating colonialism
CELEBRATING 1ST ANNIVERSARY DECLARATION OF BANGSAMORO REPUBLIK
Why are the proud Filipino ‘constitutionalists’ without conscience and heart to understand simply that land-grabbing is a mortal sin against humanity because it entails stealing the natural wealth of the colonized natives? Worse still, why are the Filipino ‘constitutionalists” that morally courageous to gospel, encourage and praise the Filipino military war-mongers to kill and to massacre the native inhabitants of Mindanao, including the aged, women and children (not to include the raping of even pregnant women) just to prove their colonial might?
http://mnlfnet.com/Articles/Editorial_14Aug2014_Celebrating%201st%20Anniversary%20Independence.htm
CELEBRATING 1ST ANNIVERSARY DECLARATION OF BANGSAMORO REPUBLIK
This
month of August 2014 has registered another milestone event for the
MNLF-launched freedom struggle of the Muslim and Animist Lumad natives as well
as conscious Christians of the Bangsamoro homeland of Mindanao ,
Sulu and Palawan (MINSUPALA).
The
proclamation of the independence of the United Federated States of Bangsamoro
Republik (UFSBR) by the MNLF leadership in Zamboanga
City simultaneously in major MNLF
camps in Mindanao on August 12, 2013 with Davao City
Just
as the MNLF freedom fighters gathered in Mindanao island on August 12, this
year, in commemorating the 1st Anniversary of the independence declaration of
Bangsamoro Republik highlighted by the exhortation of MNLF Chairman Nur
Misuari, the well-known MNLF Peace Panel Spokesman Reverend Absalom Cerveza had
informed the global media that, “the OIC had rejected BBL and Chairman Nur
Misuari has to follow OIC.”
This
was in response to the invitation of a member of Philippine Congress inviting
the MNLF Chairman to a congress hearing on the enactment of a new law to
establish another version Philippine autonomous government to be named
“Bangsamoro.” This is purportedly to replace the farcical Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) created by Philippine Congress under President Corazon
C. Aquino in 1987.
Quite
similar with the rejection of ARMM by the OIC and MNLF in 1987, the Bangsamoro
Basic
Law (BBL) concept crafted today by the administration of President Benigno S.
Aquino III has to be also rejected by the OIC and MNLF because it is a far cry
from the complete and correct implementation of the MNLF-OIC-GRP Jakarta Peace
Agreements of September 2, 1996.
Furthermore,
it is even worse now because the new Aquino government have not respected the
1996 Peace Agreement, but instead decided to come up with another peace
agreement, declaring a “failed experiment” the ARMM created by the previous
Aquino regime.
Consequently,
the deceptive political course of action by the present Aquino government compelled
the MNLF to revert back to armed freedom struggle to regain complete
independence and national self-determination for the Bangsamoro people by any
means possible. The MNLF succeeded to conduct peaceful rallies in Davao , Basilan and Jolo calling for moral support towards
the sacred cause, but the Zamboanga
City
The 20-day September AFP-MNLF war caused devastating
humanitarian disaster and the burning of “10,160 houses and mosques” in the
mostly-populated six villages in the city center. The burning of civilian homes
and worship-houses was caused by AFP helicopter and naval boat bombings similar
to the February 7, 1974 AFP-MNLF war that razed to ground zero almost the
entire town of Jolo. The 1974 Jolo inferno resulted in the mass killing of more
than 20,000 Muslim, Christian and Chinese civilian residents.
USING ‘RULE OF
LAW’ IN LAND-GRABBING AND CAUSING MINDANAO WAR, AND INVOKING ‘PHILIPPINE
CONSTITUTION’ IN JUSTIFYING PHILIPPINE COLONIALISM
Philippine history is richly
noted by the injustice, exploitation and oppression conducted by the Filipino
colonizers against the colonized Muslim and Animist Lumad natives of Mindanao.
But the Christian Filipino leaders have always refused to see the light of
historical reality. Totally insensitive to the inhumane cliché of ‘exploitation
of man by another man,’ the past Filipino colonialist land-grabbers, disguised
as ‘law makers,’ used the majesty of the ‘rule of law’ in land-grabbing the
Bangsamoro homeland of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan (MINSUPALA) and the ancestral
domain of the Igorots of Cordillera Region (‘Mountain Province’) in 1935 and
1946. This was notoriously characterized by the Philippine Commonwealth
National Assembly Legislative Act No. 4197 of February 12, 1935 otherwise known
as Quirino-Recto Colonization Act, and the immoral arbitrary annexation of the
Bangsamoro and Igorot ancestral homeland into America-created ‘Philippine
Republic’ in July 4, 1946.
Clearly, the injustice done has caused today the
decades-long Filipino-Moro war in Mindanao, registering more than 200,000
mortal casualties, countless material losses and series of humanitarian
disaster events. The Mindanao war today has been considered the longest running
war in Asia, contributing to the ugly image of the proud ‘Catholic Filipino
nation’ as the perennial ‘sick man of Asia .’
It is thus seen that as long as peace is repeatedly betrayed by the Philippine
colonial government, the increase rate of human and material losses as well as
humanitarian disaster scenarios is becoming more certain.
In analyzing the past
historical events after the illegal colonization and forced occupation of Mindanao , the Manila government under different
presidential personalities have had used the old ‘Philippine Constitution’ and
the 1987 ‘wishy-washy Philippine Constitution’ in justifying the perpetuation
of Philippine colonialism in Bangsamoro and Igorot ancestral homeland. Not to
mention the usage of brutish Philippine military ‘law of the jungle’ that
‘might is right’ to inflict pain and misery on the colonized victims.
It is sad
to note that the so-called Filipino patriotic ‘constitutionalists,’ like Father
Joaquin Bernas, Senator Merriam Defensor-Santiago, UP Dean Prof. Magalona and
others, have only turned blind eye to the gross injustice committed by the past
unscrupulous Filipino politicians in justifying the broad daylight
land-grabbing of the historical lands of the Indigenous peoples of Mindanao and
Cordillera.
Strangely now questions and harsh realities come to mind, why there
are human beings born to lie, exploit and oppress their fellow humans by using
‘rule of law’ and ‘constitution’ to justify injustice, yet they profess to be
conscious Christian Catholics? Did Jesus Christ and other gods teach them to
glorify land-grabbing of ancestral homelands and killing of colonized victims
whose only fault in life is to dare and struggle to reclaim their freedom and
inherent properties?
Why are the proud Filipino ‘constitutionalists’ without conscience and heart to understand simply that land-grabbing is a mortal sin against humanity because it entails stealing the natural wealth of the colonized natives? Worse still, why are the Filipino ‘constitutionalists” that morally courageous to gospel, encourage and praise the Filipino military war-mongers to kill and to massacre the native inhabitants of Mindanao, including the aged, women and children (not to include the raping of even pregnant women) just to prove their colonial might?
Furthermore,
why is this cruel inhumanity and gruesome injustice done against the Bangsamoro
people, on the other hand, a call of patriotism and love of country to both
Filipino colonialist land-grabbers and legal ‘constitutionalists’? Why can’t
they open their eyes and heart to see the true light that the monumental
injustice done is just built on colonization, mass killing and continued war?
Thus
closely viewing the appalling situation, including the colonial slavery of the
Muslim and Lumad natives, it is truly a tragedy what the colonized victims are
enduring today.
Hence,
the chronic and tragic condition should serve a clarion call for the conscious
Bangsamoro and Filipino communities as well for the entire world to help end
the continuing violent hostilities in war-torn Mindanao .
But it would take more than a ceasefire and deceptive peace talks and
agreements. It would take peace. And peace cannot happen without an end to
colonization and occupation. This surely speaks the truth about Mindanao peace.
http://mnlfnet.com/Articles/Editorial_14Aug2014_Celebrating%201st%20Anniversary%20Independence.htm
Bomb blast hurts 5 hurt in Cotabato City
From the Manila Times (Aug 20): Bomb blast hurts 5 hurt in Cotabato City
COTABATO CITY: Five persons, including an Army trooper, were hurt after a suspected homemade bomb placed in a parked open-type Wrangler jeep exploded near the city plaza along Makakua Street here around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Superintendent Rolen Balquin, city police director, identified those injured as Pvt. Dondon Asuncion Bambao, of the Army’s 5th Special Forces Battalion (SFB); Abdulrakman Utto, Mambai Datumanong, Baingan Ango and Lumbay Selbando, all vendors selling their respective wares at the plaza area.
He said the driver of the Wrangler jeep, whom he declined to identify, is currently undergoing tactical interrogation.
“The driver himself was stunned to learn later that his vehicle exploded after parking it in the area for an hour,” Balquin said.
He said that members of the military’s bomb disposal unit are still trying to determine the type of explosive used in the incident.
The blast occurred as the group of SFB soldiers where Bamban belong were patrolling the vicinity of the city plaza.
Security forces here were placed in red alert since last month following persistent threats of kidnapping and bombing from lawless groups.
http://www.manilatimes.net/bomb-blast-hurts-5-hurt-in-cotabato-city/120250/
COTABATO CITY: Five persons, including an Army trooper, were hurt after a suspected homemade bomb placed in a parked open-type Wrangler jeep exploded near the city plaza along Makakua Street here around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Superintendent Rolen Balquin, city police director, identified those injured as Pvt. Dondon Asuncion Bambao, of the Army’s 5th Special Forces Battalion (SFB); Abdulrakman Utto, Mambai Datumanong, Baingan Ango and Lumbay Selbando, all vendors selling their respective wares at the plaza area.
He said the driver of the Wrangler jeep, whom he declined to identify, is currently undergoing tactical interrogation.
“The driver himself was stunned to learn later that his vehicle exploded after parking it in the area for an hour,” Balquin said.
He said that members of the military’s bomb disposal unit are still trying to determine the type of explosive used in the incident.
The blast occurred as the group of SFB soldiers where Bamban belong were patrolling the vicinity of the city plaza.
Security forces here were placed in red alert since last month following persistent threats of kidnapping and bombing from lawless groups.
http://www.manilatimes.net/bomb-blast-hurts-5-hurt-in-cotabato-city/120250/
(UPDATE) 3 suspected leftist rebels killed in Cotabato clash
From the Philippine Star (Aug 19): (UPDATE) 3 suspected leftist rebels killed in Cotabato clash
Three suspected members of the leftist rebel group New People's Army (NPA) were killed following an encounter with government troops in southern Philippines, a military official said today.
Philippine Army's 1002nd Brigade spokesman Captain Rey Balibagoso said troops from the 27th Infantry Battalion clashed with an undetermined number of NPA guerrillas at Tudok village in T'boli town, South Cotabato province at 11 a.m., Sunday.
He said the leftist rebels and soldiers exchanged fire for at least half an hour. The NPA guerrillas then tried to flee towards Kiamba town in Sarangani province.
The military official said an MG-520 helicopter, which was earlier called to provide air support to ground troops, delivered machine gun and rocket fires to the fleeing rebels.
Balibagoso said the military was not able to recover the bodies of the supposedly slain rebels and that its report on rebel casualties was based on the account of civilians who saw NPA guerrillas carrying their dead comrades while withdrawing.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/08/19/1359511/update-3-suspected-leftist-rebels-killed-cotabato-clash
Three suspected members of the leftist rebel group New People's Army (NPA) were killed following an encounter with government troops in southern Philippines, a military official said today.
Philippine Army's 1002nd Brigade spokesman Captain Rey Balibagoso said troops from the 27th Infantry Battalion clashed with an undetermined number of NPA guerrillas at Tudok village in T'boli town, South Cotabato province at 11 a.m., Sunday.
He said the leftist rebels and soldiers exchanged fire for at least half an hour. The NPA guerrillas then tried to flee towards Kiamba town in Sarangani province.
The military official said an MG-520 helicopter, which was earlier called to provide air support to ground troops, delivered machine gun and rocket fires to the fleeing rebels.
Balibagoso said the military was not able to recover the bodies of the supposedly slain rebels and that its report on rebel casualties was based on the account of civilians who saw NPA guerrillas carrying their dead comrades while withdrawing.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/08/19/1359511/update-3-suspected-leftist-rebels-killed-cotabato-clash
Japan military holds drill as its role expands
Posted to the Philippine Star (Aug 20): Japan military holds drill as its role expands
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Type-89 armored combat vehicles flare up a smoke screen during an annual live firing exercise at Higashi Fuji range in Gotemba, southwest of Tokyo, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
Japan's military showcased its ability to defend remote islands yesterday, as its role expands at home and abroad under new defense policies instituted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that have divided the nation.
The military began large-scale annual "Fire Power" exercises at the foot of Mount Fuji aimed at repelling a hypothetical invasion of far-off Japanese islands, defense officials said.
Lt. Kunikazu Takahashi, spokesman for Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, said the exercises, which last until Sunday, follow new defense guidelines that emphasize island defense.
The defense plans, approved in December, reflect a shift in Japan's defense priorities from its northern reaches near Russia to the East China Sea, where Tokyo and Beijing are locked in a dispute over a chain of uninhabited islands. Under the guidelines, Japan is setting up an amphibious unit similar to the US Marines to respond quickly to any invasion of those islands.
"We believe such arrangements can discourage any foreign invasion," Takahashi said in an interview during the exercise. "It would be best if we can defend our land without fighting."
Abe's Cabinet approved in July a reinterpretation of Japan's war-renouncing constitution, which was drafted under US direction after World War II, to allow the military to defend foreign countries. The endorsement of what is known as the right to collective self-defense has sharply divided public opinion, mainly due to sensitivity over Japan's wartime past.
Air force veteran Toshiya Hamada, 80, welcomed the decision. "It doesn't mean we want to wage war, but we need to gain strength because we don't want to go to war," he said. "I know soldiers feel most strongly about that because they are the first ones to go to the front line."
But Naomi Uchida, 36, who came to see the exercise with her husband and two children, said she doesn't think Japan needs to expand its military role.
"Japan is safe as it is," she said. "I'm worried if my boy says he wants to join the army."
Fighter jets, attack helicopters and tanks, guided missile systems and artillery fired yesterday at targets at the base of Mount Fuji, where soldiers demonstrated tactics to fight off foreign invaders.
The live-fire exercises involve 2,300 troops, 20 aircraft and 80 tanks and armored vehicles, among other equipment.
Elsewhere in Asia, some 7,000 troops from China, Russia and four central Asia countries gathered yesterday in Inner Mongolia for anti-terrorism drills called Peace Mission-2014, China's Xinhua News Agency reported.
In South Korea, 50,000 members of the military and 30,000 American counterparts began an annual two-week computer-aided joint war exercise Monday to improve their preparedness for any hostilities with North Korea.
http://www.philstar.com/world/2014/08/20/1359697/japan-military-holds-drill-its-role-expands
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Type-89 armored combat vehicles flare up a smoke screen during an annual live firing exercise at Higashi Fuji range in Gotemba, southwest of Tokyo, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
Japan's military showcased its ability to defend remote islands yesterday, as its role expands at home and abroad under new defense policies instituted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that have divided the nation.
The military began large-scale annual "Fire Power" exercises at the foot of Mount Fuji aimed at repelling a hypothetical invasion of far-off Japanese islands, defense officials said.
Lt. Kunikazu Takahashi, spokesman for Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, said the exercises, which last until Sunday, follow new defense guidelines that emphasize island defense.
The defense plans, approved in December, reflect a shift in Japan's defense priorities from its northern reaches near Russia to the East China Sea, where Tokyo and Beijing are locked in a dispute over a chain of uninhabited islands. Under the guidelines, Japan is setting up an amphibious unit similar to the US Marines to respond quickly to any invasion of those islands.
"We believe such arrangements can discourage any foreign invasion," Takahashi said in an interview during the exercise. "It would be best if we can defend our land without fighting."
Abe's Cabinet approved in July a reinterpretation of Japan's war-renouncing constitution, which was drafted under US direction after World War II, to allow the military to defend foreign countries. The endorsement of what is known as the right to collective self-defense has sharply divided public opinion, mainly due to sensitivity over Japan's wartime past.
Air force veteran Toshiya Hamada, 80, welcomed the decision. "It doesn't mean we want to wage war, but we need to gain strength because we don't want to go to war," he said. "I know soldiers feel most strongly about that because they are the first ones to go to the front line."
But Naomi Uchida, 36, who came to see the exercise with her husband and two children, said she doesn't think Japan needs to expand its military role.
"Japan is safe as it is," she said. "I'm worried if my boy says he wants to join the army."
Fighter jets, attack helicopters and tanks, guided missile systems and artillery fired yesterday at targets at the base of Mount Fuji, where soldiers demonstrated tactics to fight off foreign invaders.
The live-fire exercises involve 2,300 troops, 20 aircraft and 80 tanks and armored vehicles, among other equipment.
Elsewhere in Asia, some 7,000 troops from China, Russia and four central Asia countries gathered yesterday in Inner Mongolia for anti-terrorism drills called Peace Mission-2014, China's Xinhua News Agency reported.
In South Korea, 50,000 members of the military and 30,000 American counterparts began an annual two-week computer-aided joint war exercise Monday to improve their preparedness for any hostilities with North Korea.
http://www.philstar.com/world/2014/08/20/1359697/japan-military-holds-drill-its-role-expands
Gunmen in military uniform abduct 3 in Zamboanga
From the Philippine Star (Aug 19): Gunmen in military uniform abduct 3 in Zamboanga
Gunmen clad in military uniforms barged into a merchandise store on Monday night and forcibly abducted three people, including a business couple, in a remote coastal village west of Zamboanga City, authorities said.
Authorities said that one of the victims was released while another escaped after he fought back against the captors in Barangay Labuan.
The victims were identified as Joel Panes, 34, and his wife Michelle, 36, general merchandise store operators, and Asbi Abirin in Barangay Labuan, City Police director Sr. Supt. Angelito Casimiro said.
Abirin was released while Joel escaped after he fought back while trying to free his wife.
Barangay Chair Ronald Maravilla told police that suspects in military uniforms with bonnets and scarves covering their faces barged into the general merchandise store of the Panes couple at about 7:45 p.m. at Purok 5 just a few meters away from the shore and pretended to be raiding for prohibited drugs.
Panes immediately alerted his wife Michelle to run away and escape outside as three of the suspects ransacked the store with food stuff and the day’s earning worth P50,000 pesos.
The police and local leaders said the gunmen, while escaping, grabbed the bag of another woman containing cash worth P100,000 along they way towards getaway jungkong pumpboat in the shorelines.
Witnesses disclosed that Michelle was taken by other lookout suspects securing the store and brought her to the waiting jungkong pumpboat.
The suspects later dragged Joel Panes including Abirin, also a small time trader who was incidentally present in the store.
Abirin said the suspects took turns in beating Panes while they were being herded toward the pumpboat where Michelle was already held by the group.
“The gunmen were pointing their guns at me and I pleaded to the group to spare me,” Abirin said.
He said the abductors hurled Panes into the jungkong pumpboat with his wife already on board.
Abirin told newsmen that Panes seized the moment to rock and tried to overturn the pumpboat to delay the suspects and for him to escape with his wife.
Panes jumped overboard but his wife failed to follow as the abductors fired at him while he swam away. The police said the husband managed to escape after he fought back to delay the kidnappers from escaping.
Responding police forces engaged the suspects briefly but were cautioned because of Michelle's presence in the boat.
Col. Andrelino Colina, commander of the Task Force Zamboanga, said the Naval Forces Western Mindanao launched a pursuit operation. He said the Navy was unable to report sightings of the suspects who were believed to have escaped toward the Sangbay Island near Pilas group of island off Basilan.
Passengers in an inbound motorboat that arrived in Barangay Labuan later claimed they saw a pumpboat speeding toward the coastal area of Zamboanga del Norte.
Authorities suspected that the abductors came from the same group responsible in the previous kidnapping incidents in the area.
Police and military forces have been alerted in the nearby towns in Zamboanga del Norte to monitor the presence of the suspects and their captive.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/08/19/1359338/gunmen-military-uniform-abduct-3-zamboanga
Gunmen clad in military uniforms barged into a merchandise store on Monday night and forcibly abducted three people, including a business couple, in a remote coastal village west of Zamboanga City, authorities said.
Authorities said that one of the victims was released while another escaped after he fought back against the captors in Barangay Labuan.
The victims were identified as Joel Panes, 34, and his wife Michelle, 36, general merchandise store operators, and Asbi Abirin in Barangay Labuan, City Police director Sr. Supt. Angelito Casimiro said.
Abirin was released while Joel escaped after he fought back while trying to free his wife.
Barangay Chair Ronald Maravilla told police that suspects in military uniforms with bonnets and scarves covering their faces barged into the general merchandise store of the Panes couple at about 7:45 p.m. at Purok 5 just a few meters away from the shore and pretended to be raiding for prohibited drugs.
Panes immediately alerted his wife Michelle to run away and escape outside as three of the suspects ransacked the store with food stuff and the day’s earning worth P50,000 pesos.
The police and local leaders said the gunmen, while escaping, grabbed the bag of another woman containing cash worth P100,000 along they way towards getaway jungkong pumpboat in the shorelines.
Witnesses disclosed that Michelle was taken by other lookout suspects securing the store and brought her to the waiting jungkong pumpboat.
The suspects later dragged Joel Panes including Abirin, also a small time trader who was incidentally present in the store.
Abirin said the suspects took turns in beating Panes while they were being herded toward the pumpboat where Michelle was already held by the group.
“The gunmen were pointing their guns at me and I pleaded to the group to spare me,” Abirin said.
He said the abductors hurled Panes into the jungkong pumpboat with his wife already on board.
Abirin told newsmen that Panes seized the moment to rock and tried to overturn the pumpboat to delay the suspects and for him to escape with his wife.
Panes jumped overboard but his wife failed to follow as the abductors fired at him while he swam away. The police said the husband managed to escape after he fought back to delay the kidnappers from escaping.
Responding police forces engaged the suspects briefly but were cautioned because of Michelle's presence in the boat.
Col. Andrelino Colina, commander of the Task Force Zamboanga, said the Naval Forces Western Mindanao launched a pursuit operation. He said the Navy was unable to report sightings of the suspects who were believed to have escaped toward the Sangbay Island near Pilas group of island off Basilan.
Passengers in an inbound motorboat that arrived in Barangay Labuan later claimed they saw a pumpboat speeding toward the coastal area of Zamboanga del Norte.
Authorities suspected that the abductors came from the same group responsible in the previous kidnapping incidents in the area.
Police and military forces have been alerted in the nearby towns in Zamboanga del Norte to monitor the presence of the suspects and their captive.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/08/19/1359338/gunmen-military-uniform-abduct-3-zamboanga
Saudi top cleric: ISIS, al-Qaida are Islam’s enemy
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 20): Saudi top cleric: ISIS, al-Qaida are Islam’s enemy
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s top cleric said Tuesday that extremism and the ideologies of groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaida are Islam’s No. 1 enemy and that Muslims have been their first victims.
Grand Mufti Sheik Abdul-Aziz Al-Sheik also said in his public statement that terrorism has no place in Islam, and that the danger of extremists lies in their use of Islamic slogans to justify their actions that divide people.
“These foreign groups do not belong to Islam and Muslims adhering to it,” he said, adding that unity around the word and rank of Saudi Arabia’s king and crown prince is necessary to avoid the type of chaos seen elsewhere in the region.
King Abdullah has been pressing clerics to publicly condemn Islamic extremist groups since the government made it illegal for citizens to fight in conflicts abroad. Clerics who do not condemn terrorism in traditional Friday sermons could face penalties, such as having their licenses to preach revoked.
Local media have reported that the Saudi Interior Ministry may require clerics to pass a security screening before they can preach, and that around 3,500 clerics in Saudi Arabia have been dismissed since 2003 for their sermons.
The Islamic State group’s advances in Iraq and Syria have heightened security concerns in neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia. They have also prompted a number of articles and discussions in the local press about how to confront the spread of “Takfiri” ideology, which shuns anyone who does not adhere to a stringent interpretation of Islam. Saudi Arabia follows a puritanical interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism.
A decade ago, al-Qaida militants launched a string of attacks in the kingdom aimed at toppling the monarchy. A fierce crackdown by Saudi Arabia’s security services forced many militants to flee to neighboring Yemen, which now has one of the world’s most active al-Qaida branches.
Over the past two days, a court in the capital, Riyadh, has sentenced 31 people for their involvement in those attacks, sentencing three to death and the rest to prison. All will be allowed to appeal the verdict.
On Tuesday, the court sentenced two men to death and 15 others to prison on various charges of murder, firing at security forces and plotting to assassinate top officials. They were also found guilty of assaults on residential compounds where foreigners live in Riyadh and the Eastern Province, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
A day earlier, the court sentenced one man to death and 13 others to prison for their role in killing a foreigner, attacking government buildings and residential compounds and planning an assault on the U.S. and British embassies during the height of those attacks, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The men, whose nationalities were not disclosed, were part of an alleged 50-member terrorist cell that faces a host of charges, including plotting to assassinate senior government officials and smuggling heavy weapons into the kingdom from Iraq. They are also charged with fighting in conflicts abroad, firing at Saudi security officers and disobeying the king.
In the first verdict issued Monday night, the court found the 14 men guilty of being involved in an attack on a foreigner who was stopped at a fake checkpoint, the state news agency said. Impersonating security officers, the militants drugged the foreigner to abduct him, then beat him to death before beheading him, the agency said.
The Arabic language newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that the man they were charged with killing is Paul Marshall Johnson, a 49-year-old American from New Jersey who had worked in the kingdom for more than a decade and was working on Apache attack helicopter systems for Lockheed Martin at the time of his kidnapping and death in 2004.
The militants had threatened to kill him if the kingdom did not release its al-Qaida prisoners. After Saudi authorities refused to comply with their demands, the gruesome photos of his severed head were posted on the Internet, prompting strong condemnation from then-President George W. Bush.
Two others among the 50 defendants on trial will be given more time to submit additional evidence while a ruling on the rest of the cell’s 17 alleged members is expected soon, the Saudi news agency said. It did not say if all 50 suspected cell members were in custody, or whether some were being tried in absentia.
A senior government official contacted by The Associated Press declined to give further details.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/630899/saudi-top-cleric-isis-al-qaida-are-islams-enemy
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s top cleric said Tuesday that extremism and the ideologies of groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaida are Islam’s No. 1 enemy and that Muslims have been their first victims.
Grand Mufti Sheik Abdul-Aziz Al-Sheik also said in his public statement that terrorism has no place in Islam, and that the danger of extremists lies in their use of Islamic slogans to justify their actions that divide people.
“These foreign groups do not belong to Islam and Muslims adhering to it,” he said, adding that unity around the word and rank of Saudi Arabia’s king and crown prince is necessary to avoid the type of chaos seen elsewhere in the region.
King Abdullah has been pressing clerics to publicly condemn Islamic extremist groups since the government made it illegal for citizens to fight in conflicts abroad. Clerics who do not condemn terrorism in traditional Friday sermons could face penalties, such as having their licenses to preach revoked.
Local media have reported that the Saudi Interior Ministry may require clerics to pass a security screening before they can preach, and that around 3,500 clerics in Saudi Arabia have been dismissed since 2003 for their sermons.
The Islamic State group’s advances in Iraq and Syria have heightened security concerns in neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia. They have also prompted a number of articles and discussions in the local press about how to confront the spread of “Takfiri” ideology, which shuns anyone who does not adhere to a stringent interpretation of Islam. Saudi Arabia follows a puritanical interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism.
A decade ago, al-Qaida militants launched a string of attacks in the kingdom aimed at toppling the monarchy. A fierce crackdown by Saudi Arabia’s security services forced many militants to flee to neighboring Yemen, which now has one of the world’s most active al-Qaida branches.
Over the past two days, a court in the capital, Riyadh, has sentenced 31 people for their involvement in those attacks, sentencing three to death and the rest to prison. All will be allowed to appeal the verdict.
On Tuesday, the court sentenced two men to death and 15 others to prison on various charges of murder, firing at security forces and plotting to assassinate top officials. They were also found guilty of assaults on residential compounds where foreigners live in Riyadh and the Eastern Province, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
A day earlier, the court sentenced one man to death and 13 others to prison for their role in killing a foreigner, attacking government buildings and residential compounds and planning an assault on the U.S. and British embassies during the height of those attacks, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The men, whose nationalities were not disclosed, were part of an alleged 50-member terrorist cell that faces a host of charges, including plotting to assassinate senior government officials and smuggling heavy weapons into the kingdom from Iraq. They are also charged with fighting in conflicts abroad, firing at Saudi security officers and disobeying the king.
In the first verdict issued Monday night, the court found the 14 men guilty of being involved in an attack on a foreigner who was stopped at a fake checkpoint, the state news agency said. Impersonating security officers, the militants drugged the foreigner to abduct him, then beat him to death before beheading him, the agency said.
The Arabic language newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that the man they were charged with killing is Paul Marshall Johnson, a 49-year-old American from New Jersey who had worked in the kingdom for more than a decade and was working on Apache attack helicopter systems for Lockheed Martin at the time of his kidnapping and death in 2004.
The militants had threatened to kill him if the kingdom did not release its al-Qaida prisoners. After Saudi authorities refused to comply with their demands, the gruesome photos of his severed head were posted on the Internet, prompting strong condemnation from then-President George W. Bush.
Two others among the 50 defendants on trial will be given more time to submit additional evidence while a ruling on the rest of the cell’s 17 alleged members is expected soon, the Saudi news agency said. It did not say if all 50 suspected cell members were in custody, or whether some were being tried in absentia.
A senior government official contacted by The Associated Press declined to give further details.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/630899/saudi-top-cleric-isis-al-qaida-are-islams-enemy
Islamic militants plan Southeast Asian caliphate
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 20): Islamic militants plan Southeast Asian caliphate
Ayob Khan Mydin, deputy chief of the Malaysian police counter-terrorism division, listens to questions during an interview with Agence France-Presse at the Royal Malaysian Police headquaters in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014. Malaysian police have foiled plans for a wave of bombings drawn up by radical Islamic militants inspired by Iraq’s extremist jihad group Isis, Ayob Khan said. AFP PHOTO/MOHD RASFAN
KUALA LUMPUR —Malaysian police
have foiled plans for a wave of bombings drawn up by radical Islamic militants
inspired by Iraq ’s extremist
jihad group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(Isis ), a top counterterrorism official said
on Tuesday.
Malaysia
has previously been home to several suspected key figures in groups such as the
al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asia-based organization blamed
for the deadly 2002 Bali bombings and numerous
other attacks.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/109636/islamic-militants-plan-southeast-asian-caliphate
Ayob Khan Mydin, deputy chief of the Malaysian police counter-terrorism division, listens to questions during an interview with Agence France-Presse at the Royal Malaysian Police headquaters in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014. Malaysian police have foiled plans for a wave of bombings drawn up by radical Islamic militants inspired by Iraq’s extremist jihad group Isis, Ayob Khan said. AFP PHOTO/MOHD RASFAN
The 19 suspected militants arrested from April to June were
formulating plans to bomb pubs, discos and a Malaysian brewery of Danish beer
producer Carlsberg, said Ayob Khan Mydin, deputy chief of the Malaysian police
counterterrorism division.
Ayob Khan told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the group,
all Malaysians, had visions of establishing a hard-line Southeast Asian Islamic
caliphate spanning Malaysia ,
Indonesia , Thailand , the Philippines
and Singapore , and planned
to travel to Syria to learn
from Isis .
The plotters included professionals and two housewives.
Inquirer report
A recent Philippine Daily Inquirer report, from
correspondent Arlyn de la Cruz, said Manila officials were on alert following
an increase in the number of Filipinos going to Iraq
and Syria to fight with Isis militants.
Felizardo Serapio Jr., executive director of the Philippine
Center on Transnational Crime, said Syria
had grown to be an attractive destination for foreign fighters and Muslim
Filipinos were among those lured to join Isis ,
according to the Inquirer story.
Close to 200 Filipinos may have joined Isis .
The Inquirer story quoted a government report in March as saying about 100
Filipinos had undergone training in Iran
before going to Syria
The arrested Malaysians were only in the early stages of
discussing their plans and did not have heavy weapons or bomb-making knowledge,
Ayob Khan said.
Seven have already been charged with offenses ranging from
promoting terrorism to possession of homemade rifles.
They planned “a campaign of violence and armed struggle and
to die as martyrs,” Ayob Khan said, adding that police believed that there
could still be coplotters at large in Malaysia
Middle Eastern caliphate
Some of those arrested were apprehended at airports on the
way to Turkey and Syria to seek training and other support from Isis .
Also known as Islamic State, Isis espouses an extreme brand
of Islam. It is believed to have thousands of Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq
Money via Facebook
It has overrun large swathes of Iraq
The Malaysian plotters were ages between 20 and 50. Some of
the arrests had been previously announced by authorities, but police had not
yet detailed the group’s suspected plans and ideology.
Some had begun raising money—including via Facebook—to
travel to Syria
“From interrogating them, they talk about Isis
ideology, including the killing of innocent people and also Muslims who are not
in their group,” he said.
Global cells
Bars and the Carlsberg brewery near Kuala Lumpur
He said the suspects also had hoped to create networks with
regional and global cells.
He said police believed that up to 40 Malaysians had gone to
Syria
Breeding ground
Muslim-majority Malaysia
But concern has risen in the multifaith nation over growing
hard-line Islamic views and the country’s potential as a militant breeding
ground.
According to local media reports, 26-year-old Malaysian
factory worker Ahmad Tarmimi Maliki blew up 25 elite Iraqi soldiers in a
suicide car-bomb attack there in May.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/109636/islamic-militants-plan-southeast-asian-caliphate
In the Know: Itu Aba
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 20): In the Know: Itu Aba
A handout picture received from Taiwan’s National Security Council on Sept. 1, 2012, shows Interior Minister Lee Hong-yuan holding a national flag at Itu Aba or Taiping, the biggest islet of the disputed Spratlys on Aug.31, 2012. Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza may have committed a “grave mistake” in his handling of the Philippine case against China in the United Nations arbitral tribunal when he directed the government’s international lawyers to exclude the Taiwan-occupied island of Itu Aba from the 4,000-page memorial before it was submitted to the tribunal in The Hague in March. AFP PHOTO/Taiwan’s National Security Council
Itu Aba, the largest island in the disputed Spratlys, is occupied by Taiwan and administered by its Coast Guard.
The 37.7-hectare island, 463 kilometers away from Palawan province and some 1,600 km southwest of Taiwan, has sophisticated facilities, including a 1,200-meter runway and its own freshwater source.
According to earlier reports, Taiwan is also building a $100-million port next to the airstrip. The port is reportedly designed to accommodate 3,000-ton naval frigates and coast guard cutters. The runway is also being upgraded for Hercules C-130 transport planes.
Taiwan officials said the improvements would be finished by late next year.
China and Taiwan share claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a legacy of the Chinese civil war when the Communists split from the Nationalists and eventually took control of the Chinese mainland in 1949.
The Nationalists settled in Taiwan and still claim to be the legitimate rulers of greater China.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also claim parts of the potentially oil-rich South China Sea.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, addressing the Philippine Women’s Judges Association in March, discussed the arbitration case filed by the Philippines on China’s claim over the entire South China Sea.
Carpio, who had been going around lecture circles questioning the legality of China’s claim, noted inconsistencies in China’s position that Itu Aba generates its own exclusive economic zone which overlaps with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in Palawan.
The arbitration case, a remedy the Philippines sought under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in January 2013, seeks to nullify China’s claim over 90 percent of the 3.495-million-square-kilometers South China Sea, including waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone called West Philippine Sea; clarify maritime boundaries in the area; and end Chinese incursions into the country’s economic exclusion zone.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/109656/in-the-know-itu-aba
A handout picture received from Taiwan’s National Security Council on Sept. 1, 2012, shows Interior Minister Lee Hong-yuan holding a national flag at Itu Aba or Taiping, the biggest islet of the disputed Spratlys on Aug.31, 2012. Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza may have committed a “grave mistake” in his handling of the Philippine case against China in the United Nations arbitral tribunal when he directed the government’s international lawyers to exclude the Taiwan-occupied island of Itu Aba from the 4,000-page memorial before it was submitted to the tribunal in The Hague in March. AFP PHOTO/Taiwan’s National Security Council
Itu Aba, the largest island in the disputed Spratlys, is occupied by Taiwan and administered by its Coast Guard.
The 37.7-hectare island, 463 kilometers away from Palawan province and some 1,600 km southwest of Taiwan, has sophisticated facilities, including a 1,200-meter runway and its own freshwater source.
According to earlier reports, Taiwan is also building a $100-million port next to the airstrip. The port is reportedly designed to accommodate 3,000-ton naval frigates and coast guard cutters. The runway is also being upgraded for Hercules C-130 transport planes.
Taiwan officials said the improvements would be finished by late next year.
China and Taiwan share claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a legacy of the Chinese civil war when the Communists split from the Nationalists and eventually took control of the Chinese mainland in 1949.
The Nationalists settled in Taiwan and still claim to be the legitimate rulers of greater China.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also claim parts of the potentially oil-rich South China Sea.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, addressing the Philippine Women’s Judges Association in March, discussed the arbitration case filed by the Philippines on China’s claim over the entire South China Sea.
Carpio, who had been going around lecture circles questioning the legality of China’s claim, noted inconsistencies in China’s position that Itu Aba generates its own exclusive economic zone which overlaps with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in Palawan.
The arbitration case, a remedy the Philippines sought under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in January 2013, seeks to nullify China’s claim over 90 percent of the 3.495-million-square-kilometers South China Sea, including waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone called West Philippine Sea; clarify maritime boundaries in the area; and end Chinese incursions into the country’s economic exclusion zone.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/109656/in-the-know-itu-aba
5 hurt in Cotabato City bomb blast
From Rappler (Aug 19): 5 hurt in Cotabato City bomb blast
An improvised explosive device (IED) explodes near the Cotabato City plaza at around 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 19, wounding at least 5 people including a soldier
An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near the Cotabato City plaza at around 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 19, wounding at least 5 people including a soldier, authorities said.
According to Cotabato City Police Director Senior Superintendent Rolen Balquin, the bomb exploded as members of the 5th Army Special Forces Battalion were conducting a security patrol.
The wounded victims were identified as Private Dondon Bambao, Baingan Ango, Mambai Datumanong, and Abdulrakman Utto. Another wounded civilan is yet to be identified, authorities said.
BLAST. An improvised explosive device (IED) explodes near theCotabato City
The 4 civilians – two women and two men – who were hurt were immediately brought to the Cotabato City Regional andMedical
Center Hospital
http://www.rappler.com/nation/66711-hurt-cotabato-city-bomb-blast
An improvised explosive device (IED) explodes near the Cotabato City plaza at around 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 19, wounding at least 5 people including a soldier
An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near the Cotabato City plaza at around 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 19, wounding at least 5 people including a soldier, authorities said.
According to Cotabato City Police Director Senior Superintendent Rolen Balquin, the bomb exploded as members of the 5th Army Special Forces Battalion were conducting a security patrol.
The wounded victims were identified as Private Dondon Bambao, Baingan Ango, Mambai Datumanong, and Abdulrakman Utto. Another wounded civilan is yet to be identified, authorities said.
BLAST. An improvised explosive device (IED) explodes near the
The 4 civilians – two women and two men – who were hurt were immediately brought to the Cotabato City Regional and
The Army explosive
ordinance team, police investigators, and Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO)
are already conducting post-blast investigation. Authorities have yet to
identify suspects behind the explosion.
Balquin told
media local police authorities received information regarding security threats
earlier last week but did not identify who the suspects were.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/66711-hurt-cotabato-city-bomb-blast
5 hurt in Cotabato City plaza explosion
From the Mindanao Examiner (Aug 20): 5 hurt in Cotabato City plaza explosion
COTABATO CITY – A soldier on security patrol and four other persons were hurt when a suspected improvised explosive device went off at around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday along Makakua St., the road behind the city plaza’s stage.
Senior Superintendent Rolen Balquin, city police director said, the bomb exploded as roving Special Forces Army personnel were conducting security patrol.
Police cordon off the blast site along Makakua Street in Cotabato City. MindaNews photo by Ferdinandh Cabrera
Boy Razalan, incident commander of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRMMC) said the victims were rushed to the Cotabato City Regional and Medical Center hospital.
One of the male victims near the explosion collapsed due to the strong impact, he said. The victim’s name was not immediately made available.
The four others who sustained minor injuries are: Pvt. Dondon Asuncion Bambao, 23, of the 5th Special Forces, who hails from Pinmilapin, Sison, Pangasinan; fruit vendor Baingan Aliuden Ango, 45, of Campo Muslim and Mambai ulandigan Datumanong, 33, of Lugay-Lugay both in Cotabato City; and corn vendor Abdulrakman Martin Utto, 22, of Bulalo, Sutltan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
Pvt. Loret Mangsibang, a colleague of Bambao, said the bomb exploded as the driver of the Wrangler type jeepney had just left the area.
Balquin, admitted at they have been monitoring security threats in the city since last week but declined to give details or name the threat groups.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/08/20/5-hurt-in-cotabato-city-plaza-explosion/
COTABATO CITY – A soldier on security patrol and four other persons were hurt when a suspected improvised explosive device went off at around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday along Makakua St., the road behind the city plaza’s stage.
Senior Superintendent Rolen Balquin, city police director said, the bomb exploded as roving Special Forces Army personnel were conducting security patrol.
Police cordon off the blast site along Makakua Street in Cotabato City. MindaNews photo by Ferdinandh Cabrera
Boy Razalan, incident commander of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRMMC) said the victims were rushed to the Cotabato City Regional and Medical Center hospital.
One of the male victims near the explosion collapsed due to the strong impact, he said. The victim’s name was not immediately made available.
The four others who sustained minor injuries are: Pvt. Dondon Asuncion Bambao, 23, of the 5th Special Forces, who hails from Pinmilapin, Sison, Pangasinan; fruit vendor Baingan Aliuden Ango, 45, of Campo Muslim and Mambai ulandigan Datumanong, 33, of Lugay-Lugay both in Cotabato City; and corn vendor Abdulrakman Martin Utto, 22, of Bulalo, Sutltan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
Pvt. Loret Mangsibang, a colleague of Bambao, said the bomb exploded as the driver of the Wrangler type jeepney had just left the area.
Balquin, admitted at they have been monitoring security threats in the city since last week but declined to give details or name the threat groups.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/08/20/5-hurt-in-cotabato-city-plaza-explosion/
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