75 school children abducted in Mindanao province; MILF militants freed by Islamic militants during a raid on a jail; Fourth annual bilateral consultation meeting between Malaysia and Thailand takes place;
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  • Fifteen members of the Manobo tribe raided an elementary school in Agusan del Sur province in Mindanao province in Philippines on December 10 and abducted 75 people. The group wanted a long list of grievances to be solved in return for releasing the hostages. 17 students and later 10 more along with the school principal were freed but 45 still remained in captivity.1 In a similar incident on December 13, about thirty suspected Islamic militants attacked a jail in Isabela city of southern Philippines and freed more than thirty inmates, including suspected members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.2

    Malaysian PM Najib Razak visited Thailand from December 7 for the fourth annual bilateral consultation meeting. This was Najib’s first visit to Thailand since he took office in April this year. Najib and his Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva discussed measures to bring to an end continuing violence at their border regions in the far South that has claimed more than 3,500 lives during the last six years.3 The second bridge over the Golok River in Narathiwat province was also renamed as the Friendship Bridge in the presence of both the PM’s. The bridge links Narathiwat province in Thailand with Malaysia’s Kelantan state.4

    Malaysia also expressed its willingness to offer support to the Thai government to set up Islamic Banks in the three volatile provinces of Patani, Narathiwat and Yala to ensure economic development of Muslims who are in majority in that area.5

    At the sidelines of the two-day Bali Democracy Forum which opened on December 10, Indonesian President Susilo Yudhoyono met with Japanese PM Yukio Hatoyama and held talks on various areas of bilateral cooperation. Japan and Indonesia are the two co-chairs of the Forum. Japan agreed to provide economic stimulus funding to Indonesia as well as assist in the construction of several bridges in Indonesia.6

    On the occasion of the International Human rights Day on December 10, 442 members of parliament from 29 countries urged the UN Security Council to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate ‘Crimes against Humanity’ and ‘War Crimes’ by the Myanmar military junta. They also urged the UN Council to impose a global arms embargo against the junta.7

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