| MAHATHIR:
NEGATIVE REPORTS ON RESCUE EFFORT WILL CREATE PROBLEMS KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 (Bernama) --
Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad Sunday advised the foreign media against playing up
religious sentiments when reporting on efforts by the Philippine authorities to secure the
release of 21 people held captive by an armed group in the southern Philippines.
The prime minister said that if the foreign media made any attempt to highlight such
sentiments in their reports, it would dampen any efforts on the part of the Philippine
authorities.
"It (using religious sentiments) will create problem for everybody... It will stiffen
the back of the group responsible and when people are pushed to a corner, the tendency is
that they will turn around and fight," he told reporters after attending the Kuala
Lumpur Thomas/Uber Cup Run 2000, at Merdeka Square, here.
Dr Mahathir said this when asked whether attempts by the foreign media in highlighting
religious sentiments in their reports would dampen efforts to rescue the victims who
included nine Malaysians.
Yesterday, the local television stations aired footage taken by the foreign media which
showed interviews with a mayor, a priest and family members of a Philippine soldier who
died in a clash with the group responsible for the kidnapping.
During the interviews, they were quoted as saying that should anything happen to the
victims, the Muslims in Mindanao should be held responsible and that the armed group
should be eradicated.
The nine Malaysians and 12 foreigners were kidnapped by six gunmen in Sipadan Island on
April 23 and are now being held in a hideout of the Abu Sayyaf separatist group in Jolo
Island in the southern Philippines.
The foreigners comprised three Germans, two South Africans, two Finns, two French, two
Filipinos and a Lebanese.
Dr Mahathir said it was to be expected of the foreign media to raise such sentiments.
He said they had not been responsible and had not thought about the safety of the victims
when carrying out their duties.
"This is something that will feed their agenda for the region and Malaysia in
particular and Muslims in general," Dr Mahathir said.
The prime minister said the local and foreign media should play a positive role by
ensuring that their reports took into account the safety of the victims.
He added that they must avoid making any reports that could jeopardise any efforts to
secure their release.
Back to Sipadan Hostages News
Back
to This Week's Borneo News |
