Osama( bin double) Dead

Osama( bin double) Dead

by Erick San Juan

Last June of this year I wrote an article entitled “Osama: Here We Go Again!” after Osama Bin Laden aired an audio speech over Al Jazeera news in time for the Cairo visit of US President Obama.

Again, on the eve of the 8^th year anniversary of the September 11 attack, a video entitled "Message to the American People," was released by the As-Sahab media branch of Al-Qaeda – and this time it was only a still picture of Osama and his voice. It is quite obvious that whoever is running the show for the Osama myth gave up showing different videos of Osama and different faces at that, as what was exposed by the documentary video Loose Change 9-11 and other similar videos showing different Osama Bin Laden.

Going back to my previous article on Osama, I reiterate OSAMA has been DEAD for so long and I am not alone in declaring this fact because like the late Benazir Bhutto, husband Pakistani Prime Minister Zardari and my colleagues from the Asia Media Forum affirmed bin Laden’s death. They are in one that Bin Laden was killed when his airconditioned underground safehouse in the mountain of Tora Bora was heavily bombed. You cannot stop propagandists like Osama from talking and being interviewed if he's still alive. Is there a new CIA unit tracking him?

I can’t believe that the director of this faked Osama video is doing this again and for what reason? Another terror plot in the offing? Could be, as what we always say, when the US economy is collapsing (as some economists predicted that the coming collapse will be next month) they will stage a war.

The idea of the looming terror plot in Jerusalem never escape my analysis because the main targets here are the two religious sites – the Dome of the Rock meaning the Muslim Golden Mosque and the Jews Wailing Wall. Our Philippine National Police warned last night that "terrorists" are now in Metro Manila. The reported possible targets according to their intelligence report are the U.S. Embassy and Plaza Miranda. Could the death of top Jemaah Islamiyah leaders like Noordin Top et al in Indonesia be the signal of a "spill over" and the real main target is the oil depots in Pandacan? God forbid!

Two China's Battle of Nerves

Two China's Battle of Nerves

By Erick San Juan

This is a follow up of the last article I wrote on the visit of the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to Taiwan that caused so much fuss both in Taiwan and in Beijing. A lot has been said that the visit was for religious and humanitarian reasons, actually based on some recent analysis it was more of a political move that resulted to the temporary suspension of cross-strait exchanges by Beijing after the visit.

The August 26 visit of Dalai Lama brought a lot of negative reactions towards the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), saying that President Ma Ying-jeou was victimized by DPP in allowing the spiritual leader Dalai Lama in coming to Taiwan in the middle of the cross-strait exchanges. Even to the point of describing “the move of the DPP as a “political version of Pearl Harbor,” and that the KMT criticized the DPP for pulling a “political stunt.” The DPP argued that the visit wasn’t political.” (Published on Taipei Times 09/09/09 )

I would also like to share the analysis of political science professor Lo Chih-cheng of Soochow University – “the price Ma had to pay was China’s loss of trust in his leadership and credibility, he said. Beijing now realizes it cannot rely solely on Ma to court the Taiwanese public, but must bank on “other agents” as well.”

“Ma also invited criticism when he and other top government officials shunned the Dalai Lama during the visit, creating the image that Ma was a “puppet” manipulated by Beijing,” Lo said.

Taiwan’s President is now in a hot spot and had to work hard to win back Beijing’s trust and at the same time to keep the public from speculating that he is not working for Taiwan’s advantage. While Beijing had to stand with its efforts to unite with Taiwan and continue the cross-straits talks especially with the economic and financial agreements.

The Mainland China's unannounced military exercises using live ammunitions with manpower coming from their four major service commands plus the statement of Taiwan's President Ma during the visit of the European parliaments defying the one China policy which was reported by the Asia Times two weeks ago could be the reason why the 7th fleet had their presence felt in the Philippines? Just asking!

US on Taiwan and China

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Taiwan's Ma's Change of Heart

Taiwan's Ma's Change of Heart

By Erick San Juan

The 6-day visit of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama in Taiwan is just what Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou needed to satisfy his constituents amidst the tension with Beijing on some of his pronouncements in favor of Taiwan ’s independence. This is the third visit of the Dalai Lama, the first two were in 1997 and 2001. This was approved by Ma after he rejected the spiritual leader’s visit nine months ago saying that the timing was not right.

The six days stay of the Dalai Lama focused on giving comfort through prayers among the victims of the typhoon Morakot that hit Taiwan leaving more than 500 people dead and thousands homeless. This will somehow boost the falling approval rating of President Ma due to his perceived inefficiency in dealing with the calamity that hit Taiwan .

As for China ’s reaction to this visit according to the Xinhua news agency, China 's Taiwan Affairs Bureau said, "No matter under what form or identity Dalai uses to enter Taiwan , we resolutely oppose this.”

"Some DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) members have taken the chance to plot the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan ," Xinhua reported. "Obviously this is not for the sake of disaster relief. It's an attempt to sabotage the hard-earned good situation in cross-strait relations."

What China really wanted is for the unification of PRC ( China ) and ROC ( Taiwan ), and for moderate Ma, as what he promised that there will be no move to gain independence for Taiwan as long as he is the President.

What was not told in our local newspapers was the alleged statement of President Ma as reported by Asia Times recently defying the one China policy, which he told the European parliamentarians who visited Taiwan.

Is this another cross strait tensions brewing again? Will the efforts made by both states to finally implement the one China policy will go down the drain? We should be keen observers for future development in the cross strait of Taiwan and China especially the scheduled visit of President Barack Obama to Beijing in November.

Not All Americans Are "Ugly"!

Not All Americans Are "Ugly"!

by Erick San Juan

Amidst the growing military tensions in different parts of the globe, especially in this continent, the largest in the world, it is good to hear that the Filipinos are not alone in criticizing some foreign policies of the US . I am referring to the news item – America seen as “arrogant, uncaring,” says US top brass (PDI August 29, 2009) “The Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written a searing critique of government efforts at ‘strategic communication’ with the Muslim world, saying that no amount of public relations will establish credibility if American behavior overseas is perceived as arrogant, uncaring or insulting. The critique by the chair, Adm. Mike Mullen, comes as the United States is widely believed to be losing ground in the war of ideas against extremist Islamist ideology.”

It is imperative to understand that not all Americans are "arrogant and uncaring” as described by Adm. Mullen, for he, a man with conscience, took the signal that the US must change its foreign policy as not to be perceived as what he described in dealing with the extremist Islamist ideology. As an ally in the “war on terror” and the decades-long fight for peace in the south, different administrations always turn to the Americans for assistance and as a result our nation is divided, like the burning issue on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

As a sovereign nation, we have to gather our act together and specify to our friend, the American government, the need for more transparency on their part in dealing with the problem we have with the secessionist groups in the south. So as not to raise speculations that we are being led to a war that we ourselves will regret in the end. As what Billy Esposo kept reminding us that our country could be the “ground zero” for the future unrestricted war.

Erick San Juan WHISTLEBLOWER (ESJ on Fr. Reuter's Article)

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When Sovereignty Is At Stake!

When Sovereignty Is At Stake!

By Erick San Juan

A couple of days ago, a news item came out that “Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said that the decision of the United States government to keep an elite 600-soldier counterinsurgency group in the Philippines could indicate an unsuccessful anti-Muslim insurgency campaign. But the (rebel movements are still there) and they seem to be strong and vibrant. So the question is whether they succeeded or not.” (Philippine Star, 082309)

Good question, Sen. Miriam but why the US troops are here in the first place when the 1987 Constitution “does not allow foreign military bases, troops or facilities here except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate and, when the Congress so requires, ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for that purpose, and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting State.”

In 1999 the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) was ratified and signed by former President Joseph Estrada who was anti-US bases then but signed the agreement anyway for “security” reason and made sure that our country’s sovereignty will not be trampled upon by the other country. After that, in 2002 RP-US military exercises began, dubbed as Balikatan. The Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) has set up its HQ at Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City and conducted continuous military exercises since then.

As Sen. Santiago said, there was no overt violation of the VFA between the US and the Philippines. But could there be covert operations? As was reported by the Citizens’ Peace Watch (alliance of more than twenty groups) early last year when they tried to visit Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City (and was sent away) which they described as “The US military base stands out and is sealed from the rest of Camp Navarro by walls, concertina wire, and sandbags. The actual size of the area it occupies could not immediately be established from the outside. But communication facilities such as satellite dishes, antenna, and other instruments are visible.” The group asked, “What are they hiding?”

Another comment from Sen. Santiago that should not be taken lightly, “We invited them for cooperation but they should not engage in combat operations because it will diminish our sovereignty. There might also be a culture of military dependency on foreign powers already”.

Yes there is, Madam Senator, the JSOTF-P headquartered at Camp Navarro is what they call Cooperative Security Location or CSL and it looks like they are here to stay as what the US and our government said in support for the retention of the US troops in Mindanao. As what Executive Secretary and Anti-Terrorism Council Chairman Eduardo Ermita said that the presence of the JSOTF-P “enhance our security in the area and help pave the way for development.”

What is CSL? A Cooperative Security Location is a host-nation facility with little or no permanent US presence. CSLs will require periodic service, contractor and/or host nation support. CSLs provide contingency access and are a focal point for security cooperation activities. They may contain propositioned equipment. CSLs are: rapidly scalable and located for tactical use, expandable to become a FOS, forward and expeditionary. They will have no family support system. (From globalsecurity.org)

The fact that President Arroyo was assigned as the “coordinator” in this part of the region by US President Obama, there’s no point of discontinuing the military operations through the CSL. But what must be cleared now that they are using that large part of our country, especially the Mindanao region, as strategic location for what they call “war on terrorism” in Southeast Asia , our government must define the US government’s commitment to us as partner in this so-called “war”.

The US is not our enemy, and proven historically as very vital ally in terms of defending our democracy and sovereignty in times that we need their support. Although as a sovereign nation, we must remind them that they should be truthful in dealing with our government and be given what is due us, as a “loyal friend”.