The Jakarta Post, 10/5/2005 5:26:03 PM
Bali bombers did not train in guerrilla camps here: Philippines
MANILA (AFP): The Philippines on Wednesday rejected allegations that the
masterminds behind the weekend bombings in Bali had undergone military training in
guerrilla camps run by separatist Muslim rebels on its territory.
National police chief director-general Arturo Lomibao said the armed forces had
overrun all major Muslim militant camps in the southern region of Mindanao in recent
years, forcing the rebels to move their bases elsewhere.
"With the dismantling of enemy camps in Mindanao, they now move from place to
place. There are no established training camps like what they are talking about,"
Lomibao said on government television.
Indonesian police have said they are looking for five suspects who might have been
involved in Saturday's deadly bombings in Bali, which left at least 19 people dead and
more than a hundred injured.
The police chief in Banten province in western Java, Badrodin Haiti has said that some
of the five suspects had undergone military training in the southern Philippines.
Security officials privately say that local Muslim guerrillas have sheltered foreign
extremists in their camps over the past few years despite a ceasefire agreement with
the government.
And President Gloria Arroyo conceded Wednesday that with the porous maritime
borders between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, "it is easy for terrorists to
move from one country to another".
Legislators have warned that the Philippines could attract foreign militants because it
was the only country in Asia without an anti-terrorism law.
To remedy this, an anti-terrorism bill is expected to be presented to the House of
Representatives shortly. (**)
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