[asia-apec 1446] Stop military operations now!

[BAYAN]

MEDIA RELEASE
May 4, 2000


STOP MILITARY OPERATIONS NOW 

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today demanded an immediate and
unconditional halt to military operations in Mindanao, blaming the
government's total war policy as the culprit in  the escalation of violence
and bloodshed in the island.

"On humanitarian grounds and for the safety of millions, the massive
deployment of military troops and their attacks on Moro communities must
stop," BAYAN National Chairperson Rafael Mariano referring to the all-out
war by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) against .the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

"The US-Estrada regime bears full responsibility for the Mindanao
conflagration. Had it not resumed bombing of bombing MILF territories,
deployed thousands of military troops and materiel, this would not have
happened," Mariano said, referring to the escalation of armed clashes
between the two groups and the recent collapse of MILF-GRP peace
negotiations. 

"This revived all-out war policy by the government has already claimed many
lives and destroyed people's livelihood. It is clear that  the US-Estrada
regime is hell-bent in repeating the US-Marcos dictatorship's vain attempt
to quell through a genocidal war the Moro people's resistance to their
oppression," said Mariano.

According to reports from Bayan chapters in Mindanao, four major
thoroughfares linking Southern, Far South and Central Mindanao have been
crippled due to the fighting. Bayan-Kidapawan reported that many people are
fearing for the lives and property due to the militarization of their
communities and amid clashes between government troops and the MILF.

At the same time, BAYAN joined KARAPATAN-Southern Mindanao in appealing to
the Most. Rev. Antonio Franco, the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, to
exert pressure on the government to stop military operations in Mindanao as
a crucial step in resolving the raging war in the poverty-stricken island.

The appeal was first made yesterday by Dr. Robinson Montalba, S. Th. D., of
KARAPATAN-Southern Mindanao who issued an open letter to the Papal Nuncio
who is now visiting Mindanao. 

Specifically, KARAPATAN-Southern Mindanao asked the Papal Nuncio to: 1)
call on the government to stop military offensives and exhaust all peaceful
means in resolving the armed conflict; 2) encourage the government to
initiate confidence-building measures leading to the resumption of peace
negotiations between the government, the MILF and NDFP; 3) ask for the
immediate and
unconditional release of political prisoners; and 4) demand the
government's adherence to international standards of human rights and
international humanitarian law. 

"Peace prospects are dim under the US-Estrada regime. How can we resolve
the problems that spawn armed conflict nationwide when we have a government
that counts warring against the people as a workable solution?," Mariano
said.  ###







     ---------------------------------------------------------
B A Y A N
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan or New Patriotic Alliance
No. 23 Maamo Street, Sikatuna Village
Quezon City, PHILIPPINES       
Telephone: (63-2) 435-9151       Telefax: (63-2) 922-5211
Email:   <bayan at iname.com>
Bayan webpage URL:                                 

<http://www.bigfoot.com/~bayan-phils>http://www.bigfoot.com/~bayan-phils
      
-----------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________________________________
T O P I C A  The Email You Want.
<http://www.topica.com/t/16>http://www.topica.com/t/16
Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics



     ---------------------------------------------------------
B A Y A N
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan or New Patriotic Alliance
No. 23 Maamo Street, Sikatuna Village
Quezon City, PHILIPPINES       
Telephone: (63-2) 435-9151       Telefax: (63-2) 922-5211
Email:   <bayan at iname.com>
Bayan webpage URL:                                 
<http://www.bigfoot.com/~bayan-phils>http://www.bigfoot.com/~bayan-phils
      
-----------------------------------------------------------