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MILF Lambastes Government Offer To Repair House
by Kazi Mahmood
KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 (IslamOnline) - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said on Friday that an offer made by the Philippine government to restore the house of its leader, Hashim Salamat, was propaganda.
"It's a simple and plain propaganda!" MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said she planned to order the physical renovation of Hashim's residential house inside Camp Abubakar, and at the same time, allow him to return back and reoccupy the home, provided he bring with him no firearms.
"Speaking of damages, why did the government single out the residential house of MILF Chairman Salamat Hashim, where in fact there are other thousand houses owned by civilians and other ordinary people who were destroyed during the military's all-out offensive against the MILF and the Bangsamoro people," Kabalu argued.
Last week the government offered to rebuild Hashim's devastated house and office in Barangay Bumbaran, Maguindanao so that he can, "hopefully" return there as a "leader of his people."
"We will rebuild the house, and hopefully Chairman Salamat can return there as a leader of his people," Jesus Dureza, chair of the government peace panel said.
But Dureza explained last Thursday in Davao City that Hashim can return there like other displaced residents, "to take residence there, but not to reestablish a military camp for the MILF."
Dureza, also presidential assistant for regional concerns, made a quick visit to Camp Abubakar and Salamat's house to show to the MILF the President's sincerity in solving the conflict.
Hashim's house, which used to have computer rooms and was surrounded by 50 caliber machine guns, was the last MILF stronghold captured by the military in early July last year.
It also housed the MILF's central communication facilities the military recovered recently. The half-concrete structure was well camouflaged and not visible to helicopter pilots.
From there, Hashim and his central committee reportedly commanded some 15,000 MILF fighters throughout Mindanao through a satellite dish and computer communication.
"I hope the MILF will cooperate in this endeavor," Dureza added. "Whether we like it or not, the people are followers of Salamat so I see no reason why he won't allow the return of refugees and our gesture of having his house constructed."
Kabalu stated that the government was after publicity with the clear intention of generating public sympathy to lessen the negative impact of previous policy toward the MILF and Bangsamoro community.
The MILF is of the opinion that the government should hand Camp Abubakar back to them without any preconditions.
"After all, its occupation of portion of the area is made in violations of the agreement on the general cessation of hostilities dated and signed in Cagayan de Oro City on July 18, 1997," Kabalu said.
He said the agreement included the return of seven MILF camps overrun by the army since 1999, and added that the Arroyo regime should acknowledge the agreement terms.
The previous agreement between the MILF and the government laid the basis of understanding that Philippines troops would be allowed to enter MILF controlled areas under prior to coordination between the two.
A pull out of government troops from the area they are now occupying within Camp Abubakar is one of many issues the MILF wants addressed before it would finally agree to a proposed resumption of peace negotiations.
The issue of occupied territory, however, remains a damaging element in negotiations, since Arroyo has said that the return of the camps is not covered by the suspension of the military offensive against the MILF.
Information from sources state that the military has adopted a tough position on the issue of the occupied territories.
The MILF states that AFP Chief of Staff General Angelo Reyes, who has been quoted to as saying that the deaths of thousands of Filipino troops during the campaign against Camp Abubakar would be meaningless should the government abandon up the hard-earned territory.
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