January 21, 2004                                                                                         Reference: Irein Cuasay
Press Statement                                                                                                            Karapatan-ST

Mindoro Occidental: Wounded and Bleeding

Now, the whole island of Mindoro is bleeding. Mindoro Occidental is now quickly coming up to par with its other half Mindoro Oriental when it comes to military atrocities and human rights violations. Military helicopters and naval ships have been sighted around the island. Residents have attested to the bestial behavior AFP soldiers have shown to them. And this is just the start of the year.

The Quick Response Force conducted by KARAPATAN-Southern Tagalog, supported by KARAPATAN-National confirmed reports of Abduction, Harassment, Physical Assault, Hamletting and Coercion against the military troops.

Mangyan native Dino Tobias testified that soldiers mauled him. Meanwhile, Ruel Arindain reported that soldiers slapped him each time soldiers would pass by his home until January 19. In another report, Anselmo Lotero told the QRF that soldiers hit him twice with a rifle butt while being held by two other soldiers. Another documented case was that of Nanding Gatmaitan. He informed the QRF that soldiers made him climb into a hole in a tree. After which, he was made to stay under the midday sun naked until his back was blistered because of the heat. All these incidents happened on January 13, 2004 in Sityo Aglimasan, Brgy. Harrison, Paluan, Occidental Mindoro perpetrated by the 16th Infantry Battalion under Col. Salih Indanan and the 68th Infantry Battalion whose commanding officer refused to be named.

In a sworn statement, Domingo Regalario recounted how the military interrogated him. January 15, 2004, he was taken from his home in Sityo Aglimasan, along with Joel, a Native Mangyan, to the house of a certain baranggay tanod Liberato Lutero. They were later on released but were warned not to return to the mountain so as not to be tagged as rebels. Out of fear for his life, he was forced to spend a few days at a friend's house in Brgy. Pinagbayanan. He was later on reunited with his wife through the effort of Paluan Mayor Shirley Pangilinan. He and his family refuse to return to Sityo Aglimasan for fear of the soldiers.

In a separate incident that same day, Uncle Gatmaitan, 19 years old saw 2 helicopters dropping off soldiers at the nearby mountain around noon. The soldiers then entered the sityo, going from house to house asking for information on NPAs in the vicinity.

Also, reports have confirmed that a certain Mario Catantan is still in the military's custody and is being coerced to serve as their guide in their operation.

Irein Cuasay says, "These are just some of the documented reports. As of now, other residents of the sityo have evacuated their homes. They are now temporarily settled at the town proper. The QRF is still in Occidental Mindoro, confirming and documenting more reports, and in doing so, the team itself was harassed by the military yesterday during their documentation activity in the town of Paluan." She adds that despite the fact that "cases of human rights' violations documented from Oriental Mindoro still have not secured justice, the military still has the nerve to commit more atrocities. This shows that the present administration is clearly anti-people and anti-human rights."

Cuasay stresses, "We need to put a stop to these atrocities before anymore human rights' violations happen and aggravate. Mindoro has been turned from an island paradise into a killing field. Let Mindoro bleed no more!" ####