|
CPP preparing ceasefire declaration, reiterates
demand for AFP forces be confined to barracks for duration of talks
February 06, 2011
Communist Party of the Philippines
0Share
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today said that a declaration
of ceasefire to coincide with the forthcoming resumption of formal peace
talks on February 15 to 21 is being prepared by the leadership of the CPP
and the NDFP in anticipation of a similar simultaneous declaration by the
Philippine government.
The CPP, however, said that it is still having second thoughts about
issuing such a ceasefire declaration in the light of continuing AFP
counter-insurgency military and psywar operations under the so-called
“Community Organizing for Peace and Development (COPD)” conducted against
civilian communities where the New People’s Army operates.
“The CPP and NDFP reiterate the demand of the revolutionary forces and
mass base for the AFP forces to be confined to barracks during the
ceasefire period and suspend not only their outright military aggressions
but also their military operations in the guise of the COPD.”
“If Malacañang and its armed forces will insist on conducting such
military operations against civilian communities during the peace talks,
the negotiating panels might as well continue to conduct the negotiations
without holding any ceasefire,” said the CPP. “It would be utterly foolish
for the CPP to agree to a simultaneous ceasefire declaration without
assurances that AFP forces would be confined to barracks.”
The CPP said that “more than 90% of the complaints it received of
violations of the 19-day ceasefire during the holiday season were related
to such military operations against civilian communities.” The CPP pointed
out that the COPD is actually just a new name for the operations of
discredited “Re-engineered Special Operations Teams” that combine
“civil-military operations” with outright military aggression and other
fascist operations.
Last February 2, the NDFP called for the prohibition of COPD operations in
NPA base communities as a way of ensuring the success of the simultaneous
ceasefire. However, Malacañang and the AFP insisted that
counter-insurgency military operations in civilian communities are not
covered by any ceasefire declaration.
“What good is a ceasefire declaration when soldiers continue to conduct
military operations disguised as “peace and development” programs which
actually target activists and people’s organizations in these
communities?” the CPP asked.
“For the hundreds of thousands of people in these communities, a ceasefire
declaration becomes useless when the reactionary puppet armed forces
continue their so-called security patrols, ‘law enforcement’ operations,
psywar, intensive harassment of “sympathizers” and other forms of
terrorism against civilians who refuse to denounce membership in and
sympathy with the revolutionary movement, as well as refuse recruitment
into the CAFGU and AFP barrio intelligence networks.”
Under the AFP’s Oplan Bayanihan, military operations are to be conducted
by the AFP against communities suspected to be active in, supportive of,
or sympathetic to, the revolutionary cause. The aim is to dismantle the
local mass organizations of peasants, women and youth and suppress their
mass struggles, especially the people’s enforcement of their own genuine
agrarian reform.
“People have been complaining of living in fear and inability to work
freely in their farms whenever the AFP conducts its so-called
civil-military operations in their communities,” added the CPP. “These
operations are now conducted under the refurbished signboard of ‘peace and
development,’ but are actually no different from the vicious special
operations conducted by the AFP under Oplan Bantay Laya in 2001-2010.”
“Entire communities are complaining that they are being terrorized even by
the mere presence of the fascist soldiers,” said the CPP. “For weeks up to
months, fully armed and combat-ready soldiers of the AFP set up bases in
these communities; use schools, day-care centers and barangay halls as
their detachments; conduct security reconnaissance in the area, pretend to
be friendly with the insidious objective of identifying leaders and
activists of community organizations, interrogating them and applying
economic, psychological and military pressure to make them stop their
political and community-organizing activities.”
“Martial law is virtually imposed in these communities,” added the CPP.
“These fascist soldiers conduct census, compel people to attend meetings,
‘invite’ suspected activists and sympathizers for interrogation, log the
movement of people, and control the supply of food and other commodities.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ang Bayan (January 21, 2011)
www.youtube.com
The preliminary talks between the National Democratic Front of the
Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH)
on January 14-18 in Oslo, Norway bore fruit as the two panels agreed to
proceed to the formal talks on February 15-21 and implement a concurrent
ceasefire
|
 |
