MANILA, 26 July — “Domain pirates” have taken over two websites of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) after its webmasters failed to renew their registration, the separatist group’s spokesman said yestersday.
Spokesman Eid Kabalu said they at first suspected that their websites were attacked by hackers but later found out that the registration for both sites had expired.
Kabalu said the website www.milf.org, carries news about the rebel group’s struggle in the southern region of Mindanao, is now a personal website of a California pirate named as Nicolas Manary.
Another site, the www.morojihad.com, had been taken over by a pirate group called Worldwide Media Inc., which is offering it for sale.
The second site used to carry the history of MILF and the life of its chairman, Hashim Salamat. Now it features a directory of resources for such categories as business, computers, finance, home, career, entertainment, health and travel under a tagline of “your all in one web and domain resources.”
“I don’t know if we would lodge a protest before the domain magistrate but until then, one can still get a glimpse of the revolution, our policies and statements on pertinent issues over www.luwaran.com,” Kabalu told reporters.
He said the luwaran.com website cannot be seized by pirates yet as its registration’s expiry date is on March 22, 2004.
“I guess we have to immediately extend its registration to avoid our experience with our other domains,” said Kabalu, showing a sign of helplessness in the cyberspace war they have to fight.
The luwaran.com website features the MILF’s history, messages seeking financial support for the insurgent movement, updates on its peace talks with the Philippine government, and an interactive message board for visitors.
The MILF has been fighting for independence for the Muslim people since 1978.
While no final peace agreement has been reached between the rebel group and the Philippine government, the two sides have forged a cease-fire agreement and a rehabilitation pact for war-ravaged communities in Mindanao.
Military abuses
In the main battlefront, Kabalu accused the Philippine Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion of sowing fear and confusion among residents of the towns of South and North Upi in Maguindanao province.
It said the battaalion had “excelled” in committing acts of looting, salvaging, and summary execution when it was assigned in the towns of Sharif Aguak, Mamasapano, and Ampatuan.
Kabalu said the same unit had been closely identified with a local politician notorious for illegal activities.
“In many instances they were utilized by this crude politician to advance his personal agenda,” said the MILF spokesman, without naming names.
In North Upi, elements of the battalion reportedly searched the houses of certain residents in the coastal barangay of Tenuan without the benefit of a search warrant.
“Worse, the unit has also engaged in looting of personal belongings and other valuable including cash owned by the local residents,” said Kabalu.
He further denied involvement of MILF fighters on the reported clashes between army soldiers and gunmen in nearby Midsayap, North Cotabato.
“The truth is that there was an existing family feud rooted from a land conflict involving two armed group in the area. It so happened that the military is closely associated with the other party,” Kabalu said.
He said the MILF in the past had tried to get the warring groups to resolve their grudge peacefully, to no avail.
