Another B'laan Lumad anti-Xtrata/SMI mining leader murdered

News item : Groups bewail killing of another anti-SMI Xstrata mining leader, son http://davaotoday.com/main/2013/08/27/groups-bewail-killing-of-another-anti-smi-xstrata-mining-leader-son/

Once more, another B’laan Lumad anti Xtrata-SMI mining leader wasc allegedly murdered by the military belonging to 39^th IB Task Force Kitaco (Kiblawan-Tampakan –Columbio).  Kitaco was a special task force created under the Army’s 1002nd Infantry Brigade to oversee and secure the areas covering SMI-Xstrata’s mining project.

Fulong (Tribal Chieftain) Anting Freay, 60 and his son 16-year old Victor on August 23 was shot to death by suspected Kitaco task force soldiers of 39^th Infantry Bn.

Some 4,000 Blaan Lumads are said to be displaced with SMI mining operations.

X-Strata SMI is the largest mining investor in the country with US$5.9 billion investment in Tampakan, South Cotabato– site of the largest underdeveloped copper and gold deposits in Southeast Asia.   In its press release last August 12,  SMI Executive Vice-President, Justin Hillier, said SMI will be “taking a new approach” and “will reduce current activity levels and expenditure on the Project.

Militant groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Socsksargen held an indignation rally at the gates of the Glencore-Xstrata-SMI Office in General Santos City Monday to denounce the killing of Fulong (Tribal Chieftain) Anting Freay, 60 and his son 16-year old Victor on August 23.

Fr. Joel Tabora SJ, President of the Ateneo de Davao University who wrote in his blog that the “the murder of other-thinking civilians that drives people to believe that the military operates not for the defense of the Filipino people but for the defense of foreign interests.”

Fr. Tabora said further that “He could not believe the military’s statement that the killings were a result of an “encounter” between the military and armed Blaans, saying that based on a fact finding mission of the Social Action Council of the Diocese of Marbel, “more than 100 empty shells (were found) near Anting Freay’s house alone. This contradicts military allegations that the killings were result of an encounter,” he pointed out.

The Armed Forces’ 1002nd Infantry Brigade which operates in the Southern part of Mindanao claimed in their statement that “lawless armed men identified only in their aliases as Anting Peayay and Victor” were killed in “pursuit operations” by Task Force KITACO adding that “two rifles were also recovered in their possession.”

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