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Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Terror group plans to disrupt Asean summit in Cebu: military
MANILA -- Security officials said the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is among the groups that threaten to sow terror during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Cebu in December.
Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian regional terrorist network which has linkages with the local Abu Sayyaf Group.
Armed Forces public information office chief Bartolome Bacarro however expressed confidence that the elaborate security preparations that the Armed Forces and the PNP are preparing for the international conference would be enough to quell the plot.
"I would believe that the security preparations in place have considered that as a threat," Bacarro told a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo, referring to the JI, which was involved in a number of bombings in the country.
Military intelligence officials earlier revealed that JI provided the funds in the bombing of a passenger ferry off Manila Bay in 2004 that left over a hundred people dead and in the 2005 Valentine's Day bombings in Makati, General Santos, and Davao cities that resulted in the killing of eight people and wounding of several others.
Around 30 to 40 JI operatives are believed to be operating in the country, including Dulmatin and Omar Patek, who are being pursued by government forces in the outskirts of Sulu, along with Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani.
Dulmatin and Patek, who each carries a US$10 million and a US$1 million reward for their neutralization, respectively, are being blamed for the October 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia that claimed 200 lives.
"Our primary concern is to ensure that nothing will happen and that Asean summit will push through without any hitch. As to the specifics (of security preparations), I cannot say, including how many troops will be involved but definitely, great amount effort will be focused on that," Bacarro said.
When asked about the possible threat that may be posed by the Abu Sayyaf, Bacarro said: "All probable scenarios have been taken into (account), will be taken into consideration. So contingencies will be laid down if there are threats pertaining to that."
The Abu Sayyaf has linkages with the JI and the al-Qaeda terror network. Intelligence officials have documented how the al-Qaeda network channeled funds to the Abu Sayyaf, and several other Muslim groups in Mindanao, in the early 1990s.
The Abu Sayyaf was behind a number of high-profile atrocities, including the kidnapping of 23 mostly Caucasians from the Sipadan diving resort in Malaysia in April 2000. The victims were later brought to Sulu where various agencies negotiated for their release.
The group was also behind the abduction of 21 hostages, including three Americans, from the posh Dos Palmas resort in Palawan in May 2001. One of the hostages, American-Peruvian Guillermo Sobero, was beheaded by his abductors. (VR/Sunnex)
(October 11, 2006 issue)
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14 killed, 24 wounded in bomb attacks