Philippines' Duterte says communist leader welcome home [View all]
Source: Channel News Asia
The leader of the Philippines' communist insurgency will be welcome to return home after nearly three decades in exile and participate in peace talks, president-elect Rodrigo Duterte has said.
Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison wrote in a Facebook post last week he hoped to come home following the landslide May 9 election win of Duterte, with whom he has maintained ties while living in the Netherlands.
"I do not begrudge the NPAs (communist New People's Army) in looking for firearms. But when I reach my oath-taking... they must realise I am the government and I am the enemy but I offer my hand in peace and we can talk," he said at a press conference on Monday (May 16).
Duterte previously said late Sunday that Sison's return to the Philippines would be important in helping to end the rebellion.
Read more: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/philippines-duterte-says/2789206.html
(Yes, there's a different Duterte story right above this. He's managing to say a lot in a few days...) The Philippine communist insurgency has implications ranging from Indonesia to India, so this is probably worth pulling out on its own.
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