RP Christians protest against Moro peace plan<\/p>\n
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP): Thousands of Christians staged a
\nshow of force here yesterday, laying siege to visiting President
\nFidel Ramos with demands to exclude them from a planned autonomy
\ndeal with Moro rebels.<\/p>\n
Just minutes after Ramos' plane arrived at an airbase near
\nthis southern city, protesters tore down a section of perimeter
\nfencing and rushed inside to demonstrate against his provisional
\npeace accord with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF.)<\/p>\n
Riot police and air force troops formed a cordon to hold back
\naround 10, 000 demonstrators who gathered outside the reception
\nhall at Edwin Andrews Air Force Base, as Ramos met with local
\nofficials, witnesses said.<\/p>\n
The protesters chanted \"No, No, No,\" We Want Ramos\" and
\n\"Misuari Stinks,\" a reference to MNLF leader Nur Misuari.<\/p>\n
The protesters held up banners which read: \"Mr. President,
\nPlease do not Betray Zamboanga\" and \"We Will be Prepared to Die
\nRather than Give Zamboanga to Misuari.\"<\/p>\n
After the two-hour meeting with local leaders, Ramos tried to
\nease the tension by breaking through his own security cordon to
\naddress the protesters.<\/p>\n
However the demonstrators continued to shout anti-MNLF slogans
\nand shake angry fists, prompting security men to keep Ramos back.
\nIn the end, the president was forced to turn back from the crowd
\nwithout speaking to them.<\/p>\n
The meeting was the first stop of a two-day tour of the
\nsouthern Philippines by Ramos to canvass support for an MNLF-led
\ncouncil to be appointed by the president which would oversee
\ndevelopment projects over 14 southern provinces for the next
\nthree years.<\/p>\n
The council would pave the way for the creation within three
\nyears of an autonomous Moslem region in the south, scene of a
\nseparatist rebellion by the MNLF which claimed at least 50,000
\nlives in the early 1970s.<\/p>\n
Christian national legislators from the region have charged
\nthat the council was against the constitution, and tantamount to
\nhanding over nearly a quarter of the Philippines to the MNLF.<\/p>\n
During his meeting with the local officials in Zamboanga,
\nRamos tried to assure them that the council would not diminish
\ntheir authority and that they could still opt out of joining the
\nproposed Moslem autonomous area.<\/p>\n
He also tried to link the council with the success of a
\nplanned free port to be set up in Zamboanga, saying that
\ninvestors from Islamic nations in Southeast Asia and the Middle
\nEast would be attracted to the zone.<\/p>\n
Ramos also assured that he would return to Zamboanga soon to
\nhold further dialog on the subject.<\/p>\n
However his words had little effect on the congresswoman
\nrepresenting Zamboanga, Maria Clara Lobregat, a leader of the
\nanti-MNLF campaign, who told Ramos during the dialog to \"listen
\nto the people outside.\"<\/p>\n
Military and local police forces had gone on full alert
\nstarting Monday in anticipation of violent protests during the
\ntour.<\/p>\n
The council would cover an area with around 10 million people,
\nincluding about four million Moslems and other minorities. Most
\nare Christian however.<\/p>\n
Ramos later boarded a helicopter for the majority Christian
\ntown of Ipil, which was pillaged by an MNLF splinter group in
\nApril 1995, killing more than 50 people. He was to inspect
\nrehabilitation work on the town.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rp-christians-protest-against-moro-peace-plan-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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