Philippines Offers Rebels Amnesty
By OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The
president of the Philippines offered amnesty Friday to Muslim guerrillas in an effort to
curtail a decades-old secessionist rebellion that has killed more than 120,000 people in
the southern Philippines.
A rebel spokesman rejected the
offer from President Joseph Estrada, calling it propaganda.
Estrada offered the amnesty to
members and supporters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the larger of two rebel
groups fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines.
The smaller but more radical
Abu Sayyaf group, which is holding 17 hostages on southern Jolo island, was not offered
amnesty. The government considers the Abu Sayyaf to be a group of bandits. A massive
military effort was launched two weeks ago to rescue the hostages.
The amnesty offer will be open
for six months after it is approved by Congress, which is controlled by the Estrada
administration, presidential spokesman Ricardo Puno said.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu
dismissed the offer and promised the rebels would remain ``steadfast'' in their bid for
independence.
The Islamic rebels regard the
southern Mindanao region as a homeland for Muslims in the Philippines. It is rich in
natural resources, but wracked by poverty and violence, which the military blames on the
MILF.
The government recently renewed
efforts to resume peace talks with the rebels.
Estrada's national security
adviser Alexander Aguirre estimated there are 14,000 to 15,000 MILF rebels.
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