Detained Filipino peacekeepers in Syria ‘safe'

Manila: A video uploaded over the sharing site Youtube, showed 21 Filipino peacekeepers detained by Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights in safe condition.

A clip uploaded Friday by user “Moerdarvalen” showed seven Filipino soldiers, who were assigned to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) sitting in a room at an undisclosed location.

“We are in a safe place” a ranking officer in the group, who introduced himself as Capt. Cyrus Meneses, said. He was shown in the video with two other soldiers.

Earlier, reports came out that the Filipino peacekeepers were abducted by Syrian rebels.

Meneses, in the interview, narrated they were in transit aboard several UN-marked vehicles in Al Jamla when an artillery bombardment from Syrian government positions erupted.

“..That is why we stopped and civilian people helped us for our safety and distributed us in different places to keep us safe. They gave us good accommodation and gave us food to eat and water to drink,” Meneses.

Aside from the junior military officer, another clip showed four other enlisted personnel. Their spokesperson, Corporal Ariel Evangelista, repeated that they were being treated well by members of the Free Syrian Army.

The video was the first proof that the Filipino peacekeepers are with the Syrian rebels. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos said that they expected the Syrian rebels to free the Filipino peacekeepers, on Friday, however, the release did not push through because the rebels were demanding the pulling back of Syrian army from a village in the Golan Heights.

“The negotiations are ongoing (for the release) of the detained soldiers to the International Committee on the Red Cross,” he said in an interview aired by the ANC cable news channel.

He said the Syrian government forces are shelling Free Syrian positions from Al Jamla and the rebels want the artillery bombardment stopped.

It can be recalled that the Philippines had been sending contingents to the UNDOF since 2008 as part of a multinational effort to enforce the Golan Heights demilitarised zone between Syria and Israel.

Meanwhile, Burgos said the 312 members of the Filipino contingent in the UNDOF will remain in the Golan Heights despite the incident.

“Our peacekeepers will continue to perform their tasks,” he said.

On Thursday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the government in Manila strongly condemns the illegal detention of twenty-one Filipino peacekeepers under the United Nations (UN) command in the Golan Heights.

“The apprehension and illegal detention of the Filipino peacekeepers are gross violations of international law,” Del Rosario said.

“The Filipino peacekeepers are operating under the UN flag. Accordingly, these Filipinos are international personnel clothed with immunity and mantle of protection similar to diplomatic agents and personnel. These rights are inviolable and their transgression is punishable under international law,” he said.