Current Events in the Philippines

[Anonymous]

                    Rebel Attacks Only Strengthen U.S.-Philippine Ties

Summary

Two bombs exploded Feb. 20 in the southern Philippines, one near the Cotabato City airport and the other in a Kabacan marketplace. The military initially has blamed both attacks on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), whose Buliok complex in nearby Pikit was overrun by Philippine forces a few days earlier. The intensified fighting with the MILF, coupled with clashes with the Abu Sayyaf and communist insurgents, will compel Manila to open the Philippines to even more cooperation with the U.S. military.

Analysis

A bomb planted in a van exploded outside a restaurant across the street from the Cotabato City airport Feb. 20 in the southern Philippines, killing at least three people and wounding 20. Just hours earlier, in Kabacan, North Cotabato, another bomb exploded in an open market, killing one and injuring 10. Both attacks have been blamed on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), whose
Buliok operations base in nearby Pikit was overrun by the
Philippine military a few days earlier.

The fighting over the Buliok complex was some of the most intense the country has seen in years, leaving more than 200 dead and thousands displaced. While the armed forces were carrying out their offensive against the MILF, though, they also were engaged elsewhere in battles with the militant Abu Sayyaf and communist insurgents.

The widespread military action, coupled with heightened concerns about possible terrorist threats due to Manila's tacit support of a U.S. war on Iraq, will lead the Philippine government to be even more open to and reliant upon U.S. military assistance and training. This, in turn, likely means more U.S. forces will be in the Philippines for the indefinite future.

Between 2,000 and 5,000 Philippine soldiers launched a concerted attack Feb. 11 against the Buliok complex, located near the borders of North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces on the island of Mindanao. The fighting, which lasted nearly a week, came after Manila accused the MILF of harboring members of the so-called
Pentagon Gang, a militant group involved in kidnapping and
extortion.

After an initial attack, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo called for the military to halt the offensive, but
retaliatory attacks by suspected MILF rebels triggered a return to full-scale fighting, through which the military eventually overran the complex. MILF forces have scattered back into the jungles and villages, though the two bomb attacks, ambushes against military positions and vehicles and an overnight attack on a nearby village suggest the group is by no means ready to pull out of the area.                    

[Anonymous]

                    CONTINUED
The fighting, coincidentally, came as Manila was about to re-open peace negotiations with the MILF. These negotiations obviously were delayed by the military offensive. Manila has used its victory to offer the MILF a stark choice: Engage in peace negotiations that will lead to the disarming of the separatist militants or face the full onslaught of the Philippine military. The MILF reportedly is thinking about negotiations, though the group is unlikely to come to the bargaining table when it is on the defensive. If the MILF does negotiate, the move might be little more than a stalling tactic to allow members to regroup in less prominent jungle bases.

But the Philippine military is not facing only the MILF. In
recent weeks, the army clashed with the Abu Sayyaf and the New People's Army (NPA), the militant wing of the Communist National Democratic Front (NDF). Manila has little intention of offering peace negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf, but it has been in peace talks with the NDF, though these talks are stalling over the listing of NDF as a terrorist organization.

With the surge in fighting, the Philippine military is relying on new training and equipment from the United States to maintain the offensive. A second contingent of U.S. Special Forces arrived Feb. 20 in the southern Philippines to prepare for counterterrorism training with Philippine forces. The training will last through December. Meanwhile, U.S. and Philippine troops will conduct several other bilateral and multilateral training exercises throughout the year.

For Manila, these exercises offer training and equipment, both in short supply over the past few years. But more important, allowing U.S. forces into the Philippines -- one of the first places the anti-terrorism war went after Afghanistan -- has given Arroyo the full backing of the United States, something she hopes to leverage for domestic and international economic and security
gains. And for Washington, the prospect of once again being able to have a ready reserve of troops and equipment in the Philippines -- even if not under a formal basing agreement -- provides a strategic boost to U.S. capabilities in Asia.

But with the Philippine military spread out tackling multiple
threats, Manila cannot afford to let domestic political and
social opposition to "selling out to Washington" interfere with ever-closer ties to the United States. In fact, the more vocal the domestic opposition, the more closely Arroyo has to pull toward Washington in order to maintain her strength and support among the military and other influential sectors. As the fighting against the MILF, Abu Sayyaf and NPA continues, Manila and Washington's ties will grow closer, bringing more U.S. forces and equipment into the Philippines.                    

[Anonymous]

                    Philippines: Troop Redeployment Leaves Nation Vulnerable

Summary

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Feb. 28 gave the army 90 days to destroy remaining Abu Sayyaf militants on the island of Sulu. Arroyo's desire for a quick rout is twofold: to prevent counterstrikes by militant groups over a possible war in Iraq and to encourage foreign reinvestment that dropped in the face of the highly publicized militant activity. However, the shift in the military's focus might leave other areas more vulnerable to attacks by various other militants, such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the New People's Army.

Anallysis

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo on Feb. 28 ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to destroy Abu Sayyaf militants on the islands of Sulu, in the southern part of the archipelago, within 90 days. An estimated 500 Abu Sayyaf militants have taken shelter there. AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Dionisio Santiago also warned that commanders who do not perform adequately will be replaced.

Arroyo has multiple reasons for setting the imminent deadline. First, it is meant to lessen the threat of counterstrikes in case of a U.S.-led war with Iraq: The government realizes that any action against Iraq might well incite small-scale attacks by sympathizers of al Qaeda and of the Muslim community -- and Manila therefore must take steps to keep those groups on the defensive. The move also is designed to promote foreign investment, which fell 24 percent during the first three quarters of 2002, partly over security concerns. A BusinessWorld report in December noted that new investment by Japanese companies, the  largest contributor of FDI to the Philippines, has dropped 75
percent since 1997.

In addition to Arroyo's announcement, the chief of staff's
warning to troops likely will ensure that the AFP transfers
significant forces and supplies to the southern Philippines as officers clamor to protect their jobs. However, the movement of AFP troops could give other militant groups, such as the the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the New People's Army (NPA), new opportunities to launch new attacks.

The AFP currently is finishing up a major campaign against MILF forces on the island of Mindanao. The MILF likely will return to hiding in the jungles for a few weeks -- regrouping and waiting for the army to complete its movement to Sulu -- before launching a new offensive. The NPA -- the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines -- also poses a threat: Its leaders vowed Feb. 7 to launch attacks against government targets should the Philippines support the United States in a war against Iraq.

Meanwhile, the government announced Feb. 28 that it had postponed joint U.S.-Philippine exercises in Sulu, slated to start March 1, until the anticipated war in Iraq has concluded. Without U.S. military support, the capabilities of the AFP are lessened. With AFP troops focused heavily on Sulu, the army's ability to keep militants like the MILF and NPA on the defensive will be severely hampered.                    

[Anonymous]

                    Item Number:8
Date: 03/13/2003
PHILIPPINES - REBELS TRY TO RETAKE FORMER STRONGHOLD (MAR 13/BBC)

BRITISH BROADCASTING CORP. -- Fighting erupted between Philippine troops and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) near the town of Pikit on the southern island of Mindanao, reports the BBC.  MILF fighters tried to retake their former stronghold, located at the Buliok complex, which government forces seized in February.  The rebels attacked the complex with mortars and rockets, but the
military repelled them with attack helicopters and planes, said army chief Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya.                    

[Anonymous]

                    Philippines: New Concerns Arise With Rebel Submarine Plan
Mar 14, 2003

Summary

Officials with the Armed Forces of the Philippines said this week that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had tried to purchase at least one midget submarine from North Korean and Malaysian arms dealers. If true, the MILF would join the ranks of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as nonstate actors seeking submarine technology. Given the uses of mini-submarines, their proliferation among militant groups could present new challenges to authorities around the globe.

Analysis

The recent Philippine military assault on a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) stronghold in the southern Philippines not only has driven the MILF fighters out, but also has led to the seizure of several documents outlining arms purchases and military strategy. Notable among the weapons systems the MILF was trying to acquire from North Korean and Malaysian arms dealers was a midget submarine. The Philippine military has refused to speculate on the potential use of such a submarine.

Other well-developed militant organizations, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also have sought submarine technology in the past. Given the potential uses of such systems -- from drug and arms smuggling to infiltration operations to hit-and-run or even suicide attacks -- the proliferation of midget submarines to nonstate groups could present significant new challenges to authorities around the world.

Citing documents found in the residence of MILF chairman Salamat Hashim, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Essel C. Soriano said the MILF at least was considering buying a 15-meter midget submarine, powered by a diesel-electric battery system and capable of speeds up to nine knots. The submarine can carry up to six people -- including two divers -- submerge to a depth of 120 meters and operate for up to 14 consecutive days.

By looking at the uses of such submarines by other militant organizations, some idea emerges of how the MILF might use one.                    

[Anonymous]

                   
In April 2000, Thai authorities found what they believed was a half-built midget submarine in a shipyard on Phuket Island. The submarine -- as well as other sophisticated maritime electronics -- reportedly was destined for use by the LTTE, one of the few nonstate organizations with a well-developed naval branch. Authorities said the LTTE would have used the submarine for arms shipments, infiltration operations and potentially to engage in maritime battles with the Sri Lankan navy. Some regional officials have suggested that the LTTE already had used small submersibles during infiltration operations.

A few months later, in September, officials in Colombia found a half-built Russian submarine in a warehouse in a Bogota suburb. The submarine was to be used to smuggle arms and drugs by the FARC, police said, adding that after completion in the warehouse, it would have been disassembled and trucked to the coast for operations. In 1994, authorities in Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast had captured two mini-submarines used to traffic illegal narcotics.

But nonstate actors are not the only ones with midget submarines or the even smaller long-range submersible carriers (LRSC) and swimmer delivery vehicles (SDV). Most notable among the world's manufacturers and users of such systems is North Korea, which has used mini-submarines and semi-submersibles to deliver infiltration teams to South Korea and Japan. North Korea also exports the technology.

Other producers and users include Croatia, Yugoslavia, Iran, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. And several countries use various SDVs in their special forces inventories. In fact, the basic SDV technology can be purchased from most commercial dive shops, though these can be used only for short-duration tactical missions and do little more than complement traditional Scuba gear.

But with nonstate groups seeking more advanced midget submarines -- featuring extended operational times and deeper dive capabilities -- their acquisition would present a new set of problems for national security forces.

Submarines could be used to transport drugs, arms and personnel undetected by authorities, allowing militants to build their supplies and move their operational commanders with near secrecy. The midget submarines also could facilitate infiltration and sabotage operations, moving militant bombers into the range of power plants, ports, shipping channels and other coastal targets. And in extreme cases, these same submarines could be used in directly attacks against state facilities and ships, or even in suicide attacks -- though a speedboat packed with explosives is much cheaper and more readily available than a submarine.

However, the potential shift in operational capabilities that these vehicles could provide to nonstate armies could prove devastating, particularly for groups interested in hit-and-run attacks against infrastructure targets. And in nations made up entirely of islands, like the Philippines, the variety of places these submarines could hide and travel to would make them extremely difficult to catch.

While it does not appear that the MILF has yet received a midget submarine, the group's interest in doing so is now clear. And for regional security officials, there is a new potential threat just beneath the horizon.

                   

[Anonymous]

                    Phillipines Braces for Sympathy Attacks
Mar 18, 2003

Summary

Philippine security forces went on alert March 18, preparing for a potential spate of sympathy attacks once a U.S. war begins in Iraq. In recent weeks, Islamist and Communist rebels have maintained a steady pace of small-scale bombings, raids and kidnappings, and authorities are concerned these operations may intensify -- and possibly even shift to Manila. With the heightened security threat coming on the heels of cancelled U.S.-Philippine training exercises, the Philippine military could find its forces stretched thin, precluding plans for a major operation in Sulu.

Analysis

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the police went on alert March 18 in preparation for possible sympathy attacks after the United States goes to war in Iraq. In addition to government and diplomatic facilities, security forces are beefing up their presence and surveillance around communications, energy and transportation infrastructure.

The alert comes amid a steady stream of raids, bombings and kidnappings by Muslim and Communist rebels in the southern Philippines. It also follows the cancellation of a joint live-fire training exercise between U.S. and Philippine forces scheduled to take place in that region. The lack of U.S. combat troops and supplies, coupled with the new security threat, may stretch the resources of the Philippine military and will delay its planned assault on the Abu Sayyaf.

In recent weeks, suspected members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have attacked electricity infrastructure, set off several bombs -- including one at the airport in Davao that killed more than 20 people, hijacked buses and cars and launched attacks against military positions in the southern Philippines. Over the same time period, the Abu Sayyaf has engaged in firefights with the AFP and claimed responsibility for the Davao blast, and the Communist New People's Army in recent days raided an armory in eastern Mindanao in one of a series of operations designed to ease the pressure on the MILF.






The steady stream of attacks has kept the AFP occupied in Mindanao, where a month ago they overran a major MILF base in Pikit. And in neighboring Basilan, Philippine forces backed by U.S. military trainers fought the Abu Sayyaf in 2002, driving the bulk of the group's forces further west to Jolo Island. Perhaps more troubling for the AFP, however, are reports that the NPA and MILF are cooperating in their current actions, and that separately, elements of the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf are working together.

This is creating a difficult situation for military planners as they try to establish priorities for force deployment. The president's order -- issued a little less than a month ago -- for the military to crush the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu appears now to be taking a back seat to maintaining vigilance and pressure against the MILF in Mindanao. And the emergence of the Rajah Sulayman Movement, which allegedly is preparing bombings in metro Manila should the United States go to war in Iraq, is adding to the complications.

Related Headlines

                   

[Crafty_Dog]

                    http://www.stratfor.com/promo/?site=usiraq' target='_blank'>http://www.stratfor.com/promo/?site=usiraq
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Today's Featured Analysis

Militant Link to Philippines Bombing Sign of Wider Campaign?

Summary

Philippine police are looking for five alleged Indonesian members of Jama'ah Islamiya (JI) in connection with the April 2 bombing of a wharf in Davao city. If JI really carried out the bombing,
it would mark one of the first al Qaeda-linked attacks in East Asia since the start of the U.S. war in Iraq -- and could signal the start of a broader regional militant campaign.

Analysis

Philippine national police intelligence chief Roberto Delfin said April 7 that police were looking for five alleged Indonesian members of Jama'ah Isliamiya (JI), a regional militant group that has been linked to al Qaeda, in connection with the April 2 bombing of a wharf in Davao city that killed 16 and injured 55.
The foreign JI members reportedly cooperated with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) semi-autonomous Special Urban Terrorist Action Group (SUTAG) in planning and carrying out
the bombing.

If the JI is responsible for the bombing, it would mark one of the first instances of an al Qaeda-linked militant attack in Southeast Asia since the start of the U.S. war in Iraq -- and one of the first major attacks since the Oct. 12 bombing in Bali. It also might presage a broader regional militant campaign.

The attack at the port came less than a month after a bombing at the Davao airport that killed 23 and injured 150. Philippine police initially blamed the MILF for that attack, although the Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility. The port bombing was not directly linked to the MILF initially, but now it has been
tentatively tied to both JI and a faction of the MILF that might oppose the resumption of peace negotiations with the Philippine government. The SUTAG is believed to be one of several Southeast
Asian militant groups under the umbrella of the JI, and the search for five Indonesians adds an international aspect to the Davao attack.

Davao, like Indonesia's Bali, was largely immune to the militant activities around it -- until March 4. The airport bombing in Davao was all the more shocking not simply for its death toll but for its unexpectedness. Most fighting between the MILF and government forces had been centered on Cotabato province, and Abu Sayyaf actions were further west on the Zamboanga peninsula and
Basilan and Jolo islands. Davao's relative stability, and its position as the Philippines' second-largest city, had made it a relatively positive force for both domestic and even some foreign investments.

The airport and port bombings are shaking the business community in Davao, and, as Philippine investors and businessmen readily adapt to instability, the city might see the movement of capital and investors to other areas in the nation considered more stable. But shifting capital aside, the attack could signify a resumption of a long-stalled regional militant campaign that targets not only the Philippines but Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei
and Singapore.

If the Bali attack, which also was linked to JI, and the Davao attack are indicators, the strikes will come in areas heretofore largely immune to the general regional militancy -- areas that also have a higher economic value to their respective countries.
Security forces around the region already have stepped up surveillance of suspected militants and are keeping a careful watch on anti-war demonstrators who could easily be co-opted by
Islamist militants. At the same time, however, they are expressing cautious optimism that attacks won't occur in their countries -- or even in Southeast Asia -- but rather inside countries that actively participate in the war in Iraq.

If it turns out the JI was involved in Davao, however, this might prove to be misplaced optimism. JI planned but never carried out a series of operations in Singapore and Malaysia -- ostensibly because al Qaeda never gave final authorization or funding. The new attacks in Bali and Davao suggest a more localized campaign against economically and psychologically important targets that could serve to further destabilize national governments.

In Indonesia, the Bali blast forced the military to rethink its position on Islamist paramilitaries, and it contributed to a general strain between Islamist and more secular factions within the government. And in the Philippines, the Davao attacks are threatening the resumption of peace talks between the MILF and
the government.

While it has yet to be determined whether Indonesian militants or even JI were involved in the Davao attack, the group's participation in planning and operations could spell new trouble for Southeast Asian nations, which already are struggling with
domestic political unrest, militancy and lagging economies.                    

[Crafty_Dog]

                   
0838 GMT - The government of the Philippines has withdrawn diplomatic privileges and immunity from the Iraqi Embassy staff still in Manila and has ordered its foreign affairs officials to cease all contact with the Iraqis, a source in the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said on April 13. The Iraqis will not be invited to official or diplomatic functions, and their diplomatic identification cards and car plates will not be renewed, he said. However, the Iraqi Embassy staff will not be deported because of the unstable situation in Iraq.

                   

[Crafty_Dog]

                    1800 GMT - The Philippine government has banned U.S. soldiers from participating in combat patrols with Filipino army units during combat exercises focused on counterterrorism. The exercises will be held later this year on the southern island of Jolo. Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said that Filipino troops -- not U.S. soldiers -- should be fighting Muslim militants.

                   

[Crafty_Dog]

                    Today's Featured Analysis

MILF: Short-Term Advantage, Long-Term Challenges?

Summary

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has gained an edge in upcoming peace talks following a recent attack in the southern Philippines. The rebels' new bargaining power may be enough to gain a temporary cease-fire, but it won't be sufficient bring
about an end to the conflict.

Analysis

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) raided a small town in the southern Philippines on May 4, marking a violent upswing in the rebel group's recent activities. Approximately 100 rebels stormed the town of Siocon in Zamboanga del Norte province in the early morning -- assaulting the local military headquarters, police station and government offices and torching the central public market before retreating into the jungle with more than a dozen hostages, including the wife and son of the town's mayor.  Most of the hostages were rescued later that day, but intense fighting during the raid left up to 22 dead and many more wounded.

The operation demonstrated the MILF's capabilities, which will serve to strengthen its hand in upcoming peace talks with Manila. Regardless, the possibility that the government and the rebels can reach a substantial peace accord and avoid further conflict
is slim.

The bloody assault on Siocon, the MILF's largest military operation in recent weeks, demonstrates that the Muslim separatist group still is capable of major offensives -- following a serious setback in February, when the Philippine army overran its Buliok operations base in Pikit. The destruction of
the base forced the MILF to disperse into the jungle and put the rebels on the defensive -- suspending the group's negotiations with Manila.

The attack in Siocon and recent smaller attacks have been a part of a campaign to regain the initiative.

Jesus Duezo, special adviser to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, acknowledged May 4 that the incident in Siocon was problematic but indicated that "discreet" exploratory peace talk would continue. MILF leaders already have agreed to peace talks in Kuala Lumpur within the next week, although the schedule still may be subject to change.

Both the government and the MILF have much to gain through a negotiated peace deal. Arroyo would like to quell the violence endemic to the southern Philippines and rejuvenate the island nation's international reputation in order to attract foreign
investment and revitalize the economy. The MILF, or at least some of the factions within it, would like to put the 25-year insurgency in the past. Some of the rebel leaders are willing to enter into a deal similar to one that Manila cut with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) -- ending hostilities in
exchange for a high degree of autonomy.

Although the MILF is re-entering negotiations with a stronger hand and is looking to deal, the peace talks in Kuala Lumpur are unlikely to produce a substantive agreement. A tentative cease-fire deal might be reached, but a more conclusive arrangement to end the rebellion is highly unlikely: Any concessions by Manila to enfranchise the MILF will come at the expense of the MNLF, from which the MILF splintered in 1977. Some MNLF factions
already govern large portions of Mindanao, and the two rebel groups will not likely agree to administer the same territory jointly.

This leaves the MILF as the odd man out among the three players. Manila will not risk alienating the rebels it already has co-opted and thus re-ignite conflict in hopes of bringing the MILF into the fold.                    

[Crafty_Dog]

                    Item Number:17
Date: 05/07/2003
PHILIPPINES - MILF TARGETS BRIDGES (MAY 07/PS)

PHILIPPINE STAR -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is plotting to destroy bridges in central Mindanao, reports the
Philippine Star, citing security officials. Intelligence reports indicate that the MILF has targeted bridges in Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces.  The plans are said to be part of the MILF's new strategy of disrupting civilian and government infrastructure in the southern Philippines, reported military and police officials.                    

[Crafty_Dog]

                    PHILIPPINES
Manila Troops in Massive Hunt for Muslim Rebels
from Straits Times [Singapore] on Monday, May 05, 2003
ZAMBOANGA -- Hundreds of government forces were deployed on Monday to a southern Philippine town after a daring raid by the nation's top Muslim separatist group left 25 people dead and dozens wounded.

President Gloria Arroyo said the attack by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the remote mining town of Siocon, some 465-km south of Manila, was an act of terrorism that the group must account for.  The attack came as government negotiators prepared to meet the MILF in 'exploratory' peace talks in Kuala Lumpur this week.

'The MILF must account for this act, both on the ground and on the level of peace negotiations,' she told reporters in Manila.  'We will go after the perpetrators and the MILF must turn over to the government without excuses the perpetrators,' she said.

The MILF, whose 12,500-strong force is the main Muslim separatist group in the southern Philippines, launched their bloody raid on Siocon on Sunday, catching the military off-guard and seizing 15 civilians as 'human shields'.

Following intense fighting, reports late Sunday said 22 people were killed -- 10 civilians, six MILF rebels and nine police and military personnel -- and more than two dozen civilians and troops wounded.  Armed forces spokesman Lt-Colonel Daniel Lucero said on Monday the death toll had risen to 25, with one more army soldier and two civilians killed. -- AP

Copyright @ 2003 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
----------------------
PHILIPPINES
Army in Cahoots with Rebels, Says Ex-Hostage
from Straits Times [Singapore] on Thursday, May 08, 2003
WICHITA (Kansas) - An American missionary who was held hostage for more than a year has accused the Philippine military of colluding with her captors, saying an army general demanded a 50-per-cent cut of the ransom.

In her newly released book, In The Presence Of My Enemies, Mrs Gracia Burnham described her 377-day ordeal at the hands of the Abu Sayyaf group.   It ended with a bloody army rescue on June 7 last year that left her husband Martin and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap dead.

Mrs Burnham said members of the Philippine military provided rice, sugar and other food for the Muslim guerillas holding her captive.  She said she was told it was because Abu Sayyaf was 'wheeling and dealing' with the general in the region, who wanted a cut of the ransom. The guerillas had offered 20 per cent but the general wanted a 50-per-cent cut. Negotiations between the two sides broke down in the end, she said.

Philippine army chief Gregorio Camiling, commander of the southern Philippines in the early weeks of the abduction, denied any such collusion on Tuesday. He suggested that Mrs Burnham and the other captives may have been tricked.

'They were inside; their minds could easily be controlled by (Abu Sayyaf leader) Abu Sabaya and the rebels who could have fed them wrong information and acted out some drama,' he said.  'How can she say they were soldiers? She was misled.' -- AP

Copyright @ 2003 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.                    

[Crafty_Dog]

                    PHILIPPINES
Philippines Bomb Blast Kills at Least 13
from Associated Press on Saturday, May 10, 2003
A bomb exploded Saturday at a crowded market in a southern Philippine city, killing at least 13 people, officials said.

About two dozen others were injured seriously and brought to a hospital in Koronadal city, police Superintendent Danilo Posadas said.  Two hours later, another bomb was found near the market but taken away by a police bomb squad to be defused.

Mayor Fernando Miguel said the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility in a telephone call. The group is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.

Miguel said in a radio interview that a man identifying himself as Abu Solaiman of the Abu Sayyaf called him shortly after the 3:30 p.m. blast and warned of "more bombings in the days to come."

The man has been calling since last year demanding $75,000 a month to spare Koronadal from bombings, the mayor said, adding that he refused.

There was no independent confirmation that the call came from Solaiman, who has been linked to bombings farther south and is one of five Abu Sayyaf leaders with a $5 million State Department bounty on his head offered by the State Department for kidnappings and killings in the southern Philippines in 2001-2002.

Posadas said an initial investigation indicated the bomb that exploded around 3:30 p.m. was fashioned from an 81 mm mortar shell. Police suspect the person who planted the bomb died at the scene.

"Terrorists did it," Posadas said, without elaborating.

The market was the scene of a similar bombing last month that killed two people. Police and the military blamed that bombing on the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Saturday's blast killed two women vendors and three passersby at the market, and seven others died in the hospital, said Col. Agustin Dema-ala, commander of the army's 301st Infantry Brigade.  Dema-ala said one of the people killed at the market was believed to have carried the bomb. He said a witness saw a man placing a bag on the sidewalk in front of a glass supply store at the market.

"It went off as he turned his back on it," Dema-ala said, quoting the witness.

He said a National Bureau of Investigation office is located in the market building, above where the blast occurred. The area was crowded because it was market day for traders in Koronadal, capital of South Cotabato province, about 600 miles southeast of Manila.

About two hours after the bombing, residents reported to police a cylinder containing cooking gas abandoned in front of a fire station near the market. It was the second bomb and a police bomb squad found a timer attached to the cylinder and took it away to defuse it.

Provincial Gov. Daisy Avance Fuentes condemned the bombing but appealed for calm.

"This is a tragedy. This is the work of terrorists," she said in an interview by DXOM radio in Koronadal.

The military says the MILF is known to make such mortar-bombs. The government has blamed the MILF for most of the bombings on the main southern island of Mindanao, including two blasts that killed 38 people in Davao city in March and April. Eid Kabalu, spokesman for the MILF, said the rebels were not involved in the latest bombing.

"It is not the handiwork of the MILF because we do not attack civilians," he told DXMS radio in Cotabato city.

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
                   

[Crafty_Dog]

                    PHILIPPINES
Mindanao Terror Suspects Fall
from Philippine Star [Manila] on Tuesday, May 13, 2003
By John Paul Jubelag & Roel Pare@ntilde;o

Three men have been arrested in Koronadal City for alleged links to a deadly weekend bomb attack in a crowded market there that killed nine people and wounded 26 others.

One of the suspects was nabbed in a raid on Koronadal's Muslim neighborhood, police investigator SPO4 Jonathan Jovero said. Twelve men were released after being rounded up and questioned.

In Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, government troops captured seven Muslim separatists, including a commander who participated in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) raid on that town last May 4, military officials said yesterday.

Thirty-four people were killed and 26 others wounded as 150 MILF raiders pillaged Siocon's commercial district in a dawn raid on May 4, the day of the town fiesta. One of the arrested suspects was believed also behind the abduction of an Italian priest several years ago.

A 49-year-old jobless man, Alex Luntayan, in whose house the suspected bombers allegedly slept before Saturday's attack on the Koronadal public market, was being held, Jovero said.

One of the two other suspects, Kandidatu Gubat, 32, was arrested at the market while Interior Secretary Jose Lina and national police chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. were inspecting the blast site.

Hours later, Ryan Salampong, 20, was apprehended nearby after he was overheard by a police intelligence agent boasting in his native Maguindanaoan dialect about his involvement in the bombing.

It was earlier believed that the bomber was killed when the explosive device went off prematurely.

Gubat's relatives denied he was involved, saying he was only selling charcoal at the market. Salampong, meanwhile, presented an identification card during questioning showing that he was a student at a nearby high school.

Officials have blamed the MILF for the bombing that ripped through Koronadal City's crowded market sidewalk Saturday.

Last May 4, the rebels burned the Siocon marketplace and four houses, attacked the town hall and absconded with 15 hostages for use as human shields.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) identified the captured MILF commander as Abdusalam Akiddin, alias Commander Kiddie.

Akiddin was reportedly among those who abducted Italian priest Luciano Benedetti five years ago.

Army 1st Division commander Brig. Gen. Triponio Salazar, who heads the operation against the Siocon raiders, said fighting erupted in the mountain complex of Sipakit in Sirawai town and led to the capture of the seven suspects.

He said the captured rebels were immediately turned over to the police for the filing of appropriate charges.

"The rebels also burned a thatch (hut) of a family of villagers to divert our troops' attention," Salazar said. Not responsible Yesterday, rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu insisted that the MILF was not responsible. "The government should investigate first to determine the identities of the real culprits before pointing an accusing finger at the MILF," he said.

Lina said yesterday the bomb, fashioned from a 81-mm. mortar shell, resembled devices the rebels allegedly used in two attacks in Koronadal earlier this year. A bomb in March wounded three people.

Shortly after the blast, Koronadal Mayor Fernando Miguel said a man who identified himself as Abu Solaiman of the Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility.

Abu Solaiman, the alias of Jainal Antel Sali Jr., has been calling up since last year to demand P4 million a month to "spare Koronadal city from bomb attacks," the mayor said, adding that he had refused.

But there was no independent confirmation that the call came from Solaiman. He has been linked to other bombings, and Washington has offered a $5-million reward for his capture. Washington considers the Abu Sayyaf a terrorist group.

Local authorities appear suspicious of the claim because it was not the first time that an Abu Sayyaf member has claimed responsibility for an attack believed to have been carried out by the MILF.