After nearly six months of fruitless negotiations, Philippine President Joseph Estrada has ordered military action to free kidnap victims and arrest their captors. Mr. Estrada's patience has run out. But if he thinks the army can fix what ails the southern Philippines, he is mistaken. Some of the kidnappers are common criminals masquerading as Muslim separatists. Others are true believers, however, and they have been driven to act by centuries of discrimination, neglect and corruption.
The drama began last April, when Muslim insurgents abducted 21 people, 10 Western tourists among them, from a resort island in Malaysia, near Borneo. The captives were transported to the rebel base on Jolo Island, some 800 km south of Manila. Negotiations were begun to secure the release of the victims, but freedom for most of them did not come until a huge cash ransom -- never acknowledged as such -- was paid. It is believed that Libya, acting as mediator, gave the rebels some $15 million for the release of the captives. Journalists hoping to secure interviews with the kidnappers and their hostages have paid thousands of dollars more for the privilege.
Unfortunately, the rebels were reluctant to let a good thing go. The day after releasing four Western hostages, they grabbed three more Malaysians. Factions emerged and the various groups began to fight among themselves. The ransom payments have been used to buy new arsenals of weapons, intended for yet more kidnappings or, worse, to wage war against the government. The Abu Sayyaf faction, the largest and most visible of the rebel groups, has used the money to finance a recruitment drive that has expanded the band from 200 members to 4,000.