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Thread: Philippine President Duterte Compares Himself To Hitler

  1. #11
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    The US needs to stop trying to micromanage other nation-states.
    ΜOΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ


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  3. #12
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    Red face

    Duterte turns against China, like Hitler turned on Russia...

    Duterte tells China: We tried to be friends… but, now we take control of our islands in disputed South China Sea
    Friday 7th April, 2017 - After months of making nice with China, even praising the country’s leadership and receiving reciprocators comments - now Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has flipped sides.
    Duterte confirmed on Thursday that he has ordered military personnel to occupy all Philippines-claimed islands, reefs and shoals in the contested Spratly Islands, in the disputed South China Sea. During a visit to a military camp on the Philippines island of Palawan, Duterte said, “We tried to be friends with everybody but we have to maintain our jurisdiction now, at least the areas under our control. And I have ordered the armed forces to occupy all these.” Duterte added in his statement that he may raise the Philippines flag on Pagasa Island, also known as Thitu Island, on the country's independence day on June 12.

    The Thitu Island is located in the Spratly island chain, parts of which are claimed by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam. The island chain is close to the seven man-made Chinese islands in the area. “It looks like everybody is making a grab for the islands there, so we better live on those that are still vacant. At least, let us get what is ours now and make a strong point there that it is ours,” he added. Last year, Philippines won a landmark case at an international tribunal in the Hague under Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino. The ruling stated that China had no legal basis for the bulk of its claims in the disputed waters.


    Duterte turns against China

    However, since his election last year, Duterte’s administration has struck a surpisingly conciliatory tone, cozying up to Beijing, in the process, the territorial disputes and China’s continued defiance have been pushed to the background. In October, during his visit to the Chinese capital, Duterte told the Chinese President Xi Jinping that “America has lost now. I've realigned myself in your ideological flow." Beijing subsequently agreed to allow Philippines fishing ships access to China-controlled territory. However, months later, now, Duterte’s comments are in stark contrast to his previous policy.

    Duterte said on Thursday, “Even those, those vacant (islands) that are considered ours, let's live there. It's like we're all competing to take these islands. And what's ours now at least, let's take it and make a strong point there that this is ours." He added that the Philippines should "fortify" its territory, adding, “(We) must build bunkers or houses there and make provisions for habitation." Even though ties between Manila and Beijing have drastically improved from merely years ago, tensions in the resource rich South China Sea still remain high.

    China meanwhile, that lays claim to most of the disputed waters, continued militarizing and building territories in the region that it claims to control. It has reclaimed land to turn sandbars into islands and has equipped them with airfields, ports and weapons systems. Duterte’s comments have come two days after Acting Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo said the Philippines, China and neighboring countries were making progress on a new code of conduct for the South China Sea.

    http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/2...outh-china-sea

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    Exclamation

    Duterte seein' slow progress in fight against Abu-Sayyaf...

    Philippines says Islamists keep up week-long fight with prisoners, looted guns
    Wed May 31, 2017 | A week-long assault by Islamist rebels in a southern Philippine city is being fuelled with stolen weapons and ammunition and fighters broken out of jails, the military said on Wednesday, as troops battled militants resisting ground and air attacks.
    The pro-Islamic State Maute group has proven to be a fierce enemy, clinging on to the heart of Marawi City through days of air strikes on what the military called known rebel targets, defying expectations of a swift end to their occupation. The military deployed for the first time SF-260 close air support planes to back attack helicopters and ground troops looking to box rebels into a downtown area. The army said the rebels hold about a tenth of the city. The hardline Maute had kept up the fight with rifles and ammunition stolen from a police station, a prison, and an armoured police vehicle, and were using them to hold off the troops, said military spokesman Restituto Padilla.

    The militants had freed jailed comrades to join the battle and opted to engage in urban warfare because the city had stocks of arms and ample supplies of food. "Yes indeed, there was planning involved," Padilla said. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is alarmed by the strength of the Maute and intelligence reports suggesting it has teamed up with other extremist groups and has recruited foreign fighters.


    An Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) is seen on a main street of Datu Javier village as the government troops continue to assault the Maute group in Marawi city, Philippines

    He last week declared martial law on Mindanao island where Marawi is located, in a move to quell movements he said he had long warned would mushroom into what is now an Islamic State invasion. "I specifically warned everybody there is more dark cloud ahead of us. I was referring specifically to the contamination of ISIS slowly creeping towards our shores," Duterte told navy personnel in Davao City. "In Marawi now, I have to tell you we have suffered tremendous losses because we are the invading force and they have been waiting for a long time for the forces of the republic to come." Eighty-nine militants, 21 security forces and 19 civilians have so far been killed during clashes.

    SLOW PROGRESS

    The slow pace of the military's efforts to retake Marawi - with air support and far superior firepower than the rebels - has prompted questions about its strategy. That has been compounded by social media images of smiling fighters with assault rifles posing on an armoured, U.S.-made police combat vehicle, dressed in black and wearing headbands typical of Islamic State. Another picture showed a bearded man at the wheel of a police van flying an Islamic State flag. The authenticity of the images has not been independently verified and the military has urged the public not to spread "propaganda".

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    As bloody battle with terrorists rages on in southern Philippines, militants dump bodies of civilians on the streets
    Tuesday 30th May, 2017 - A raging battle is ongoing in the southern Philippines city of Marawi, where government forces continue to engage in fights with ISIS militants, who are trying to seize control of the area has entered its sixth day.
    ISIS militants on Monday dumped the bodies of at least 16 civilians including a child, in and around the southern Philippines city of Marawi. The clashes have so far left more than 100 people dead and has pitted the Philippines’ military against the extremist Maute group, an organisation with support in Muslim-dominated parts of the south. The group has declared allegiance to the Islamic State. Officials stated that many of the civilians reported dead over the weekend appeared to have been executed.

    The battle in Philippines has is soon turning into a political issue with concerns about the government’s implementation of martial law in the southern island of Mindanao being high. Meanwhile, commenting on the battle over the weekend, President Rodrigo Duterte unnerved critics after he said he would ignore the country’s Congress and Supreme Court if they chose to vote on his declaration of martial law. Duterte asked rhetorically during a speech, “Are they the ones who will suffer the wounds of war?” adding that he didn’t know when he would lift martial law.


    It is unclear when and if the country’s joint houses of congress had been expected to meet to vote on the declaration of martial law, since some politicians have said that there was no opposition and therefore no need for a vote. The Philippines’ constitution allows the president to declare martial law for 60 days. In a statement, Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the president is committed to restoring peace and order in Mindanao and is focused on the terrorist threat, “not on the misguided commentaries of critics.”

    On Sunday, the armed forces said it was focused on aiding residents of Marawi trapped inside the city, and it had rescued 124 civilians since the start of its operations. Officials said previously that Maute militants had taken hostages and that the military has been bombarding Marawi with airstrikes as it seeks to take back sections of the city. The military has said that so far, 103 people have been killed, including 61 militants, 15 police and soldiers and 19 civilians.

    http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/2...on-the-streets
    Related:

    Philippines vows to save hostages as fight corners militants
    May 3,`17 - Philippine authorities have reached out to parties who may be able to talk with Muslim militants in a bid to secure the freedom of hostages in a southern city where a week of fighting has killed 129 people, officials said Wednesday.
    There was food and water— welcome commodities amid the frequent tears. There was, finally, safety, at least for the moment. And there were stories — stories of things that mothers and fathers hope never happen to their families. At an evacuation center outside the besieged Philippine city of Marawi on Wednesday, the results of a week of misery — a week of violence and uncertainty and long nights and promises of better tomorrows — were evident in the faces and hearts of the displaced. “When you’re desperate, you will do everything to survive,” said Zia Alonto Adiong, a regional lawmaker who welcomed dozens of people, including children, who fled to safety after more than a week trapped inside Marawi.

    About 130 people have been killed in the violence, which erupted last Tuesday after soldiers launched a raid to capture militant leader Isnilon Hapilon, who has been designated leader of the Islamic State group’s Southeast Asia branch. But the operation went awry and Hapilon got away. Fighters loyal to him surprised government forces with their firepower, fending off air strikes and house-to-house searches. The unrest has boosted fears that the Islamic State group’s violent ideology is gaining a foothold in the country’s restive southern islands, where a Muslim separatist rebellion has raged for decades.


    A displaced resident of Marawi city holds her coupon as they queue up to receive relief and food supplies at an evacuation center in Balo-i township, Lanao del Norte province in southern Philippines Wednesday, May 31, 2017. Tens of thousands of residents are now housed in different evacuation centers as Government troops fight with Muslim militants who laid siege in Marawi city Tuesday of last week

    Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said Hapilon is believed to still be in Marawi. “We believe he is still there, and we believe that is why they are putting up a very stiff resistance in the areas that they are still being held up and being cleared,” Padilla told reporters in Manila, the capital. As the two sides battle it out, civilians have been caught in the crossfire. Bilal Sulaiman, a 47-year-old carpenter, said his wife and three children evacuated to safety early in the conflict but he stayed behind to watch their house near the scene of the battle. He said when the fighting became too fierce, with bombs exploding two blocks away from his house, he ran for his life to a nearby mountain, where he waited without food and water until he decided to swim across a pond to safety.

    He waited in an army-controlled area and was retrieved by government rescuers Wednesday. “We did not eat for days,” Sulaiman told the AP at an evacuation center where some people wept as rescue workers handed out biscuits and water. “It was really scary, there were explosions just two blocks from my house but I couldn’t leave our house because somebody might burn it. I later left when the fighting got too intense.” Frightened civilians crowded into schools, basketball courts and sports centers. Villagers slept on floors and in grandstands and relied on government food and water rations and donations.

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    Cool

    Duterte urges continued effort against abu-Sayyaf terrorists...

    Duterte urges Congress to extend martial law in Marawi as militants continue to terrorise Philippine island
    Wednesday 19th July, 2017 - As Islamic State-linked terrorists from Abu Sayyaf and Maute militant groups continue to terrorise a southern Philippine city, the country’s President has now sought to extend the martial law in the area.
    President Rodrigo Duterte’s government said that he had written a letter to leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives seeking an extension of the Martial Law in the Philippine city. Violence erupted in the city after a failed attempt in May to arrest a Filipino militant commander backed by Islamic State's leadership. The two terrorist group, backed by foreign fighters then took control of the city on the island of Mindanao on May 23 and insurgents have been waging a war with the Philippine military since then. The seizure occurred when Duterte and his top security officials were visiting Russia and reports of the incident prompted the President to cut his trop short and place the second largest island in the Philippines, the Mindanao under military rule. Duterte ordered Philippine troops and the air force to Marawi to try to dislodge the militants.

    Now, with the Islamic militants continue to hold a stubborn grip on the city, Duterte has asked Congress to extend martial law on the island through the end of the year to quell the rebellion. On Tuesday, Duterte’s government said that the President had acknowledged in his letter to the leaders of Congress that the rebellion in Marawi “will not be quelled completely by 22nd July 2017,” when martial law is slated to end. Duterte’s request was, however, seen as an admission that the fighting to dislodge the Islamic State-linked fighters from Marawi would not end in a matter of days, despite his vow last week saying that it would. In a statement, Ernesto Abella, the president’s spokesman, said that Duterte had asked Congress, which is dominated by his allies, to “deliberate and consider the possible extension” of the decree authorising martial law. He said in his letter to the leaders that he had the backing of his defense secretary and martial law administrator, Delfin Lorenzana, along with the heads of the armed forces and the national police, saying “public safety requires it.”


    Since then, the battle has forced an estimated 200,000 residents to flee Marawi, which is the only predominantly Muslim city in the Philippines, which is mostly a Roman Catholic country. Military officers leading the assault on the ground have said that the militants were entrenched in central Marawi and are believed to be holding out with enough firepower to withstand the military’s air bombardments and its ground assaults. Manila's military has also revealed that Maute militants have been pushing captives to loot abandoned houses in the region and were forcing female captives into sex slavery in Marawi. Manila's army revealed last month that male and female captives were made to assist the militants in their fight against the Filipino military.

    Joint Task Force Marawi spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera said last month that the number of residents killed by rebel "atrocities" could rise sharply. Herrera said, "Worst thing [is] there are cases of female hostages forced to marry the Maute local terrorist group. They are being forced to [be a] sex slave, forced to destroy the dignity of these women.” Herrera also said that hostages that escaped or were rescued revealed that women suffered brutal sexual assaults at the hands of the Maute captors and that captives were also tasked with plundering abandoned houses in the conflict-ridden area. Herrera said, "The hostages were tasked to loot houses, establishments [for] ammunition, firearms, cash, [and] gold.” While 200,000 fled the city, those who remained trapped in the region are reportedly being used as human shields by the militants.

    MORE

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    Behind it all is USA backing, & assisting terrorists as a means to destroy any nation who does not kow tow to Talmudic control.

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    Cool

    Granny says, "Dat's right - he's fightin' dem drug jihadis...

    Philippines’ Duterte Sure Trump Won’t Rebuke His Bloody Drug War
    November 12, 2017 — Asia experts say they do not expect President Donald Trump to raise human rights issues and concerns about extrajudicial killings when he meets Monday in Manila with Philipines President Rodrigo Duterte.
    "I'm sure he will not take it up," Duterte himself said Sunday. Human rights groups have expressed alarm over allegations that Philippines police have killed at least 3,000 suspected drug users and dealers in a countrywide crackdown - one of Duterte's major campaign promises. Trump told Duterte earlier this year that he is doing "a great job" but has yet to openly criticize the plain-speaking Philippines president for his alleged campaign of violence. Duterte had once insulted former president Barack Obama, calling him a "son of a $#@!." He also boasted of murdering someone when he was 16 years-old because the victim gave him a funny look. Except for comments on North Korea, the issue of human rights has scarcely emerged during Trump's Asian tour.


    Protesters scuffle with police as they are dispersed while trying to get near the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines to protest against the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump

    Trump arrived in Manila Sunday. About 3,500 protesters tried to march on the U.S. Embassy and were stopped by riot police. The protesters shouted for Trump to leave and accused the U.S. government, a former Philippine colonizer of about 50 years, of looking for overseas wars. One banner read “Dump Trump -- #1 Terrorist!” Duterte had once insulted former president Barack Obama, calling him a "son of a $#@!." He also boasted of murdering someone when he was 16 years-old because the victim gave him a funny look. Except for comments on North Korea, the issue of human rights has scarcely emerged during Trump's Asian tour. Trump arrived in Manila Sunday. About 3,500 protesters tried to march on the U.S. Embassy and were stopped by riot police. The protesters shouted for Trump to leave and accused the U.S. government, a former Philippine colonizer of about 50 years, of looking for overseas wars. One banner read “Dump Trump -- #1 Terrorist!”


    Momentum in Vietnam

    Before arriving in Manila, Trump met in Hanoi with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang. Trump told a joint press conference, “For trade to work, all countries must play by the rules. I am encouraged that Vietnam has recently become the fastest growing export market to the United States.” He added “I am confident that American energy, agriculture, financial services, aviation, digital commerce, and defense products are able to meet all of your many commercial needs.” Speaking to Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi, Trump said "Think where we are and where we have come, it’s a tribute to both countries. Trade has become a very important element of our relationship.” Quang called his meeting with Trump as "A milestone in Vietnam-U.S. relations, creating strong momentum for the substantive, effective, and stable development of the bilateral, comprehensive partnership.”

    North Korea

    Trump and Quang also discussed North Korea and the South China Sea. Trump repeated his warning that North Korea represents a major threat to peace and stability in the region. "As I said in my speech to the Republic of Korea’s national assembly, all responsible nations must act now to ensure that North Korea’s rogue regime stops threatening the world with unthinkable loss of life. Safety and security are goals that we can progress, not provocation. I mean, we have been provoked, the world has been provoked. We don’t want that. We want stability not chaos and we want peace, not war.” In a Tweet earlier Sunday, Trump hit back at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who had again called him a dotard, a term that describes an elderly person who is losing his mental abilities.


    President Donald Trump and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang pose for photographers at the Presidential Palace, Nov. 12, 2017, in Hanoi, Vietnam.

    On Twitter, Trump, who has frequently called Kim “Little Rocket Man,”, said, “Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me "old," when I would NEVER call him "short and fat?" Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!” During his bilateral meeting with Quang, Trump also offered his services as a mediator for the South China Sea dispute. When asked about the offer at the press conference, Quang would only say Vietnam seeks a peaceful resolution to the issue through negotiations and in line with international law.

    APEC

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    Duterte Pulls Philippines Out Of International Criminal Court...

    Duterte Pulls Philippines Out Of International Criminal Court
    March 14, 2018 - The move comes after the ICC opened an investigation into Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. Withdrawing does not keep the country from facing charges of human rights abuse.
    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose war on drugs has resulted in the deaths of over 12,000 people allegedly using and dealing drugs, has announced that the country will withdraw from the establishing treaty of the International Criminal Court. His statement comes about a month after the ICC launched a preliminary investigation into those deaths. Human Rights Watch has called Duterte's term a "human rights calamity," as his administration "has rejected all domestic and international calls for accountability for these abuses, and instead has denied any government responsibility for the thousands of drug war deaths." Duterte, whose term began in June 2016, promised to kill every drug dealer and user in the Philippines in his presidential campaign. Police officials and vigilantes alike have contributed to the killings.

    The ICC launches investigations when a member state is unwilling to carry out investigations and prosecute suspected perpetrators themselves. Duterte claims this is not the case: "The deaths [have occurred] in the process of legitimate police operation" who didn't intend to kill, but acted in self-defense," he said. The HRW's 2018 World Report disputes his claims. "Police have planted guns, spent ammunition, and drug packets on victims' bodies to implicate them in drug activities," it reads. "Masked gunmen taking part in killings appeared to be working closely with police, casting doubt on government claims that most killings have been committed by vigilantes or rival drug gangs. No one has been meaningfully investigated, let alone prosecuted, for any of the 'drug war' killings."


    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a statement in Manila in Nov. 2017. Duterte will withdraw the Philippines from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to a statement released to reporters in Manila

    NPR reported on the scope of Duterte's war on drugs last November: "Inside the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has maintained support for his bloody war on drugs, despite the thousands of lives lost and criticism by human rights groups. "Duterte has remained popular because most people in the country aren't directly affected by deadly drug war, which is mostly being waged in the inner cities. "Since taking office last year, Duterte continues to carry out his pledge to kill every drug dealer and user in the country. Human rights groups say the deadly extra-judicial war has left more than 13,000 people dead."... Duterte has a much-maligned history of cracking down on drugs. When he won the presidential election last year, Duterte touted his 20 years as mayor of Davao in Mindanao in his promise to rid the country of drugs and crime. But as The Guardian reports, Davao still has the highest murder rate in the country and the second highest number of rapes. "The scope of Duterte's vicious war in the Philippines echoes that first violent campaign in Davao. When he ordered the first death squad to target drug dealers and users in 1989, he allegedly told police officers: "Throw them in the ocean or the quarry. Make it clean. Make sure there are no traces of the bodies."

    The ICC uses preliminary investigations to determine if there's "a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation pursuant to the criteria established by the Rome Statute," said ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. In Oct. 2016, Bensouda said she was "deeply concerned about these alleged killings and the fact that public statements of high officials of the Republic of the Philippines seem to condone such killings." "An international law cannot supplant, prevail or diminish a domestic law," reads Duterte's statement. "I therefore declare and forthwith give notice, as President of the Republic of the Philippines, that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately." Withdrawing from the Rome Statue doesn't let the Philippines off the hook to a more comprehensive ICC investigation or human rights abuse charges, however. "A State shall not be discharged, by reason of its withdrawal, from the obligations arising from the Rome Statute while it was a party to the Statute," reads the document's Article 127.

    The same article also states that withdrawals from the Rome Statute shall take place one year or later after a state notifies the United Nations of its intent to withdraw. "There appears to be fraud in entering such agreement," counters Duterte's statement. The president dared the ICC to jail him last month, saying, "If you haul me into a rigmarole of trial and trial, no need. Go ahead and proceed in your investigation. Find me guilty, of course. You can do that." "Looks like they are really afraid. Why? They feel that this will proceed to an investigation," Jude Sabio, an ICC lawyer, told Reuters. The withdrawal "will have no binding legal effect," he said. There are no strict timelines on ICC preliminary investigations, which have taken years to establish whether crimes have taken place.

    https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...criminal-court
    See also:

    Philippines plans to withdraw from International Criminal Court amid crimes against humanity investigation
    14Mar.`18 - In a lengthy statement released Wednesday, the Filipino strongman leader decried what he believed to be an "outrageous" attack on his character by United Nations (UN) officials; Duterte has been accused of facilitating extrajudicial killings and other rights abuses during a campaign to stamp out illegal drugs in the Asian country; Police are thought to have killed more than 4,100 people since Duterte took office in May 2016 and rights groups allege approximately 8,000 others have been murdered during the country's war on drugs.
    Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte intends to pull his country out of the International Criminal Court (ICC), shortly after the judicial body launched a crimes against humanity investigation into his controversial war on drugs. In a lengthy statement released Wednesday, the Filipino strongman leader decried what he believed to be an "outrageous" attack on his character by United Nations (UN) officials. Duterte has been accused of facilitating extrajudicial killings and other rights abuses during a campaign to stamp out illegal drugs in the Asian country.


    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte walks past honor guards as he arrives at Manila international airport in Manila on May 24, 2017, after returning from a visit to Russia. Duterte threatened on May 24 to impose martial law in Mindanao to combat the rising threat of terrorism, after Islamist militants beheaded a policeman and took Catholic hostages while rampaging through a southern city.

    Last month, the ICC said it was investigating allegations the Philippines president had committed crimes against humanity. Duterte initially welcomed the move, suggesting it would provide him with an opportunity to clear his name of any apparent wrongdoing. However, in a dramatic U-turn, he has since decided the judicial body has demonstrated a "brazen ignorance of the law." He also said the ICC was "useless" and "hypocritical."

    Duterte should 'see a psychiatrist'

    Police are thought to have killed more than 4,100 people since Duterte took office in May 2016 and rights groups allege approximately 8,000 others have been murdered during the country's war on drugs. The Philippines has consistently said its legal processes are functional and independent, while the country's police deny allegations of murder and cover-ups. Duterte's contentious bid to clamp down on illegal drugs has long been a source of international alarm, with several countries and UN officials condemning the campaign.

    On Friday, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights said the maverick former mayor was in need of a psychiatric evaluation. Speaking at a news conference, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said Duterte's attacks on human rights activists were "unacceptable" and should not continue "unanswered." According to the ICC's guidelines, a pledge to withdraw from its organization would only become effective one year after the initial notification. The Philippines is currently under the jurisdiction of the ICC as a result of it being a member, while withdrawing from the group does nothing to change its jurisdiction retroactively.

    https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/14/phil...nal-court.html

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    Exclamation

    Duterte caves under Mooslamic pressure...

    Duterte Signs Law Giving More Autonomy to Muslims in Southern Philippines
    July 26, 2018 — President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has signed a landmark law aimed at giving expanded autonomy to Muslims in the south of the country, his spokesman said on Thursday, with the legislation expected to bring some measure of peace to a region choked by four decades of separatist violence.

    The long-delayed law came four years after the government signed a peace deal with the separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which dropped its bid for full independence in return for the right to self-rule. The front had fought a fierce uprising since 1978 that left about 120,000 people dead and pushed pockets of the deep south of the Philippines into a cycle of extreme poverty and violence.


    The new legislation, called the Bangsamoro Organic Law, was supposed to have been passed early this week, but infighting among allies of Mr. Duterte in Congress delayed its passage. The president’s spokesman, Harry Roque, said on Thursday that the presidential palace had now received a copy of the law. “After much confusion, the president has signed into law the Bangsamoro Organic Law,” Mr. Roque said in an interview.



    A mosque in the southern Philippines. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front had fought a fierce uprising since 1978 that left about 120,000 dead and pushed pockets of the south into a cycle of extreme poverty and violence.



    The legislation mandates the expansion of an autonomous region that would be led initially by a “transitional authority” composed mostly of former fighters before eventually being governed by its own parliament. The region is intended to supersede an earlier autonomous zone, composed of five provinces, that was considered to have benefited only a small number of Muslim families and that had been wracked by violence. The new area is expected to be larger and better funded.


    Under the new plan, the government would retain police and military forces in the area, combatants would lay down their weapons in phases, and six of the guerrilla group’s camps would be converted to “productive civilian communities,” according to the leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim. Mr. Murad said that the rebel group had 30,000 to 40,000 fighters and that those combatants would willingly give up their weapons, a first step toward reducing the proliferation of unlicensed firearms in the region.


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