Tread warily with Manila 1 All-round Country Edition

Late last year I travelled high into the mountains of Mindanao to meet a senior NPA leader known as Comrade Oris. Asked about the escalation of the war against his group, his eyes took on a determined glint: "We cannot be intimidated by them." Peace, he told me, must come with justice. The...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Australian (Canberra, A.C.T.)
Main Author Lynch, Jake
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Canberra, A.C.T Nationwide News Pty Ltd 12.01.2007
Subjects
Howard, John
Lynch, Jake
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Summary:Late last year I travelled high into the mountains of Mindanao to meet a senior NPA leader known as Comrade Oris. Asked about the escalation of the war against his group, his eyes took on a determined glint: "We cannot be intimidated by them." Peace, he told me, must come with justice. The Philippines was still a "semi- feudal, semi-colonial society" in which the land and its riches were under the control of "big landlords". There's probably more danger of death or injury from politically motivated bombings in The Philippines than anywhere else bar Iraq and Afghanistan. Mindanao, in particular, has more armed groups than you could shake a stick at. They have different agendas and identities: some are of the Left, others include Muslim separatists and, on the fringes, groups associated with al-Qa'ida. That's why [JOHN Howard] must be very careful to ensure that defence co- operation against terrorism cannot be interpreted as support or approval for violations of human rights. Australia has a proud record of helping with conflict transformation in The Philippines, as the biggest overseas donor to the Mindanao peace agreement. But that good work is in danger of being undermined by Australian firms' involvement in a new gold rush.
ISSN:1038-8761