Dutch officials have arrested a self-exiled Philippines leader of the communist National Democratic Front (NDF) for ordering the assassination of two former allies in Manila. Jose Maria Sison, who founded the Marxist party and established its military wing – the New People's Army (NPA) – has been allegedly commanding an insurgent campaign for over two decades from his exile base in the Netherlands. The rebel uprising has been an ongoing part of a 39-year old insurgency in the Philippines that has cost the lives of over 40,000 people over the past 20 years.
Sison is accused of ordering the assassination of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara, for which the NPA claimed responsibility. Kintanar was a former commander of the NPA and led efforts to assassinate U.S. Army Col. James Nicolas Rowe in 1989. He later fell out of favor with the communist faction for hiding the kidnapping of a top Japanese business leader from top leaders. The NPA stated he was killed for crimes against the revolution. Tabara was murdered for alleged counterrevolutionary activities, including the murder of bank employees during a hold-up and the murder of a peasant leader.
Kintinar was murdered in a Japanese restaurant on Jan. 20, 2003 and Tabara was assassinated after pulling a gun on a group trying to “arrest” him on Sept. 26, 2004.
Sison's supporters have vowed to ramp up the insurgency following his arrest. Peace talks to end the insurgency have been largely stalled since 2004 and Philippines officials worry that the arrest of Sison will “result in an all-out war.” The Philippines president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, however, hailed the arrest as “a giant step toward peace. A victory for justice and the rule of law.”
Sison states he no longer has operational control over the insurgency and has made formal asylum requests to Dutch officials. Dutch prosecutors have stated they will put Sison on trial there for murder.
Sison was placed on the European Union's terrorist list in 2002.
