Thousands flee fearing Abu Sayyaf, Philippine
military attack
JOLO, Philippines, Aug 21 (AFP)
- Thousands of villagers have fled their homes on the Philippine island of Jolo, fearful
of being caught in a showdown between the military and the growing ranks of guerrillas
holding 28 hostages, village chief Asjada Abdu said Monday.
At least 7,000 civilians had
fled nine villages in the area of Bandang where the Abu Sayyaf rebels are holding their
hostages, who include 12 Westerners, said Abdu, the village chief of central Talipao and
head of the local pro-government private army.
"These villages are
virtually a ghost town, in fact we have declared them a no-man's land. There are no more
civilians in these areas but guerrillas," he said.
The number of Abu Sayyaf
rebels, around 360 before the hostage crisis began four months ago, had swelled to 4,500
and was "increasing drastically" each day, he said, as ransom money from
hostages already released was splashed out on new weapons, attracting new fighters.
Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya
said on radio DXRZ in nearby Zamboanga city Monday: "We are not ready to release all
of the hostages yet as we are preparing for a military offensive."
The government has denied the
army is active in Jolo and sources close to the negotiators say the guerrillas were
holding out for another 18-million-dollars ransom money.
Abdu said there were soldiers
in the area, but they were to protect civilians fleeing to avoid being caught in the
crossfire of any attack, and because they were afraid of the rebels.
"Basically they are afraid
of the Abu Sayyaf because almost every day rebels were test-firing their new weapons. Most
of these are M-14, M-16 rifles including M-16 machine guns," he said.
Armed forces chief of staff
General Angelo Reyes confirmed early this month that the Abu Sayyaf had raked in 245
million pesos (5.5 million dollars) in ransoms paid for the release of seven hostages.
The newly cash-rich guerrillas
went on a weapons-buying spree, tripling the blackmarket price of an M-14 to 60,000 pesos
(1,334 dollars).
"The villagers are afraid.
The weapons are being test-fired from morning to nighttime," Abdu said, estimating
the Abu Sayyaf arsenal at 3,000 weapons and growing.
Police were powerless to stop
the gunmen firing their weapons, Abdu said after lodging a fruitless complaint with the
provincial police chief Candido Casimiro.
"The police are helpless
because Manila told them not to engage the Abu Sayyaf in any armed confrontation, not to
jeopardise negotiations and alarm rebels against taking drastic action against
hostages," he said.
He appealed to the government
to provide Talipao with more assistance for the local private militia, officially known as
a civilian auxillary force geographical unit.
"The problem we are facing
is we do not have the budget to pay militiamen who are protecting the people and
safeguarding the town from terrorists. My militiamen are purely on a voluntary
basis," he said.
"Aside from a lack of
budget we also lack ammunition and guns to defend our town against any Abu Sayyaf
threats."
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