Seppuku (the code of samurai warriors)

Seppuku was a key part of bushido, the code of the samurai warriors; it was used by warriors to avoid falling into enemy hands, and to attenuate shame and avoid possible torture. Samurai could also be ordered by their daimyo (feudal lords) to carry out seppuku. Later, disgraced warriors were sometimes allowed to carry out seppuku rather than be executed in the normal manner. The most common form of seppuku for men was composed of the cutting of the abdomen, and when the samurai was finished, he stretched out his neck for an assistant to decapitate him. Since the main point of the act was to restore or protect one's honor as a warrior, those who did not belong to the samurai caste were never ordered or expected to carry out seppuku. Samurai generally could carry out the act only with permission.

Seppuku with ritual attire and second (staged).

Sometimes a daimyo was called upon to perform seppuku as the basis of a peace agreement. This would weaken the defeated clan so that resistance would effectively cease. Toyotomi Hideyoshi used an enemy's suicide in this way on several occasions, the most dramatic of which effectively ended a dynasty of daimyo forever, when the Hōjō were defeated at Odawara in 1590. Hideyoshi insisted on the suicide of the retired daimyo Hōjō Ujimasa, and the exile of his son Ujinao; with this act of suicide, the most powerful daimyo family in eastern Japan was put to an end.

Ernesto Che Guevara STORY

THE CUBAN REVOLUTION WAS FIVE YEARS OLD in 1964 when Ernesto Che Guevara was offered financial compensation to speak at Havana University. Guevara was one of only a handful of foreigners who came with the Castro Brothers on the Yacht called "Granma" to fight against the Batista dictatorship.
Upon landing in Cuba, most of the 81 men on the yacht were caught or killed, and only 16 escaped into the Sierra Maestra Mountains, where peasants and farmers aided them until their forces grew into the revolutionary army that defeated Batista.
By the time his troops marched on Havana with Camilo Cienfuegos' troops in January 1959, Guevara was very popular with the Cuban population. Stories of his bravery and leadership circulated widely, and he was considered one of the most important figures in the Revolution.
In his response to the offer from Havana University, Guevara showed the contempt for money that he openly shared with the Castro Brothers and a number of the other revolutionaries. "It's inconceivable to me," he wrote, "that a monetary payment should be offered to an official of the Government and the (Communist) Party, for any work of whatever kind it may be. Among the many payments that I have received, the most important is to be considered a part of the Cuban people; I would not know how to gauge that in dollars and cents." (The letter was printed in the Mexican magazine SUCESSOS, January 2, 1967.)
The word "che" is the familiar diminutive for "you" in Argentina, as in "hey, you!" It was an affectionate term that became his "official" name and the one which he used for a signature, always with a lower-case "c."
Born in Argentina on June 14 1928 (he was ten months younger than Fidel Castro), Guevara studied medicine at Buenos Aires University, where he also became involved in opposition to the Argentine leader Juan Peron. He later went to Guatemala, and in 1953 he joined the government of Jacabo Arbenz Guzman, who was overthrown by a CIA-sponsored coup. 
An intellectual and an idealist, able to speak coherently about Aristotle, Kant, Marx, Gide or Faulkner, he also loved poetry, and was equally at home with Keats as with Sara De Ibáñez, his favorite writer. It is said that he knew Kipling's "If" by heart.
"I don't think you and I are very closely related," Che wrote in a letter to Señora María Rosario Guevara, "but if you are capable of trembling with indignation each time that an injustice is committed in the world, we are comrades, and that is more important." It was this "great sensitivity to injustice" that forged his political views and led him to distrust imperialism, specifically the American government.
It is said that Guevara played an important role in converting Castro to communism, often quoting Marx, Engels, Mao Tse-tung and others.
Guevara suffered from a life-long asthmatic condition that might have prevented any other man from participating in guerilla warfare as he did, but he was determined to not let his ailment interfere with his ideals for a just society. This condition may be why, as a doctor, he specialized in allergies.
Journalist Herbert L. Matthews writes about Guevara in his book, REVOLUTION IN CUBA: "His dedication to his revolutionary beliefs was deeply religious. Che had a missionary's faith in the innate goodness of man, in the ability of workers to dedicate themselves to ideals and to overcome selfishness and prejudices. It was the other side of the coin of his passionate indignation against injustice and exploitation of the humble. He saw the solution in an exalted form of Marxism that would bring freedom and brotherhood. Such men are born to be martyrs."
While living in Mexico, Guevara worked in the allergy ward of the General Hospital and supplemented his salary as a photographer. It was at this time that he met Raul Castro, who told him about the situation in Cuba. In early July 1954, Guevara met Fidel, and after talking through the night for ten straight hours, he joined the Cuban Revolution.
Guevara went on to become the official doctor of the rebel army, and an important leader and strategist. Before leaving for Cuba on the Granma, he told his wife Hilda Gadea (whom he married on August 18, 1955 in Mexico City) that he joined the expedition "because it was part of the fight against Yankee imperialism and the first stage of the liberation of our continent."
After taking on many important jobs in the Cuban government after the Revolution (he headed Cuba's Ministry of Industry from 1961 to 1965) he led a force of 120 Cubans into the Congo, but the mission ended in failure.
In 1966 Guevara went to fight for revolution in Bolivia. He was captured by the Bolivian Army and executed on October 9 1967.

The Undeclared War in the Southern Philippines: A Symposium

A marine battery pounding rebel positions. June 2000	In recent months, international attention has focused on the southern Philippines because of the kidnapping of a number of Filipinos and foreigners by the Abu Sayyaf, a Moslem rebel group. Up to US$10 million has already been paid to the group, reports say, though some hostages remain. In the process, the escalation of a more serious and dangerous war has been hidden. Last April 28, after three years of uneasy truce, Philippine government forces launched an all-out military offensive against the country's largest Muslim insurgent group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Aerial bombing and artillery bombardment supported major ground troop advances. There is now widespread fear that this troubled region is slipping back into the all out war that blighted its development and terrorised and impoverished its peoples in the '70s and '80s. The conflict has now resulted in: An estimated 800,000 civilians have fled their homes. More than 400,000 are camping in overcrowded, unsanitary and ill-supplied evacuation centres, where 153 people, mostly children, have died between May and July. Peace talks between the government and the MILF have been abandoned. After government forces captured their main bases, MILF troops broke up into smaller bands waging guerrilla warfare. MILF Hashim Salamat, a Muslim cleric, has called for a jihad (Holy War) against the government. The government has started the reactivation of 10,000 paramilitaries known as CAFGUs (Civilian Armed Force Geographical Unit). The military wants an additional 30,000 trained. CAFGUs are the most notorious human rights violators in past regimes. It is feared their re-emergence will legitimise the spread of 'Christian' vigilante groups seeking to 'cleanse' the southern Philippines of Moslems.
Government troops hoist the Philippine flag on top of a bombed-out mosque.
The rebels have launched a jihad and resorted to guerilla warfare.

Symposium on Mindanao (Philippines) September 26, 2000 (Tuesday) 6:00 to 8:00 pm Room B102, Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), 1 Thornhaugh St., Russell Square, WC1H 0XG Presentations Fr Eliseo R Mercado, OMI (Philippine ceasefire monitor) - Overview and Issues in Mindanao Foreign Office representative to be confirmed - UK Policy on the Philippines Mr Tim Parritt (Amnesty International)- Human Rights perspective Responses Steve Alston (CAFOD) Ed Garcia (International Alert) to be confirmed Open Forum Edna Aquino (Centre for Filipinos) – moderator to be confirmed

The United Kingdom is currently the biggest overseas investor in the Philippines and deeply involved in developments. In 1999, UK businesses, led by Shell, poured over US$2 billion in direct and portfolio investments. UK companies, including Mabey and Johnson, Blue Circle, Commonwealth Development Corporation, and others, are involved in the south. The Philippine government says the war in the south is necessary to remove the obstacles to foreign investment and 'development.' It has taken emergency powers to suppress opposition claiming foreign investors demand them.

BRITISH MAN-O'-WAR. Officers and men of the HMS Cornwall, flagship of the United Kingdom's Naval Task Force Group 2000, relax on the warship's deck. The Cornwall is in Manila to participate in the first Philippines-British joint naval exercises in Subic.  August 3, 2000

The Philippine military is accused by observers of igniting the conflict to promote military demands for updating their weaponry and equipment. British arms companies are poised to offer war materiel to the Philippine military. (British Simba armoured vehicles are currently in use in the campaign against the MILF).
What can be done?
The drift to war is not inevitable. Many groups in the Philippines are making appeals to both sides to return to negotiations.

1. Come to the symposium set up to discuss the crisis and support the moves to peace. The main speaker, Fr Eliseo R Mercado, OMI, is a leading Christian expert on the Moslem south and the peace process. He also played a key role in the aborted negotiations as chair of the Independent Fact Finding Commission that monitors compliance to ceasefire agreements by both sides.
2. Write letters of appeal to either or both the Philippine President and the British Prime Minister, urging them to press for policies that might peacefully resolve the current conflict. A wide range of groups in the Philippines are calling for:
   1. An immediate ceasefire, withdrawal of troops and resumption of negotiations that will ultimately address the underlying causes of conflict. The Bishops-Ulama Forum has offered to act as mediator.
   2. The immediate suspension of all military equipment sales and licenses to the Philippine military.
   3. The Philippine government to drop plans to reactivate local armed militias (CAFGUs).
   4. Sustaining and supporting efforts to release all hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf rebels through negotiations and peaceful means.

Overview of the Moro Struggle

YEAR	EVENTS
1280	Presence of Muslim traders in Southern Philippines brought about by the expansion of commercial contacts between China and Arab lands.
1380	Tombstone dating of a Muslim religious figure in Sulo.
1450	Sultanate in Sulo established.
1521	Advent of Christianity. Portugese Navigator, Ferdinand Magellan, lands and claims the Philippines for Spain. For more than 3 centuries, the Spanish rule prevailed over the archiepelago, particularly in Luzon and the Visayas. However, the colonialist failed to conquer Muslim areas in the South, which have been characterized as having their own system of government and practices their own politics and cultures.
1619	Sultanate in Maguindanao from the principalities of Maguindanao and Buwayan.
1835	Spanish attack on the Banuwa Bangingih in Sepak island (Jolo, Sulo). Full scale attack on the island, not even a single coconut tree left standing. There was fierce resistance.
1836	King of Spain & Sultan Sulo, "Treaty of Peace, Protection & Commerce"
1842	The Commander of American Naval Expedition concluded a "Trade & Navigation Treaty between US & Sultanate of Sulo" Trade & Navigation Treaty between US & Sulo Sultan
1849	The Queen of United Kingdom & Ireland -peace, friendship and good understanding
12 June 1898	Emilio Aguinaldo declared independence from Spain and Cavite
10 December 1898	Spain sells Philippine to USA for 20 million Mexican dollars after losing Spainish-American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. US troops begin to forcibly incorporate Muslim areas into the Philippine state. The Moros did not recognize the agreement, which clinched the American takeover. The BangsaMoro homeland over which spain could not claim to have colonial authority was included as part of the territory transfered to USA. The BangsaMoro people were never consulted. They waged a fierce resistance to defend their homeland.
20 August 1899	USA negotiated with the BangsaMoro people under the leadership of Sultan Jamalul II. This negotiation led to the Bates Treaty signed between the Sultan and John C. Bates. The treaty was in no certain terms a recognition of the US of sovereign character of the BangsaMoro state and precisely distinct from Aguinaldo Republic.
1902	Philippine bill of July 1 of 1902-the American government recognized the distinctions between the Moro, the "Pagan" and the Christians Filipinos and adapted their methods of governance accordingly.
1903-1914	USA established the Moro Province.
1915	American governor, Frank Carpenter, tricked and virtually forced the Sulo Sultanate to renounce his temporal sovereignty at the time US halted military campaign and policy of attraction was launched.
1916	Battle of Bud Dadoh Jolo, Sulo, were 1000 Moros were massacred by the Americans.
1917	Bureau of non-Christian tribes was organized to established "mutual understanding and complete fusion" of the Muslimns into the majority segment of Filipino Christians.
9 June 1921	57 Moro Datus and leaders of Sulo petitioned the American authorities in Manila and Washington, part of the petition, reads: "Whereas, it would be an act of great injustice to cast our people aside, turnover our country to the Filipinos in the north to be governed by them without our consent and thrust upon us a government not of our own people, nor by our people, nor for our own people.
1926	US congressman Robert Bacon introduces House Bill No. 12772 during successive sessions. The bill proposed to separate Mindanao and Sulo from the rest of the Philippines and to have US permanently retain these islands under American sovereignty
18 March 1935	A historic assembly of more than 100 Maranao leaders passed a strong worded manifesto known as the Dansalan Declaration addressed to the US President vehemently opposed the annexation of the BangsaMoro homeland in reaction to the conspiracy of the constitutional convention organized by America to write the Philippine constitution.
1946	US grants Philippine independence, but they continue to determine the economic and political direction of the fledging Republic
1960s	The central government in Manila enforced a "homestead" policy, which propelled the escalation of Christian migration to Mindanao region. Settlers from Luzon and Visayas occupied the ancestral land of the Moros and other indigenous people in Southern Philippines. Local and foreign big business obtained titles over the Moro lands. Enraged by the "legal" land grabbing, the Moros responded with arms, which ignited a long drawn and bitter conflict between the BangsaMoro people and the Philippine government.
1961	Sulu congressman Datu Ombra Amilbangsa introduced house bill no. 5682 entitled "An Act Granting and Recognizing the Independent of the Province of Sulu".
March 1968	At least 28 Moro army recruits killed in the Jabidah Massacre on Corregidor Island, trigerring widespread Muslim indignation. The incident releases pent-up anger from years of prejudice, ill treatment, and discrimination. Moro student in Manila holds a weeklong protest vigil over an empty cofin marked "Jabidah" in front of the presidential palace.
1968-1971	Moro student activism grows. Moro consciousness, based on Islamic revivalism and knowledge of a distinct history and identity, gathers steam. Political organizations emerge to culminate eventually in the establishment of the MNLF under Nur Misuari with the goal of carving an independent muslim nation in the Southern Philippines. Land conflicts in Mindanao escalates. Para-military groups proliferate; some attached to Christian politicians, some to loggers, and some to Muslim politicians. Hundreds of young Moros are sent to Malaysia for military training. Sabah becomes a supply depot, communication center and sanctuary for Moro rebels. Towards 1971, the constabulary takes control of many towns because of growing violence. Schools are closed, farms abandoned, commerce stagnates, refugees increased. The Christian led Ilagah para-military group enters the scene. One attack at a mosque in Cotabato, leaves 65 men, women and children, dead and mutilated. A BBC radio report of the massacre draws attention of Libyan leader Muammar Khadafy.
21 July 1971	Leaders from all sectors of Moro society published a manifesto demanding that the government take action to stop the attacks. The government calls the manifesto a threst. In August, the residence of Buldon (Cotabato) fortified their town after killing some Christian loggers. The army response with a week-long artillery bombardment.
Sept.- Oct. 1971	The cycle of reprisals is uncontrollable. Fighting between the Baracudas (paramilitary group led by Muslims) and government troops leaves hundreds dead on both sides.
Nov. 1971	40 Maranao Muslims are summarily executed at a military checkpoint in Tacub. Muslims accused the government of genocide.
Jan.1972	The government takes 8 Muslims ambassadors on a tour of Mindanao to show that the charges of genocide are exaggerated. The third Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) in Jeddah, KSA requests the Philippine government to protect the lives and property of Muslims.
July 1972	A Libyan and Egyptian delegation tours the troubled areas and concludes that while no strong evidence exists of state supported genocide, there is clearly a war between Christians and Muslims.
21 Sep. 1972	President Ferdinand Marcos declares martial Law. One month later the first organized Moro counter offensive is launched in Marawi. The MNLF comes out into the open and claims leadership of the Moro secessionist movement.
1973	Marcos attempts to improve socio-economic development in the South while maintaining military operations. Presidential decrees order relief and welfare projects and resettlement refugees, declare certain Morolands as inalienabl;e. A Presidential task force for the reconstruction and development of Mindanao is constituted to rebuild areas devastated by violence. Marcos wins over key Muslim leaders outside the MNLF. The Philippine Amanah Bank is created to expand the class of Muslim enterpreneurs. The Southern Philippine Development Administration (SPDA) is created to bolster business activity. The 4th ICFM (in Benghazi) maintains the pressure on Marcos, but recognizes that the problem is "internal to an independent sovereign state". Marcos responds by realigning his foreign policy and organizing diplomatic initiatives to win over the Muslim world.
Feb.1974	SouthCom unleashes full force on MNLF rebels, who have taken control of Jolo, in the biggest battle of the war. In mainland Mindanao CemCom attacks the MNLF forces in Cotabato. Abroad, the MNLF gains official recognition from Muslim countries as the representative of the Moror people. The 5th ICFM urges the Philippine government "to find a political and peaceful solution through negotiation" and officially recognized the MNLF. The war reaches stalemate.
March 1974	The Philippine government panel holds its first meeting with MNLF chairman Nur Misuari and his deputy Salamat Hashil in Jeddah. Marcos sends negotiating panels to MNLF commanders in the field. The MNLF undergoes fierce debates on how to respond to the Marcos initiatives. The issue is settledfor the MNLF by the 5th ICFM, which supports autonomy as basis for negotiations between the MNLF and GRP. The definition of autonomy comes from the working paper of the committee of four (Senegal, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Somalia) which provides for self government within the framework of Philippine national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Marcos intensifies his diplomatic initiatives, sending delegations including special emissary, Imelda Marcos to Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Algeria. The Philippine government opens embassies in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Islamic Republic in Iran, Algeria, Lebanon and Kuwait. Relations with 13 other South Asian, Middle-Eastern and African muslim nations are strengthened. The Philippine also lobbies the Non-alligned Foreign Ministers Meeting.
1976	With negotiations in full swing, Marcos builds his case. He meets the OIC Secretary General, the Senagalese Amadou Karim Gaye, in Kenya; sends a delegation to the 7th ICFM (Instanbul) and the Non-Alligned Summit (Colombo); invites the committee of four to Zamboanga City and Manila; and sends Imelda Marcos to personally confer with Khadafy. In the field, local cease fires are forged, providing space to implement a "policy of attraction" Key rebel leaders are offered amnesty, livelihood projects and business oppurtunities as well as political positions that allow them to surrender with "dignity". Surrenderist include Amelil Malaguiok, of the Kutawato (Cotabato) revolutionary committee, and Abdulhamid Lukman, a former municipal judge who was Misuari's legal adviser in Jeddah.
23 Dec. 1976	Misuari and defense undersecretary Carmelo Barbero signs the Tripoli Agreement. It provides for autonomy in 13 provinces and 9 cities in the Southern Philippines. Marcos instructs Barbero to include one last point in the text; that "the Philippine government shall take all necessary constitutional processes for the implementation of the entire agreement.
Jan.-Apr. 1977	A general ceasefire is arranged. Marcos approves the code of Muslim personal laws, which establishes Shari'ah courts as part of the national system of courts. Talks resume in February to hammer out details of implementing the Tripoli Agreement. A deadlock arises when the MNLF insists that the 13 provinces be immediately declared a single autonomous unit. Marcos maintanis that certain constitutional procedures, including a plebiscite are needed because the majority of the people in the 13 provinces are not Muslims. Imelda Marcos hurries to Libya on 12 March to solicit Khadafy's help. He suggests forming a provisional government to supervise the plebiscite. Misuari refuses to head the provisional government. On 25 March, Marcos issues proclamation 1628 declaring autonomy in the 13 provinces. On 17 April, a plebiscite is called over objections from the MNLF. Only 10 of the 13 provinces vote for autonomy. Marcos implements his own version of autonomy by deviding the10 provinces into two autonomous regions-regions IX and XII. Negotiations breakdown.
May-Dec. 1977	The 8th ICFM (in Tripoli) allows Misuari, for the first time, to address the conference. Ministers express disappointment over the outcome of negotiations. By this time, however, the improved image of the Philippines is working in its favor and the ICFM simply recommends that negotiations continue. This shakes the MNLF leadership, and the split emerges. In Jeddah on 26 Dec., Salamat Hashim announces an"instrument of takeover" of the MNLF leadership, a move supported by traditional leaders Rashid Lucman, Dumacao Alonto and Salipada Pendatun. Misuari counters by expelling Hashim Salamat and charging him with treason. Arabs supporters are equally devided: Egypt supports Salamat while Libya leans towards misuari.Mediation by the OIC and Muslim World League fails. Not wishing to be used by the traditional politicians, Hashim transfers to Cairo and goes on to form the "new MNLF", eventually the Moro Islamic liberation Front (MILF). Lucman and Pendatun reinvigorate the BangsaMoro Liberation organization to gain support, but Arab states ignore them.
1978	Negotiations between GRP and the MNLF resume but the Philippine panel chooses to meet Hashim Salamat rather than Misuari. Meanwhile the marcos government presents a report to the OIC on the functioning of the new autonomous regional government.
17-29 April 1978	The 19th ICFM meets Dakkar, Senegal and Misuari is recognized as the chairman and spokesman for the MNLF. Hashim cannot present because Egyptian authorities, not wishing to antagonize Libya further, prevent him from leaving Cairo. MNLF members in the field conduct kidnappings and ambushes. In Patikul, Sulo a local MNLF leader invites the AFP to a peace dialogue. When they arrived, Gen. Teodulfo Bautista and 33 soldiers are shot dead. Government policy turns increasingly violent.
1979	Misuari reverts to his former goal of seccession and renews efforts to convince Islamic States but to no avail. Meanwhile the Philippine panel continues negotiations with Hashim faction in Cairo. Surrendered MNLF founder Abul Khayr Alonto joins the government panel. The 10th ICFM in Morocco affirms support for the Tripoli Agreement. Diplomatic iniatives focus on ensuing that the agreement is actually being implemented.
1980	Pocket wars and skirmishes continue. In March, Malaysia and Indonesia offer to serve as "honest brokers" arguing that the problem has regional implications that could be resolved by ASEAN. The Philippine government takes newly installed OIC secretary general Habib Chatti of Tunisia on a tour around Nindanao to meet Muslims and the new Regional Legislative Assemblies. The 11th ICFM in Islamabad request Philippine government to implement the Tripoli Agreement.
1981	Misuari fails to convince a summit conference of heads of states in Taif, Saudi Arabia to support seccession. He fails likewise to convince the 12th ICFM in Baghdad, which resolves to "make new contact with the GRP for the implementation of the Tripoli Agreement in text and spirit." Marcos "lifts" Martial Law but keeps his dictatorial powers in a bid to win further legitimacy for his regime. In May, opposition leader Benigno Aquino released from prison and allowed to go into exile in the US, visits Misuari in Jeddah and promises to support the Tripoli Agreement.MNLF forces kill 120 government soldiers in Pata island, off Jolo. In retaliation, more than 15,000 troops are sent to the island in a massive operation that infuriates Muslim government officials.
1982	Marcos consolidates the Philippine diplomatic position. He visits Saudi Arabia King Khaled and OIC's Habib Chatti. The 13th ICFM calls on government "to speed the implementation" of the agreement. It also appeals to the MNLF to prepare for new talks "as a united front". The newly established Moro Revolutionary Organization, a member of the communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) calls for a "people's war as the main form of the Moro people's revolutionary struggle". Efforts to link communist and Moro insurgencies fail, but local forces cooperate on the ground.
1983	The 14th ICFM in Dhaka calls on Moros to unite prior to new negotiations that will put the Tripoli Agreement into effect. MNLF military activities begin to wane but the New People's Army (NPA, armed group of the NDF) offensives in Mindanao keep the AFP engaged. Benigno Aquino returns from exile and is assasinated on arrival at the Manila Airport. Popular challenge to Marcos regime intensifies throughout the country.
1984	Marcos wins new battles on the diplomatic front. He sends emissaries to the 4th Islamic Summit in Casablanca and to the World Muslim congress in Karachi. In February, he holds bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Singapore. The 15th ICFM reaffirms its commitment to respect the territorial integrity of the Philippines and again calls on the MNLF to close ranks. In March, Hashim's "new MNLF" officially declares itsef a separate organization with the name Moro Islamic liberation Front (MILF), with a religious as well as nationalist agenda. The NPA gains in strength and starts to launch larger attacks. Mass demonstrations become spontaneous and the first nationally coordinated Welgang Bayan (People's Strike) shows the depth of popular opposition to Marcos.
1985	Armed attacks by the NPA intensify along with legal, popular opposition to the regime. Marcos schedules a snap presidential election to defuse widespread tension. The legal opposition unites Corazon Aquino, Benigno's widow, as the anti-Marcos candidate. The NDF boycotts the exercise calling the election a "sham".
1986	Snap elections are held, with Marcos proclaimed as winner. Days later, he is ousted after a failed coup sends millions of people to main thoroughfare, known as "EDSA" to protect mutineers from counter attack. The Marcos family is flown to Hawaii by the US government. Corazon Aquino takes her oath as President and establishes a revolutionary government. She appoints a commission to draft a new constitution, which includes provisions for autonomy in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera Region of Luzon. In March, the MILF sends a message of its readiness to discuss peace with Aquino. In August, OIC and Muslim World League mediation, the MILF and MNLF agree in principle to negotiate jointly in an expanded panel. But on Sept.5 Aquino visits the MNLF camp in Sulo, to talk peace with Misuari. Misuari seizes the initiative and gains recognition for the MNLF from the government as its negotiating partner. The MILF displays political strength through a militant consultative assembly in October, but fails to elicit government response.
1987	GRP and MNLF panels meet in January in Jeddah and agree to discuss autonomy, "subject to democratic processes" Aquino turns down MNLF requests to suspend autonomy provisions in draft constitution, which ratified in February. The MILF launches a 5-day offensive to assert its presence. This prompts a meeting with GRP panel Chair Aquilino Pimentel, who requests a temporary cease-fire. Talks between GRP and MNLF breakdown as the government unilaterally implements the autonomy mandate in the newly approve constitution over MNLF objections. A Mindanao Regional Consultative Commission (RCC) is organized, and a new autonomy bill is submitted to congress. Both MNLF and MILF bitterly denounce the government's moves.
1988	Aquino meets with the RCC, and starts diplomatic initiatives by briefing Islamic diplomats in Manila about the government's peace program, emphasizing the Tripoli Agreement is being implemented within constitutional processes. Draft autonomy bills are submitted to both House of Congress.
1989	Congress passes Republic Act 6734, which creates the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Aquino signs into law on 1 August. A plebisite is held on 19 November and the MNLF and MILF call for a boycott of exercise. Only 4 provinces-Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulo and Tawi-Tawi opt for autonomy, because of opposition from MNLF and MILF and Christian residents.
1990	Regional election are held in ARMM. A regional governor and regional assembly assume positions. Aquino signs executive orders that define central government relations with ARMM, which is officially inaugurated on 6 November.
1991	The 20th ICFM in Instanbul calls for a resumption of negotiations between GRP and MNLF.
February 1992	Fidel Ramos candidate in the forthcoming Presidential elections, meets Khadaffy in Tripoli to discuss and comprehensive and permanent solution to the war in Mindanao. In May, he is elected President and immediately issues a call for peace. He appoints a National Unification Commission (NUC) in July to formulate an amnesty program and a negotiation process, based on public consultations. The first round of exploratory talks with MNLF is held in October in Tripoli. The NUC stars a consultation process, including a meeting with the MILF.
1993	Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas hosts a second round of exploratory talks. The NUC submits its consolidated recommendations in July, prompting Ramos to issue Executive Order 125 defining the approach and administrative structure for government peace efforts. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) is created to continue the work begun by the NUC. Formal talks between GRP and the MNLF begin in October in Jakarta. An Interim Ceasefire is signed, along with the memorandum creating support committees to discuss substantive concerns. Alatas reports the progress ofnegotiations to the 21st ICFM in Karachi. The MILF poses no objections to the talks. The OIC visits Sulo in December.
1995	Support committees meet to discuss defense and regional and security forces, education; economic and financial systems, mines and minerals; the functioning of the Legislative Assembly,Executive Council and representation in the national government and administrative system; Shari'ah courts. On 4 April, armed men believed to be members of a new Moro rebel group, Abu Sayyaf, raid the town of Ipil (Zamboanga del Sur) killing 50 people and causing millions of pesos worth of damage in looting and burning. Both GRP and MNLF issue separate statements calling for a greater commitment to peace. The government sponsors a series of Mindanao Peace and Development Summits in key cities from May to November. The GRP panel briefs Libya on the progress of the talks in October. At the end of the year, the third round of formal talks resumes in Jakarta. An Interim Agreement is signed, containing 81 points of consensus. Predominantly Christian opponents throughout Mindanao denounce this agreement. Political opposition increases. Vigilantes vow to attack if the agreement is finalized.
Jan.-June 1996	The government rushes to nullify politicians opposing the Interim Agreement. Consultations are held every month with local officials and members of the Congress, with Ramos himself participating in some consultations. The government organizes public meetings in Mindanao to promote the Interim Agreement. In June, Indonesia calls a consultation of the OIC committee of six. A meeting of the GRP-MNLF Mixed Committee results in Agreement to establish the Southern Philippines Zone of Peace and Development (SZOPAD).
July-Aug 1996	Members of Congress express opposition to the Interim Agreement. The Senate organizes public hearings and calls on the executive to justify its actions and commitments. The Senate agrees to support the agreement, but only with 9 substantial amendments, which dilute the powers and autonomy of institutions to be set up under the agreement. Six senators continue their opposition, and lead a group of politicians who file a 54-page petition asking the Supreme court to nullify the agreement. Catholic Bishops express support for the agreement, subject to refinements in the text. Misuari announces his bill for the ARMM governorship. The 9th Mixed Committee meeting and 4th round of formal talks take place in Jakarta. Exploratory talks with the MILF begin.
Sept-Dec 1996	The Final Peace Agreement is signed on 2 September. The MILF distances itself from the agreement, but commits not to stand in the way of peace. In the ARMM elections, Misuari runs for governor and wins, and six MNLF leaders are elected to the Regional Legislative Assembly. Ramos issues Executive Order 371, which departs from agreement on some significant points. The government forms a new negotiating panel for talks with MILF in October. The MILF, ina display of strength, holds a huge assembly near Cotabato City from 3-5 December and reaffirs commitment to independence.
1997	GRP and MILF representatives meet and issue a joint press statement. Heavy fighting in Buldon (Cotabato) leaves more than a hundred dead and mars talks. Another meeting in early February is suspended because of renewed fighting. The committees meet again in March and agree to form an Interim Ceasefire Monitoring Committee, with Fr. Eliseo Mercado (NDU president in Cotabato) as chair. Meetings take place in April, May and June but are bogged down by continued fighting. The AFP launches its biggest offensive in June. By July, an agreement on cessation of hostilities is forged. Further meetings between the two sides follow.
August 1998	Organization of SADEM (Sulo Archipelago Decolonization Movement) for restoration of independence of Sulo Archipelago through the United Nations. Hadji Limpasan is chairman of SADEM central committee.
1998	A new President, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, He has an electoral alliance with politicians who opposed the Peace Agreement. Anti-agreement politicians do well in the local elections. MNLF leaders, save for one, lose their bids for local positions. Ten congressional representatives draft a bill to amend the Organic Act on ARMM in accordance with the peace agreement's provisions. A new government negotiating panel is constituted to talks to the MILF. In December 1998, Abu Sayyaf founder Abdurajak Janjalani dies in clash with police.
1999	New outbreaks of fighting between MILF and AFP followed by re-establishment of ceasefire. Government recognizes two MILF camps. ARMM elections are due in September. Three bills have been filed in Congress to amend the Organic Act on the ARMM, expanding it in accordance with the 1996 Peace Agreement. A plebisite on the new autonomous region is due by end ofthe year, but may be deferred.
20 March 2000	Abu Sayyaf snatches 50 people from schools in Basilan province including many school children, teachers and Catholic priests.
23 April	Abu Sayyaf kidnaps 21 people, including 10 foreign tourists from a Malaysian resort and takes them to the Philippine Island of Jolo.
30 April	MILF walks out of peace talks with the government after the Army attacks rebels holding a highway near their headquarters in Maguindanao province.
9 July	The AFP declared it captured the MILF camp Abubakar in Matanog Maguindanao following at least one week of air and ground assaults.
16 September	Military assaults on Abu Sayyaf in Jolo. Four thousand soldiers were deployed.
16 Oct.	OIC mission team from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Somalia, Senegal and Brunei - to look into the implementation of the 1996 Peace Accord between GRP and MNLF.

WHAT HAS THIS TO DO WITH THE CASE OF M.T.MEIRING 2002?

On May 16 2002 a bomb exploded, followed by fire at Room 305 of the Evergreen Hotel in Davao City/Philippines. The blast nearly killed the owner of the explosives, a naturalized American citizen named Michael Terence Meiring, a frequent guest over the last 10 years in the hotel and whose latest check-in after nearly one year of absence, was on December 14, 2001 - carrying two heavy metal boxes...
The badly injured Meiring, his legs mangled by the explosion, had claimed to hotel staff that he was into gold and treasure hunting, and was a resident of 381 Snidee Ridge Trail, Calimino, Los Angeles, California (other documents list the address as 381 Smoke Ridge Trail, Calimesa, California).
This was the time when bombs exploded all over the Philippines - claimed on Al-Candida-Abu-Somewhat...

September 11 attacks

The September 11 attacks (often referred to as September 11th or 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shankaville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There were no survivors from any of the flights.
Nearly 3,000 victims and the 19 hijackers died in the attacks.According to the New York State Health Department, 836 responders, including firefighters and police personnel, have died as of June 2009. Among the 2,752 victims who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center were 343 firefighters and 60 police officers from New York City and the Port Authority. 184 people were killed in the attacks on the Pentagon.The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries. In addition, there was at least one secondary death—one person was ruled by a medical examiner to have died from lung disease due to exposure to dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center.
The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror, invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, who had harbored al-Qaeda terrorists, and enacting the USA PATRIOT Act. Many other countries also strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. Some American stock exchanges stayed closed for the rest of the week following the attack, and posted enormous losses upon reopening, especially in the airline and insurance industries. The destruction of billions of dollars' worth of office space caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan.
The damage to the Pentagon was cleared and repaired within a year, and the Pentagon Memorial was built adjacent to the building. The rebuilding process has started on the World Trade Center site. In 2006, a new office tower was completed on the site of 7 World Trade Center. The new 1 World Trade Center is currently under construction at the site and, at 1,776 ft (541 m) upon completion in 2013, it will become the tallest building in North America. Three more towers were originally expected to be built between 2007 and 2012 on the site. Ground was broken for the Flight 93 National Memorial on November 8, 2009, and the first phase of construction is expected to be ready for the 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2011

FORGED FED-BONDS FROM "ABU SAYYAF"?

The May 16 2004 blast at the Evergreen Hotel in Davao was a clear sign that "Al Candida" functions as an intelligence front, a proxy army of the National Security Council that exists to justify intervention in the Philippines and elsewhere....
The explosion was set off by a store of dynamite belonging to Michael T. Meiring, a South African-born, naturalized, American citizen. Meiring claimed that Abu Sayyaf's men had lobbed an explosive device into his hotel room - an alibi proven to be false upon further examination by the local police. Meiring's legs had to be amputated at the knees.
The story of M.T.Meiring leads back to South Africa and boxes supposedly containing US Federal Reserve notes and bonds obtained from the Abu Sayyaf. The Times reported that employees of the hotel "claimed that while they were cleaning Meiring's room before the explosion, he warned them not to touch two metal boxes, which he said contained "important documents."
David Hawthorn, a close American friend of Meiring, claimed the blast victim had confessed passing to Mandela's government the proceeds of a box of old US federal notes. That box was one in a set of twelve, containing an estimated $500-million in counterfeit American notes.
Hawthorn had been shown a letter from the South African government and a US Treasury permit to support his story. Hawthorn also saw a packing list' that had "a cover sheet printed with the words US ARMY,' the Army seal, some numbers and a group of upper case letters. Meiring, he said, claimed the list represented the serial numbers of the missing notes, dating back to 1937.
Similar boxes' were recovered by U.S. Secret Service and the Philippine Central Bank during the last years. Other counterfeit bonds and currency were also recovered from a hotel in Davao a few months ago. It has been reported that all these were to be ... shipped to Las Vegas in the States....