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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Manila bars workers after kidnap |
| 2004-07-08 |
| The Philippines has barred any more workers from traveling to Iraq, after Arabic news network Al-Jazeera reported that a militant group had kidnapped a Filipino man. While President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s order applied to contract workers, the government has yet to respond to the kidnappers’ demand to withdraw Philippine troops. But reports of the hostage taking are expected to top the agenda when the Philippine government holds its cabinet meeting Thursday. The Philippines, a staunch ally of the United States, initially contributed about 100 troops to the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. There are now just over 50 Filipino troops in Iraq, serving as part of a U.N.-mandated, American-led multinational force to assist the Iraqi interim government in providing security. Meanwhile, at least 4,000 Filipino civilians are working in U.S. military bases in Iraq as cooks, mechanics or in other jobs. The president also offered government help for any workers who wanted to come home. Gilberto Asuque, a spokesman for the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, said a team has been established to work with the charge d’affairs in Baghdad. "Our priority is to establish the identity of the hostage," Asuque said. The government’s Middle East envoy, Ambassador Roy Cimatu, said he was flying to Iraq later on Thursday to assess the situation. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #3 The Philippines government can't even control its own borders - I fail to see how it is going to prevent its nationals from going to Iraq. These guys need to concentrate on making it unnecessary for its people to go abroad by the tens of millions to make a living - by freeing the economy from the oligopolists and monopolists who are dominant there. Of course, this would also dry up the sources of bribe money for Filipino government officials, meaning that reform is a practical impossibility. And so Filipinos will continue turning up working as domestics in places far from their homeland. None of this would have happened if the Philippines had remained under US control - but what do Filipino leaders care about the common people? Self-aggrandizement is all. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-07-08 3:05:09 PM |
| #2 That's right. Why send your workers to Iraq to be slaughtered by Islamic militants when they can be slaughtered by homegrown Islamic militants in the Philippines? |
| Posted by: RWV 2004-07-08 2:59:44 PM |
| #1 The Phippines Government as well as the Governments of India and Sri Lankan should forbid their nationals to go to any Muslim country in the Middle East to work. These poor people are treated like slaves in these countries and now, they have the added stress of being kidnapped and beheaded. Such sad existence! |
| Posted by: Anonymous4724 2004-07-08 4:23:39 AM |