DATE=6/4/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=PHILIPPINES BOMBING (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-263136
BYLINE=CONRAD MULLER
DATELINE=MANILA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Bombs early Sunday exploded at Manila's
international airport and a bus depot on the main
southern island of Mindanao, the latter
killing one person and injuring two. As Konrad Muller
reports from Manila, officials say it is too early to
link the airport bombing to
Muslim separatists in the Philippine south.
TEXT: The blast at Manila's international airport
caused no casualties. It exploded near a female
toilet, at some distance from the main arrival
terminal. The device was powerful, if primitive,
tearing apart the toilet walls and blowing a hole in
the sidewalk.
The bombing of the bus depot occurred earlier Sunday
morning in the city of Iligan - some 800 kilometers
south of Manila. The bus
company had been threatened by extortionists, who the
police believed were linked to the Moro Islamic
liberation Front - with 15,000 regulars- the leading
Muslim separatist group in the
Philippine south.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for either
blast. The Defense Secretary, Mr. Orly Mercado, said
it was too early to blame
Muslim separatists for the airport bombing, the fifth
to hit the
Philippine capital in recent weeks. Two Muslim women
were, however, questioned for several hours.
These latest acts of terror can only add to the
perceived degree of political instability in the
Philippines. They come in the wake of
an embarrassing hostage crisis that drags on, and an
upsurge of separatist violence in the country's south
that is sapping investor confidence.
//Rest Opt//
Other recent bombings have been linked to the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front. Last week, the Philippine
Police filed murder charges against the group's
political leadership for blasts in two Manila shopping
complexes that killed one person and injured 29.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is pursuing peace
talks with Manila, but President Joseph Estrada has
given negotiators only until June 30 to reach a
settlement. Meanwhile, the army continues to pound
separatist bases.(Signed)
NEB/CM/PLM
04-Jun-2000 07:18 AM EDT (04-Jun-2000 1118 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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