Catherine Maynard
23 November 2009
.:Summary:.
In the Muslim autonomous region of Maguindanao in the Philippines, at least 21 hostages were found dead on Monday. A presidential advisor has called this event “the most gruesome massacre of civilians” in recent history. According to military officials around 100 gunmen surrounded a group of 40 people and took them hostage. The hostages were moved to a mountainous area to be held. 21 bodies were found, 13 women and 8 men, some of which were beheaded. It is believed that the women were raped and tortured before their deaths. 12 of the 21 bodies found are reported to be journalists, and 2 of the 21 were reported as the wife and sister of a man who was running to be the new governor of the region. The Filipino government has put the area under a state of emergency, upping security across the nation. It is understood that this event can be linked to the upcoming elections in the Philippines; the gunmen were loyal to Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan, who has held control of the area for the past decade. There is a history of violence in the area linked to political events, but none this shocking. The organization Reporters without Borders has been quoted as saying "This time, the frenzied violence of thugs working for corrupt politicians has resulted in an incomprehensible bloodbath."
.:Reaction:.
Yet again I am completely appalled by the actions of people. Tight knit groups with extreme loyalty to a person or ideal always seem to cause issues. Not saying that all groups are this way, but especially on the foreign fronts it seems to becoming more and more prevalent. What can we do? In my opinion, there is nothing. Like I said in reaction to my previous post, no matter what there will always be hate, and there will always be an opposing side that believes violence is the answer. I do not think that world peace will ever be obtainable. Raise security and awareness all you want; as we get smarter, so do terrorists.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/11/23/philippines.hostages/index.html
3 comments:
This is awful. What a horrific thing for a country to go through, hence the state of emergency with advanced security. I agree, the actions of people are just completely appalling sometimes.
This is awful. What a horrific thing for a country to go through, hence the state of emergency with advanced security. I agree, the actions of people are just completely appalling sometimes.
Somebody has to put this to stop... How come Filipinos are becoming violent? I don't see this in their culture... very sad news indeed.
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