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Estrada's Ouster Confirms Peace Deal
by Kazi Mahmood
KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 (IslamOnline) - Peace talks between the Philippines government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have been made possible only due to the ouster of Joseph Estrada as president of the Philippines, say government officials in Manila.
The Supreme Court (SC), in a resounding unanimous vote Wednesday, made it clear that Estrada is in no position to hamper President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's peace efforts for at least the next three years.
The SC denied Estrada had any grounds to seek immunity and voted out his final attempt at regaining the presidency, which he was forced to vacate after a ruling by the same Court last year.
The Philippines government was relieved upon hearing of the unanimous decision and quickly said Estrada's ouster eased the path for peace talks with both the Muslim and communist rebels in Mindanao.
The Mindanao region itself, enjoyed a day free of military clashes while observers said they could see the enforcement of the MILF's unilateral ceasefire declaration.
The war-ravaged province has been at the center of a litigious affair between the MILF and the armed forces of the Philippines (AFP) that led to an all out war in progress since January 2000.
The Mindanao people will always remember the one-year of war and destruction that Estrada's regime brought to the region in the name of national unity. They will also remember that instead of national unity, the war nearly spilled into other provinces and would have enlisted the entire nation in a civil war had it continued, IslamOnline was told.
"Now that Estrada is confirmed out and gone for sometime, peace can be registered in Mindanao. The MILF will make peace, and the Philippines government will have a very short time to ensure development in the region, as promised," an observer told IslamOnline.
The observer, a member of the Society of the Bangsamoro People, has a website inviting the world to visit the Mindanao region saying the MILF represents the Muslims of the region.
She added that the sufferings of the Bangsamoro people would only be repaid after the region is freed from the Philippines government's negligence of the vast majority of poor and needy in Mindanao.
The Society said it would support the MILF in any attempt to regain independence of the region. It added, however, in an email message to IslamOnline, that it would not follow the Abu Sayyaf group in its call for independence.
The Abu Sayyaf Wednesday called for the complete independence of the Sulu islands, a province that became notorious last year after the Philippines government launched a cleansing operation against the group of rag tag bandits.
Muslims in Sulu province, besides supporting the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the oldest secessionist movement in the region, also support the Abu Sayyaf.
The islands of Jolo and Basilan are divided in support for the MNLF, MILF and Abu Sayyaf. The latter group has strong bases in the province due to rampant poverty and human rights abuse by the Armed forces.
Arroyo's government, however, has shown little concern for the Abu Sayyaf, deciding to maintain an antagonistic policy, a precedent adopted against the group in Estrada's administration. The Abu Sayyaf is still holding two hostages, the American Muslim revert Jeffrey Schilling, and a Filipino.
Factions within the Abu Sayyaf have promised Arroyo a grisly souvenir for her 54th birthday this month, and fears are that it may involve Schilling.
Schilling's mother, taking the menace seriously, has appealed in the name of Allah to the Sayyaf to spare her son. She said they should not harm him and should release him, adding that Jeffrey was her only child.
In other developments, the Philippines army in Mindanao has pulled out a large number of its forces that were occupying Camp Abubakar in Lanao Del Norte, but state they still have some 2000 troops stationed in the region.
The military has issued an order saying that the MILF could retake possession of the camp but insisted that they should leave their arms before entering the freed camp.
The MILF said its leader, Salamat Hashim, would re-enter the camp soon with 200-armed men, prompting the army to threaten arresting Hashim if armed bodyguards enter the camp.
Tension appeared to heighten while the army stressed it would strictly enforce Arroyo's order to block armed MILF members and supporters planning on returning to the camp.
Some unarmed displaced residents have been seen streaming back into Camp Abubakar, near Barira town, Tuesday morning. This week, the government sent two tractors into the sprawling camp to help rebuild damaged homes and farms.
Top MILF officials may not return to the camp as long as there are threats by the military, sources said. It is possible that the camp will be reoccupied by the MILF only after a truce is officially signed within the next three months.
Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Eduardo Ermita and MILF vice chairman for military affairs Al Haj Murad Ebrahim have signed an agreement in Malaysia to resume the stalled peace talks.
The 12,500-strong MILF officially began observing a unilateral ceasefire Tuesday after a series of last-minute skirmishes that left one MILF member dead.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the force suspended armed hostilities against the government at 1am Monday. The truce is open-ended.
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