By MARYA SALAMAT
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said they would not get involved, except to evacuate civilians likely to be affected. But in Manila, a lawyer who said that he is a spokesperson of the MNLF Emmanuel Fontanilla has charged that the ASG is likely getting arms and ammunitions from the AFP.
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) based in Hong Kong is appealing for justice on behalf of a 17-year-old boy in Basilan Mnindanao who was falsely accused by soldiers and policemen of being a member of the bandit kidnap-for-ransom group Abu Sayyaf. The boy was reportedly tortured and is…
By RONALYN V. OLEA
They were arrested without a warrant and tortured to admit to being members of the Abu Sayyaf. And they have been suffering in jail for years while the wheels of justice move slowly.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Bulatlat.com MANILA – Migrante International, the largest overseas Filipino workers organization, said the US Department of State report on terrorism was very ‘malicious’ when it cited that the Abu Sayyaf Group, a bandit group which has been involved in cases of kidnapping, bombing and beheadings in Mindanao, “may receive funding…
Sergeant 1st Class Christopher D. Shaw (left) and Staff Sergeant Jack M. Martin III were the two American Special Forces soldiers who were killed in Jolo on Sept. 29, when their Humvee struck a land mine believed planted by the Abu Sayyaf. Their deaths have renewed calls for the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement.…
By AMIRAH ALI LIDASAN Davaotoday.com DAVAO CITY — For the nth time, the Philippine government has declared an all-out war against the kidnap-for-ransom group Abu Sayaff. This came about after International Committee on the Red Cross volunteer Eugenio Vagni was released by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu after 60 days in captivity. Department of Defense…
MANILA– Eugenio Vagni, the last of the three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff members abducted in the southern Philippines on Jan. 15, has been freed, the ICRC said Sunday. Vagni, an Italian, regained his freedom in the early hours of July 12. He is tired after 179 days in captivity but, given…
To eliminate the ASG, Amirah Lidasan, secretary-general of the Moro Christian Peoples’ Alliance, said the MNLF and the MILF need to muster the political will to put an end to the groups that perpetrate kidnappings. It would mean, she said, helping cut the warlords’ power over the communities, as well as their ties with the local government, the military, and the police. “The government will not do anything like that, since Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo even coddles known warlords in Mindanao,” Lidasan said.
The January 15 kidnapping of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, Italian Eugenio Vagni, and Swiss Andreas Notte is truly deplorable. However, the bigger question is not why the Abu Sayyaf did it but how. How could the Abu Sayyaf survive the continuous joint operations of the AFP and…
The Balikatan exercise in Basilan in 2002 has always been sold to the public as a success story — indeed, as a model for how the U.S. military should engage other nations in the fight against terrorism. Five years later, it is clear that the Abu Sayyaf remains a threat on the island, and its…