Peace groups to Malaysia: stay; armed skirmishes at its lowest due to IMT presence
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/25 April) – Peace groups are urging Malaysia to reconsider its decision to withdraw its military contingent in the International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao, as possibilities of a resurgence of hostilities are worrying residents.
The presence in Mindanao of the Malaysian-led IMT has helped much in reducing the number of armed skirmishes involving government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Records of the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (Joint CCCH) show that the number of skirmishes has steadily gone down from 569 in 2003, a year of war, to 16 in 2004, the year the IMT came to Mindanao, to only 8 in 2007.
