IHL and Geneva Convention Violations of the MILFand the CPP-NPA-NDF
By Patrick Monteverde, reader | 09/29/2008 4:26 PM
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IHL and Geneva Convention Violations of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF)
When a firefight erupted between the military and some MILF groups near the evacuation center at the Gumbay Elementary School in Brgy Poblacion, Datu Piang Maguindanao on September 26, 2008 resulting to the death of one civilian and the wounding of scores of others, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu heartlessly said that “…if the bullets which hit the civilians had come from the MILF, it was unfortunate, they are to be called part of the collateral damage…”.
This is the most blatant and cruel example of how the MILF can heartlessly add insult to injury with such an insensitive statement. After allowing lawless MILF Commanders Bravo and Umbra Kato to go off the hook after laying waste to peaceful civilian communities in Mindanao , now they brand the excruciating pain and suffering of the victims as mere “collateral damage”?
If it truly makes your blood boil to hear how the MILF brands the suffering of innocent civilians as mere “collateral damage”, it is equally annoying to hear the deafening silence of so-called human rights advocacy groups who have, up to now, continuously failed to condemn this blatant act of human rights violations against innocent evacuees who were merely trying to flee the fighting.
If government security forces were to be blamed for such an incident, these so-called human rights advocates would definitely be all over the place complete with so-called human rights lawyer, conducting weeks of demonstrations and tirelessly protesting to high heavens and even hastily filing cases upon cases with no factual basis at all just to intimidate and harass the government law enforcement agencies.
But now, because it is clear that government forces can not be blamed, these so-called human rights advocacy groups have suddenly became silent. The victims are beginning to wonder now whose human rights are these so-called human rights advocacy groups are really fighting for. One big question begs an answer, WHY have they forsaken the victims?
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The CPP-NPA-NDF’s continuous use of landmines and the deadening silence of human rights advocacy groups
Last September 26, 2008 morning, pursuing troops of 36th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines had tripped on a landmine planted by the New Peoples’ Army terrorists in Lingig, Surigao del Sur killing three soldiers.
The CPP-NPA-NDF terrorists have always been violating the International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention by using landmines. Yet, they are always the first to invoke IHL and the Geneva Convention when trying to point out infractions of the government and government law enforcement agencies.
As the CPP-NPA-NDF terrorists does not choose their victims, so the same for landmines, which will not also pick their victims, whether men in uniform or defenseless civilians.
The coward CPP-NPA-NDF terrorists will always use landmines. Such weaknesses and deceitfulness only shows that they are terrorists.
Mr. Patrick Monteverde
