KUDOS TO THE PHILIPPINES AND GREG CATAPANG

Last week rebels in the Syrian Golan demanded the surrender of a peace-keeping contingent. The United Nations commander overseeing that contingent instructed them to do so. After conferring with superior officers from their own nation, they refused, and fought back, defying both the rebels, who outnumbered them, and the United Nations, which in all cases believes that acquiescence is the way to go.

From Britain's most strident newspaper:
Golan Heights peacekeeper crisis: Filipinos escape, Fijians taken hostage.
40 UN peacekeepers escape their besieged outpost while 44 Fijian troops are taken by al-Qaida affiliate al-Nusra Front

[SOURCE: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/31/syria-fiji-filipinos-peacekeepers-golan-heights-al-nusra.]

The difference here is not one of bravery, but one of justified scepticism over the United Nations having either balls OR principles. The U. N. remains a good idea, but the execution is perpetually hampered by an entrenched Quislingism that has no limits.


"PAGSUKO NAMIN?!? KALOKOHAN ITO! HINDI HUWAG NA! ISANG 'HAMSTER' INA NIYA, AT AMANG NIYA MABAHO TULAD NG MGA 'ELDERBERRIES'!"


This is the presumed statement by General Gregorio Pio Catapang, when he was woken up in the middle of the night by a telephone call from his men in the Golan. A further presumption is that he is a fan of Monty Python, which, given the Filipino character, is not at all unlikely.

[Note: 'niya' is a third person singular reference postfix; second person singular is 'mo'.]


QUOTE:
"The Philippine military said Monday that a U.N. peacekeeping commander in the Golan Heights should be investigated for allegedly asking Filipino troops to surrender to Syrian rebels who had attacked and surrounded their camp.

General Gregorio Pio Catapang said he advised the 40 Filipino peacekeepers not to lay down their arms, and they defied the U.N. peacekeeping commander's order. Instead, they staged a daring escape from the Golan camp over the weekend, ending a tense, dayslong standoff.

The disagreement is another blow to a U.N. peacekeeping mission that has been threatened by an escalation of violence in a buffer zone it has been guarding between Israel and Syria. A number of countries have withdrawn their troops from the peacekeeping force due to rising rebel attacks."
END QUOTE.

[SOURCE: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2014/09/01/filipino-force-defied-un-commander-golan-crisis-363061.]


Further: "Catapang said he would not agree to any resolution of the hostage crisis that would put Filipino troops in grave danger. When the besieged Filipino troops sought his advice after they were ordered to lay down their arms as part of an arrangement with the rebels to secure the Fijians' release, Catapang said he asked them to defy the order."

It should be pointed out that in addition to being screwed by the United Nations, the Filipinos were fewer than the rebels.


"The Philippines has given notice it will not deploy a new contingent when its current peacekeeping force ends its already-extended stint in October."


I'm sure that Filipino diplomats delivered that information politely.
But what they meant was 'up yours, weasels'.




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