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http://www.dawn.com/2002/03/19/int16.htm DAWN (Pakistan) March 19, 2002 'Vietnamization' of Philippines on the cards By Michael Bengwayan ZAMBOANGA CITY (Philippines): The arrival of American troops to help the Philippine government in its uphill battle against the Abu Sayyaf rebels, which is said to have links with Al Qaeda and Afghan-based terrorists , was hailed by President Gloria Arroyo's administration. But local people in war-torn Mindanao fear that if the Abus, as the Abu Sayyaf cadres are commonly known, are not completely wiped out quickly the country may be in for trouble brought on by a second spell of American presence in the Philippines, which used to be a US colony. The apprehension of many Filipinos was articulated by a former defence minister and ex-senator Juan Ponce Enrile, who warned about the impending "Vietnamization" of the Philippines. The current scenario, he added, pointed to the "potentiality of a Vietnam conflict" which began with the arrival of American 'advisers' and ended only after years of full-scale war that decimated Vietnam. Enrile said the presence of large numbers of American troops in the Philippines may be tantamount to "stationing troops" which violates both the Philippine constitution and provisions of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States. The agreement restricts US military presence in the country to limited US visits and sharing of military information. The Philippine constitution bans foreign troops and nuclear weapons in the country. But the Supreme Court, made up of President Arroyo's appointees, gave the nod to joint military activities between the Philippine armed forces and US troops saying that "it is not a violation of the Philippine constitution". As a US colony, the Philippines permitted the US to set up military bases, including a naval base in Subic Bay and an air base in Clark Field. They were eventually closed down under pressure from Manila in 1992. Now top Philippine officials are working overtime defending the presence of the 650 US troops, including commandos from the elite Special Forces - popularly known as Green Berets. "The American soldiers are here to train Filipino combatants," said National Security Adviser Roilo Golez, describing controversial joint military exercises called Balikatan. Those who opposed the exercises, declared Arroyo provocatively, were "terrorist-lovers". Already 160 US Special Forces are hunting the Abu Sayyaf in the hinterlands of Basilan, the Mindanao island hideout of the group. The tactical manoeuvres resulted in the crash on Feb 22 of a US Chinook MH 47E helicopter, killing three American soldiers. Seven others are missing. It crashed into the Mindanao Sea at night while transporting some Green Berets. Basilan's jungle is the turf of the Abu Sayyaf - a kidnap-for-ransom group that Washington says is linked to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network. The group seized American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipino nurse Deborah Yap in a resort in Palawan Island last May, and has been holding them hostage. It beheaded California missionary Guillermo Sobero in December last year. It is one of several militant organizations responsible for the resurgence of violence in the Philippines in 1999. Earlier it was a faction within the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), but broke away in 1991 to pursue a more fundamentalist war against the government with the aim of establishing a separate Islamic state in Mindanao. Abu Sayyaf - meaning "father of the swordsman" in Arabic - was named after an Afghan fighter. Abu Sayyaf's reported links to Al Qaeda and Afghanistan and its holding of American hostages are the US reasons for expanding its 'war against terrorism' from Afghanistan to the Philippines. While most Filipinos, who are 90 per cent Catholic, have no love for a strongly Muslim militant group, some are uneasy at the return of US troops to the country which closed down US military bases under public pressure only a decade ago. Presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said the joint military activity is expected to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf, which has created an image of the Philippines as "another Afghanistan". Tiglao said the US soldiers would not engage in combat and would be supervised by the armed forces of the Philippines. "But of course they will shoot back if shot at. Don't expect them to be sitting ducks," he added. That does not reassure the influential Mindanao War Victims group chaired by Datu Haji Alonto. He warned the involvement of US soldiers will increase resentment of Muslims against the government which has long neglected them. "If body bags started flying to the US with dead American soldiers, do you think they will just leave, like in Somalia?" he said. "...That would be just the excuse needed by the American militarists to bomb Mindanao using state of the art and untested modern weapons and plant their bases." Already activist groups are holding daily rallies in front of the US embassy in Manila and the presidential residence. They have organized forums and symposiums, and launched a legal challenge and media campaign. "All of us are alarmed by this development," said former senator Wigberto Tanada, who heads an activists' coalition tentatively named the Gathering for Peace. "What we gained in 1991 is in danger of being lost," Tanada said, referring to the Philippine Senate's abrogation of the Philippine-US military bases agreement. Tanada was one of the senators who voted to revoke the treaty.-Dawn/Gemini News Service. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage http://sports.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
