Manila presses rebels over bomb

Manila presses rebels over bomb

Relatives of the airport bombing victims visited the scene on Friday

The Philippine authorities are seeking murder charges against the leaders of a Muslim separatist group, following Tuesday's bomb attack in Davao.

The police have filed charges against 150 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF, who have been fighting a long-running insurgency against the government.

Twenty-one people died in the bomb attack at Davao airport, including 23-year-old Muntazer Sudang, whom the authorities say was a member of the MILF.

But the group's vice-chairman, Al Haj Murad, told the Associated Press news agency that the MILF was not responsible for the bomb attack.

He said that even if Mr Sudang was amongst the dead, it did not mean he was the bomber.

However President Gloria Arroyo's spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, said the government was convinced the MILF was involved in the attack.

"The investigation has come up with the result that the person carrying the knapsack containing the bomb was a member of the MILF," he told a local radio programme.

"As a result we are filing murder charges against certain leaders of the MILF," he said.

According to Reuters news agency, the charges are being filed against MILF chairman Hashim Salamat, political chief Ghazali Jaafar, military chief Al Haj Murad and spokesman Eid Kabalu.

However it was not immediately clear how the government would be able to track down these suspects, who are currently in hiding.

Government response

President Gloria Arroyo has also urged legislators to approve a strong anti-terrorism law to help combat violence in the Philippines.

Ms Arroyo had previously proposed a peace agreement with the MILF, who are fighting for a Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines.

But the rebels said they would not negotiate unless government troops withdraw from a guerrilla stronghold captured last month on Mindanao island.

The bomb attack in Davao was the worst terrorist attack in the country for three years.

The airport bombing is the latest in a wave of explosions to hit the region - including a car bomb at Cotabato airport last month, an attack in the market town of Kabacan and a series of sabotage attacks on power transmission pylons.