President Arroyo Wary of US Role in Philippines

by Ma Nguyen Tong

25-3-2003

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo appeared to have ruled out the deployment of more American troops to help in combat operations in the sensitive southern Sulu islands. United States special forces are already involved in operations on the nearby island of Mindanao, and the US had been pushing for the programme to be extended to Sulu and its main island of Jolo, a stronghold of separatist groups. Mrs Arroyo described her decision as "pretty final" and said the operations would still go ahead, but in other provinces. She was concerned about the growing popular hostility towards the United States and American people.

"There are other places where the locals and even the public officials have officially declared an invitation," she said. "Elsewhere there is extreme hostily towards Americans. They do not need to come here." But she did not specify which other areas were being considered.

US soldiers are in the region to give local troops assistance and equipment to help in their anit-separatist activities and the increasing escalating civil war in the country. Starting in the middle of February 2003 the fighting had increased to the level of an all-out war with an average of 200 casualties per week.

In February, US officials said the programme would be extended to Jolo as it sought to target the Abu Sayyaf. But the US hope that its troops would be allowed an increased combat role attracted Philippine opposition with huge anti-American protests held nearly daily in Manila, Makati, and elsewhere in the country, and the two governments were still negotiating the terms of the exercises. Foreign troops are banned by the Philippine constitution from engaging in active combat in the country.

Continued clashes

Army officials said on March 14 that there had been further fierce, bloody clashes between government troops and separatists from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the island of Mindanao with over 200 casualties in one week alone. Tens of thousands of people have become internal refugees because of the fierce fighting.

Many casualties, when the military launched air strikes near the town of Pikit. The raids were carried out to prevent the separatists regaining a camp in the marshy area of Buliok, which was captured by the army in February at the cost of nearly 300 casualties, Philippine officials said. The separatists were forced from the area when the government launched a military offensive after accusing the group of harbouring terrorists.

The 12,500-strong MILF group had waged a 25-year-old campaign for an Islamic state in the southern Philippines. Despite signing a peace agreement with the government, sporadic violence continues because the government, under instructions of the White House administration, continues to harass the MILF.