IN Christian quarters of the Philippine island of Mindanao, they would not send their worst enemy to Camp Abubakar - the jungle stronghold of the feared Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
But leader Hashim Salamat claims he not only wants to erase the old fears, he would like to encourage tourists as well, as he intensifies his fight for an independent state.
'We welcome any tourists who want to come here,' Salamat claimed during an interview with the Sunday Morning Post this week.
'We have many beautiful things. We can show them our forests and our way of life. They would need an escort in the jungles of course but that is no problem.' Other MILF officials blame their poor reputation on groups of bandits and breakaway factions following a string of kidnappings last year - snatchings that saw two Hong Kong businessmen held in the jungles for 15 weeks late last year.
The group's reputation was sealed five years ago when it was linked to the kidnapping of eight Korean engineers working on a big irrigation project.
While any form of domestic or foreign tourism would help bolster Salamat's lifelong drive to end the 'annexation' of his 'homeland' by Filipinos, no one is expecting hordes soon. Although just over an hour on smooth roads from the central Mindanao city of Cotabato, travel agents are quick to advise you against heading inland.
