Monday, November 20, 2006 Peace monitors' chief denies being bullied by Army official
THE head of the mission of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) denied earlier reports that he was bullied by a Philippine Army official during one of their visits in Maguindanao.
But Major General Dato Md Ismael bin Ahmad Khan admitted he was displeased by the one-hour ultimatum given to them by the Philippine Army colonel.
Ismael made the clarification after an article published at the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) official website Luwaran.com said Army 64th Infantry Battalion commanding officer Roseller Murillo shouted at the IMT and told them to withdraw MILF forces from Kuloy in an hour's time.
The incident reportedly happened during the visit to Murillo in one of the command posts by the IMT together with members of the Joint Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities of the government and the MILF.
"The incident was not just a case of insubordination by a junior officer to a superior even if the other officer belongs to a foreign country but this is a breach of diplomatic protocol since members of the IMT, particularly the chief of mission and deputy chief of mission, are considered diplomats and hence deserved to be respected as such," the article reads.
The same article stated that the veracity of the reported act of disrespect by Murillo to the Head of Mission is still to be verified, adding that if found true then the MILF would bring it up during the next round of government-MILF exploratory talks in Malaysia.
Luwaran.com Sunday apologized for the wrong report posted in their website. (BOT)
