2011-08-02 WikiLeaks Notes: Latest News on #Cablegate Releases & #WikiLeaks

This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.

01:20 PM The Pentagon will invest up to 42 million dollars in a program that will monitor and influence social media websites, such as twitter.

The program has four specific goals:

1. Detect, classify, measure and track the (a) formation, development and spread of ideas and concepts (memes), and (b) purposeful or deceptive messaging and misinformation.
2. Recognize persuasion campaign structures and influence operations across social mediasites and communities.
3. Identify participants and intent, and measure effects of persuasion campaigns.
4. Counter messaging of detected adversary influence operations.

12:40 PM Worth reading : live tweets from today’s discussion Bradley Manning vs. the Culture of Revenge have been converted into a chirpstory by @JLLLOW.
The event took place in New South Wales, Australia, and speakers included Wendy Bacon (Centre of Independent Journalism), Dr Ben Saul (Sydney Centre for International Law) and Professor Stuart Rees (Sydney Peace Foundation).

12:10 PM A recently published cable from the U.S. embassy in Manila shows Philippine separatist movement Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) requested and relied on U.S. aid for a future ‘peaceful resolution of the Mindanao conflict’.

Muhammad Ameen, the secretariat chairperson of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, stated he is not authorized to comment on the cable, and added "Let us wait for the proper time to say on it".

In the cable, from October 2009, Murad Ebrahim, the leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is quoted as stating during a meeting with US chargé d'affaires Leslie Bassett: "You are aware of the background of the problem. The influence of America in the Philippines (is one that) no other country can match."
U.S. "political support to the peace process" was requested and U.S. embassy officials labeled 'Friends of the Bangsamoro' by the chairman of the group. A description of a encounter between rebels and US embassy officials is also provided:

"Men young and old in Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) camouflage uniforms stood at intervals in formation on the two kilometer stretch from the main road to the camp's Bangsamoro Development Agency office, with guns and rocket launchers at their sides"

Bassett, during the meeting, reminded Murad that the U.S. took the MILF's commitment to peaceful resolution of the conflict "at face value," to include a rejection of terror not just in words, but in deeds, as well.
And peace panel senior member Michael Mastura noted Indonesia, not the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, should be the target of U.S. concerns about terrorism :

Mastura noted that the MILF had a clear position against terrorism and insisted that Indonesia, not the MILF, should be the target of U.S. terrorism concerns. The issue of security and counterterrorism was, after all, separate from the MILF quest for autonomy, and had more to do with the Indonesians who came to Mindanao than with the MILF. Moreover, Mastura noted, the MILF was the only rebel group in the country to have signed an agreement with the Philippine government to pursue terrorist groups, a reference to the joint Philippine-MILF policing force.

09:15 AM Among the reasons the UN occupation of Haiti should see an end - based on diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks: "the US" relying on UN forces to keep control of the country, tried to force Haiti to reject US$100 million in aid a year ― because it came from Venezuela.
To read the complete analysis: Green Left Weekly.

05:30 AM The Australian Federal Police is in the process of investigating threats received by Prime Minister Julia Gillard but not the numerous public death threats and incitement to violence against Julian Assange.