Malaysia will start to withdraw peacekeepers in phases next month from the troubled southern Philippine region of Mindanao, state news agency Bernama said on Thursday.
The decision is a blow for multinational peace efforts in the region, where unarmed Malaysian soldiers have been posted since 2004 to help bring to an end nearly 40 years of conflict that have killed more than 120,000 people and displaced 2 million.
Malaysian Defense Minister Najib Razak said about 21 Malaysian officers would be called back in the first phase on May 10, with another 31 returning later.
“The defense forces chief will leave for the Philippines next month to convey to the Philippine government about the withdrawal,” Najib, who is also the country’s deputy prime minister, told reporters at a conference in Kuala Lumpur. “A decision has been made on q presence there … we cannot be there forever.”
The announcement came a day after a Philippine official urged Malaysia to reconsider its decision to quit the monitoring team.
“It’s in the interest of everyone to maintain the ceasefire,” Philippine Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told a news conference at the Philippine presidential palace on Wednesday, adding that it was in Malaysia’s interest to help keep its neighbor peaceful.
“Of course, no one wants the troubles in his neighbor’s house to come to his own. That’s why, in all sincerity, they are participating in the hope that we can find peace in the southern Philippines because we have a common border with Malaysia,” he said.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim had announced on Monday the country’s decision not to extend the mission of the International Monitoring Team when it expired in September.
“The thing is, we have to get cooperation from both sides,” Bernama quoted Rais as saying. “But, if one party is not making the effort, we will have to end the mission.”
The remark appeared to be aimed at the Philippine government, which Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels have accused of dragging its feet on the creation of a Muslim homeland in the south.
Talks between the government and MILF have run for more than 10 years, making some rebel commanders doubt the sincerity of the government in ending the conflict.
Malaysia has been brokering the talks since 2001.
The monitoring team has been in place in strife-torn areas of Mindanao since October 2004 and helped slash skirmishes between troops and Muslim rebels from 700 in 2002 to fewer than a dozen last year.
The unarmed monitors include about 50 troops from Malaysia, 10 from Brunei, two Libyan diplomats and a Japanese development worker.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Two people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said yesterday. The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark late on Saturday, while onlookers enjoying the balmy spring evening watched in horror. “At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams posted on X. Footage shared online showed the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc, its sails furled
RSS