[ValkyrieLenneth]

In the Philippines, rice from Japan has been presented to people who have fled fighting between the government and Islamic guerrillas on the southern island of Mindanao.

The Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front has been fighting government troops for about 3 decades.

Gun battles have intensified since last August, when negotiations for a ceasefire broke down, forcing some 180,000 people to flee their homes.

Against this backdrop, the Japanese government decided to send some 8,000 tons of rice through the UN World Food Programme.

On Wednesday, Japan's Ambassador to the Philippines, Makoto Katsura visited a camp on the island and presented representatives of the 1,800 displaced people with rice.

A mother, who received some of the rice, said she was grateful, as it will help them survive.

The Philippine government says an increasing number of people are falling ill as they are spending extended periods in the camps, where sanitary conditions are deteriorating.

It did not say when truce talks will resume.

2009/08/27 01:02(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)

http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/27_01.html