This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/29/world/asia/philippine-police-raid.html
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Botched Philippine Police Raid Jeopardizes Peace Deal With Rebel Group | Botched Philippine Police Raid Jeopardizes Peace Deal With Rebel Group |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| MANILA — In the aftermath of a botched raid that left 44 elite police officers dead, several key lawmakers in the Philippines have withdrawn their support for legislation that would formalize a peace agreement with Islamic rebels in the country’s south, jeopardizing the landmark deal that was meant to end more than four decades of violence. | |
| Some congressmen have called for retribution and the surrender of insurgents involved in the clash on Sunday that killed only a handful of rebels. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed the peace deal in March, was involved in the fighting. | Some congressmen have called for retribution and the surrender of insurgents involved in the clash on Sunday that killed only a handful of rebels. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed the peace deal in March, was involved in the fighting. |
| About 400 police officers from an elite counterterrorism unit conducted the raid early Sunday in the remote town of Mamasapano, on the southern island of Mindanao, to capture a top terrorism suspect. The police say that the suspect, Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, a Malaysian national and a senior leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network, was killed in the operation. | About 400 police officers from an elite counterterrorism unit conducted the raid early Sunday in the remote town of Mamasapano, on the southern island of Mindanao, to capture a top terrorism suspect. The police say that the suspect, Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, a Malaysian national and a senior leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network, was killed in the operation. |
| The raid was conducted near areas where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front operates, and its chairman, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, said on Wednesday that his group had not been informed of the operation, as is required under the cease-fire agreement. He said his fighters were acting in self-defense when they fired on the police. | The raid was conducted near areas where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front operates, and its chairman, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, said on Wednesday that his group had not been informed of the operation, as is required under the cease-fire agreement. He said his fighters were acting in self-defense when they fired on the police. |
| Since then, a ferocious national debate has erupted about the raid, with photos of the dead police officers circulating on social media and some former military and police officials calling for a full-scale military offensive against the rebels. | Since then, a ferocious national debate has erupted about the raid, with photos of the dead police officers circulating on social media and some former military and police officials calling for a full-scale military offensive against the rebels. |
| The government has responded by calling for calm, firing two top police officials and announcing an investigation of the raid. The spokesman for the national police, Wilben Mayor, was relieved of duty on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the head of the unit that conducted the operation, Director Getulio Napenas, was removed. President Benigno S. Aquino III was scheduled to give a nationally televised speech on Wednesday night to address the issue. | The government has responded by calling for calm, firing two top police officials and announcing an investigation of the raid. The spokesman for the national police, Wilben Mayor, was relieved of duty on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the head of the unit that conducted the operation, Director Getulio Napenas, was removed. President Benigno S. Aquino III was scheduled to give a nationally televised speech on Wednesday night to address the issue. |
| The violence and the reaction to it have occurred amid congressional debate on a law that would underpin the March peace deal. The proposed legislation, the Bangsamoro Basic Law, would give a degree of autonomy to Muslim communities in the southern Philippines and allow local governments to keep a greater share of tax revenues from the resource-rich area. | The violence and the reaction to it have occurred amid congressional debate on a law that would underpin the March peace deal. The proposed legislation, the Bangsamoro Basic Law, would give a degree of autonomy to Muslim communities in the southern Philippines and allow local governments to keep a greater share of tax revenues from the resource-rich area. |
| “This incident has tremendous political implications for the peace process,” Rommel C. Banlaoi, executive director of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said by phone. “Some legislators have already withdrawn their support for the draft legislation, and there are other politicians calling for a halt to the debate on the law.” | “This incident has tremendous political implications for the peace process,” Rommel C. Banlaoi, executive director of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said by phone. “Some legislators have already withdrawn their support for the draft legislation, and there are other politicians calling for a halt to the debate on the law.” |
| Mr. Banlaoi noted that because of the sensitivity of the operation — trying to capture an international terrorism suspect — only a few government officials were informed of the raid. The resulting confusion has triggered rumors and a public backlash that lawmakers are now hearing about from their constituents. | Mr. Banlaoi noted that because of the sensitivity of the operation — trying to capture an international terrorism suspect — only a few government officials were informed of the raid. The resulting confusion has triggered rumors and a public backlash that lawmakers are now hearing about from their constituents. |
| On Monday, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Joseph Victor Gomez Ejercito withdrew their support for the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and Senator Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called for an end to the debate on the bill. Other lawmakers, including the Senate president, Franklin Drilon, have called for deliberations to continue while the incident is investigated. | On Monday, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Joseph Victor Gomez Ejercito withdrew their support for the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and Senator Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called for an end to the debate on the bill. Other lawmakers, including the Senate president, Franklin Drilon, have called for deliberations to continue while the incident is investigated. |
| “I’m withdrawing my co-authorship of the B.B.L., and I seriously doubt if there will ever be a peace agreement,” said Mr. Cayetano, who described the clash on Sunday as a “slaughter” that cast doubt on the commitment of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to peace. | “I’m withdrawing my co-authorship of the B.B.L., and I seriously doubt if there will ever be a peace agreement,” said Mr. Cayetano, who described the clash on Sunday as a “slaughter” that cast doubt on the commitment of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to peace. |
| On Tuesday, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Maria Lourdes Sereno, made a rare public statement, calling for sobriety in reaction to the fighting and continued support for the peace process. | On Tuesday, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Maria Lourdes Sereno, made a rare public statement, calling for sobriety in reaction to the fighting and continued support for the peace process. |
| “A call for war and retribution should never be made lightly and should remain always a final option,” she said. “It should certainly not be made in the heat of the moment and in the face of, as yet, unclear facts and confusing narratives.” | “A call for war and retribution should never be made lightly and should remain always a final option,” she said. “It should certainly not be made in the heat of the moment and in the face of, as yet, unclear facts and confusing narratives.” |