US military intervention
�Anti-terrorism� treaty in Asia will trample on sovereignty
Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) led by Indonesia and Vietnam are worried that the US will use a US-ASEAN �anti-terrorism� treaty as a license to intervene in the internal affairs and trample on the sovereignty of countries in the region. Thus, ASEAN members included in the treaty a provision calling for respect for the principles of equality, territorial integrity and non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries. The US, through State Secretary Colin Powell, pushed for the removal of the provision. Under pressure, the ASEAN members agreed to tone down the provision, replacing the word �respect� with �recognize�. The agreement was signed during a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Brunei on August 1 that was likewise attended by Powell.
Number of American troops in the country growing
One-hundred and sixty (160) US Special Forces participating in Balikatan 02-1 will remain in the Philippines until October. They will be left behind in Basilan and Sulu to continue launching joint military operations in the name of �long-term security assistance�. This contradicts an earlier statement by US military officials that only naval engineers (Seabees) will stay behind in the country to finish the �construction projects� that they had initiated. In truth, only the 355 Seabees that arrived in May left Basilan on July 31. �Long-term security assistance� was one of the points of agreement during the meeting of the Mutual Defense Board in June. In this regard, some 900 other American soldiers will be posted in Zamboanga and Cebu.
Aside from these troops, up to 1,700 active American troops roam the former US military bases at Clark and Subic in Central Luzon. Meanwhile, on July 17-28, 1,400 American soldiers participated in CARAT 2002, a naval training exercise held in Subic and Cavite.
Peace caravan arrives in Zamboanga City
Some 1,200 delegates to the Lakbay Kalinaw People�s Caravan arrived in Zamboanga City on July 31. The people�s caravan led by BAYAN and OUT-Now, was timed to coincide with the scheduled closing of Balikatan 02-1. It also served as the peak of a week-long activity conducted by Bayan Muna, the International Solidarity Mission and other patriotic organizations in Basilan and Sulu. The demonstrators aimed to bring their protest in front of the Southern Command headquarters where the American soldiers were based but this was strictly forbidden by the AFP. The Southcom and other reactionary forces concocted various dirty tactics to delay and disturb the peace caravan.
Civilian shot by American soldier in Basilan
Bayan Muna representatives are calling for an investigation of the precipitate shooting on July 24 of a civilian named Buyong-buyong Isnijal in Barangay Bato-bato, Tuburan, Basilan by an American soldier. According to witnesses, soldiers from the 18th IB assaulted the Isnijals� house along with three Americans, to arrest Isnijal who is accused of being an Abu Sayyaf member. In a sworn statement, Judaira Isnijal said her husband Buyong-buyong was suddenly shot by American soldier Reggie Lane. The following day, Lane was hurriedly sent back to the US.
The AFP and the US embassy have strongly denied Lane�s involvement in the incident and have made it appear that it was mere �propaganda� from the militant congressmen. They even got a Filipino soldier to admit to the crime. Macapagal-Arroyo immediatedly issued defamatory statements against those who conducted the fact-finding mission, calling them communists and �violators of human rights�.
Rep. Satur Ocampo and Liza Masa of Bayan Muna together with the International Solidarity Mission (ISM) conducted a fact-finding mission on violations of human rights under Balikatan 02-1. The ISM is composed of peace and human rights advocates, legislators, academics, artists and representatives of people�s organizations.
| 
