DAVAO. The International Monitoring Team (IMT) composed of soldiers and police from Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia as well as civilian conflict resolution and rehabilitation experts from Norway, Japan and the European Union, with the media from Davao City and Manila.
The Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao has intensified its proactive measures to disrupt terrorist group, Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis) and its supporters, from radicalizing Filipinos in some parts of the region.
The IMT, composed of soldiers and police from the Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, and civilian conflict resolution and rehabilitation experts from Norway, Japan and the European Union, has been helping the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) enforce the interim ceasefire since 2003.
IMT-Mindanao head mission Major General Datuk Wira Zamrose Bin Mohd Zain said the reports on Isis and/or its supporters coming to Mindanao and influencing the younger generations, especially those in the unregistered schools have been increasing.
"There were rumors (reports gathered by the armed forces and the police) that the Isis is trying to come in and influence the people here, especially the young ones. Sometimes rumors become reality, so, we immediately act on it for the people to avoid them," Zain said.
Zain said the IMT has taken proactive measures and went around its areas of responsibility, particularly the conflict-affected areas, to educate the people about the Isis and its purpose. He added that they also advised local governments to take care of the unregistered and religious schools.
"If there is a religious teacher coming from nowhere, we advised the people here to ask his background and where he came from, what is his purpose and what is he teaching -- whether it is Islamic purpose or Islamic extreme, and report it to us and to the government authorities," Zain said.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier said that there were white people believed to be Arabs had entered in some areas of Mindanao for indoctrination. He added that the process of the indoctrination aimed at radicalizing Filipinos in Mindanao that may force the country to confront Isis problems in the future.
The mission of the Malaysian forces in Mindanao through the IMT is significant. The deployment of the IMT in Mindanao is authorized under the provision of the United Nations Charter which allows peace settlement manage under a regional arrangement and upon invitation of the host government.
Malaysian peacekeepers form as a major contingent in the IMT along with the other members. The IMT plays a critical role in supporting the Philippine government and the MILF's ongoing peace negotiations and in continuing the momentum for the resolution of the conflict in Mindanao.
"The focus is development. In fact, we do not want the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police (AFP-PNP) to get involved with the rido (family feud) cases. The IMT is doing its best to manage the situation," Zain said.
A part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) is covered by the ceasefire monitoring mission of the IMT, Zain said, adding that it is a development that the AFP-PNP and the MILF are now working together while the negotiation is ongoing.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2016/11/26/monitoring-team-eyes-disrupt-isis-influence-511809
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