ASG strikes again, seizes 3 people in Sulu

From InterAksyon (Aug 7): ASG strikes again, seizes 3 people in Sulu



A day after President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to "annihilate the Abu Sayyaf," suspected members of the kidnap-for-ransom group notorious for a spate of beheadings seized three persons in Sulu.

 The heavily armed men believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) seized their victims in Barangay Timpook in Patikul town in Sulu, according to Major Felimon Tan Jr., spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom).

Tan said Shariff Julhasan Abirin, 30-year-old Levi Gonzales and his wife Daniella Taruc, 26, were taken around 10:20 a.m.

“The victims were onboard a black multicab from Jolo and were heading towards the cellsite of a telecom company located in Barangay Bagsak, Talipao when flagged down by armed men believed to be ASG. The trio was forcibly taken going to the direction of Sitio Kaban-Kaban,” Tan said.

The kidnappers "abandoned their vehicle on the road,” he added.

Tan said Levi Gonzales was a technician of the telco and his pregnant wife was just accompanying him.

Addressing government troops on Friday and Saturday, President Duterte had warned the ASG there will be a day of reckoning "for all of the cruel and brutal things that you are doing."

Duterte added, openly addressing the ASG, "We will collect someday. Just wait, because we are assembling our troops."
http://interaksyon.com/article/131203/asg-strikes-again-seizes-3-people-in-sulu

Abu Sayyafs seize telco technician, 2 others in Sulu

From the Sun Star-Zamboanga (Aug 7): Abu Sayyafs seize telco technician, 2 others in Sulu

THE Abu Sayyaf bandits seized three people, including a technician of a telecom firm, in the province of Sulu, a military official said Sunday, Agust 7.

Major Filemon Tan Jr., Western Mindanao Command spokesman, said the incident took place around 10:20 a.m. Saturday, August 6, in the village of Timpok, Patikul, Sulu.

Tan identified the victims as Levi Gonzales, 30, a telecom firm technician; his wife, Daniella, 26; and Shariff Julhasan Abirin.

The victims were aboard a multicab driven by Abirin on the way to the cell site of a telecom company in the village of Bagsak, Talipao, when they were flagged down by the Abu Sayyaf bandits in Timpok, Patikul.

Tan said the victims were forcibly taken toward Sitio Kaban-Kaban, also in Timpok, while the vehicle was abandoned along the road.

He said troops are tracking the victims' whereabouts.

Aside from the three victims, the bandits are still holding more than 10 people as captives, including foreigners, in the hinterlands of Sulu.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2016/08/07/abu-sayyafs-seize-telco-technician-2-others-sulu-489964

Two killed in Abu Sayyaf ambush in Sulu province

From the Manila Times (Aug 7): Two killed in Abu Sayyaf ambush in Sulu province

Abu Sayyaf gunmen ambushed a small group of soldiers traveling onboard motorcycles and killing at least two in a fresh attack on Sunday in Sulu province in the Muslim autonomous region, police said.

It said two other soldiers were reported injured in the ambush in the village of Bonbon in Patikul town, a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf in the province.

The Western Mindanao Command and the 1st Infantry Division did not issue any statement on the latest assault on the military, but the attack occurred just two days after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered troops to intensify the anti-terrorism campaign and operations against the Abu Sayyaf.

The identities of the victims were not immediately known, but other sources said they were all members of the Army’s 32nd Infantry Battalion deployed in the province to fight the notorious jihadist group tied to the Islamic State. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

http://www.manilatimes.net/two-killed-in-abu-sayyaf-ambush-in-sulu-province/278474/

Postponement of GRP-NDFP peace talks likely sans release of NDFP consultants

From the pro-Communist Party of the Philippines online propaganda publication Bulatlat (Aug 7): Postponement of GRP-NDFP peace talks likely sans release of NDFP consultants

“The NDFP is willing to give time for the GRP to effect the release of detained NDFP consultants.” — Luis Jalandoni

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace panel said the NDFP would consider rescheduling the formal talks slated this August in Oslo, Norway if there would be no releases of detained NDFP consultants.

Speaking via Skype in a forum organized by Kapayapaan network, Aug. 6, Luis Jalandoni, chairperson of the NDFP peace panel, said that despite several pronouncements of President Rodrigo Duterte and the commitments made by the then incoming GRP peace panel during the June informal talks in Oslo, not one of the 22 NDFP consultants and other individuals covered by the Joint Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig) has been freed.

“The NDFP is willing to give time for the GRP to effect the release of detained NDFP consultants,” Jalandoni said during the forum.

Before Duterte assumed office, members of the incoming GRP panel went to Oslo and met with the NDFP peace panel. In their joint statement released June 16 (1 a.m., Manila time), both parties agreed to affirm all previously signed agreements and to work for an amnesty declaration for the release of all political prisoners, subject to concurrence by Congress, among others.
  
The GRP panel also pledged to recommend to Duterte the immediate release of all detained NDFP consultants and other Jasig-protected individuals to enable them to participate in the peace negotiations and the immediate release of other political prisoners based on humanitarian grounds.

The formal talks originally slated in July have been rescheduled to August as per GRP’s request. In a statement July 19, GRP panel Chairperson Silvestre Bello said the GRP would like to ensure that all technical details related to the resumption of formal talks are attended to and addressed by both parties, citing in particular the mechanics that would govern a nationwide ceasefire and the release of political prisoners.

On ceasefire

Jalandoni said the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), NDFP and the New People’s Army (NPA) are willing to issue a unilateral ceasefire declaration separately but simultaneously with the Duterte government on August 20.

Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire during his first State of the Nation Address July 25. The NDFP welcomed it immediately and said they would reciprocate the unilateral ceasefire soon after receiving its full text.

Jalandoni said they received a copy of the suspension of offensive military operations (SOMO) on July 26 and the suspension of offensive police operations (SOPO) on July 27. He said they have questions on the SOMO and SOPO.

“There was no clear statement regarding the offensive occupation of Lumad communities, schools and barangay halls,” the NDFP chief negotiator said.

Jalandoni added state forces would continue with law enforcement operations and legal offensives. “We take this to mean filing of trumped-up charges against activists,” he said.

Before the CPP, NPA and NDFP could reciprocate, Duterte lifted the unilateral ceasefire following reports of alleged ambush by the NPA in Davao del Sur.

In the June informal talks in Oslo, both parties agreed to discuss the mode of interim ceasefire.

Speaking at the same forum via Skype, Jose Maria Sison, NDFP chief political consultant, said that his confidence on Duterte would rise if all political prisoners would be released. He added it would rise further “if a satisfactory agreement on socioeconomic reforms would be forged.”

Sison dismissed what he called as the “simple notion that everybody would be happy if the armed struggle would stop.” “It [armed struggle] is not the cause, it is the result of exploitation and oppression,” Sison said, adding “you cannot have peace talks where there is no armed struggle.”

Jalandoni said both parties remain optimistic that the formal talks on August 20 to August 27 would push through.

Rachel Pastores, one of the legal consultants of the NDFP, said that with the recent Supreme Court resolution, they expect the regional trial courts handling the cases of detained NDFP consultants to do away with the tedious legal process and hasten the proceedings.

Bello said in a statement that they will ask government prosecutors to file and respond to necessary motions and manifestations for the speedy release of detained NDFP consultants.

http://bulatlat.com/main/2016/08/07/postponement-of-grp-ndfp-peace-talks-likely-sans-release-of-ndfp-consultants/

Soldiers' grieving families decry 'mutilation' by NPA rebels

From Rappler (Aug 7): Soldiers' grieving families decry 'mutilation' by NPA rebels

'Inhuman' is how some family members describe how their loved ones were treated

NPA ATTACK. President Rodrigo Duterte visits the wake of 4 soldiers slain in attacks launched by the New People's Army. Photo by Editha Caduaya/Rappler

 

The families of soldiers who lost their lives during an August 5 ambush in Compostela Valley province accused the New People's Army (NPA) of "mutilating" their loved ones.

 

"It pains me to see my son killed and his left ear mutilated. It is inhuman," Angel Mapa, father of Army Corporal Gilmar Mapa, told Rappler in the local dialect.

The bodies of the two other soldiers killed during the ambush – Private First Class Rollen Roy Sarmiento and Corporal Roel Mangawang – also looked like they had been slashed with a bladed weapon.

The corpse of another soldier, Corporal Jimmy Bayta, bore signs of being struck on the head.

Survivors of the encounter said that at around 7:15 am on Friday, August 5, the military truck they were in was traversing Barangay Rizal in Monkayo town when the landmine planted by rebels exploded.

Some 20 soldiers on board the truck engaged 60 or so rebels in heavy firefight. The August 5 encounter left Sarmiento, Mapa, and Bayta, all members of the 25th Infantry Battalion, dead on the spot.

Mangawang of the 71st Infantry Battalion, meanwhile, died on August 4 during an encounter in Margusan.

Major General Rafael Valencia, commander of the Army's 10th Infantry Division, told Rappler that Bayta's neck was also cut. "[Bayta] was hacked while the face of the two soldiers were slashed. Sarmiento's face is deformed [and] it seems like it was hit by a hard object," said the Army general, while adding that they were still waiting for the autopsy reports.

Valencia said that a captured rebel named Sadam Tawid admitted to government investigators that he was among those who launched the attack against government troops. The rebel also confirmed the hacking, according to Valencia, and "even took a video while Bayta was tortured until he died."

Tawid is currently confined at the Southern Philippines Medical Center.

Also captured during the encounter were a certain Amels Saguiwan and Michael Alvarez. Another female rebel, a certain Rose Sayson, was killed during the encounter.

An emotional President Rodrigo Duterte condoled with the families of the slain soldiers early Sunday morning, August 7. Speaking at a news conference after his visit, Duterte gave rebels an ultimatum to stop using landmines and to respect the Geneva Convention.

The ambush comes mere weeks before the Philippine government and Communist rebels are set to resume peace talks in Oslo, Norway. Leaders of Asia's longest-running insurgency had earlier expressed hope for peace under the Duterte administration.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/142236-grieving-families-decry-mutilation-by-npa-rebels

PHOTOS | Duterte visits wake of soldiers killed in NPA offensives

From the often pro-Communist Party of the Philippines online publication the Davao Today (Aug 7):  PHOTOS | Duterte visits wake of soldiers killed in NPA offensives

NO MORE LANDMINES. President Rodrigo Duterte appeals to the Communist Party of the Philippines to stop using landmines in the public wake of four soldiers who died in an encounter with the 8th Pulang Bagani Company of the New People’s Army in Monkayo Town, Compostela Valley, during his visit on Sunday, August 7. The four soldiers are currently laid at state in Naval Station Felix Apolinario, Panacan, Davao City. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

DAVAO CITY — Around 1:00 am Sunday, August 7, President Rodrigo Duterte visits the wake of four soldiers killed in a series of offensives by the New People’s Army in Monkayo, Compostela Valley Province. The soldiers were laid at rest inside Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Panacan, Davao City.

 

 

CONDOLENCES. President Rodrigo Duterte condoles with the families of the four soldiers who were killed in a series of offensives by the 8th Pulang Bagani Company of the New People’s Army in Monkayo Town, Compostela Valley. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

 

KILLED IN ACTION. Soldiers look on at the corpse of Pfc. Rolen Roy C. Sarmiento, one of the soldiers who died in a series of offensives by the 8th Pulang Bagani Company of the New People’s Army in Monkayo Town, Compostela Valley. Sarmiento, along with three others are currently laid at state at Camp Apolinario, in Panacan, Davao City. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

 

HONOR GUARDS. Soldiers stand as honor guards to the coffins of four soldiers who died in a series of offensives by the 8th Pulang Bagani Company of the New People’s Army in Monkayo Town, Compostela Valley.The four soldiers are currently laid at state in Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Panacan, Davao City. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

 

ASSURANCE. After baring yet another list that included mayors, vice mayors, policemen, and soldiers who are allegedly linked to illegal drugs trade in the country, President Rodrigo Duterte promises that not one member of the police or armed forces who are carrying out their duties will be put in jail during his term. Duterte reiterated his pronouncement during his visit at the Naval Station Felix Apolinario (NSFA) in Panacan, Davao City at around 1:00 am Sunday, August 7, 2016 (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

 

WAITING. Both members of the media and soldiers wait for the arrival of President Rodrigo Duterte at the public wake of the four slain soldiers at Camp Apolinario in Panacan, Davao City late Saturday night, August 6. The soldiers were killed in an encounter with the 8th Pulang Bagani Company of the New People’s Army in Monkayo Town, Compostela Valley, Friday morning, August 5. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

http://davaotoday.com/main/headline/photos-duterte-visits-wake-of-soldiers-killed-in-npa-offensives/

Why is China flying 'combat patrols' over Spratly Islands?

From the Christian Science Monitor (Aug 6): Why is China flying 'combat patrols' over Spratly Islands?

In the wake of an international court's ruling rejecting China's claims to disputed territory in the South China Sea, China said the combat exercises were an effort to protect its 'maritime interests.'



Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in an image taken by US Navy aircraft in May 2015. This week, China's air force said it was flying 'combat patrols' over the disputed islands in the wake of its rejection of an international court ruling that overruled China's claims to the territory. U.S. Navy/Handout/Reuters/Files

China’s air force has sent bombers and fighter jets on “combat patrols” near the islands at the center of a long-running territorial dispute in the South China Sea, a senior colonel said, according to the Xinhua news agency.

“The Air Force is organizing normalized South China Sea combat patrols, practicing tactics ... increasing response capabilities to all kinds of security threats and safeguarding national sovereignty, security and maritime interests,” Senior Col. Shen Jinke of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force told Xinhua, Reuters reports.

The exercises, which are focusing on the airspace around the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, come as tensions have increased in the wake of a recent international court ruling in The Hague that rejected China’s claims to a broad swath of territory in the South China Sea.

Recommended: Asia's troubled waters: What's going on in the South China Sea? Take our quiz.

Further north, another confrontation is brewing. On Saturday, Japan officially protested after six Chinese coast guard vessels (at least three were armed with gun batteries, Japan said) approached disputed East China Sea islands along with a fleet of hundreds of Chinese fishing boats.

 

Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it filed the protest after the Japanese coast guard spotted the vessels Saturday along with a fleet of 230 Chinese fishing boats swarming around the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands. China also claims the islands, which it calls the Diaoyu, the Associated Press reports.

Asked about Japan's statement, China's Foreign Ministry reiterated its position that the islands are "China's inherent territory" and that it has "indisputable sovereignty" over them and their adjacent waters.

China, which lays historical claim to the “nine-dash line,”  encompassing as much as 90 percent of the sea, refused to recognize the court’s ruling last month. The dispute is complex, involving conflicting claims from the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

Some observers told the Christian Science Monitor last month that China would particularly watch the responses of the US and the Philippines, which brought the court ruling in part because of a dispute over Scarborough Shoal, a reef 140 miles from the Philippine coast.

Last week, China’s Defense Ministry announced that it would begin holding joint military exercises with Russia in September, in an action that appeared to be particularly aimed at the US, which has argued China should respect the court’s ruling.

Russia has supported China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its rejection of the court ruling, pointing to what it calls the US’ “meddling” in the region, the Monitor reported.

In what’s increasingly become a tit for tat conflict, both China and the US have said they are not directly trying to provoke aggression.  Last week, Yang Yujun, a spokesman for the China Defense Ministry said the land and sea exercises will be “routine” and will not “target any third party.”

In January, a US naval ship conducted a patrol around the disputed Triton Island,  as part of a strategy designed to decrease tensions, the Monitor reported.

“The U.S. government takes no position on the territorial disputes in the Spratly Islands, but does take a strong position on what kinds of claims are made to the waters surrounding those features,” an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) noted.

This week, according to Xinhua, China’s air force sent several H-6 bombers and Su-30 fighter jets to the airspace over the disputed islands, Reuters reports. The patrols also include surveillance and refueling aircraft, but it’s not clear when exactly they occurred.

Many of China’s claims center on the building it has done on top of reefs and rocky outcroppings that it argues give it international rights to further develop around the waters surrounding these “islands,” the Monitor reported.

With Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte indicating that he would be open to negotiations with China, it’s also possible that a round of peaceful negotiations, rather than further escalation of the conflict, could eventually occur, though when that might happen is unclear, some analysts told the Monitor.

“The initial one or two weeks are going to be very interesting, with people probably prone to over-analyzing the situation,” Taylor Fravel, an associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told the Monitor after the court’s ruling last month. “But it is not preordained that escalation will happen; it’s not in the Chinese or US interest.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2016/0806/Why-is-China-flying-combat-patrols-over-Spratly-Islands

Quezon City mayor to join gov‘t peace panel for talks with CPP-NDF

From GMA News (Aug 6): Quezon City mayor to join gov‘t peace panel for talks with CPP-NDF

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista may become part of the government's negotiating panel with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF).

Ares Gutierrez, chief of the Quezon City government's Public Affairs and Information Services Office, told GMA News Online on Saturday that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III informed the mayor on Thursday that the government's panel has decided to include him in the talks.

Gutierrez said Bautista and Angeles City Mayor Ed Pamintuan, president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, will be part of the panel in the resumption of the peace talks in Oslo, Norway on August 20.

He said Bautista had volunteered to be part of the government's peace panel with the CPP-NDF because of his past dealings with leftist groups and the uniformed men as the mayor is a military reservist.

Bautista first expressed his intention to join the negotiating panel during a meeting with Bello and other negotiators during the first State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte last July 25.

The mayor made formal his request in a letter to the government's negotiating panel and President Duterte, Gutierrez added.

"The mayor has always been a peacemaker. He was driven by a strong sense of duty to step forward and help make this fresh talks work," he said.

The mayor has yet to be formally notified by the panel of the appointment.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/576622/news/nation/quezon-city-mayor-to-join-gov-t-peace-panel-for-talks-with-cpp-ndf

Joma: Duterte more arrogant

From GMA News (Aug 6): Joma: Duterte more arrogant

Exiled communist leader Jose Maria Sison on Saturday hit back at President Rodrigo Duterte who called him arrogant before a gathering of soldiers in Capiz on Friday.

Interviewed by reporters via Skype, Sison turned the tables on Duterte by criticizing the tough-talking leader's move to lift the unilateral ceasefire on July 30 even before the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) could match it with its own truce declaration.

"It is more arrogant of him to give ultimatum [for CPP to declare ceasefire]," Sison said.

Also on Friday, Duterte mocked the CPP's strength, saying the rebels were acting as if “they are the force to reckon with.”

The President said CPP-backed candidates in Davao wouldn't have won in the elections if not for his party's support.

Despite Duterte's tirades, Sison said he has "high level of tolerance" for sharp rhetoric.

"I would rather converse with President Duterte sometime or one one one and we talk about the most substantial matters that would move the peace negotiations forward," he added.

National Democratic Front peace panel chair Luis Jalandoni, meanwhile, said that they did not heed Duterte's ultimatum due to alleged human rights abuses by the military in Southern Mindanao while the government ceasefire was in effect.

The unilateral ceasefire declared by Duterte in his first State of the Nation Address lasted only from July 25 to July 30.

A collective decision must also be reached before the rebels reciprocate Duterte's ceasefire initiative, Jalandoni explained.

He also said that the NDF may consider asking for a postponement of the talks , which would depend on the release of its consultants who would be part of its negotiating panel.

"The NDF peace side with its consultants will reconsider whether it is better to postpone again the resumption of peace talks to give time to get the releases actually accomplished," he said.

Meanwhile, Sison said that his confidence in the government's peace panel would increase if all 500 political detainees will be released through a general amnesty proclamation.

He said the communist movement will likely leave the negotiating table if the the detained political consultants of the NDF will not be released.

Tough talk

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan also hit Duterte's style in talking peace with the communists.

"With due respect to the President, sincerity and seriousness in peace negotiations is not measured in terms of tough talk nor via temporary ceasefire declarations," said Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. in a statement.

Reyes said the "real measure" would be the upholding of previously signed agreements and the forging of new agreements on substantive agenda such as socio-economic, political and constitutional reforms.

"These are the discussions on how to end the decades-long problems of poverty, landlessness, underdevelopment, unemployment, elite democracy and so on. We would like to see both sides of the armed conflict get down to work on these issues as soon as possible," he added.

The government and communist rebels will resume negotiations on August 20 in Oslo, Norway. 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/576617/news/nation/joma-duterte-more-arrogant

No peace talks until political prisoners are freed, NDF warns

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 6): No peace talks until political prisoners are freed, NDF warns

No resumption of formal peace negotiations will happen on Aug. 20 if the government fails to release detained National Democratic Front (NDF) consultants.

This was the statement of NDF peace negotiator Luis Jalandoni on Saturday ahead of the peace negotiations between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines in Oslo, Norway.

“If the release of the 22 NDF consultants will not be realized , the NDF will reconsider the postponement of the peace talks until the issue of political prisoners will be resolved,” Jalandoni said in a video conference in Quezon City.

Exiled communist leader Jose Maria “Joma” Sison said the CPP was ready to issue an interim ceasefire after the resumption of the formal peace talks and the release of NDF consultants.

“There could be an interim ceasefire following the release of political prisoners and the resumption of formal peace negotiations,” Sison said in the same video conference with Jalandoni.

“CPP is willing to pursue peace talks on Aug. 20 and issue separate but coordinated ceasefire agreements,” he added.

The resumption of the peace talks between the government and the CPP-NDF is set on Aug. 20-27.

“The issue (not releasing NDF consultants) will complicate the talks of Aug. 20,” Jalandoni said.

Asked about the NDF’s condition to release the political prisoners, peace process adviser Jesus Dureza said they still needed to undergo a judicial process.

“We have to defer to the courts as judicial processes have to be complied with as what we have committed in the joint statement,” Dureza said in a text message.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/803612/no-peace-talks-until-political-prisoners-are-freed-ndf-warns

IS threat: Experts warn of self-radicalised lone wolves

From The Star Online (Aug 7): IS threat: Experts warn of self-radicalised lone wolves



KUALA LUMPUR: With IS (Islamic State) finding new ways of reaching out through the Internet, experts are warning Malaysians of the threat of "self radicalised" lone wolves.

They note that Malaysian IS members are asking their countrymen to fight alongside IS in the wake of the terrorist group's "recognition" of the southern Philppines-based Abu Sayyaf as part of the Islamic State "caliphate".

Political analyst at the International Islamic University Malaysia Dr Maszlee Malik said IS was now encouraging its supporters to carry out their own "jihad" in their country without any need for organisation.

He referred to a chilling 21-minute video uploaded on social media on June 23, calling on Malaysians to join the "Philippines brotherhood" entrusted by IS to lead the caliphates army".

Featured in the video was Malaysian Mohd Rafi Udin, also known as Abu Aun al-Malysi, who said sympathisers who could not go to Mindanao should launch their own jihad on Malaysian soil using whatever means at their disposal.

Mohd Rafi said those who had sworn an oath of allegiance to the caliphate, even if it was only in their heart, should kill all who were against them, wherever they found them, using any means at hand.

 "You have a car, knock them down. You have a weapon or a knife, even a small one, stab them in the chest. Do not be afraid," he said.

What was clear from the video, said Maszlee, was that IS was encouraging a new method of destruction - the lone wolf attack.

 Lone wolf attacks involve self-radicalised individuals who are IS sympathisers. They can launch their own attack and consider it a jihad.

This was what happened in Puchong. Rafi Udins call was a clear indication that he was giving orders to lone wolves. It was not an organised, well planned attack. A few sympathisers answered the call to launch their own attack, he said.

On June 28, eight people were injured after a hand grenade exploded at an entertainment centre in Puchong. Police later confirmed that the blast was the work of two IS supporters.

Voicing similar concerns, geostrategist Prof Dr Azmi Hassan said IS propaganda was a "first class act" that could win peoples sympathy for the group.

According to Azmi, Abu Sayyaf's oath of allegiance to Daesh would make it easier for sympathisers to join IS.

Instead of travelling to Syria or Iraq, they can now go to the southern Philippines and fight alongside Abu Sayyaf. This is a direct pressure on our country because radicalisation could happen among Malaysians, he said.

 Azmi said the alliance could also mean that Abu Sayyaf would be receiving assistance in terms of money and expertise from IS.

He did not know whether Abu Sayyaf had already received aid from IS, but said the linkup between the two was in any case very bad for Malaysia and the region. - Bernama

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/08/07/is-threat-experts-warn-of-self-radicalised-lone-wolves/

MILF uproots, burns marijuana in remote North Cotabato village

From the Philippine Star (Aug 7): MILF uproots, burns marijuana in remote North Cotabato village



Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas burn uprooted marijuana plants in a secluded area in Carmen, North Cotabato. Courtesy of Nhor Gayak, Brigada FM Cotabato City

Moro rebels burned over the weekend hundreds of marijuana shrubs they uprooted in a clandestine operation in keeping with their 1997 anti-crime cooperation pact with the government.

 

The guerrilla-style uprooting operation in Sitio Sinipitan in Barangay Tupig northwest of Carmen town in North Cotabato was led by two senior leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Nayang Timan and Abdullah Hamza.

 

Timan and Hamza and their followers carried out the raid after learning from vigilant villagers that a certain group was growing marijuana plants in Sitio Sinipitan.

 

Nhor Gayak, a Cotabato City-based radio reporter who witnessed the operation, said he and the MILF guerrillas had to walk through open fields with rugged terrain to reach the marijuana farm.

 

Gayak had quoted the MILF commanders who led the raid as saying the move was in compliance with their July 1997 Agreement on General Cessation of Hostilities with the government.

 

The accord, meant to ensure the cordiality of the peace overture between the government and the rebel group, binds both sides to cooperate in addressing peace and security problems in potential flashpoint areas where there are MILF forces.

 

The agreement also enjoins MILF and government forces to help each other in neutralizing criminal gangs and terrorists whose activities can derail the peace process.

 

Gayak said the guerrillas immediately set on fire the uprooted marijuana plants in the presence of community elders and barangay residents.

 

Local MILF units are now trying to locate the gunmen behind the propagation of the illegal plants, who managed to escape even before Timan's and Hamza's groups had surrounded their farm.

 

The MILF’s central committee ordered guerrilla forces last year to address the drug problems besetting isolated areas covered by its agreement with the government.

 

The order was issued after clerics in the MILF issued a fatwah (edict) declaring methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) as “haram” (forbidden) to Muslims.

 

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2016/08/07/1611012/milf-uproots-burns-marijuana-remote-north-cotabato-village

PRRD: Free education for military children

From the Philippine Information Agency (Aug 6): PRRD: Free education for military children

Filipino soldiers will no longer worry about the education of their children from Kindergarten to High School.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte announced his plans to provide a free education to the members of the families of soldiers from kindergarten to high school in schools nearest to their residence.

“And I am working on a, ‘yong edukasyon nang pamilya ninyo, libre na, nearest school to your residence, para ang bata hindi na masyadong (applause), ano yan, proposal ko, hintay lang kayo,”  said Presidente Duterte during his talk to troops of the 3rd Infantry Spearhead Division in Camp Gen. Macario B. Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz on Friday, August 5.

He said scholarships will also be made available to deserving children of soldiers who want to pursue their college education.

The announcement received a big applause from more or less 500 troopers of the 3rd ID who were all eager to meet President Duterte.

It was the first time that a sitting President or Commander-in-Chief visited Camp Peralta.

Pregnant Sgt. Fevelyn Benedicto who was one of those excited soldiers was so thankful that the President took time to visit their area.  She assured the President of her support to his programs and activities geared towards the betterment of the government and the country.

Colonel Joel Diamante, Commanding Officer of Camp Peralta Station Hospital, said the visit was a big boost to the morale of the troops. He cited the President’s concern particularly on the health of military personnel and improvement of the V. Luna General Hospital.

In his message, President Duterte mentioned again his commitment for the improvement of the medical equipment and facilities for soldiers.

He said he has also plans to send those wheelchair -bound soldiers to school and later recommend them to work in call centers.

From Camp Peralta, President Duterte visited the Central Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Lapu-Lapu, Cebu City.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/931470459216/prrd-free-education-for-military-children-

Soldiers thank PRRD’s camp visit

From the Philippine Information Agency (Aug 6): Soldiers thank PRRD’s camp visit

Officers and ordinary soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division, Philippine Army are grateful to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for his visit to Camp Macario Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz, August 5.

According to Col. Leonardo Peña, the visit of Pres. Duterte to the government troop here was a big moral boost to them. He said that the President’s assurance of his full support to the soldiers is a manifestation that he is really a father who cared for his children.

This, he said, is a motivation to the Army to further work harder for the welfare of the Filipinos and the country.

The 3ID Camp Peralta in Jamindan town which is the third biggest camp in the country, was the sixth Army camp visited by the President.

President Duterte is the first president of the Philippines to visit the 3ID camp here.

Before the President addressed the troops, there was a situation briefing to him by top Army officials led by 3ID Commander Maj. General Harold Cabreros and Western Visayas Police Regional Director Jose Ginteles.

On the other hand, Capiz officials led by Governor Antonio Del Rosario, Vice Governor Esteban Contreras and Roxas City Mayor Angel Alan Celino welcomed the President upon his arrival at the Roxas City airport.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/991470470717/soldiers-thank-prrd-s-camp-visit

Defense ministers affirm Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement

From the Philippine Information Agency (Aug 8): Defense ministers affirm Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement

The defense chiefs of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia met in Bali on August 2 to further discuss the current security challenges in the region, especially in the maritime areas of common concern.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, Indonesian Defense Minister General (R) Ryamizard Ryacudu and Malaysian Defense Minister Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein reiterated their commitment to the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement signed in Jakarta on 14 July 2016.

The three defense leaders agreed to encourage the operationalization of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Maritime Patrol and Rendering Immediate Assistance; Operating Guidelines on Information and Intelligence Sharing; and Combined Communication Plan.

Recognizing the mutual trust and high responsibility from all parties, the defense chiefs agreed to further explore coordinated activities among the Armed Forces of the three countries, a trilateral database sharing mechanism, and the concept of the Malacca Strait Patrol (MSP) to address maritime security concerns, among others.

During the meeting, the leaders also reiterated their stand against violent extremism and terrorism, and concern over the repeated incidents of armed robbery and kidnapping at sea in the maritime areas of common concern to the three countries.

The defense ministers reaffirmed their commitment to address such threats.

The Trilateral Meeting was conducted in accordance with the ASEAN’s principles of equality, mutual trust and respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of one another, and good neighborliness.(

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1141470575762/defense-ministers-affirm-trilateral-cooperative-arrangement-