|
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
MILF condemns GenSan bombing, urges restraint from gov't
THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Tuesday condemned the General Santos City market bombing describing it as a "barbaric act that is the handiwork of bloodthirsty and soulless murderers."
MILF information committee chairman Mohagher Iqbal said the bombing is senseless and added that those behind it want to "perpetuate" the Mindanao conflict.
This came even as the General Santos City's prosecutor was tasked by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file a report on developments in the General Santos bombing incident last Sunday where 14 persons got killed and at least 70 were injured.
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. tasked City Prosecutor Edilberto J. Jamora to work closely with law enforcement agencies "to proactively search, secure and protect material witnesses to the incident."
Under DOJ rules, the city prosecutor is also the designated officer of the Witness Protection Program for the area.
A written report on the matter must be submitted within 72 hours, Gonzalez said.
The prosecutor had also been directed to closely coordinate with the PNP, National Bureau of Investigation in his area and the General Santos city government in identifying all bonafide victims.
The move is meant to assist the families in filing claims with the Board of Claims of the DOJ so that they may avail of benefits under the law.
Meanwhile Iqbal said the MILF stands behind every group in denouncing the bombing and added that they already formed a special group to conduct an investigation into the incident.
He also questioned the timing of the bombing saying it happened just as the government and the MILF were resuming peace talks.
Iqbal said they want to reach out to the government especially to the military as partners to the peace process and asked that the government use restraint and not make any hasty conclusions or wild speculations on the market bombing incident.
"In particular we ask the military and the police not to use the (bombing) as a scapegoat to make indiscriminate arrests and use recycled lines to link the MILF to this terrorist act," Iqbal said.
The MILF information committee chairman also called on the Christians, Muslims and lumad peoples of Mindanao to close ranks in the face of this crisis.
"Everyone is a loser in this latest bombing. In the ultimate sense, even those responsible for this carnage won't gain anything; they will forever be haunted by their conscience if they have one, but even if they don't even wickedness has its limits," Iqbal said.
A heightened red alert was declared by the military after the General Santos bombing in anticipation of more incidents.
The bombing occurred at 4 p.m. inside the meat section of a public market in General Santos City.
Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, has denied that his group carried out the attack and echoed the local mayor's theory that a local traders' dispute was the cause of the bombing. (Stephen Capillas with a report from Sunnex)
(December 15, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
|
