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Malaya


Malaya, Monday January 15, 2007

Anti-terror pact worries militants

By Reinir Padua

ACTIVISTS yesterday expressed concern over the recent passage of the Convention on Counterterrorism by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), saying it could be a "dangerous instrument" in current widespread human rights violations.

The Bagong Alyansang Maka-bayan (Bayan) condemned the legally binding agreement on cooperation in combating terrorist threats in the region, saying "human rights advocacy is not a notable trait of many Asean member countries."

The counter-terror regional pact signed in the 12th Asean summit in Cebu calls on member countries to adopt legislation to guarantee support on measures to counter terrorism, intelligence and information sharing, establishment of a regional database and measures to capture and bring perpetrators to justice.

Based on records of the human rights group Karapatan, an allied organization of Bayan, around 800 activists have been killed since President Arroyo assumed office in 2001. The latest victim was Rodolfo Alvarado, a member of the Bayan Muna party-list, who was killed on Dec. 31 in Albay.

Renato Reyes, Jr., Bayan secretary general, said the anti-terror pact is a "dangerous instrument in the hands of governments with poor human rights records and whose sovereignty is easily undermined."

"Governments like the Arroyo administration will most likely use the anti-terrorism convention as a potential tool for repression, which is dangerous given the current state of human rights in the country. The administration will surely use this to justify the passage of the draconian anti-terrorism bill still pending in the Senate," Reyes said.

Bayan said the Philippines is playing the role of "US proxy in the region."

"Politically, the Philippines has become more and more the chief cheerleader and proxy of the United States in the region. The Philippines has pushed the so-called US war on terror with great fervor, and without consideration of the implications on our national sovereignty," Reyes said.

Reyes said other Asean member countries with repressive regimes face the same dangers of heightened repression in the conduct of the so-called "war on terror."

Asean groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"Over the past five years, human rights have been the first casualty in the conduct of the so-called global war on terror. From the US to Iraq to Southeast Asia, the experiences have been similar," Reyes said.

Reyes said what is disturbing in the convention is that there is not even any categorical definition of terrorism, allowing for a broad and vague definition of terrorism which can be abused by repressive regimes.

"This is even more untenable considering that the Philippines itself does not even have a legal definition of terrorism yet in considers itself a party to a legally binding anti-terrorism covenant. We will certainly object to any attempt to come up with an Asean terror list similar to the US and European Union listings," Reyes said.

The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas said the anti-terror pact would mean "death sentence for activists and democracy" in the Philippine setting.

"The exclusion of state terrorism also shields the regimes that are systematically using terrorism and violence against its own people to stifle legitimate decent, just like what is happening here in the Philippines," said Wilfredo Marbella, KMP deputy secretary general.

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