Philippine talks with communist rebels hit an impasse

MANILA, Philippines—Negotiations to end one of Asia’s longest-running Marxist insurgencies have stalled in the Philippines after communist rebels insisted jailed comrades be released and escalated attacks on government troops and mining companies, the government said Wednesday.

The guerrillas wanted several more comrades freed after the government released five in recent months, one of whom is believed to have returned to fight with the rebels, government negotiator Alexander Padilla said. He said the government would not release more rebels.

Padilla called on the guerrillas to return to the negotiating table and said both sides may miss the mid-2012 deadline to complete the talks.

“We’re no longer advancing because we keep going in circles,” Padilla said in a news conference.

Norway, which has been brokering the talks, has tried to bridge differences between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) but has not brought them back to the negotiating table.

NDF negotiators refused to meet government counterparts in June and last month, demanding the release of 13 more jailed guerrillas. They said the 13 are consultants in the peace talks and are covered by a 1995 agreement that provided them immunity from prosecution and arrest.

Padilla said the rebels failed to produce proof the detainees are covered by the agreement.

A recent wave of rebel attacks, including an assault by more than 200 New People’s Army guerrillas that devastated three nickel mining complexes in southern Surigao del Norte province in October, has also damaged efforts to build trust, Padilla said.

“These attacks are not helping to create a conducive atmosphere for the negotiations,” he said.

Military officials have said the attacks were part of rebel extortion attempts. The guerrillas, however, accused the mining firms of causing massive environmental pollution and exploiting Filipino workers by paying them cheap wages in dangerous work conditions.

The rebels have been fighting for a Marxist state since 1969, accusing successive Philippine administrations of subservience to US interests and failing to improve the lives of the poor. Their numbers have dwindled to an estimated 4,000 fighters amid battle setbacks, surrenders and factionalism. They are listed as a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.