MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine soldiers have arrested a Muslim guerrilla who helped transfer funds from the regional militant network Jemaah Islamiah (JI) to local separatist rebels, an army spokesman said on Wednesday.
The presence of Islamic militants in areas where government forces are fighting Muslim guerrillas could scare away potential investors for vast plantations, undeveloped oil-and-gas fields and untapped gold and copper mines in the southern Philippines.
Army commandos caught Ansar Venancio during a raid at a rebel hideout in Marawi City on the southern island of Mindanao two weeks ago, Lieutenant-Colonel Arnulfo Burgos said on Wednesday, adding his arrest will help uncover links between JI militants and rebels on Mindanao.
"He facilitated the stay, travel and transfer of funds from JI to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)," Burgos said, referring to the country's largest Muslim rebel group.
The MILF has denied any links with JI and al Qaeda, but it is possible some members may have personal ties with foreign militants, rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu has said.
Under heavy guard, Venancio and Mubin Sakandal, one of the organisers of the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf, both wearing hospital gowns after undergoing medical check-ups, were paraded before journalists at an army base in Manila on Wednesday.
Burgos said about three dozen JI members from Indonesia and Malaysia are either seeking refuge or helping to train local Muslim rebels in the battle for control over a large marshland on Mindanao, an area believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits.
Nearly 600 people have been killed since August 2008 when rogue MILF members went on the rampage after peace talks between the government and the rebels collapsed after a court ruling stopped the signing of an ancestral homeland deal.
Fighting across Mindanao has escalated with MILF rebels helping their rogue comrades, officials and aid workers have said. They fear the violence could surge with money and weapons arriving from Islamic militants abroad.
(Reporting by Manny Mogato; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
Source: Reuters
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