US embassy cable - 05MANILA1847

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANILA 001847 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DS/DSS/DO/PETERSON, DS/ICI/RFJ/SCHINDEL GOMBIS 
STATE ALSO FOR SS/CT AND EAP/PMBS 
ASD/ISA/AP FOR BG ALLEN 
NSC FOR GREEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2015 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, MOPS, PREL, PINS, ID, RP 
SUBJECT: BUILDING MOMENTUM BEHIND REWARDS FOR JUSTICE 
 
REF: A. MANILA 1614 
     B. MANILA 1773 
 
Classified By: (U) Political Officer Paul O'Friel 
for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
1.  (U) Action request:  To build momentum behind the Rewards 
for Justice (RFJ) program in the Philippines (as recommended 
in ref a), we urge the inter-agency committee led by DS to 
publicize specific payout amounts and to adopt an expedited 
rewards approval process for the capture of the following 
terrorists: 
 
Dulmatin            Up to $10 million 
Khadaffy Janjalani  Up to $5 million 
Abu Solaiman        Up to $5 million 
Isnilon Hapilon     Up to $1 million 
 
Justification 
------------- 
 
2.  (C) The Armed Forces of the Philippines -- backed by 
training from PACOM, operational advice from JSTOF-P, and 
intelligence from the USG -- has over the past six months 
engaged in an intensified manhunt for the Jemaah Islamiyah 
(JI) terrorist Dulmatin -- who, as one of the masterminds of 
the Bali bombing, is directly responsible for the deaths of 
seven US citizens -- and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leaders 
Khadaffy Janjalani, Abu Solaiman, and Isnilon Hapilon, who 
are responsible for the kidnapping of at least three American 
citizens and subsequent beheading of one, as well as the 
Superferry bombing in 2004 and the 2005 Valentine's Day 
bombings in the Philippines.  On at least four occasions in 
the past six months, AFP units came close to capturing these 
terrorists, most recently April 15-16 (ref b).  Philippine 
Army contacts on the Coordinating Committee for the Cessation 
of Hostilities (CCCH) have indicated privately to poloffs 
that elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) -- 
motivated by the prospects of a reward -- may be ready to 
handover Dulmatin and Janjalani. 
 
3.  (C) Intelligence reporting on these high-value targets is 
steadily improving, and publicizing RFJ now will probably 
accelerate the flow -- and step up the pressure on these 
killers as they plot their next attacks.  DoD Rewards and RFJ 
payouts in 2004 and the ongoing DoD Rewards advertising 
program have already had an impact.  Currently, RFJ does not 
specify individual amounts for the ASG leaders on its list, 
and omits Dulmatin completely.  Public awareness of the 
specific reward amount for each of the ASG leaders and 
Dulmatin, backed by the USG's ability to pay such rewards 
quickly, can help bring these terrorists to justice. 
 
 
Visit Embassy Manila's Classified website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm 
Ricciardone