MANILA, (PIA) -- Ambassador Saskia De Lang of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Philippines has clarified that their country has never given fugitive terrorist Jose Maria Sison asylum, nor a residence permit in the Netherlands.
“Mr. Jose Maria Sison has never been granted asylum, nor has he been given a residence permit in the Netherlands. These matters have been subject to years of legal battle,” De Lang said in a letter to Yes For Peace-Bayanihan ng Bayan lead organizer Ernesto Alcanzare, and shared with PIA-NCR.
An asylum is the protection granted by a nation to someone who has left their native country as a political refugee.
However, De Lang also pointed out in her letter, “Competent administrative and judicial authorities in the Netherlands have adjudged that expelling and forcibly returning him [Sison] are contrary to international law obligations (i.e. non-refoulment) under the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to Status of Refugees and Article 3 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ('the ECHR').”
“The Netherlands is steadfast in its commitment to promoting and respecting rule of law and international legal order, as this is a precondition for peace and security worldwide,” she further said.
The letter is in response to a query made by Alcanzare who earlier wrote the Dutch Government, “Is it within Dutch laws to shelter leaders of an organization that the European Union has declared as a terrorist group from the waves of alleged crimes committed against the poor and powerless people whose rights they claim to be fighting for, against a government that they claim to be a gross violator of human rights?”
“What will it take to convince the Netherlands to cancel the asylum it granted to Jose Maria Sison and his cohorts and set them free to find shelter elsewhere?” he asked the Dutch Embassy.
It can be recalled, that the self-exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder has been designated a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) earlier, "based on verified and validated information" and "for violations of Sections 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act)."
Prior to the declaration made by the Philippine Government, the United States of America, Australia and the European Union have also declared the CPP-New People’s Army (NPA) as an international terrorist group.
Recently, the NPA stepped up attacks on government forces and civilians upon publicly broadcasted orders of Jose Maria Sison to force the government to resume the peace talks.
Despite its declaration of the CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front (CNN) a terrorist group, the government is open to the conduct of localized peace talks.
“As a long-standing partner of the Philippines in peace-building and as a member of the international community, our embassy continues to follow and facilitate the peace talks and hopes that they will translate into a lasting solution for the benefit of the affected populations,” De Lang assured Alcanzare.
The Dutch envoy, meanwhile, cited Yes for Peace and said, “Your organization’s advocacy to promote lasting peace in the Philippines is commendable, especially when done through non-violent means.”
The adoption and refinement of Yes for Peace was incorporated into the National Action Plan of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) submitted by National Security Adviser Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr. and approved by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Yes for Peace is now calling for the earnest and massive implementation of the Barangay Development Program by the 40,046 barangays nationwide and thereby mobilize the people’s active involvement and collective participation in the Whole-of-Nation approach anchored on good governance being pursued by the NTF-ELCAC. (PIA-NCR)
