Philippines, rebels say peace talks extended

The Philippine government and the country’s largest rebel group will extend the current round of peace talks, both sides said yesterday. The talks, taking place in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, are in their final stages and will be extended for at least one day, a senior government official said. Sources close to the discussions said an announcement on the outcome may not be made until Monday. Both sides said they needed time to study details of a deal that would set in train a roadmap to create an autonomous region in Muslim-majority areas of Mindanao. “It’s been extended, they are still talking at least until tomorrow and I don’t know, it may be further extended,” Teresita Quintos-Deles, presidential adviser on the peace process, told Reuters. “We’re already in the final stages, both sides need to do more deliberations even among themselves and their principals.” Negotiators from both panels told Reuters last month major obstacles to a framework deal being signed this year after nearly 15 years of stop-and-start talks appeared to have been surmounted after intense diplomacy. Separately, Philippine President Benigno Aquino defended yesterday a new cybercrime law amid a storm of protests from critics who say it will severely curb Internet freedoms and intimidate net users into self-censorship. Aquino specifically backed one of the most controversial elements of the law, which mandates that people who post defamatory comments online be given much longer jail sentences than those who commit libel in traditional media. “I do not agree that it (the provision on libel) should be removed. If you say something libelous through the Internet, then it is still libelous... no matter what the format,” Aquino told reporters. Another controversial element of the law, which went into effect on Wednesday, allows the government to monitor online activities, such as e-mail, video chats and instant messaging, without a warrant. The government can also now close down websites it deems to be involved in criminal activities without a warrant. Human rights groups, media organizations and net users have voiced their outrage at the law, with some saying it echoes the curbs on freedoms imposed by Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s. Philippine social media has been alight with protests this week, while hackers have attacked government websites and 10 petitions have been filed with the Supreme Court calling for it to overturn the law. Arab news