tagged w/ Moro Islamic Liberation Front
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The death toll in the massacre in the Philippines has risen to at least 46. President Arroyo has declared a state of emergency, but critics have asked whether she would follow-through on her promises of justice.
From the Christian Science Monitor:
The murders are alleged to have been arranged by one of her political allies and the Philippines has a long-standing culture of impunity for political violence.
"The government definitely has the numbers but not the political will," says Vilnor Papa, Philippine campaign manager of Amnesty International. "We have political killings. We have summary executions. This is a culture of impunity. You have seen how people from the military have gotten away with murder."
But while political murders are common in the Philippines, this was an extraordinary outrage – a brazen daylight attack in front of witnesses and with apparently no threat from police. At least a dozen of the victims were local journalists.
The killers were alleged, according to eyewitness reports broadcast on Philippine radio and television stations, to be under orders from Andal Ampatuan Jr., mayor of a town that bears his family name. The victims were stopped in Ampatuan, herded several miles away, and shot.
The victims had been on their way to enter the name of Ismael Mangudadatu, the vice mayor of another town, as a candidate for governor. Mr. Ampatuan is vying to succeed his father, Andal Sr., as governor of the province of Maguindanao. Mr. Mangudadatu was not among the victims.
The Ampatuan family are local warlords accustomed to winning elections, in part thanks to their close relationship with Arroyo and the military. The family helped her win the vast majority of votes in the province in the 2004 presidential election. Arroyo won 100 percent of the votes in some towns in the province and at some polling stations the number of votes for Arroyo exceeded the number of registered voters.
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Both government and rebel representatives are condemning a 'gruesome massacre of civilians' on the Philippine island of Mindandao. At least 30 people were killed after their convoy was hijacked by armed gunmen.
The group included political activists and journalists. The LA Times has a quote from Philippine President Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: "Civilized society has no place for this kind of violence," she said. "No effort will be spared to bring justice to the victims and hold the perpetrators accountable to the full limit of the law."
However, Reporters Without Borders, noting that 12 of those killed were journalists points suspicion at a local mayor with ties to Arroyo.
The massacre took place a few hours after around 50 gunmen led by Andal Ampatuan Jr., the mayor of Shariff Aguak (a municipality in Maguindanao province), and a police inspector identified solely by the name of Dicay kidnapped members of a large convoy of supporters of Esmael Mangudadatu, an Ampatuan clan opponent who wants to run for governor. The convoy of Mangudadatu supporters, accompanied by journalists, had been on its way to an electoral bureau to file documents related to his candidacy, which the gunmen wanted to prevent.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a rebel group based on the island, also condemned the killings: "What we learned is that at least 41 people were seized in Ampatuan town," he said, "and many of these were reported killed, including women." (The Moro and the government have been locked in a battle for years, covered by Vanguard in The Art of War.)
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The unfortunately-acronymed Moro Islamic Liberation Front has been delivered a blow in its fight against the government of the Philippines. The army claims (though this is disputed by the rebel group) that they have captured Camarudin Hadji Ali, one of the rebel group's key military leaders.
Vanguard's Tracey Chang met with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in a Vanguard show entitled The Art of War.
Vanguard: The Art of War
This capture comes as violence has been escalating in the region. According to the BBC, "More than 300 people have been killed and up to 750,000 displaced in fresh fighting."
From Tracey: "Southern Mindanao, where much of the fighting has taken place, is one of the poorest areas of the Philippines. And when we were there, we found that poverty played a part in contributing to the conflict because many unemployed males are drawn to join the rebel movement with hopes of a better future for themselves."
Other Vanguard shows:
Rebels in the Pipeline - Mariana van Zeller in the Niger Delta
Narco War Next Door - Laura Ling on drug violence in MexicoThe unfortunately-acronymed Moro Islamic Liberation Front has been delivered a blow in... more
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The unfortunately-acronymed Moro Islamic Liberation Front has been delivered a blow in its fight against the government of the Philippines. The army claims (though this is disputed by the rebel group) that they have captured Camarudin Hadji Ali, one of the rebel group's key military leaders.
Vanguard's Tracey Chang met with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in a Vanguard show entitled The Art of War.
This capture comes as violence has been escalating in the region. According to the BBC, "More than 300 people have been killed and up to 750,000 displaced in fresh fighting."
From Tracey: "Southern Mindanao, where much of the fighting has taken place, is one of the poorest areas of the Philippines. And when we were there, we found that poverty played a part in contributing to the conflict because many unemployed males are drawn to join the rebel movement with hopes of a better future for themselves."The unfortunately-acronymed Moro Islamic Liberation Front has been delivered a blow in... more
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Hey all - Article below from the Washington Post about an uptick of violence in the Philippines between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the national army. Vanguard producer Tracey Chang produced this story on the rebels.Hey all - Article below from the Washington Post about an uptick of violence in the... more
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The number of Filipinos displaced from their homes since fighting began late last week between government forces and Islamic separatists in the southern Philippines reached 130,000 on Monday, officials said. The military and the police sent more troops to fight the rebels.
Social welfare officials warned of a potential humanitarian disaster as the fighting between troops and elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which had been confined to two provinces, threatened to spill over to other areas. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is a separatist group that has been fighting for an Islamic state in the southern region of Mindanao for several decades.
Thousands of refugees had been housed in more than 40 refugee centers, officials said, but most of them had chosen to leave their communities and seek shelter with relatives in other provinces.
As of Monday, officials said two soldiers and at least 15 rebels had been killed in the fighting, which erupted on Thursday after separatist forces refused to vacate nine villages in North Cotabato Province.The number of Filipinos displaced from their homes since fighting began late last week... more
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Violence flared last week after the country's Supreme Court decided to suspend plans for an extended Muslim homeland in the south, prompting some Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels to take control of mainly Christian villages in North Cotabato province, a poor farming region in Mindanao, Agence France-Presse reported. . .
The 12,000-strong MILF has waged a 30-year guerrilla campaign for a separate Islamic state in the south of the largely Christian Philippines.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council said 129,819 people have been displaced from 42 villages in North Cotabato. The refugees are being housed in 43 government evacuation centers in the province in the southern island of Mindanao, said Glenn Raboza, an NDCC executive officer, according to AFP. The government was providing water, sanitation and food.
Violence flared last week after the country's Supreme Court decided to suspend... more
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