1. "Philippine guerrillas murder seven in Christmas eve raids - AFP 24 Dec 2015
TUKURAN: Seven farmers were killed on Thursday (Dec 24) as guerrillas launched a series of attacks in the troubled southern Philippines, the military said.
The fighters of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) seized the seven and then killed them in a series of raids in the island of Mindanao where Christian-Muslim conflicts have seethed for decades.
About 150 fighters of the BIFF launched assaults in different mainly-Christian towns before dawn, said Colonel Ricky Bunayog, the local military commander.
"They abducted farmers and then killed them. When we attempted to recover their bodies, they fired on us," he told AFP in the southern town of Tukuran, one of the the group's targets.
The Philippines is overwhelmingly Christian but has a Muslim minority that claims the south as their homeland.
The BIFF split from the main Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), in 2008. It has opposed a peace process between the government and the MILF for the creation of a Muslim autonomous area in the south and has vowed to keep fighting for a separate Islamic state.
Last year, the BIFF uploaded clips on YouTube showing one of its leaders pledging support for the Islamic State organisation, the jihadist group that has seized a large swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria."
So, IT has to happen! It CANNOT wait till after Xmas! What does it do for these so-called 'rebels' killing 7 farmers before Xmas? Did they win a battle or gain credit with their 'God'? Mindless murderers. So, some of the terrorists were slain by the Philippines military in the counter-attack. Big deal! To the families and friends of the 7 dead farmers, it would have been a painful unforgettable Xmas eve. Will there be desire to take revenge? Most probably. And then the vicious cycle repeat itself. Damned!
2. "Singapore's social cohesion must not be allowed to fracture: DPM Teo - CNA 24 Dec 2015
SINGAPORE: As extremist terror grows increasingly globalised, no country can guarantee that it will not fall prey to attacks one day, said Acting Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.
Speaking to Channel NewsAsia in an exclusive interview, Mr Teo, who is Coordinating Minister for National Security, said should an attack ever befall Singapore, the country's social cohesion must not be allowed to fracture.
"Trust is a very fragile thing. You can never take it for granted," he said. "It’s something which you have to work on all the time, every day, to make sure that where there are potential points of friction, you try and deal with them beforehand; where something actually comes up, you manage it in a constructive way.""
It is BETTER to be cautious and even a bit paranoid when it comes to 'will the terrorists strike Singapore'?
Lessons for me are:
a. when terrorists who use religion as an excuse, or twisted reason, all preparation to deal with it MUST be total rationality and non-emotional. Call them 'terrorists'. No sexy label like: 'Lone wolf'. Leave NO DOUBT there is NO such thing as: 'religious terrorists' as any religions that advocate killing non-believers have to be evil. Be merciless when needed after 'reformation' efforts are expanded!;
b. act pre-emptively like what I read about the Rabbi, the Priest and the Imam were doing in Germany where they planned to build a place of worship when the believers of the three religions share common space! Do what the Indonesia Muslims are doing by stationing themselves at Christian Churches to protect and discourage any 'wayward Muslims' who want to kill Christians and disrupt Xmas celebrations in Jakarta that I read and saw on CNA TV!;
c. every law enforcement personnel in the country MUST swear allegiance to the State and NOT to the religion. In Singapore, religion and politics are distinctly separated. No IF or BUT about this.
The trust between the different races, religions and languages were built painstaking, bit by bit, over a long period of time, keep cementing the ties and the interaction to keep it strong and solid. It must NOT be weakened by careless commentaries and cynical remarks against each other. Be responsible when anyone want to exercise the so-called "freedom of speech"!
TUKURAN: Seven farmers were killed on Thursday (Dec 24) as guerrillas launched a series of attacks in the troubled southern Philippines, the military said.
The fighters of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) seized the seven and then killed them in a series of raids in the island of Mindanao where Christian-Muslim conflicts have seethed for decades.
About 150 fighters of the BIFF launched assaults in different mainly-Christian towns before dawn, said Colonel Ricky Bunayog, the local military commander.
"They abducted farmers and then killed them. When we attempted to recover their bodies, they fired on us," he told AFP in the southern town of Tukuran, one of the the group's targets.
The Philippines is overwhelmingly Christian but has a Muslim minority that claims the south as their homeland.
The BIFF split from the main Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), in 2008. It has opposed a peace process between the government and the MILF for the creation of a Muslim autonomous area in the south and has vowed to keep fighting for a separate Islamic state.
Last year, the BIFF uploaded clips on YouTube showing one of its leaders pledging support for the Islamic State organisation, the jihadist group that has seized a large swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria."
So, IT has to happen! It CANNOT wait till after Xmas! What does it do for these so-called 'rebels' killing 7 farmers before Xmas? Did they win a battle or gain credit with their 'God'? Mindless murderers. So, some of the terrorists were slain by the Philippines military in the counter-attack. Big deal! To the families and friends of the 7 dead farmers, it would have been a painful unforgettable Xmas eve. Will there be desire to take revenge? Most probably. And then the vicious cycle repeat itself. Damned!
2. "Singapore's social cohesion must not be allowed to fracture: DPM Teo - CNA 24 Dec 2015
SINGAPORE: As extremist terror grows increasingly globalised, no country can guarantee that it will not fall prey to attacks one day, said Acting Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.
Speaking to Channel NewsAsia in an exclusive interview, Mr Teo, who is Coordinating Minister for National Security, said should an attack ever befall Singapore, the country's social cohesion must not be allowed to fracture.
"Trust is a very fragile thing. You can never take it for granted," he said. "It’s something which you have to work on all the time, every day, to make sure that where there are potential points of friction, you try and deal with them beforehand; where something actually comes up, you manage it in a constructive way.""
It is BETTER to be cautious and even a bit paranoid when it comes to 'will the terrorists strike Singapore'?
Lessons for me are:
a. when terrorists who use religion as an excuse, or twisted reason, all preparation to deal with it MUST be total rationality and non-emotional. Call them 'terrorists'. No sexy label like: 'Lone wolf'. Leave NO DOUBT there is NO such thing as: 'religious terrorists' as any religions that advocate killing non-believers have to be evil. Be merciless when needed after 'reformation' efforts are expanded!;
b. act pre-emptively like what I read about the Rabbi, the Priest and the Imam were doing in Germany where they planned to build a place of worship when the believers of the three religions share common space! Do what the Indonesia Muslims are doing by stationing themselves at Christian Churches to protect and discourage any 'wayward Muslims' who want to kill Christians and disrupt Xmas celebrations in Jakarta that I read and saw on CNA TV!;
c. every law enforcement personnel in the country MUST swear allegiance to the State and NOT to the religion. In Singapore, religion and politics are distinctly separated. No IF or BUT about this.
The trust between the different races, religions and languages were built painstaking, bit by bit, over a long period of time, keep cementing the ties and the interaction to keep it strong and solid. It must NOT be weakened by careless commentaries and cynical remarks against each other. Be responsible when anyone want to exercise the so-called "freedom of speech"!
No comments:
Post a Comment