The Jakarta Post, 2/20/2007 5:26:56 PM
Al-Qaida-linked groups to be outlawed in Philippine
MANILA (AP): Violent Muslim groups operating in the Philippines are expected to be
outlawed when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signs a long-delayed anti-terror
law, an official said Tuesday.
The Senate and the House of Representatives have ratified the Human Security Act,
and Arroyo is expected to sign it soon.
The United States and other Western countries have long prodded the Philippines to
enact an anti-terrorism law, citing the presence of al-Qaida-linked militants who have
been blamed for deadly bomb attacks, beheadings and kidnappings.
Concerns over possible rights abuses and suspicion that the legislation could be used
by Arroyo's government to crack down on political rivals prompted opposition senators
to overhaul the proposal, delaying its passage.
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said al-Qaida-linked groups with violent track
records, like the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf extremist
groups, would most likely be proscribed under the new law.
The inclusion of other Muslim rebels groups and the communist New People's Army
will have to be studied, he said.
Police and the military will be asked to recommend groups for inclusion in a list of
terrorist organizations, he said.
"We would have to study even legal organizations which would be found out to be
supporting terrorists, because that's a crime," he said.
Under the proposed act, any group espousing terrorism or resorting to terrorist acts to
extract an unlawful demand from the government would be considered outlawed after
the justice department has applied for its proscription before a trial court.
Such groups would be duly notified and given a chance to refute allegations.
Membership in outlawed groups would be considered a crime, but the proposed act
did not cite any specific punishment. An offender could possibly be cited as an
accessory or for conspiring to commit terrorism, which is punishable by up 40 years
imprisonment. (**)
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