Taiwanese Groups and Migrant Workers Condemn Arrest of Professor Jose Maria Sison

We vehemently condemn the arrest on trumped up charges of National Democratic Front of the Philippines' (NDFP) consultant and International League of People's Struggle (ILPS) Jose Maria Sison in the Netherlands and the subsequent Gestapo like raids and ransacking of the homes and offices of the NDFP and its officers and staff on the night of August 28. These incidents will further threaten the already suspended peace negotiations between the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP).

At the same time, this would divert the attention of the general public in the Philippines and abroad of the gross human rights violations of the GRP including almost a thousand cases of extra judicial killings. These violations have earned the wide condemnation of various groups and individuals even here in Taiwan. A number of members of the Taiwan Committee for Philippine Concerns (TCPC) have joined fact finding missions in the Philippines to attest to these atrocities. And together with Migrante International - Taiwan chapter have campaigned against these violations of human rights.

The charges against Joma Sison for supposedly ordering the murders of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara had already been claimed by the New Peoples Army (NPA). At the same time, other charges heaped on Prof. Sison and others by the GRP like the so-called Leyte murders had already been cleared by the Philippine Supreme Court for lack of merit. Even the terrorist listing of Joma had already been lifted by the European Court in Luxembourg.Indeed this latest charge against Sison and the deceptive way in which he was arrested is political in nature.

It has already been reported that the GRP had for a long time sought the Dutch government to arrest Joma. It was also reported that the GRP including its President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was very gleeful in hailing his arrest as a giant step toward peace. Indeed the Philippine and even US governments had a hand in Mr. Sison's arrest. The latter was instrumental in listing Joma and the CPP and NPA as terrorists and for influencing the European Union to do the same.

Like earlier said, the arrest of Jose Maria Sison might spell the doom of the peace talks. In its stead a total war employing various methods including outright fascist means would ensue. This would lead to further human rights violations by the GRP on the Filipino people including escalation of extra judicial killings and disappearances of all those who have legitimate grievances against the Arroyo regime.

As civil libertarians and human rights advocates, we should oppose these.

Release Joma Sison Now!
End Political Persecution of Mr. Sison!
Uphold Justice!
Stop Human Rights Violations of the Filipino People!

Migrante International - Taiwan chapter
Labor Rights Association
Taiwan Committee for Philippine Concerns， TCPC
 

More photos courtesy of:

Lennon Ying Dah Wong of Chinese Federation of Labor

and Besu of the Taiwan Committee for Philippine Concerns

Protesters converge on Netherlands office over arrest
... with Philippine immigrants staged a protest directly in front of the building of the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office in Taipei on Sunday over the recent arrest of Communist Party of the Philippines chief Jose Maria Sison. ... Taiwan Headlines

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