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Thursday, March 08, 2007
Left-wing parties accused of diverting funds to communist rebels (6:50 p.m.)
MANILA -- Several left-wing parties in the Philippines have diverted funds to communist rebels and serve as fronts for the insurgents, a senior official said Thursday.
National Security Adviser Norbeto Gonzales named the left-wing parties Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anakpawis, and Suara Bangsa Moro as "front organizations of the Communist Party of the Philippines."
Gonzales was speaking in response to criticism from a UN human rights expert that the government has been persecuting the leftist groups. Several leftist leaders have been charged with rebellion.
"The communist movement in this country has decided to study the loopholes and weaknesses of our democracy and take advantage of it," Gonzales told reporters in the capital Manila. "The objective of these front organizations is to secure support, to recruit new members for the armed rebellion."
Communist rebels have been fighting for 38 years, and three years ago they abandoned Norwegian-brokered peace negotiations with the government. This week the government approved an anti-terrorism law that military officials say will put the rebels on a terrorist list along with al-Qaida-linked militants. (AP) |
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