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Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Communist rebels attack mining firm
KORONADAL -- Communist guerrillas attacked a copper mining firm Tuesday in a remote southern Philippine town, firing grenades into the compound, burning two buildings and seizing weapons in the pre-dawn assault, police said.
No one was injured in the attack on the mining compound near Tampakan town in South Cotabato province.
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About 50 New People's Army guerrillas barged into the compound overwhelming a few civilian guards, who briefly engaged the rebels in a gun battle, provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Robert Kiunisala said.
The guerrillas seized a pistol, shotgun, a two-way radio set and a laptop computer from the guards during the 45-minute raid on the Sagittarius Mining Inc.'s compound in South Cotabato, about 980 kilometers southeast of Manila, army Lt. Col. Joshua Santiago said.
One of the security guards was seized but later freed by the rebels as they fled.
Two mining employees were missing but it was not clear if they were taken by the guerrillas, Kiunisala said.
While fleeing from the mining compound, the guerrillas opened fire on a nearby rural outpost of pro-government militiamen, who returned fire to parry the rebel attack. There were no immediate reports of injuries in that clash, Kiunisala said.
Army and police forces were hunting down the guerrillas, he said.
The army condemned the attack, noting that it was staged on New Year's Day despite the rebels' pledge to observe a unilateral ceasefire over the holiday.
"This incident clearly manifests how the New People's Army uses treachery and deception in order to terrorize the people," army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said.
The guerrilla attack could be an indication that some New People's Army units are no longer following orders of key guerrilla leaders, Torres said. He renewed an appeal to the rebels to surrender.
The guerrillas may have staged the attack to force the mining firm to heed their extortion demands or curry support from local tribesmen, who oppose the mining firm's operations, officials said.
The guerrillas, now about 6,000-strong, have been fighting for a Marxist-led state for 39 years. They withdrew from peace talks in 2004 after accusing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's government of instigating their inclusion on US and European Union terrorist lists. (AP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (January 2, 2008 issue)
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