Summary
The effect of the ongoing war in the
Mindanao, the Philipines' southernmost island, between
the Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) has reached Manila, the capital. The million
Muslims who live in Manila are living in fear of a visit
from police after the arrest of 26 Manila-based Muslims
for the bombing of two shopping malls in Manila in late
May. The Philippine National Police woke the entire
Muslim community in Taguig, in south Manila, and 26 men,
alleged to be MILF rebels were arrested as suspects.
Residents said their human rights were violated since all
men were questioned and subjected to body searches as if
they were criminals. Police insisted they had arrest
warrants and their targets merely happened to be Muslims.
Investigators from the Commission on Human Rights
attempted to visit the Philippine Anti-organised Crime
Task Force (PAOCTF) Detention Center to talk with the
detainees following reports of torture and forced-eating
of pork - a violation of Muslim practice - but were
refused entry. Until the time of writing, the suspects
are held incommunicado at the PAOCTF headquarters.
|
Background
On May 27, 2000 at 3.00 a.m., police
wearing ski masks swooped down on Maharlida village in
Taguig, in South Manila, home to thousands of Muslim
families, and forced people out of their homes. Men's
hands were tied behind their backs while women and
children were forced down on their knees with their hands
behind their heads. 26 men were loaded into police vans
and taken into police custody without any warrants.
The raid followed two earlier ones conducted by police in
search of suspects in the series of bombings in Metro
Manila in the past weeks. Relatives of the arrested have
sought the help of human rights lawyers and
organisations, claiming that the detained are "fall
guys" (innocent scapegoats), some of whom did not
even know how to go to the commercial areas which were
bombed and some are overseas workers awaiting their
flight schedules or calls from their employers. Police
have not substantiated their accusation that the recent
Manila bombings in several commercial areas were related
to the Mindanao conflict, much less that the perpetrators
were Muslim.
Related incidents include planned implementation of the
identification card system in all Muslim areas in Metro
Manila, to distinguish them as members of their
respective organisations. Human rights advocates see this
as discriminatory, not unlike the Star of David of the
Nazis against the Jews during the time of Hitler in
Germany. Moreover, periodic military operation on
Muslim-dominated areas are being conducted, aside from
surveillance operations on Muslims in Metro Manila.
On June 1, newspaper front-page photos displayed
government soldiers waving the Philippine flag atop a
destroyed mosque in Mindanao, desecrating a holy place of
worship. The Commission on Human Rights condemned this
grave disrespect and apparent ignorance of the soldiers
of the cultural and religious complexities of Philippine
society.
War in Mindanao:
There are at least three groups fighting for an
independent Islamic state in Mindanao: Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF); Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) a breakaway from MNLF; and Abu Sayyaf a smaller
but more radical group who are holding 21 mostly foreign
hostages on Jolo Island. Followings are the chronological
order of the war:
1996 -
Peace Pact/Accord was made with the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) after more than two decades of
secessionist war in Mindanao. Under the pact, geared to
creating a loose autonomy (within the bounds of the
constitution, on top of the limited self-rule), the South
Philippines Council for Peace and Development was created
and Mr. Nur Misuari, chairman of the MNLF, became
governor of the so-called Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao. The council is expected to channel development
funds to four provinces that agreed to become part of the
autonomous region. Several development projects were
launched in Muslim areas to ensure the pact with MNLP
endured, "but because of the economic crisis the
release of funds was delayed" said a National
Security Adviser in 1999.
July 18, 1997 -
Agreement of the General Cessation of Hostilities between
the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP)
and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was signed.
Feb 3, 1999 -
the agreement between the GRP and MILF to hold talks was
postponed.
Feb 28, 1999 -
President Estrada visited the hotbed of Muslim insurgency
in Mindanao and warned the MILF rebels of stern action if
they did not agree to peace talks on the government's
terms. Mr. Estrada appeared to have toughened his stance
against the separatist MILF following the cancellation of
talks scheduled that day with MILF chairman, Salamat
Hashim.
2000 -
GRP-MILF Peace Talks began early this year and the second
round of peace talks in February was postponed because of
the renewed fighting. Whenever conflict broke out, both
the MILF and the government accused each other of
instigating the fight.
Apr 28, 2000 -
war between the GRP and the MILF erupted when the
government sent it troops towards Camp Abubakar, the
headquarter of the MILF.
Apr 30, 2000 -
the MILF 'unilaterally declared that the GRP-MILF Peace
Talks is indefinitely suspended.'
June, 2000 -
Misuari said in a speech at the Organisation of Islamic
Conference in Jeddah that the MNLF would revive the
campaign for an independent Muslim Mindanao because the
Philippine government had failed to fulfill its
obligations contained in the 1996 Jakarta-sponsored peace
pact/accord.
June 4, 2000 -
press release from MILF relfected that "(government)
bombardments (in late April) which destroyed Mosques,
Madrasa (Arabic schools), markets, crops, and residential
houses of Muslim civilians and the recent mass illegal
arrests of innocent Muslims in Taguig, Metro Manila
strongly prove that the military's all-out war is not
only waged to annihilate the MILF but a tough indication
of an 'ethnic cleansing' campaign in Maindanao against
the Bangsamoro [Moro nationality] people, particularly on
the Muslims... Undoubtedly, the Moros have survived the
onslaught of the Spaniards, Americans and the Japanese
for almost four centuries. Certainly, Insha Allah
(God-willing), they will also survive the present
genocidal war against them."
June 7, 2000 -
the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said that it
was ready to take on both the MILF and the MNLF if
Misuari revived the MNLF's campaign for the creation of a
separate Muslim state in Mindanao. "We are prepared,
we have the armed capability," said AFP spokesperson
Col. Rafael Romero.
Situation of the Internally Displaced Families:
June 6, 2000 - it was reported that in the past two
weeks, at least 39 civilians in Maguindanao, Lanao del
Sur, and Pikit in North Cotabato have been killed in the
fighting or succumbed to illness in evacuation centers.
It was reported also that several hundreds more of the
41,000 evacuees in the 27 evacuation centers in Pikit are
suffering from various diseases. If help does not come
immediately to the evacuation centers, more evacuees will
die due to lack of medicines and nutritious food.
|