Philippines arrests senior guerrilla leader

Captured Filipino communist rebel leader Tirso Alcantara (centre) listens to Armed Forces of the Philippines Lt Gen. Roland Detabali (left) while confined at a military hospital in Quezon City yesterday

Philippine security forces shot  and arrested a senior Maoist guerrilla the day after a  ceasefire ended, weakening the rebels’ leadership and putting  a question mark over the planned resumption of peace talks  next month.
Tirso Alcantara, a member of the communist party’s  political bureau which also controls the New People’s Army  (NPA), was caught on Tuesday night in Quezon province, south  of Manila, while attempting to pass through a checkpoint.
Colonel Generoso Bolina, an army spokesman, said the  arrest would derail Maoist plans to launch offensives as a way  of increase their leverage in peace talks set to resume next  month in Oslo, Norway.
 "This would be a big blow to the NPA rebels’ morale. He  has been drawing up the rebels’ military plans and  directions,” said Bolina, describing Alcantara, also known as  Ka (Comrade) Bart, as the highest ranking rebel leader to be  captured in four years.    On Saturday, another Maoist leader, Edwin  Brigano, was caught while visiting his family on the southern  island of Mindanao.
A rebel spokesman said Alcantara was involved in the peace  negotiations and therefore covered by a safe conduct pass, so  his arrest could put the peace talks at risk.
"We hope the upcoming resumption soon of formal peace  negotiations will not be stalled by the further holding in  custody of Ka Bart,” Marco Valbuena, a spokesman for the  Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), said in a statement.
"The revolutionary movement demands respect for the rights  and humane treatment of Ka Bart,” he added.     The Maoists have been fighting since the 1960s  to overthrow the Philippine government. The conflict has  killed 40,000 people and stunted growth in poor but  resource-rich rural areas in the country.
Analysts say the Maoists’ decision to return to peace  negotiations after a break of more than five years was aimed  at ensuring they do not lose support and relevance to a  popular government, rather ending their rebellion.
Quezon province police chief Ericsson Velasquez told  Reuters that Alcantara, who has outstanding warrants on murder  charges, was arrested for illegal possession of guns and  explosives.
"He was shot in the buttock when he tried to resist  arrest,” Velasquez said, adding Alcantara had left his house  in Lucena City a few minutes before a raid by soldiers and  police. Reuters