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Tuesday, January 06, 2009
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Programmes PEOPLE AND POWER
Mindanao Militias



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Mindanao the second largest island in the Philippines is often called the "Promised Land" by locals, and for many Filipinos it once represented a dream of a better future.

Its riches however have also been its curse, within the island's stunning beauty exists a brutal conflict over resources, an ongoing war that has claimed more than a hundred thousand lives since it began more than 40 years ago.

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The fighting involves a Muslim rebel group, known as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and government troops.
 
The Philippine government has long relied on Christian Parliamentary and vigilante groups to fight the Muslim and communist insurgencies on the island.

One vigilante Group known as the "Ilaga" or "The Rats" was notorious for its brutal killings of civilians. 

Orlando De Guzman visited Mindanao to see how the renewed conflict is breathing new life into such Christian vigilante groups.


This episode of People & Power can be seen from Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at the following times GMT: Tuesday 0130, 1230 and 1930; Wednesday 0330, 1030 and 2230; Thursday 1030

 Source: Al Jazeera
 
Feedback Number of comments : 4
 
Philipa
Philippines
14/11/2008
Beautiful place!
Philippines is a beautiful country with untouched natural nature, it's full of life and a good place to live. Could that be the reason why the Muslims want to stay and live there. If so why can't they accept that they live under the rule of the Philippines Government - respect and follow the laws. The government officials, they are not perfect but by killing innocents people, how could you live happily and peacefully while doing that?

Vijayabhaskara Iyer
India
13/11/2008
BIAS
The vast majority of the inhabitants of Mindanao are Christian. My god. In other stories you spare no oppurtunity to point out that Kashmir or Chechnya are Muslim majority areas. Could you at least point out the same number of times that Mindinao is a Christian majority area. Look everyone is entitled to their opinion but at least show a little of the other side's point of view. The creation of AJE has just replaced the mild western bias of the BBC and CNN with a pronounced Muslim bias.

Nasser
Philippines
13/11/2008
Mindanao is a Muslim homeland
The Muslims in the present-day Philippines were originally a majority in their original homeland of Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan. The lands were annexed to the Philippines without consultation as to whether the Muslims wanted to join, a blatant violation of human rights. There were even rumours that some Arabs and Malaysians who had been involved in peace negotiations didn't take their work seriously because they were too preoccupied with women provided for them by the Philippines government.

Mark
Canada
15/11/2008
Mindanao
In all due fairness, Mindanao deserves peace. The Moros were victims of colonization. The Muslims there are Islamized indigenous people in the land way back before Spanish colonization period. They are called Moros because when the Spaniards conquered the would-be-Philippines they observed that the people there prayed in similar way with that of the Moors in Andalusia, Spain. It can be said that the Moros are "the other Moors".

 
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