Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

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WORLD NEWS Thursday 22 February 2018

Philippines to court: Declare communist groups as terrorists

By JIM GOMEZ body. Bring me the head,
MANILA, Philippines (AP) put it in a Styrofoam, show
— Justice officials asked a it to me," he said. But in the
court Wednesday to for- same speech, he showed
mally designate the Com- openness to resume peace
munist Party of the Philip- talks, saying Norwegian of-
pines and its armed wing, ficials flew to the Philippines
the New People's Army, as to explore the possibility of
terrorist groups in a move a resumption of the peace
that could further damage talks.
chances of a resumption of "I have to consult my mili-
stalled peace talks. tary people. Why? They're
In a petition before a Ma- the ones being killed not
nila regional court, the De- me," Duterte said. "I said, 'I
partment of Justice cited will talk to the military. If you
deadly attacks and vio- would agree, I might.'"
lence committed by the in- The communist rebel or-
surgents, including bloody ganizations are the sec-
internal purges of suspect- ond to be targeted by
ed military spies, in seek- the Philippine government
ing the proscription of the for proscription under a
groups behind one of Asia's seldom-used 2007 anti-
longest-raging communist terrorism law. In 2015, a
insurgency. court approved a similar
President Rodrigo Duterte petition against the brutal
resumed peace talks with Members of the New People's Army communist rebels with face painted to conceal their identi- Abu Sayyaf Islamic extrem-
the guerrillas after he rose ties, reads a local paper at their guerrilla encampment tucked in the harsh wilderness of the Sierra ist group, which has also
to power in 2016. He grant- Madre mountains southeast of Manila, Philippines. been blacklisted as such
ed concessions by appoint- (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) by the United States for kid-
ing three left-wing activists nappings, beheadings and
to his Cabinet, but the cor- as a legal weapon and ba- the military said such extor- saying that troops should bombings. The commu-
dial relations rapidly dete- sis for the government in se- tion demands have been shoot female communist nist rebellion has raged for
riorated when he protested curing court clearances to done by coercion. rebels in the genitals to ren- nearly half a century and
continuing rebel assaults put rebel leaders and fight- The volatile Philippine presi- der them "useless." Duterte left about 40,000 combat-
on troops and policemen. ers under surveillance and dent has variously been has offered bounties to ants and civilians dead. It
Last year, he canceled Nor- freeze their bank accounts hard line and soft on the encourage government also has stunted economic
wegian-brokered talks with and assets, Ong said. guerrillas, but his most re- forces to kill the insurgents development, especially in
the guerrillas and signed an Companies paying the so- cent threats have been and on Monday suggested the countryside, where the
order declaring the rebel called "revolutionary tax- ruthless. they could decapitate the military says about 3,700
groups as terrorist organi- es" to the rebels could be Human rights groups con- rebels. Maoist insurgents are still
zations in a prelude to his questioned even though demned him last week for "No need to bring me the waging a guerrilla war.q
government's formal move
on Wednesday.
Senior assistant state pros- Nigeria: 50 girls missing after Boko Haram attack
ecutor Peter Ong said the
guerrillas were insincere in
their talks with the govern- By HARUNA UMAR Abdullahi Bego, a spokes- the parents and guardians ary school, to flee into the
ment and only wanted to Associated Press man for the governor in of the girls that remain un- bushes.
grab power. MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) Yobe state, said that au- accounted for," Nigerian Police and the state minis-
"Their main purpose is to — About 50 young women thorities had no credible President Muhammadu try of education had initially
mobilize all their forces in remained missing Wednes- information that those miss- Buhari tweeted Wednes- denied claims that students
preparation for the 'peo- day after Boko Haram ex- ing from the village of Dap- day evening. "I would like were abducted.
ple's war' aimed at over- tremists attacked a village chi were taken by Boko to assure them that we are In a statement issued
throwing the duly constitut- in northern Nigeria that is Haram. Some witnesses, doing all in our power to Wednesday, Bego said that
ed authorities," according home to a boarding school however, recalled seeing ensure the safe return of all more than 50 of the 926 stu-
to the justice department for girls, provoking fears young girls being taken by the girls." dents were still missing. Ear-
petition, adding that the that they may have met the armed militants who Armed Boko Haram fighters lier reports indicated that
rebels wanted to impose "a the same fate as those kid- also abducted 276 girls invaded Dapchi on Mon- about 90 were not in class
totalitarian regime." napped from the town of from the school in Chibok day evening, forcing resi- Tuesday, suggesting that
If approved by the court, Chibok nearly four years in April 2014. dents, including students of some had returned within
the proscription could serve ago. "I share the anguish of all Government Girls Second- the past 24 hours.q