Shattered Manila talks affecting thousands: report
Affected population: Displaced Muslim residents from far flung villages of Mamasapano, Datu Piang, and Datu Saudi town receiving supplies from the International Red Cross during a relief operation in southern Philippines.Picture: AFP file
Thursday, October 30, 2008
THOUSANDS of Filipinos have had their lives shattered following the collapse of peace talks between the government and Muslim insurgents, Amnesty International said in a report released yesterday.
The London-based rights group said an estimated 370,000 people have been displaced by the violence that erupted in August on the southern island of Mindanao following the breakdown of talks between the two sides.
Rebel commanders have since broken away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and have been waging a systematic campaign of killing and looting throughout central and northern Mindanao.
The Philippine government has poured thousands of troops into the area with little impact and the military has been forced to seek extra funding from a defence budget already strapped for cash.
The 39-page report highlights a string of human rights abuses carried out by both sides of the conflict including the deliberate targeting of civilians by the MILF, burning of homes, looting and stealing.
Amnesty said at the start of the fighting that 610,000 people fled their villages, citing data collected by the National Disaster Coordinating Council.
"Around 240,000 of them have subsequently gone back to their homes ... only to find their houses burned and their livestock stolen," the report said.
"The 370,000, who are still displaced, remain in internally displaced person sites or with relatives."
"The MILF and local groups opposing the peace talks have used violence as a negotiating strategy and hundreds of thousands of people are paying the price," said Donna Guest, Amnesty International's Asia Pacific deputy director.
On August 4, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on a Memorandum, which had been initialed by both sides.AFP
The London-based rights group said an estimated 370,000 people have been displaced by the violence that erupted in August on the southern island of Mindanao following the breakdown of talks between the two sides.
Rebel commanders have since broken away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and have been waging a systematic campaign of killing and looting throughout central and northern Mindanao.
The Philippine government has poured thousands of troops into the area with little impact and the military has been forced to seek extra funding from a defence budget already strapped for cash.
The 39-page report highlights a string of human rights abuses carried out by both sides of the conflict including the deliberate targeting of civilians by the MILF, burning of homes, looting and stealing.
Amnesty said at the start of the fighting that 610,000 people fled their villages, citing data collected by the National Disaster Coordinating Council.
"Around 240,000 of them have subsequently gone back to their homes ... only to find their houses burned and their livestock stolen," the report said.
"The 370,000, who are still displaced, remain in internally displaced person sites or with relatives."
"The MILF and local groups opposing the peace talks have used violence as a negotiating strategy and hundreds of thousands of people are paying the price," said Donna Guest, Amnesty International's Asia Pacific deputy director.
On August 4, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on a Memorandum, which had been initialed by both sides.AFP
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