Civilians Flee As Troops Step Up Hunt For Rebels In Southern Philippines

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 23, 2008) – Hundreds of villagers have fled their homes after government soldiers pursuing communist insurgents occupied a state-run school and a chapel in the southern Philippines, a human rights group said.

The group called “Karapatan” said more than 200 soldiers have been using the school and the chapel as their camp in the village of Ngan in New Bataan town in Compostela Valley province since the operation against the New People’s Army began early this month.

It said more than 300 people had fled their homes because of the presence of soldiers. The group did not say if there were civilians arrested by the military, but the Karapatan had previously accused soldiers in the area of harassing civilians and human rights violations.

But Maj. Raymundo Aguada, a regional army spokesman, denied Karapatan’s allegations and said the NPA is using so-called human rights groups to malign the military.

“There is no truth to that report. The rebels are using these so-called human rights groups to malign our good soldiers and to destroy the military and the democratic government so they can continue with their abuses and terrorism,” he told the Mindanao Examiner newspaper.

Last week, the military announced the capture of six NPA camps in New Bataan where troops had recovered explosives and munitions left behind by rebels.

The rebel camps were so far the largest that troops have captured this year.

The NPA, military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF), is fighting for nearly four decades now to topple the government and install a Maoist state in the country.

The United States and the European Union blacklisted the CPP and NPA, including its political wing, the NDF, on Manila's prodding and froze their assets abroad. (Mindanao Examiner)