The New York Times reports that a state of emergency has been declared in the provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kurat, as well as the city of Cotabo, following yesterday's massacre. 46 people have now been declared dead.
Under orders by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, two military battalions reached Mindanao yesterday and began setting up roadblocks and conducting searches. In addition to a prevention of future violence, the military is tasked with disarming individuals carrying unlicensed firearms - an issue which has been problematic to Mindanao in the past, but which had not been thrust into the spotlight until now. Additionally, the police have been granted "wider authority to arrest and detain" those suspected of being involved in yesterday's violence.
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Interesting. The article also notes that pre-election violence is common in many parts of the south. The violence breaks out as rival families vie for dominance and control.
ReplyDeleteJust a few more interesting details from the article:
ReplyDeleteA family called the Ampatuans is apparently very closely allied with GMA, and the article reports that "Esmael Mangudadatu, the vice mayor of Buluan, a town in Maguindanao, whose family is the chief political enemy of the Ampatuans, said on national television that survivors had implicated supporters of the Maguindanao governor, Andal Ampatuan." Of course the validity of the allegations has yet to be definitively established by an independent body.