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| New People’s Army (NPA) rebels |
By Jose Rodel Clapano
MANILA, Philippines - A prolonged martial law and its possible nationwide implementation could scuttle peace negotiations, communist rebels warned yesterday.
“A martial law nationwide will certainly be a declaration of war against the revolutionary movement. It would practically kill peace negotiations,” Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison told ANC.
He said the extension of martial law in Mindanao would also mean continuous fighting between government forces and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.
Sison said the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) must discuss the implications of martial law on the peace talks.
The NDF is the umbrella organization representing the CPP-NPA in the peace talks with the Philippine government in the Netherlands.
Sison added the government should also consider how the NPA and the people would be affected by martial law in the entire Mindanao region.
Read the full story at PhilStar