Philippine peace talks threatened: NDF
Philippine peace talks threatened: NDF
MANILA (AFP): A front organization for communist insurgents warned the Philippine government yesterday that moves to control protests against the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit were jeopardizing peace talks.
In a statement faxed from the Netherlands, the National Democratic Front (NDF) criticized what it called "repressive measures" by the government of President Fidel Ramos.
It follows the arrest on Monday of 13 members of leftist groups caught by police pasting anti-APEC posters here.
The NDF is regarded as a political front for the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed unit the New People's Army, which is outlawed by Manila but still active.
"The escalation of repressive measures by the Ramos regime jeopardizes the continuation of the... peace talks," NDF chairman Luis Jalandoni said in the statement, referring to ongoing talks in the Netherlands, where the NDF maintains its international offices.
Manila and the communists are engaged in working out four agreements aimed at forging a peace settlement to end the long- running insurgency.
The four agreements are aimed at laying the groundwork for a peace deal by addressing points of contention. These include economic, political and electoral reforms, human rights issues and how any peace agreement would be monitored and enforced.
The government in Manila has imposed massive security the APEC meetings this month including the summit on Nov. 25 in the northern port of Subic, which bring together national leaders from around the Pacific.
Ramos has said, however, that law enforcers would observe "maximum tolerance" towards protesters.
Leftist groups, widely believed to be allied to the communist insurgents, have been threatening to mount numerous protests against the APEC meetings.
The communist insurgency is scattered in remote areas of the Philippines and is said to be declining with some 5,000 armed fighters compared to 25,000 in the mid-1980s.
Meanwhile, a union official said yesterday ground crew of Philippine Airlines (PAL) will go on strike during the APEC summit, as talks with management are in deadlock.
"It (the strike) may be now or in the coming days but our protest will definitely be during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)" forum meetings, said Alexander Barrientos, president of the 8,500-member PAL Employees' Association.
A strike during the APEC meetings by PAL ground crew, which handles ground services for other airlines, would paralyze operations at Manila international airport, where hundreds of APEC delegates have been arriving since Monday.
The strike call followed a PAL announcement on Sunday that it anticipated an "illegal" strike at any moment by its pilots.
The ground crew union went on a three-day strike earlier this month to press for pay raises, but pickets were lifted after the government intervened and the union agreed to resume collective bargaining with PAL management.
Barrientos said the talks had again broken down.
"We don't see any effort on the part of management to improve the situation of the workers," Barrientos told reporters.
PAL officials declined to comment on the strike threat before the board has decided on a plan of action.