RP militant Moslem group gets weapons

RP militant Moslem group gets weapons

MANILA (AFP): The Abu Sayyaf, a militant Moslem group in the
southern Philippines, has received an arms shipment from abroad,
Defense Secretary Renato de Villa said yesterday, but he could
not verify reports that it included surface-to-air missiles.

"The statement ... that there has been some landing is
accurate but in terms of whether they have surface-to-air-
missiles ... has to be verified," De Villa said.

He was referring to a recent disclosure made by the military
chief of the southern Philippines, Lt. Gen. Orlando Soriano, that
the Abu Sayyaf had acquired anti-aircraft guns and surface-to-air
missiles in the shipment.

The Abu Sayyaf are a fundamentalist Moslem armed group in the
southern Philippines who have been blamed for a series of attacks
on Christian targets in recent years.

Last week, the Abu Sayyaf beheaded a Christian village chief
and his son and have threatened to kill other Christians.

"We have been watching this situation carefully because it
could provide additional problems for us in the south, especially
if these firearms already landed in large quantities together
with ammunition", De Villa added.

He did not specify where the arms shipments came from.

President Fidel Ramos' chief security adviser, Jose Almonte,
said the information "has been reported to us for quite a time
already and we have been looking at it seriously," adding that
the government was also checking with other nations although he
did not give details.

Almonte also said yesterday that he was concerned over the
rise of Taiwan's independence movement, which is vehemently
opposed by China and could spark a war between two of Manila's
closest neighbors.

Almonte, who is considered President Fidel Ramos' closest
adviser and is well-known for his controversial statements, urged
the Philippine cabinet to give the issue closer scrutiny.

He told reporters that cabinet members concerned with security
felt "that we have to consider more seriously the cost of the
situation in Taiwan, where there is apparently a movement towards
more nationalism and therefore a possibility that a trend may be
moving towards independence."

China "will not tolerate such a situation," he added, quoting
government security aides.

However, Almonte said he remained convinced that Asia "will
continue to be benign" and that the Philippines "will continue to
experience relative peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific
region."

"We believe that the Chinese are very responsible people," he
said, despite Beijing's declarations that it would respond with
armed force to any declaration of independence by Taiwan. "We
don't think any serious problem will arise because of that."