PHILIPPINES: New terror law targets militants in south
Updated
A new anti-terrorism law has been introduced in the Philippines, designed to combat al-Qaida-linked militants largely based in the country's south. The move's been well received by Australia and the United States. The two countries fear terrorism-training camps in the Philippines are producing militants capable of launching attacks anywhere in the world. But human rights groups have voiced strong opposition to the legislation. They believe the law endangers the civil liberties Filipinos finally won when they ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
Presenter: Steve Holland
Speakers: Protest leader Renato Reyes; Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan, spokesman for the Marines involved in counter-terrorism operations
HOLLAND: Hundreds of activists held a rally near President Gloria Arroyo's palace, carrying posters with her portrait and the label: "The real face of terror". The anti-terrorism law, officially called the Human Security Act, went into force in the Philippines on Sunday. It adds legal weight to the US-backed war against al-Qaida-linked militants, but it ushers in what activists call an era of fear. Protest leader Renato Reyes believes the new law will prove a danger in the hands of Arroyo's administration:
REYES: The anti-terrorism law is almost equivalent to an undeclared martial law. It's a very potent weapon for violating people's rights.
HOLLAND: Human Rights groups believe 800 activists have been slain in extra-judicial killings and nearly 200 others have gone missing since Gloria Arroyo assumed power. Renato Reyes says the new law will be exploited by Arroyo's Government to further clamp down on those who oppose her rule.
REYES: It violates the right to due process, it violates other guarantees provided by the Constitution.
HOLLAND: The new law, signed by Arroyo in March, allows detention of suspected terrorists without charge for three days. It also includes "rebellion or insurrection" among crimes considered terrorism.
REYES: And the definition of terrorism under this law is very broad, very vague and might include anyone and everyone who is questioning or critical of the Arroyo administration.
HOLLAND: The Southeast Asian country is often regarded as a breeding ground for Islamic radicals forming groups such as Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan, a spokesman for the marines involved in counter terrorism operations, says the law gives troops increased powers.
CACULITAN: What is important here is we have a law that defines terrorism of which we can use in the fight against terror.
HOLLAND: He believes the Human Security Act infringes on basic rights.
CACULITAN: I think the civil liberties is protected here and the military as always would follow.
HOLLAND: Legislators have added safeguards to the anti-terror bill to prevent abuses. A provision strictly banning the torture of suspects and another that fines law enforcers $US10,000 for each day they wrongfully detain a terrorism suspect have been added to the legislation. But those clauses, and dozens more, have done little to ease concerns raised by those opposing the legislation. A number of groups, including the Catholic Church, have threatened to intensify protests against the law. The Human Security Act has received international praise from countries such as Australia and the United States. But it seems, within the Philippines, the Human Security Act has had the opposite effect of its official justification.
