'Sick do not come with Naxal labels'

source
NAGPUR: Caught in the crossfire in conflict areas where Naxals operate are a bunch of medical practitioners who are torn between their ethos and security issues. Be it Dr Binayak Sen's incarceration or the recent early morning raid at the resident of a former superintendent of Eastern coalfield limited's main hospital at Asansol, doctors too have started coming under the scanner for their alleged Maoist links. Recently, a doctor attached to a public health centre at Kasansur in Gadchiroli too was questioned for ferrying an alleged Maoist to the city hospital from remote areas.

The doctor was grilled extensively by the cops. The Gadchiroli police had recently brought several health department workers under scanner after a sizeable consignment of government hospital medicines were seized during an encounter with the Maoists at Tadgaon in Bhamragarh. The security agencies believe that some of the medical practitioners and their machineries may be treating the outlaws. They now view these medical workers with suspicion. The police in West Bengal recently carried out a crackdown on quacks too on the grounds that they are clandestinely supporting the Maoists.

Police hunt for doctor who ‘helped’ Maoists

[We don't know to the doctor
whether it is important to know who the patient is. We also don't know
whether it is ethical to deny treatment to "Maoists" or anybody whom
doctor doesn't like personally.
Or, only the "Maoists" don't have the right to receive treatment? Then what should a doctor do? Before start treatment of a patient must the doctor make sure that the patient is not "Maoist"? Then what should a patient do? Before visiting a doctor must the patients visit local police station to receive a non-Maoist certificate?
By the way, Can any doctor deny treatment of anybody say, Sashi Tharoor the former external affair minister just because the doctor doubts his honesty?
We really don't know. Red Barricade]
Asansol, April 19: Police swooped down on an Eastern Coalfields colony on the outskirts of Asansol town at two this morning in search of a doctor who had allegedly been treating Maoists, sometimes at home and sometimes deep in the forests of Bengal’s guerrilla turf.
Samir Biswas, 63, who had retired as superintendent of Eastern Coalfields’ main hospital in Asansol, was missing when 16 police jeeps surrounded the bungalow.
Neighbours, some of whom described the bachelor Biswas as the good doctor, said he used to frequently go missing from the quarters in which he lived even three years after retirement.
“We have launched a hunt for him,” said Burdwan superintendent of police R. Rajsekharan.
When the police knocked on the doctor’s door, Susanta, Pal, a help who has been with him for 13 years, opened it. A room-by-room search followed in which cupboards were flung open and mattresses overturned.
Pal was detained and arrested later for allegedly “waging war against state”.

Kudremukh National Park : youth alleges torture by cops

Karnataka, Mangalore, April 18:
In what has been viewed as a coercive tactic to evict tribals from the forest to facilitate the implementation of Kudremukh National Park (KNP) project, police and the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) allegedly have subjected a tribal youth to physical and mental torture.
Poovappa Malekudiya (32), a tribal youth of Anjarottu in Kuthlur village of Naravi Gram Panchayat in Belthangadi taluk in the district, was the victim of police and ANF atrocity.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Poovappa said he was picked up by the police and the ANF personnel and later was beaten up severely at an unidentified place.
I was blilndfolded and taken to unknown location and tortured. They connected a live electric wire to my body and hit me very badly, he said.
They tortured me just because I am not willing to handover my land for the KNP project, Poovappa asserted.
Poovappas advocate Shivakumar said a complaint will be sent to the Human Rights Commission.

GN Saibaba on the Economic Crisis and Op Green Hunt

Posted by Ka Frank on March 18, 2010
Interviewed by Wilhelm Langthaler, 21 February 2010
G.N. Saibaba is Assistant Professor of Literature at Delhi University. He is one of the most vocal voices of the democratic opposition and has played an important role in bringing together diverse trends against the ruling elite. Saibaba represents the Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF).
Q: The “India Shining” campaign promised industrialisation and increasing wealth for the poor majority. Did this become true?
The application of globalisation policy in India meant benefits first of all for the ruling oligarchy. A handful of families are in full control of the levers of power. Thanks to their position they could amass huge fortunes, particularly in the last twenty years. Eventually among the list of billionaires there are a lot of Indians. The concentration of wealth has been growing rapidly while some 80% of the population has to live on less than half a dollar a day and can hardly afford a daily meal.
According to the government’s own statistics this was not the case two decades back. India pursued globalisation policies in the most aggressive way, as there are vast untouched resources available on which the western powers and especially the U.S. want to get a hold. But huge poverty also evokes huge conflicts. In the last six years we entered a new phase called “Second Generation Reforms”.

Govt : The Biggest Terrorist. The Adivasi uprising

BY puclmangalore
The advice to Maoists to give up violence would go down better if were accompanied by the economic package as well.
By: Kuldip Nayar
Tamer is a small Adivasi village in the deep jungles of Chhattisgarh. Two tribal farmers from the village are fighting a loosing battle against a young congress MP. He has forcible built a factory on their fields, spread over 10 acres. He belongs to an industrialist scion from Haryana.
One farmer, possessing one and a half acres, is a policeman who has resigned from his job to devote all his time to get back the land. He and other farmer having seven and a half acres of a land, often travel 400 km to Raipur, the state capital to knock at the door of top officials because the farmers have got no justice at the district headquarters Raigarh.
Both have been dubbed ‘Maoists’ though, in this case, they are merely fighting for their land. Prim minister Manmohan sing has characterized Maoists as the “ single biggest internal security challenge” to India the two farmers have nothing to do with the Maoists and Naxalites . But since the Maoists have evoked revulsion in the last few months after slaughtering 24 policeman in West Bengal , and 12 villagers in Bihar, the government finds it convenient to call the 2 farmers Maoists to divert attention from the forcible occupation of the land. But they are not an exception.

PROTEST AGAINST THERMAL POWER PLANT IN FERTILE LAND

RECIEVED VIA MAIL

IPC section 307,143,147,322,427,435,332,337,357,504……. These many sections are not against any antisocial elements. It is against farmers of Honnakiranagi, Firozabad, and Nadisinnur villages of Gulbarga District, Karnataka. Their Offence? They protested against land acquisition for Thermal Power plant.

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa oftenly says that “ his government will not occupy the fertile land for industries”. But it is only in his words; deeds show a different picture. Honnakiranagi, Firozabad, and Nadisinnur villages are located 22 -25 km from Gulbarga District closer to Gulbarga – Bangalore highway. More than 1500 acres of land has been marked for setup of 1000 – 1320 megawatt thermal power plant.

361 acres in Firozabad.

785 Acres in Honnakiranagi.

368 Acres in Nadisinnur.

All the land that has been marked is fertile where they cultivate jowar, red gram, sunflower. Fertility of this land has been certified by former Gulbarga DC Satyamurthy [ letter dated 03/09/2009; 296/08-09]. He states in that letter to Revenue department that the people are unwilling to vacate their land and more over the land is fertile; so the acquisition at this stage is a difficult task. He was transferred within a month and new DC Dr. Vishal took the charge who is a puppet for Government’s antiagrarian policies.

About 15000 people are dependent on this land. People of these villages are staging protests from long time. Karnataka raitha sangha, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Karnataka sainya are supporting the cause. Former Karnataka Labour Mininster is leading from the front.

Kiranagi renamed Honnakiranagi

Remembering Anu on her Second Death Anniversary

On April 12, 2008 a beautiful life got suddenly extinguished. Anuradha Ghandy passed away at the young age of 54 due to the late detection of the killer disease, falciperum malaria. On that day, the Indian people, particularly its oppressed women, lost a blooming flower that spread its fragrance in many parts of the country. Two years is a long time, yet the fragrance lingers on. The sweet scent like from an eternal blossom, intoxicates the mind with memories of her vivacious and loving spirit.

Even here, in the High Risk Ward of Tihar jail, the five sets of bars that incarcerates us, cannot extinguish the aroma that Anu radiates in ones memories. The pain one suffers here seems so insignificant, compared to what she must have faced on that fateful day.

Tata sponsored ‘Green Hunt’ in Kalinga Nagar to destroy democratic tribal movement

Yesterday the Collector of Jajpur district assured Dabar Kalundia, a tribal leader of Bisthapan Birodhi Jan Manch (BBJM) that he would come to Baligotha village on 28 March for a meeting with the dissenting villagers and find a solution to the prevailing conflict. But within a day the Collector has broken his word as today about 24 platoons of armed policemen have been deployed in Kalinga Nagar to suppress the democratic & non-violent movement of the BBJM. It is feared that there will be bloodshed at a larger scale than 2 Jan 06 when 14 tribal men, women & children were killed in a police shootout. The villagers fear the police will attack tomorrow morning.
For more than 3 months now the resistance villages of Kalinga Nagar have been besieged by police forces who have randomly arrested dozens of villagers who stepped out of their village. People have been framed under false charges. There has been repeated midnight attacks by policemen and Tata goons to annihilate key activists of the BBJM. Hired assassins have also tried to eliminate the tribal leaders of the movement and one such attempt caused the death of Amin Banara of Baligotha village. Recently large number of police forces had been deployed on the pretext of building a road through the villages. Every attempt of the police and administration to quell the dissent of the people has been countered in democratic and non-violent ways by the BBJM.

Jan Myrdal Interviews CPI(Maoist) Leader Ganapathy

Jan Myrdal Interviews CPI(Maoist) Leader Ganapathy
Posted by Rajeesh on February 15, 2010
Posted by Ka Frank on February 14, 2010
This interview was posted in Sanhati.
In Conversation with Ganapathy, General Secretary of CPI(Maoist)
Jan Myrdal and Gautam Navlakh, January 2010
Far inside the jungles of the Eastern Ghats we met the general secretary of the CPI (Maoists) Ganapathy aka Mupalla Laxman Rao. After welcoming us and inquiring from us whether we, in particular Jan Myrdal, faced any problem having to travel the rough terrain, the interview began. Following is the summary of the interview with him. We have retained the interview in the form in which it was given, read and approved by him with some minor language changes. In particular we draw attention of readers to the General Secretary laying down concisely his party’s stance on the issue of talks in light of the disinformation spread by the Union Minister of Home P Chidambaram that CPI(Maoist) had “scoffed” at the Indian Government’s offer for talks. Indeed he told us:
To put concisely the main demands that the party has placed in front of the government [of India] for any kind of talks are 1) All-out war has to be withdrawn; 2) For any kind of democratic work, the ban on the Party and Mass Organizations have to be lifted; 3) Illegal detention and torture of comrades had to be stopped and they be immediately released. If these demands are met, then the same leaders who are released from jails would lead and represent the Party in the talks.
However, we consider the full text of the interview of importance for all those who want to know more about the policies of the party which the Government of India considers its main internal security threat.
Q: How do you envisage the linking of this struggle with a general struggle in India in terms of class ? Chairman Mao after 1935 took the Long March to Yenan created a base for national level and part of which was the united front with the Chiang Kai-Sheik. Thereby it became the main national power in China. How do you envisage becoming to a national power in India?
A: In China, in which condition Long March to Yenan took-place and created a base and a part of it formation of a United Front with Chiang Kai-Sheik for national level is different to our present situation of New Democratic Revolution(NDR) of India. Chinese revolution had took-place in first half of the 20th century. Since then several significant changes have occurred in the world. Those are, firstly emergence of a Socialist Camp and its subsequent down fall, secondly downfall of colonialism and emergence of neocolonialism, thirdly emergence of so-called parliamentary system as the common political system throughout the world, fourthly, a long gap emerged in the revolutionary upsurge after success of revolutions in Vietnam, Kampuchea and Laos in-spite of some upsurges and significant struggles in several countries. If we look into the entire world history, after emergence of working class on the globe, it is confronting with the bourgeoisie class and all other reactionary forces and seized power from them in Paris for a short-while and then in Russian, China and several European countries for a long time and shocked the entire globe. In this trajectory, there were various ups and downs in the World Socialist Revolution but nonetheless the struggle continuous. It is like waves at times and it slowed down, but it never ceased. So we have to see any revolution of a country in the light of historical context.
In relation to our revolution, first of all I would like to introduce our history in a short account to understand the present condition correctly. Our unified Party, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) was formed on 21st September 2004 by merging two Maoist revolutionary streams of India, the Communist Party of India(Marxist Leninst) [CPI (ML)]and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC). Our great beloved fore-founder leaders and teachers, Comrades Charu Mazumdar(CM) and Kanhai Chatterji(KC) who led an ideological and political struggle ceaselessly for a long time against revisionism and modern revisionism of Communist Party of India and CPI(Marxist).

Hail the heroic raid by PLGA on Silda camp in Paschim Mednipur!

COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MAOIST)

CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Press Release: February 17, 2010

Armed counter-offensive is inevitable to defend the poor from the brutal Operation Green Hunt unleashed by bandits Chidambaram and Buddhadeb!!

On February 15, Maoist guerrillas of the PLGA carried out a daring day-light raid on a camp consisting of 51 Eastern Frontier Rifles personnel at Silda in West Midnapore district of West Bengal and annihilated at least 24 mercenary troops. The entire camp was run over by the heroic PLGA guerrillas accompanied by scores of people’s militia members. A huge cache of sophisticated arms like AK-47s, Insaas and SLRs along with several thousand rounds of ammunition were seized from the enemy forces. The attack came just six days after the Kolkata meeting of murderers from the four states of Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa convened by Union Home Minister Chidambaram on February 9 to step up joint operations against the Maoists and the adivasi people of the region.

The daring tactical counter-offensive by brave PLGA warriors is a fitting reply to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s countrywide counter-revolutionary armed onslaught against the Maoists in the name of Operation Green Hunt that had taken a heavy toll of innocent adivasi lives in recent months particularly in the states of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal and Maharashtra. The khaki mercenaries sent by Chidambaram have created a reign of terror in the adivasi villages murdering, abducting and torturing adivasis; raping adivasi women; destroying their houses and property; burning the foodgrains and stealing hens, pigs, goats etc.; occupying the schools thereby preventing the children from pursuing their studies; harassing petty traders, teachers, doctors, and other employees; blocking the entry of civil rights activists and impartial observers to prevent the truth from flowing out; abducting eye-witnesses to police murders of adivasis; spreading canards and malicious slander against Maoist leaders and those belonging to the democratic and revolutionary mass organizations; and countless other atrocities on unarmed innocent adivasis. These mercenaries deployed by Chidambaram, Raman Singh, Buddhadeb, Naveen Patnaik and others have disturbed peace and created insecurity for the people of the vast adivasi-inhabited region—the so-called Red Corridor. To bring peace to the region there is no other way than to throw out the evil forces that are disrupting peace and creating brutal terror. As long as these forces persist in their brutal attacks on innocent unarmed people, as long as they carry on their counter-revolutionary suppression campaigns such as Green Hunt, the Maoist guerrillas and the oppressed people have no other option but to retaliate as in Silda. The sole responsibility for the death of the EFR jawans in Silda lies with Chidambaram and Buddhadeb who are using them as cannon-fodder in their dirty counter-revolutionary war for the mineral wealth of the adivasi regions. The CC, CPI(Maoist) appeals to the jawans of the state and central paramilitary forces not to become cannon-fodder in this war waged by a tiny parasitic exploiting class against the poor and oppressed people of our country.

Chidambaram began his Operation Green Hunt with the attack on the people's movement in Lalgarh thinking that dominating the area would be a cake walk since the armed Maoists present there were very few in number. He nurtured the fond hope that Lalgarh would serve as a laboratory for his bigger genocidal operations in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and elsewhere. Chidambaram, like every other fascist dictator in history, believes that brute force can extinguish the fire of revolution. Relying excessively, rather solely, on the numerical strength and capabilities of his mercenary soldiers, the Sonia-Manmohan-Chidambaram gang is trying to crush a just people's rebellion. But what decides the ultimate outcome in the people's war is the role of the people, not weapons or elite anti-Naxal commando forces.

The successful heroic raid at Silda by Maoist guerrillas points to the massive ground swell of support for the Maoists in Jangalmahal region. Buddhadeb and Chidambaram had helped the adivasi masses of the region to grasp the need for overthrowing the repressive state apparatus by means of an armed revolution. Silda raid is a fitting answer to the unprecedented brutal armed offensive by the Indian state on the oppressed and exploited people of our country. It is a counter-offensive aimed at establishing peace in a region disturbed by the khaki mercenaries sent by Chidambaram and Buddhadeb. People are increasingly realising that peace can be established in the region not by mere appeals, peaceful protests, petitions against human rights violations in so-called courts of law, but through armed resistance by the masses themselves. The armed camps set up in the region have become objects of intense hatred and symbols of brutal oppression and suppression of the masses. It is only by wiping out these armed camps of the people's enemies that peace can be established in the region and a sense of security can develop among the people. This is the only real answer to the Operation Green Hunt that is intended to pave the way for the Greed Hunt of the MNCs and comprador big capital.

Today the biggest threats to peace in the country are the reactionary rulers whose policies have led the country into darkness. The anti-people policies of the rulers have created extreme insecurity, misery, starvation, mass suicides, price-rise, unemployment, disease, and what not for the vast majority of the people. But the rulers are bulging forever becoming billionaires and stashing away their filthy black money sucked from the poor into Swiss banks and benami holdings. It is in service of these unscrupulous exploiters and filthy rich that fascists like Chidambaram unleash the worst kinds of atrocities on poor unarmed people.

The horror-filled stories of Dantewada and Bijapur where the police gun down over a score of innocent adivasis every week, where even eye-witnesses to these cold-blooded murders are abducted and threatened by the police goons, where the police have become a law unto themselves, should open the eyes of those who shout against acts of revolutionary counter-violence carried out by Maoist guerrillas. It is time all democratic forces rally in support of the people’s war waged by the Maoists for the liberation of our country from the rapacious clutches of the imperialists and a handful of corporate elites.

Azad,

Spokesperson,

Central committee,

CPI(Maoist)

'Why should innocents die because of govt's failed policy?'

rediff.com

Tuesday's deadly ambush by Naxals on paramilitary forces in Dantewada, which claimed the lives of 75 CRPF jawaans and policemen raises many unanswered questions. Local journalists and politicians speak on the reasons behind the massacre.

Jab tak hamara khun pani hai aapka khun khun ha, tab tak hamare vahan log marte rahenge (Till the time value of our life is less, our people will keep dying).

Rajendra Bajpai, a journalist residing in Jagdalpur in tribal dominated Dantewada district of Chattisgarh told rediff.com while reacting to the shocking deaths of 75 jawans and policemen in his district at the hands of naxalites on Tuesday.

He said, "Even when one man dies in New Delhi it hits the headlines -- but when tribals are killed we don't get enough attention because the value of tribal lives are less than the urban Indian lives."

While giving details of the deaths of Central Reserve Police Force jawans and policemen, he said, "Yesterday around 156 CRPF jawans had gone on search operations on foot. Some villagers from that area must have informed the Naxals about it. Since the CRPF jawans had gone inside the jungles, the Naxals knew surely they would return to their base camp in Chintalnar by the same road."

"In the area called Talmetla, Naxals lay land mines. Early morning on Tuesday, when security forces were returning, they were obviously quite exhausted. The summer is on and it is very hot. Two jawans died as the first blast took place at Talmetla. Then in cross-firing in a bid to defend themselves, more people died. Even rescue teams could not be of much help, because even they were attacked," he added.

The Naxals were well-prepared for the ambush. They had not only put land mines on their return path, but they also blocked all the roads leading to the area and encircled it, so that no rescue team could reach them.

According to initial information, when the blast took place, two of security forces died. So the CRPF jawans tried to fight back, but they had to fight at several places.

"It was like the expanded battlefield," said Karimuddin, another journalist working out of Jagdalpur.

However, these inputs could not be rechecked as senior officers of the district are still engaged in evacuation of dead bodies from the area and in cordoning off the villages.

Manish Kunjam, a Communist Party of India living in Dantewada, said, "This kind of attack must be condemned, but people making policies should now sit and think what is not working out. Till the time you don't respect and give tribals of India their rights over water, land and forests, such Naxalites will keep getting support in villages and our security forces will remain in the firing line."

He went on to add, "These deaths make us grim. But, it also tells us that the government must radically change its policies to win the hearts of the tribals."

"Those who are against violence should understand that such a big ambush was not possible for the Naxal leaders without local support. Someone has informed them that a CRPF party has gone into the jungles for search operations. Also, when they lay the ambush to gherao them, it could not have escaped the attention of the local people," he noted.

The biggest weakness of the current establishment is that although the co-ordination between forces has slightly improved, but it's still not at the desired level. The state machinery and central forces have not synchronised their agenda and priorities.

Prakash Singh, former chief of the Border Security Force and the CRPF, while talking to rediff.com, said, "On the ground the CRPF and state police have reservations. State police has doubts about operational efficacy of the CRPF."

Whoever rediff.com spoke to in Dantewada, seems angry -- because they say that urban India and particularly powerful people in New Delhi 'don't understand basic issues of tribals of India. Why should security forces die because of ill-conceived policies of governments?'

Bajpai said angrily, "The most important thing urban India should note is that economy of the tribal belts of India is functioning. Why? How? With whose help? Thekedar (contractors), businessmen, industrialists, miners and bureaucrats all are non-tribals and have a tight grip over the economy of the area."

While condemning the deaths of jawans, he said, "Why should they die?"

"Whether you get operation red or green or yellow hunt, nothing will change here, because everybody is in business of making money in the name of 'eradicating Maoists. Just stop it from New Delhi, if you can," he added.

73 killed as 700 Maoists entrap CRPF team in Chhattisgarh

Seventy-three security personnel were killed Tuesday when over 700 Maoist guerrillas in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region ambushed a 120-member contingent of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) by first bombing and then opening fire. In what is one of the biggest Maoist attacks in the country, the guerrillas triggered multiple blasts and then fired indiscriminately at the CRPF team in the Chintalnar forested hamlet of Dantewada district, about 450 km south from here, in violence-hit Bastar. More than two dozen personnel were injured. According to Dantewarda Superintendent of Police Amaresh Mishra, the dead included 72 troopers from the 62nd battalion of the CRPF and one state police officer. 'A massive contingent of heavily armed Maoists ambushed a CRPF team in a hilly stretch. They first triggered blasts from all directions and followed by indiscriminate firing,' Vishwa Ranjan, director general of police, told IANS. He said it seemed to be a meticulously planned attack. A chopper has been sent from Jagdalpur, headquarters of Bastar district, to move the injured troopers to hospital. A strong contingent of state police force has also been rushed to the site. A counter terrorism expert posted in Dantewada disclosed on the condition of anonymity that the CRPF men had flouted guerilla warfare guidelines and rushed to an interior location to track down insurgents in a vehicle. This, he said, was totally 'disallowed' for search and combing operations in the vast interiors of the Maoist stronghold of Bastar which is riddled with landmines. 'There is a clear-cut instruction for paramilitary men as well as state police force to not use vehicles for any kind of offensive in forested interiors. They are to go only on foot and also not in groups but in two-three members squad. On Tuesday, the CRPF men grossly neglected warfare manuals and finally paid the price,' he said. The attack has been seen as a retaliation to Chhattisgarh government's famed anti-Maoist drive Operation Green Hunt, launched in July 2009 that has killed 90 Maoists till date. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, who convened an emergency meeting of senior officials, labelled it an act of 'cowardice'. Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar said it was the result of 'intelligence failure'. Chhattisgarh's mineral rich Bastar region spread out in about 40,000 sq km is made up of five districts - Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Bastar and Dantewada. It has witnessed a string of deadly attacks since year 2005 that have claimed over 1,600 lives. SEARCH

10 policemen killed by maoist attack in Orissa.

A powerful bomb blast in eastern India has claimed the lives of at least 10 policemen.

Another 10 policemen were injured in the attack that took place in the Koraput district of the state of Orissa on Sunday.

The police officers were killed when a landmine planted by Maoist rebels struck the vehicle they were travelling in.

"We are confirming 10 deaths, but it may go up," senior police official Sanjeev Panda told reporters.

Sources said the security personnel were on patrol as part of anti-insurgency operations.

Maoist rebels have stepped up attacks in response to a government offensive that was launched late last year.

The Maoist insurgency began as a peasant uprising in 1967 and has now spread to 20 of India's 28 states. Over 6,000 people have died in clashes over the decades.

New People's Army seize weapons for the people's war

Macario Dilaab
Mt Alip Command
Front 72 Operational Command
New Peoples Armt - Far South Mindanao Region
March 29, 2010

The Red fighters of F72 under the Mt.Alip Front Operational Command launched a tactical offensive on the Cafgu detachment of Brgy Luz Village, Mlang, North Cotabato on March 26, 2010. A total of thirty five (35) high powered rifles were seized from the enemy comprising of fifteen (15) M14 rifles, two (2) M16 rifles, seventeen (17) garand rifles and one carbine. Under the pretext of campaigning for the Piñols, the Red fighters who were on board two trucks and dressed as rubber tappers, easily overrun the detachment. The attack lasted for about 14 minutes. The Cafgu who fought back was killed, the rest who surrendered were left in peace

We are happy and honored to have made this little contribution to the people's war in time for our celebration of the NPA's 41st anniversary. Indeed, with the people's help, the people's war has grown ever stronger and bigger. Nothing is impossible for the people's army which derives its strength and inspiration from the masses.

We are also quite concerned for the innocent individuals, the drivers and helpers of the trucks who are now presently detained at the Mlang police station. Roland Reston, Lanie Caballero, Along Enriquez -- all residents of Makilala North Cotabato are preswently at the Mlang PNP and are accused of arson and illegal possession of firearms. They have nothing at all to do with the tactical offensive. They are just simple workers who are trying to eke out a susbsistence for themselves and their families. They should be released immediately and unconditionally. Their detention is pure state harrassment designed to sow fear among the people and impose the Piñols brand of fascism and terrorism.