A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
(Full Story)
Search This Blog
Back to 500BC.
==========================
Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Sunday, July 30, 2017
Philippines: ‘War crime’ for Duterte to threaten schools – watchdog
PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte would be committing war crimes by
calling for an attack on schools in restive Mindanao, says a rights
watchdog.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) slammed the president’s comments on Tuesday in
the wake of his threats to call for airstrikes on schools for indigenous
Lumad children on the southern island that he alleged are teaching
“subversion” and “communism”.
“By calling for an attack on schools, Duterte is directing the military
to commit war crimes,” HRW’s Asia Division Researcher Carlos H. Conde
said in a statement.
The firebrand president’s latest tirade against the “subversive” schools
came following his decision to call off peace talks with the Communist
New People’s Army (NPA).
For nearly five decades, the Philippines military has battled a
communist insurgency, resulting in the deaths of 40,000 people. The
government says the communist rebels have used tribal areas in the
Mindanao countryside as their base of operations.
“I will bomb those schools,” Duterte said during a press conference on Monday.
“I will use the Armed Forces, the Philippine Air Force … because you’re
operating illegally and you’re teaching the children to rebel against
government.”
Duterte made the threat minutes after his State of the Nation Address
(SONA), which also saw him vow to continue his deadly war on drugs that
has claimed the lives of more than 5,200 suspects, according to figures
provided by the Philippines National Police (PNP). Activists claim the
death toll is far higher.
Conde said due to the insurgency, indigenous-run schools have long been
targets of the military and paramilitary forces, which accuse them of
being NPA “training grounds”. Government security forces in Mindanao, he
said, have largely escaped accountability for such abuses.
“International humanitarian law – the laws of war – prohibits attacks on
schools and other civilian structures unless they are being used for
military purposes,” Conde said.
HRW called on Duterte to retract his threat of violence towards the schools before the military acts.
“Instead of denying Filipino children their right to safe education,
Duterte should sign the Safe Schools Declaration,” Conde said.
The declaration involves an inter-governmental commitment to the
protection of students, teachers, schools and universities from violence
during times of war. To date, 67 countries have signed the declaration.
During a recent meeting held at Malacañang Palace, Duterte directed the
government panel negotiating with the NDF not to resume formal peace
talks unless the rebels agree to stop their attacks against government
troops in Mindanao.
Duterte put Mindanao under martial law for 60 days in May after the
Islamic State-inspired Maute Group clashed with government security
forces trying to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf leader who was
designated the “emir” of IS in Southeast Asia.
The government is still conducting clearing operations in Marawi.
The government has also given the green light to extend martial law in
Mindanao until the end of the year to fully crush terrorist groups
operating on the island.