500,000 NEW REFUGEES IN 2008!

No, not in Gaza.

500,000 internally displaced refugees in the Philippines.

Fleeing jihadist terror.

The AFP reports:

MANILA (AFP)--Authorities have asked local officials in the southern Philippines to cancel or downsize Christian festivals that might otherwise provoke Muslim militants, the region's top policeman said Thursday.

Police conveyed the request to officials in the Mindanao region, where half a million people were displaced by Muslim separatists' raids in the latter half of 2008, said regional police commander Chief Superintendent Fidel Cimatu.

In the latest attack, an unknown suspect tossed a grenade into a huge crowd of New Year revelers in the southern city of General Santos, wounding 22 people.

"Most cases of grenade-throwing and bombings have occurred in areas with large gatherings, like carnivals, town festivals and other activities that attract crowds," Cimatu told reporters.

Officials were asked to postpone or curtail such activities, Cimatu said, adding, "The main goal here is to ensure the safety of the public in the light of these bombings."

So because the authorities can't/won't protect the public, they advise people to just surrender to the jihad, and comply like good dhimmis.