From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: PHILIPPINES: RAMOS FREES TOP COMMUNIST AND ARMY REBEL LEADERS
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 23:49:06 GMT

/** reg.philippine: 229.0 **/
** Topic: IPS: Top Rebels Freed **
** Written  7:49 pm  Aug 29, 1992 by fbp in cdp:reg.philippine **
From: Foreign Bases Project <fbp>
Subject: IPS: Top Rebels Freed

/* Written 12:04 am  Aug 28, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "PHILIPPINES: RAMOS FREES TOP COMMUN" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: PHILIPPINES: RAMOS FREES TOP COMMUNIST AND ARMY REBEL LEADERS

manila, aug 25 (ips) -- philippine president fidel ramos tuesday
ordered the temporary release of five top detained communist leaders
and 16 military officers accused of leading several failed coup
attempts against the government of former president corazon aquino.

the conciliatory gesture comes on the eve of informal talks
between government representatives and exiled communist leaders in
the netherlands.

topping the list of those to be freed are romulo kintanar, the
alleged chief of the communist new people's army (npa), and satur
ocampo, a former journalist who headed the negotiating panel of the
national democratic front (ndf) in the failed 1986 peace talks.

the military rebels to be released are led by four colonels,
including col luisito sanchez, one of the commanders of army scout
ranger units which seized control of the financial district of
makati during the december 1989 coup.

ramos said the releases were based on recommendations of a
presidential committee composed of defence secretary renato de
villa, justice secretary franklin drilon and interior secretary
rafael alunan.

soon after taking office, ramos said his government would pursue
peace talks with various rebel groups from left to right. he also
urged congress to repeal a 35-year old law banning the communist
party of the philippines (cpp) and offered to grant some form of
amnesty to the rebel groups.

a government delegation led by representative jose yap left for
the netherlands last week for exploratory talks with exiled
communist leaders headed by former cpp chairman jose ma. sison who
is believed to have resumed his old position.

sison had urged the ramos government to release political
detainees as a gesture of the government's sincerity.

though the release of such prominent rebel leaders as kintanar
and ocampo is likely to improve the climate for further talks,
analysts are not optimistic about the outcome of such negotiations.

as in the 1986 talks, rebel leaders are stressing the need for a
'comprehensive political solution' to the causes of the guerrilla
conflict that has raged for the past two decades.

but the government remains as anxious as ever to avoid taking any
step that it fears would grant the insurgency recognition.

meanwhile, human rights groups fear the majority of the roughly
600 political detainees may be left out of the peace process. at a
press conference monday, officials of the rights group task force
detainees said only 25 prisoners may be released under the
government's current guidelines. (end/ips/ri/ln/92)



** End of text from cdp:reg.philippine **
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