Ramos sets terms for visiting Malaysia

Former Philippine president Fidel Ramos has cautioned President Gloria Arroyo and advised her to do several things before sending him to Malaysia.

Ramos was reacting at a press conference yesterday to Arroyo's remarks stating that she will send the former president to Malaysia to negotiate for a more humane treatment of deported Filipinos from Sabah.

"I plan to ask (former) president Ramos to go to Malaysia to speak with Prime Minister Mahathir (Mohammed) and also to the chief minister of Sabah about the situation so that the remaining deportations and voluntary return will be much, much smoother," Arroyo said during a visit to Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, where she received a boatload of more than 1,000 Filipinos deported from Sabah.

Ramos said, "The president should convene the National Security Council (NSC) so that all the cabinet members will be able to suggest the agenda of the proposed talks with Mahathir," noted said Ramos.

He added that the government should provide documentation of all the cases allegedly suffered by the deported Filipinos.

Ramos also suggested that Arroyo should call Mahathir on the mobile phone, saying that their informal dialogue could help "work out" an instant solution to the complaints of the deported Filipinos.

The proposed Ramos-Mahathir meeting will be "for the benefit of peace and development in the southern Philippines and in southern Asia", Arroyo explained, but did not give details.

Ramos also said: "We must not disrupt the present and warm cordial relations between the two countries."

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye noted: "His trip will open a lot of doors and, hopefully, will speed up the solution to this problem."

Bunye added that Arroyo is taking advantage of the closeness of Ramos with Mahathir.

Meanwhile, five Filipinos died in several detention centres in Sabah, claimed Majib Daji, who showed to reporters whip marks on his back, which he said were inflicted by the Malaysian police. He arrived in Bongao aboard a Philippine navy vessel on Thursday. The claims were not yet confirmed.

Two other deported Filipinos lost their mind after they were made to do a hundred push-ups in front of other people, a TV report claimed.

"We were severely punished for little mistakes we allegedly made," a deported Filipino said on TV.
Only three babies and not 11 as reported earlier have died of disease during the mass deportation, said Social Welfare Secretary, Corazon Soliman.

She added that two babies died in Sabah's Sandakan town and one on the boat. Eighteen minors were confined to hospital for dehydration, diarrhoea and respiratory infections, Soliman said.

Senator Rene Cayetano accused Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia, Jose Brillantes, of failing to call for the protection of undocumented Filipinos in Sabah.

This prompted the senate to call for a congressional inquiry into the alleged harsh treatment of the deported Filipinos at the Malaysian detention centres. Filipino protesters continued holding rallies outside the Malaysian embassy where they burned Mahathir's picture.

Protesters burned a Malaysian flag in a separate demonstration outside Manila's National Press Club.

The saga of the deported Filipinos has angered many Filipinos. Almost all the editorials in the local dailies blame Malaysia for the suffering of the deported Filipinos.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) dubbed as "genocide" the actions of the Malaysian government.

"The diplomatic protest should be stronger. It should be heard by the whole world. This is a kind of genocide," said CBCP chairperson, Bishop Ramon Arguelles.

Arroyo will meet today members of the crisis management committee on refugees, said Bunye. Former Tawi-Tawi congressman, Nur Jaafar, heads the committee.

Bunye added that Arroyo has called for a faster mode of reintegration, rehabilitation and restoration to normal life for all Filipinos deported from Malaysia.

The Philippine government deployed four Philippine navy vessels to bring back the deported Filipinos. The Malaysian authorities gave the Filipinos an August 31 deadline.