In last week’s reports, Acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales and witnesses confirmed that four Abu Sayyaf members were responsible for the decapitation of four of the 14 Marine soldiers who were slain in Basilan. A local official, whose men were implicated in the ambush and beheading, also confirmed that one primary reason why the soldiers were killed was because they entered the MILF territory without proper consultation. But there were also reports that arms were decapitated in order to get the rings on the soldiers’ fingers and that some of the soldiers were tortured first before being killed. To me, it is clear that there was no principle or rationale behind the killings. It was plain banditry and criminal behavior that have been exhibited.
It is sad that up to now, government troops from both the police and the military have been indecisive in their actions to bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice. I will not be surprised if those named in the warrants of arrest by the PNP have already escaped and have gone into hiding. We can understand the government’s hesitancy, especially with pressure from Japan and Canada who have threatened to cut aid for our government, and calls from human rights advocates concerned about the derailment of the peace process. The important thing to me is first to find out whose human rights were violated. Was it the MILF (or Abu Sayyaf’s), or was it the beheaded and ambushed soldiers who have families depending on them for support?
Similar atrocities, cases of human rights violation and wrongdoing here and in other countries have pointed to the lack of understanding and political will to render punishment. Take the case of Myanmar (Burma). It is notoriously known and condemned for its violation of human rights. The ASEAN has drawn international criticism for not being able to sanction Myanmar’s illegal detention of Nobel peace prize winner and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. Another high-profile case against the Burmese government is its detention of a distinguished poet and editor, U Win Tin, who was imprisoned for writing a letter to the United Nations on the ill treatment and poor conditions of political prisoners there.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has, in the past, hesitated to violate the group’s cardinal rule of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states, and hence, remained silent on Myanmar’s action. But here we see an erring government is favored in the process and the victims are left with no defense. As a result, a number of undemocratic and autocratic governments have persisted in the region.
I am glad to note that one of the Joint Agreements during the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting concluded recently was establishment of an ASEAN Human Rights Commission which mainly sets a standard of behavior among members, providing sanctions for wrongdoing and human rights violations. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was right to say that no economic progress can be achieved without peace. There can be no peace and justice unless perpetrators of wrongdoing are punished and the victims defended and vindicated. We should promote peace and justice by penalizing wrong actions.