RP to block granting of asylum to Misuari

The Philippines will block any attempt by jailed rebel leader Nur Misuari to seek political asylum from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said yesterday.

"We would like to inform the UNHCR, if they’ve (Misuari’s group) really sent an application, that Misuari is not a political refugee," Tiglao said, adding that Misuari has been criminally charged in court.

"As far as things stand, he is facing charges properly filed by the Armed Forces and the (Philippine National Police)," Tiglao added.

The Palace made the remark after Misuari’s lawyer Elly Pamatong claimed on Saturday that they had filed an urgent application for political asylum with the UNHCR.

Pamatong said in a press statement Misuari sought the UNHCR’s protection based on the 1951 UN Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, of which Manila is a signatory.

Pamatong claimed that UNHCR lawyer Andrew Painter in Washington DC committed to "move as quickly as possible to see to it that Misuari’s rights under the convention would be protected."

The petition was apparently sent to Painter, who has supposedly informed the UNHCR head office in Geneva, Switzerland and satellite office in Malaysia where Misuari is being held at an undisclosed location.

The Malaysian authorities arrested Misuari with six unidentified companions in Sempiras island, near the Philippine-Malaysian border, on Nov. 24.

Misuari fled to Malaysia, supposedly en route to Saudi Arabia, after the military repulsed attacks staged by his men on three military detachments in Sulu on Nov. 19.

The authorities claimed Misuari instigated the attacks, which resulted in the death of more than 100 of his followers, in a bid to disrupt the gubernatorial and legislative elections of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which he had been leading for the past five years.

Misuari claimed the elections violated the 1996 peace agreement that he signed with the government to end the 24-year rebellion of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which he founded and used to head as chairman.

Despite his five years as ARMM governor, however, local ARMM leaders expressed disappointment at the pace of development in the poverty-stricken region, leading President Arroyo to support another candidate for the position.

Mrs. Arroyo supported the candidacy of presidential assistant Dr. Parouk Hussin, a former MNLF leader. Hussin is currently leading the ARMM vote count for governor.

In April, Hussin and other influential MNLF leaders agreed to oust Misuari from the MNLF chairmanship, ostensibly because they were disillusioned at Misuari’s failure to fulfill his promises of development.

Even Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad slammed Misuari for "doing little" to ease the social problems in Mindanao which is near the Malaysian state of Sabah in North Borneo island.

Mahathir also branded Misuari as a "threat" to Malaysia’s national security because hostilities in Misuari’s home province of Sulu have historically spilled over to Sabah.

Malaysia, which had granted political asylum to Misuari when he fled Mindanao in the 1970s at the height of the MNLF’s hostilities with the government, has ruled out granting Misuari political asylum.

Kuala Lumpur has charged Misuari of illegally entering but has agreed to Manila’s request to hold him a while longer to ease tensions in Mindanao where Misuari’s followers continued to fight with government troops.