 |
|
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo
|
MANILA,
October 19 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Philippine President
Gloria Arroyo Saturday, October 19, vowed to bring to justice the
perpetrators of deadly bomb blasts in the Philippine capital and the
south of the country.
Arroyo also called on the public to remain calm in the wake of the
bombs, as police said they compiled sketches of suspects in both
attacks.
Three people were killed and 20 others wounded when a bomb went off on
a bus late Friday, a day after seven people were killed and 149
injured in two blasts in shopping centers in Zamboanga City.
"Justice
will be meted out to perpetrators of those bomb attacks," Arroyo
said, describing the plotters as "secretive and determined
extremists."
She made the statement after meeting with senior police officials and
local mayors following the Manila bus bombing.
"A few troublemakers, with limited capabilities, are trying to
bully 80 million Filipinos into living in fear and terror,"
Arroyo said in a statement aired on government radio, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
"Let us not allow ourselves to be cowed into submission by those
who seek to terrorize us."
Earlier, Arroyo said four suspects were being hunted for the twin bomb
blasts in Zamboanga.
She appealed to the public to remain calm and to cooperate with
authorities.
The Philippines has been rocked by a series of bombings this month,
starting with an October 2 blast in Zamboanga City which claimed the
life of a U.S. serviceman and three Filipinos.
The military initially said the Abu Sayyaf Muslim kidnapping group was
the likely suspect in the Zamboanga bombings.
However, Presidential spokesman Robert Capco said it was too early to
speculate who was behind the blasts.
"As far as we are concerned, the investigation is still going on
but we have some suspects," he said without elaborating.
He would not say if the attacks in Manila and Zamboanga were related.
Manila and Zamboanga police said they produced sketches of suspects in
the two most recent attacks based on witness descriptions.
A senior police source in Zamboanga also said sketches had been drawn
up of the four suspects - three men and a woman - in the shopping
center bombings.
The source refused to elaborate further but director general Vidal
Quirol, head of police operations, insisted the investigation was
making progress.
"We are not facing a blank wall," he said.
To counter further terror attacks, Capco said police visibility would
be increased with more policemen brought into Manila from rural areas
and with 1,700 trainee policemen deployed in the capital.
Mayors of Manila and its suburbs agreed to implement a special
security plan including coordination with business establishments and
roving patrols.
Earlier, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said police told him
the explosives used in Friday's blast were identical to materials used
in a wave of bombings that hit Manila on December 30, 2000.
The 2000 blasts, which killed 22 people and left more than 100 others
injured, were blamed on the Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant Islamic group
operating across Southeast Asia.
In an effort to boost public confidence, Arroyo on Saturday, publicly
presented three arrested suspects in the October 10 bombing of a bus
terminal in Kidapawan City in the south.
Police
said the case was an extortion scheme.
|
|
Palestine:
Palestinians Abandon Yanun Village, Citing Attacks By Israeli Settlers
U.S. Roadmap Without Guarantees
Not Credible: Palestinians
France, Russia Condemn Israeli
Offensives Against Palestinians
No Justification for Israel’s
Killing of Palestinian Civilians: Sarid
Hamas Claims Responsibility for Gaza Counter Attack
Sharon To Meet Bush To Discuss
U.S. Attack on Iraq
Peres Defends Oslo, Says
Far-Right's Blindness to Bring Catastrophe
Iraq:
U.S. Drops 'Force' Demand For New Resolution on Iraq
Talabani Opposes U.S.
Government in Post-Saddam Iraq
Row Deepens After Spanish
Diplomat Resigns Over Iraq
IAEA Chief Says Iraq, N. Korea
“Equal Priorities”, U.S. Disagrees
UN Chief Says
"Compromise" UN Resolution on Iraq Likely
Sharon Leaves Washington With Green Light on Iraq
ASEAN Calls for Immediate Review of Sanctions on Iraq
Indian, U.S. Air Forces Hold
New Joint Air Exercise at Agra
U.S. Actor Warns Bush Against
Legacy of “Shame, Horror”
Hindu Extremists Say A Cow's
Life More Precious Than Man's
Kuwaiti FM: Return of POWs More
Important Than National Archives
U.S. study Says Indo-Israeli
Invasion of Pakistan Probable
Burns Starts Mideast Tour, U.S. Lashes Israel Over Killing Palestinian Civilians
EU Candidates Hold Breath As Irish Vote
Philippine Leader Vows to Bring Deadly Bombers to Justice
Five killed, 15 Injured In Blast, Gun battle In Kashmir
Malaysia to Step up Security After Bombings in South East Asia
U.S. Envoy Arrives in Seoul for North Korea Nuke Talks
Australia Archbishop: Support For U.S. Policies Behind Bali Blast
Indonesian Police Arrest Suspect Basyir
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
