Treating Miscellaneous fees as "Minor Issue" is not minor for the masses!

Treating Miscellaneous fees as "Minor Issue"

is not minor for the masses!

Last June 9, 2011, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond "Mong" Palatino pushed for a revised set of guidelines that will regulate school fees especially what he called the “dubious and notorious” miscellaneous fees being collected by schools.

This kind of call, is a resonse to recent events concerning increase in Tuition and Other Fees and its negative impact as more and more students, parents, and other "Consumers" (according to the Government) are questioning concerning increases both in public and private schools, especially on “the rampant imposition of unjust, redundant, arbitrary and exorbitant miscellaneous fees in schools nationwide.”

Obviously, most private and public educational institutions are trying to justify their actions citing from "Education Act of 1982, CHED Memorandum 13 and other decrees, including "private schools as a business institution" or the recent Education Budget cut alibi that much infuriates the low-income majority in regards to them. In regards to state universities like U.P. or P.U.P., they should have been given subsidies being known much as "State Universities" and as for U.P. as a "National University" that is, a primary obligation of the State to give a large chunk of national budget instead of resorting it to obligatory payments of Tuition and Other Fees. It makes no sense to call a "State supported educational institution" if there are fees to be paid, or worse, an increase.

Well... according to Deng Xiaoping:

Making education universal and raising educational standards are the main issues needing to be addressed in the field of education. Our policy in this regard is that education should be made universal and educational standards raised and that we should not overemphasize one to the neglect of the other. If we only make education universal without raising educational standards, our science and culture cannot progress rapidly.

In the Philippines, a need for a universal education system should be addressed and its graduates be given real decent employment, domestically instead of being forced as migrants or be pressed into jobs that aren't important in regards to nation building, that, for example, a nation needs doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers working for the community instead of nurses or call centre agents working on behalf of a foreign entity. The current education trend still continues to dominate, that, as expected by many, steering the nation backwards through loss of brain and brawn in the country.Worse, that every student and parent are still facing the yearly tuition and other fee increases that, instead of generating more graduates be end up having some or few diploma-carrying individuals and more dropouts citing poverty as its main causes. The system, obviously, remained aloof at the current situation that they often evade or treating the matter as a minor issue due to its deregulated structure. Obviously, science and culture cannot progress rapidly if having a "Laissez Faire" in education be tolerated regardless of the so-called "reforms" and "measures" merely acted as a facade or propaganda. We've watched certain reports about students questioning the credibility of schools when it comes to paying fees. For example, E.A.R.I.S.T. obliged students to pay "Aircon fee" in pursuit of putting Air conditioners in classrooms, but isn't it obvious that kind of fee should be carried by the obligatory expenses under the tuition fee? Same as in Energy fee and other expenses, charges that obviously end up as sources of income.

However,

C.H.ED., in pursuit of appeasing students and administrators, attempted to create a set of guidelines in regards to paying Miscellaneous fees and the like; they separated into "Basic" and "Incidental" ones that most of it are rather supposedly to be carried by the Tuition itself; like "Medical and Dental fee" for instance, it is supposedly carried under the Tuition, same goes the "Cultural" and "Internet" fees. The "Student handbook" should even be fall upon "Student Publications" also; since how come a student handbook can't be a part of a publication of the institution? Or rather why not be a part of the Tuition also?

Well... the Studentry cannot be fooled by the dubious tactics of the pseudo-educators and crooks in toga. The Miscellaneous fees, alongside increase in Tuition is the manifestation of a "Legalized" extortion using such "reasons" like "development" and so fourth; if so then how come some rooms aren't been developed? Modernized? Improved? C.H.ED. may have tried much to justify and expand what fees are ought to be paid, and somehow the crooks in toga would create means to expand also, using the so-called "regulation", "guidelines", "statutes" that more and more students, particularly with working-class backgrounds would never, ever accept it. For sure some would say that "How come I need to pay additional fee for U.E. Today yet I got no issue of it?"

Paying additional fees, alongside increasing it and putting some interest, and justifying crisis outside rather makes the crisis worsen. And treating it as a minor issue is nonsense, for it is not minor to those who pay. Education, first and foremost, is a right of the majority; and it is the duty of the state to ensure the well-being of everyone in giving knowledge, reason, and livelihood.

The theory of the two demons in Filipino context

The theory of the two demons in Filipino context

by Katleah Iskre Ulrike

We are still waiting to sove this problem, yet there are still those who tried to block its path-to complete justice of those who are victimized by those who acted in the name of the law. But, not all those who enact are really doing in the name of the law-for they acted rather "above of it", justifying everything illegal if not for the state, pehaps for themselves.

In fact, the title speaks for itself-that every rotten societies desperately do everything to protect the status quo or rather those who keep the society as it is, that, includes doing dirty means and even justifying it hardly regardless of countless criticisms encompassing socio-economic and cultural ones-that, according to theirs, in response to the enemy's violence, and thus they are giving a dose of their own medicine.

How wonder these people behind extrajudicial killings, forced abductions and the like wanted those actions to be justified as well-that in the guise of National Security, feirce "Anti-Communism", and perhaps nostalgia for the Marcos dictatorship in the guise of "Discipline" used actions regardless of being contrary to human rights and the like.

Obviously, they banner human rights, yet amongst them even oppose human rights to those being called "Enemies of the state." Once, I remember one writeup said that they are against human rights to everyone by saying:

"Terrorists are not Humans... Human rights dont apply to them... Catch 'em and kill 'em!"

or even say this to justify further, that may affect those who are innocent:

"Murderers, Rapists and any other Criminal don't deserve human rights. Its an abomination that they seem to get better treatment than the victims of crime. We pay to keep them in Jail, we feed them, pay for them to be released and pay for defence lawyers to defend them. ITS NOT ON!! Criminals need to be removed from society in a way it won't cost us to much."

Worse:

"Human rights are GAY."

Sounds ridiculous isn't it that these words are calling nothing but disregard human rights in favor of a stringent security measure that involved extrajudicial actions. These made the image too negative regardless of their justifications.

In Argentina, there is a rhetorical revice used in its judicial process disqualifying arguments that appear to morally equate violent political subversion with illegal repressive activities carried out by the state. This idea, called as "Teoría de los dos demonios", tend to say that the military or any group allied to the reactionary order trying to respond "terroristic" action of the enemy to their own concept of "terrorism." For example, the Escalante massacre made by the Constabulary during the Marcos Regime, was made perhaps in response to the growing threat of rebellion in the province of Negros Occidental yet to the killed, they were simply had the right to protest repression and demand social justice, as mandated in the universal declaration of human rights. but still, they were killed for practicing their rights in the name of National Security and be justified their actions as rebellious and subversive.

Same as the actions laid during oplan Bantay Laya I and II of former President Gloria Macapagala-Arroyo. Disregarding the agreements concerning human rights and international humanitarian law, and justifying the armed actions of the New People's Army as reasons to abduct or illegally arrest progressives or revolutionaries ordered by the system. These actions somehow indeed similar to Argentina and its so-called "Teoría de los dos demonios".

However, the theory was often be vented upon, be attached to those who plead to support "national reconciliation", sometimes appealing to the Christian idea of "forgive and forget" yet not all who can accept it-since to that theory meant justifying revenge, especially to those who are victimized by the system. Worse is that, the main criticism of the state's measures, is that a national state is expected to enforce the law and respect human rights, even when repressing violent criminals that do not show such respect. But speaking of "Violent criminals that do not show such respect", does it include those who are fighting for their beliefs? Who had iron discipline amongst their ranks? Remember, both GRP and the NDF agreed in a statute concerning Prisoners of War, and that includes observance to International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, but do both observing it? The NDF do so since they have the iron discipline (Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention) but how about the GRP, through the AFP? Few may observe while most of them aren't, it showed how ignorant the observance of Human Rights in favor of overtly interpretation of National Security.

Many also have condemned the violence of the guerrilla radical groups like the New People's Army, Alex Boncayao Brigade, MILF or MNLF, even obviously terrorist groups like the Abu Sayyaf (the ends, the means, or both), but then, they also feel much that the atrocities committed by the Armed Forces and their associates, like the CAFGUs, CVOs, and even cultist groups especially during the Martial Law regime in 1972, Cory Aquino's Low Intensity Conflict and Arroyo's Oplan Bantay Lay I and II have a different moral status, since the state under Marital Rule and giving the Armed Forces a degree of control to certain territories also sought to terrorize the citizenry by means of kidnapping, forced disappearance, or illegal arrests without trial or recourse of habeas corpus. Morong 43 for instance are being arrested with a questionable warrant of arrest, hence be called as illegal; yet the Military insist much that they are members of the New People's Army and will do everything, even create farbricated means to justify their actions-that also make a number of them be fully acknowledged their commitment and expressed no regrets.

Well...

The system was and is, still tries to rally its people under a nationalistic pretense in curbing "terrorism", but people are still opposing their moves as more and more innocents, sympathizers, or combatants fighting for a real social change are killed by those who tries to do the former. Worse as they themselves also be given a dose of medicine by the ones who are avenging. The system may justify everything, inclusing the past mistakes of the left that end up rectified and its culprits becoming their propagandists alongside criminals in uniform and so fourth. But still, revenge is still an option to those who can't accept the necessity of the courts, lobbying and the like, countering a demon who pulls everyone backwards.

Senate Offers Revised Rules for Suspects of Terrorism

Senate Offers Revised Rules for Suspects of Terrorism*

By CHARLIE SAVAGE

June 23, 2011

WASHINGTON — The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted for a sweeping and bipartisan package redefining the rules for detaining terrorism suspects, including giving military judges the power to review the cases of prisoners in Afghanistan and mandating military detention for important Qaeda suspects — even if they are captured on United States soil.

The panel approved the package last week 25 to 1 as part of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, and it released a brief summary of the act as a whole. But its detention aspects have received scant attention because the vote took place in a closed session and the text of the legislation has not been made public.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate floor, could be unveiled Friday. Its contents related to the detainee deal — whose architects included the committee chairman, Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, and two leading Republicans on the committee, John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — were described in greater detail by a legislative aide.

One section would direct the military to set up a system of status hearings for prisoners it intends to hold in “long-term custody” in places like the prison at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where about 1,700 men are currently being held without trial. The hearings would be before a military judge, and the prisoners would be represented by a military lawyer.

Under the provision, if the judge were to find that such a prisoner is not an enemy combatant and is being held by mistake, the prisoner could win release. The legislation does not define crucial details, like what counts as “long term” and whether there would be any appeal process.

It is not clear how executive branch officials will react to that provision. Both the Bush and Obama administration have fought to prevent detainees in Afghanistan from having habeas corpus rights in federal court, and executive branch officials have previously expressed concerns that requiring military versions of such hearings for all prisoners would strain resources, the aide said.

Another provision would mandate military detention for people suspected of being “high value” terrorists from Al Qaeda: members of the organization who participated in planning or conducting attacks on the United States. The mandate would exclude United States citizens, and it would allow the secretary of defense to send detainees to the civilian criminal justice system at his discretion.

Andrea J. Prasow of Human Rights Watch called that provision an “outrageous” undermining of prosecutorial discretion, adding that “mandatory military detention is what martial-law states do, not democracies.”

The measure would affect detainee issues in other ways:

¶ Making permanent a restriction against using military funds to build a prison inside the United States to house Guantánamo detainees.

¶ Allowing defendants in military commissions to plead guilty in capital cases.

¶ Codifying in federal statute a parole-board-like system of annual reviews for detainees that President Obama established by executive order this year.

¶ Making permanent a steep set of conditions, previously imposed by Congress as a temporary measure, that must be met before a Guantánamo detainee may be transferred to another country, but also authorizing the secretary of defense to make exceptions to the rules in certain cases.

¶ Declaring that the existing authorization to use military force against the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks includes the power to detain members of Al Qaeda, the Taliban and associated forces.

The provision defining who can be detained is less sweeping than a similar provision in the House version of the bill. Critics have said that version as amounting to a new authorization of open-ended war severed of any connection to the Sept. 11 attacks.

* Url:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/us/politics/24detainee.html

Nato lacks firepower to ensure collapse of Gaddafi regime, experts claim

Nato lacks firepower to ensure collapse of Gaddafi regime, experts claim*

Nato lacks the firepower to ensure the collapse of Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime, defence experts warned on Friday after the Libyan army inflicted a sustained rocket attacks on the western city of Misurata.

By Ruth Sherlock, Misurata, and Damien McElroy

24 Jun 2011

Libyan rebels in Benghazi during Friday prayers Photo: AP

The Western alliance marks 100 days of bombing Libya on Sunday with political leaders adamant that the regime, which violently crushed a popular uprising in February, is isolated and collapsing from within.

However defence analysts said it has still not identified a clear line of attack that would break the veteran leader's grip on power.

"This campaign is about inflicting pain on the regime but there is no precedent where air power alone has taken a government down without encircling the city," said Shashank Joshi, of the Royal United Services Institute.

The Gaddafi regime has shown an ability to overcome setbacks and take advantage of gaps in the coalition air strikes. Re-engineered Grad missiles with a longer range have struck central Misurata – killing two women and a boy – more than a month after the siege of the port was broken.

Residents thought that the weeks of sustained bombardment they endured was over when rebels drove regime troops at least 20 miles beyond the city outskirts, where the front lines have since remained.

Shelling of the city began again this week, with salvos of rockets falling daily and hitting at least four residential neighbourhoods.

The Grad rockets have been adapted to have a longer range so that they may once again hit the city centre said rebel military commanders. "Gaddafi men are using long range, very accurate rockets, possibly from China or Iran. The head is modified with explosive ball bearings," said Salah Badi, commander for the Misurata military forces.

"Families in Misurata are once again living in fear of being killed as rockets rain down on their homes and it's impossible for the terrified residents to find safe shelter," said Donatella Rovera, an Amnesty International researcher. "They must realise that their actions may result in their being made to answer one day to the most serious of charges, of having perpetrated war crimes and crimes against humanity."

The shelling has triggered sharp criticism of Nato. "Every day they target a different area of the city. Now we are all wondering; the mission of Nato is to protect civilians. But every day they bomb, everyday there is at least one victim," said Abdulla Jawid at Misurata's main medical centre. "We are not protected. I haven't left the hospital since Feb. 19 as there are just too many casualties."

However, a senior Foreign office diplomat yesterday insisted the demise of the dictatorship was inevitable. "The momentum has shifted irrevocably against Gaddafi and those around him," he said. "The anger against him is simmering. The question is not if he will go, but when."

But a Nato defence official admitted that Nato planners could not bring overwhelming force against the regime. "Libya is a big country and there will naturally be a limit to what Nato does," the defence official conceded.

Nato has flown 12,000 sorties, including 5,000 attack missions, and hit more than 2,400 targets since launching strikes against Libya 100 days ago on Sunday under a United Nations mandate to protect civilians. However the attacks are paltry compared to the number of strikes in 78-day Kosovo campaign which defeated Serbian aggression in 1999. Then the total number of Nato sorties flown was 38,000.

"Nato has not yet achieved the result it did in the 78 day Kosovo campaign. But it is using only one third of the number of aircraft. Deploying small teams of air controllers or special forces onto the ground could allow air attacks to better coordinated with the rebel forces and thus more effective." said Ben Barry, land warfare fellow at the International Institute of Strategic Studies.

The MoD has estimated that the Libya mission costs Britain £43 million a month. Mr Joshi said a successful campaign is likely to end up costing £900 million.

As Col Gaddafi has defied attacks on his Tripoli bunker and survived defections from his ranks, the Libyan opposition has begun to concede that it may have to water down its demand that he leave the country and face international justice. Mohmoud Shammam, a member of the Transitional National Council said: "We consider that he has to resign himself to leaving or accept retirement in a remote part of Libya. We have no objection to him retreating to a Libyan oasis under international control."

*Url:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8597107/Nato-lacks-firepower-to-ensure-collapse-of-Gaddafi-regime-experts-claim.html

STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF THE 61ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE FATHERLAND LIBERATION WAR

ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF SONGUN POLITICS UK

STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF THE 61ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE FATHERLAND LIBERATION WAR

London 24th of June Juche 100 (2011)

On the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the provocation of the Fatherland Liberation War by the US imperialists and the start of the month of solidarity with the Korean people against US imperialism, the ASSPUK and JISGE issued the following statement:

The US imperialists, the ringleader of the world imperialists and international reactionaries, provoked a war in Korea on the 25th of June 1950 by instigating their south Korean puppets to attack the young Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. The US imperialists fought an unjust aggressive war against the Korean people. The US imperialists launched a war of conquest against the DPRK , a war to destroy the Juche-based people's democratic system in the DPRK as well to destroy socialism in Asia.

The Korean people led by the great revolutionary leader Marshal Kim Il Sung, a true military strategic genius fought a fierce anti imperialist anti US struggle against US imperialism and the allied forces of international reaction. The Korean people fought a national liberation war against the Yankee imperialist invaders, a war of justice for independence and freedom and also a war to reunify the sacred motherland.

The Fatherland Liberation War of the Korean people was a crucible of the Songun idea. We condemn the appalling barbarity of the US imperialists during the Fatherland Liberation.We denounce their crimes of massacring civilians(including Sinchon ri,which I visited myself), use of biological and chemical weapons. The US imperialists tried to exterminate the Korean people by carrying out the war that they long planned . History will curse forever the US imperialists as sub-human murderers and enemy of humanity and progress.

The US imperialist con tine to occupy south Korea and commit crimes such as the murder of the schoolgirls Sim Hyo Sun and Sim Mi Son and other atrocities. They are pulling the strings of the reactionary fascist puppet Lee Myung Bak clique.

The US imperialists are running wild along with the south Korean puppet clique of Lee Myung Bak to ignite the second Korean war . The US imperialists were the behind scenes conspirators of the "Yongphyong Island " incident. False cases such as the "Cheonan incident" have been framed up against the DPRK. The south Korean puppets have made diabolic insults against the DPRK.

On the occasion of the Month of Solidarity with the Korean people we extend our fervent support to the Korean people in the struggle to secure the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the US imperialist aggression forces from the south of Korea. The US imperialists must renounce their hostile policy towards the DPRK.

YANKEES GO HOME !
KOREA IS ONE !

ASSPUK
JISGE

Israeli Soldiers Shoot, Severely Beat Palestinian

Israeli Soldiers Shoot, Severely Beat Palestinian*

Date : 23/6/2011

JERUSALEM, June 23,2011 (WAFA)- Israeli police are detaining Palestinian man Ahmed Ali Mahmoud, 36, in Shaare Zedek hospital west of Jerusalem, despite his injury with live bullets and bruises to his head after an assault by Israeli soldiers yesterday in Al-Issawiya town in Jerusalem.

Mahmoud’s family said his condition is stable after he was shot with a live bullet in his leg, and that he is suffering from wounds and bruises to his face, yet Israeli police continue to bind his hands and feet.

Mahmoud was hit during an Israeli raid on Al-Issawiya yesterday in which soldiers arrested his 10 year old nephew Mohamed Mahmoud Ali. His uncle, Ahmed, rushed to the scene and was shot by Israeli soldiers in his leg at close range. He was then taken away by car and beaten severely, without treatment for his leg. He finally collapsed and was taken to hospital.

* Url:http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16523

IOA orders destruction of Jerusalemite home

IOA orders destruction of Jerusalemite home*

23/06/2011

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- An Israeli court issued a ruling Wednesday in favor of destroying the home of Wael al-Razem in the Wadi Yasul neighborhood of Jerusalem’s Silwan district, claiming the home was built without license.

The family of eight, most of whom are children, was given until the middle of July to evacuate.

The Razems began building in September 2010 and went to reside in their home after a month, Um Mohammed al-Razem said, adding that in November officials from Israel’s Jerusalem municipality came and handed the family a demolition notice.

She said more officers came later to inform them that they were not allowed to make reparations to the home.

She went on to say that the family appointed a lawyer to help fight the demolition decree and tried to get a license to build issued.

* Url:http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7

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Israel calls demolition report 'incorrect'

Israel calls demolition report 'incorrect'*

Published Thursday 23/06/2011

Their homes demolished by the CA on Tuesday, Ahmed Abdullah Harfi and his

family stand in front of the ruins. [MaanImages/Hilary Minch, EAPPI]

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israel's Civil Administration lashed out Wednesday night, calling a rights group report "incorrect and misleading," in its claim that home demolitions had spiked alarmingly in 2011.

Israeli rights group B'Tselem, had published a document saying more homes had been demolished in the first six months of 2011 than in the 12 months of the year before.

"Last week alone, 33 residential structures were demolished in the Jordan Valley and southern Hebron hills," the report said, cataloging the displacement of 706 individuals, including 341 minors.

A representative of the Civil Administration could not be reached for a follow-up comment to specify what in the B'Tselem report was identified as inaccurate or misleading.

"The Civil Administration has not put numbers or explanations to back up their criticisms," B'Tselem spokeswoman Sarit Michaeli told Ma'an, saying the group welcomed any investigation into the findings.

"In order to get the numbers, we corroborated with other rights groups and OCHA, all of our numbers are cross referenced with theirs, and are based on independent field work," Michaeli said, noting that B'Tselem's numbers did not include the demolition of animal shelters and storage containers which are included in reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The Bt'Tselem report also accused the Civil Administration of failing to include Palestinian communities into planning, and wrote that the body does "not enable any construction or development beyond what already exists, making it impossible for Palestinians to build legally in these areas."

In response, the CA said it "has recently formulated new criteria designed to aid in the process of approval of Palestinian urban master plans."

The statement also said it sought to "put things into context and clarify that enforcement [of demolition orders] carried out against the illegal Israeli and Palestinian construction is done due to the authorities' duty to uphold planning and construction law. This activity is carried out according to priorities that have been presented tens of times before the High Court of Justice.

"Among other things, priority is given to buildings that are located in fire zones, thus putting the lives of the residents in danger."

According to the latest report from OCHA, 18 percent of the West Bank has been designated as a "firing zone," a 2009 report notes that much of the land also "overlaps with that which falls under the jurisdiction of Israeli [settlement] regional councils."

Speaking for B'Tselem, Michaeli said the report did not dispute that the structures were illegal under Israeli law, saying "that's the problem."

The report called for "plans for Palestinian communities there that will reflect the needs of the population and enable these communities to develop."

* Url:http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399120

Five-point Policy for National Reunification remembered -KCNA

Five-point Policy for National Reunification remembered

Pyongyang, June 23 (KCNA) -- On June 23, Juche 62 (1973), President Kim Il Sung set forth an important policy for Korea's reunification.

At that time, the entire Korean people were striving to implement the three principles of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity, which were declared as guidelines for national reunification through the July 4 North-South Joint Statement.

But the south Korean authorities were hampering progress in north-south dialogue and seeking to create "two Koreas" in violation of the agreement contained in the joint statement.

They released a "special statement on diplomatic policy for peaceful unification" on June 23, 1973.

The "statement", aimed to keep the country divided into "two Koreas", angered the entire Korean people desirous of national reunification.

Such being the situation, the President, that day, delivered a historic speech "Let Us Prevent a National Partition and Reunify the Country". In the speech he called for removal of military confrontation, relaxation of strained situation and realization of multi-faceted collaboration and exchange between the north and the south, convocation of a national conference involving representatives of various social strata, political parties and public organizations in the two sides, establishment of confederation named Federal Republic of Koryo and its admission to the United Nations.

The five-point policy, which was published four hours after the release of the "statement", enjoyed full support at home and abroad as it reflected the entire Korean people's ardent desire for national reunification.

U.S. Increases Military Expenditure -KCNA

U.S. Increases Military Expenditure

Pyongyang, June 23 (KCNA) -- The United States is squandering a huge amount of fund on war and military intervention in other countries despite its serious economic situation.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the defense budget of 690 billion dollars for the next fiscal year late in May.

The budget contains 119 billion dollars requested by the U.S. Defense Department to fight Iraqi and Afghan wars.

In fiscal 2010 the U.S. administration allocated 534 billion dollars as military expenditure.

For 7 years since March 2003 when it launched a war in Iraq, the U.S. spent 742.3 billion dollars for the war.

The U.S. military expenditure is steadily increasing, while its economic situation is getting worse.

Philadelphia Orchestra renowned for its 100 odd years of history declared its bankruptcy in mid-April, an impact of the economic crisis sweeping across the U.S.

The number of tickets sold drastically decreased in recent years as a consequence of the economic depression and, in the long run, the orchestra was overburdened with deficit.

According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, the budgetary deficit of the country reached 57.6 billion dollars in May, 17.2 billion dollars more than the previous month.

The trading deficit was 43.7 billion dollars in April.

The number of the jobless stood at 13.9 million in May countrywide.

All facts show that the reckless policy of aggression and war against other countries leads to bankruptcy and self-destruction.

CPP dismisses AFP reports of NPA killed in Negros as "psywar hogwash"

CPP dismisses AFP reports of NPA killed in Negros as "psywar hogwash"*

Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines
June 23, 2011

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today dismissed claims by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that six Red fighters of the New People's Army (NPA) were killed in encounters with the military in Pamplona, Negros Oriental last Saturday.

"These reports are pure psywar hogwash," said the CPP. According to the CPP, these reports were issued by Col. Jonas Sumagaysay of the 3rd Infantry Division "who is notorious for churning out one lie after another in the military's desperation to cover up both its losses in the battlefield and failure to win the people's support."

"Aside from citing imaginary 'informants' within the revolutionary movement as his so-called sources," said the CPP, "he is unable to produce even one body of a fallen NPA fighter."

"In Negros, the AFP's victories over the people's revolution exist only in Colonel Sumagaysay's delusions," said the CPP. "In reality, the NPA is steadily growing in Negros as hundreds of thousands of peasants suffer mass poverty and hunger due to the drop in prices of export crops, massive land grabbing and dislocation, unemployment, spiralling costs of basic necessities and widespread militarization."

The CPP further cited earlier false claims by Colonel Sumagaysay that five NPA fighters were killed in an encounter last April 24 in Calatrava, Negros Occidental. His claims later turned out to be a complete reversal of the truth. According to local reports, at least four soldiers of the 60th IB were killed in an NPA ambush on April 24. Several other troops were wounded in this gunbattle, with the rest scampering away instead of fighting.

"Colonel Sumagaysay's lies form part of the psywar campaign being carried out by the AFP under Oplan Bayanihan," said the CPP. "Military spokesmen and psywar experts compete with each another in coming up with the most preposterous lies to cover up the AFP's human rights violations and portray its brutal campaigns as peace and development operations."

* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/information-bureau-communist-party-of.html

LPC launches Coordinated Harassments and Checkpoints -NPA (NDF)

LPC launches Coordinated Harassments and Checkpoints*

Ka JB Regalado
Leonardo Panaligan Command,
NPA-Central Negros
June 22, 2011

The Leonardo Panaligan Command contributed it’s share in the launching of an island wide tactical offensives vs the fascist AFP especially the 11th IB Killer Battalion. Three detachments in oriental and one detachment in the occidental side were fired upon at 12 AM last June 13, 2011. The NPA challenged the soldiers to come out from their bunkers but they were afraid to do so.

At the same time other units of the LPC conducted checkpoints in the national highways of the Oriental and Occidental side in search of soldiers and criminals especially with blood debts against the people and with standing warrants of arrest from the people’s court . The AFP and PNP camps nearby did not respond for fear of engagement.

Before the coordinated actions of June 13, members of the revolutionary Pambansang Katipunan ng Magbubukid (PKM) held noise barrages and bonfires in several barrios, town and cities of central Negros. Also joining the actions were members of the Kabataang Makabayan who pasted posters and painted revolutionary slogans in the town and city proper.

The mobilization of hundreds of NPA regulars, militias and self-defense units under the LPC for the June 13 coordinated actions show the systematic and well planned maneuvers of the Red Army supported by thousands of its mass base. The AFP and PNP were caught flatfooted.

Col Jonas Sumagaysay should now consider rewriting a different script of his fantasy “Oplan Panghilamon”.

The revolutionary movement in central Negros will continue to launch more offensives as a noble contribution to the national advance towards strategic stalemate in the next 5 years.

* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/lpc-launches-coordinated-harassments.html

NPA punishes hardened Intel Assets and Criminals

NPA punishes hardened Intel Assets and Criminals*

Andrea Guerrero
Armando Sumayang, Jr. Command,
Southwest Negros Guerilla Front, Negros Island
June 22, 2011

Operatives of the NPA under the Armando Sumayang Jr Command successfully meted out revolutionary punishment against military intelligence assets Titing Pase last June 5, 2011 at Sityo Lamintaw, Brgy San Jose Sipalay City and Ramil “Rigor” Escora last June 19, 2011 at 7:10 PM in Sityo Kandabid, Brgy Tuyom Cauayan.

Confiscated from Rigor who attempted to lob a grenade from his hip bag was 1 apple grenade and 2 shot gun cartridges, 1 Nokia 1800 cellphone and his wallet containing an ID of KAPILI Inc of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and P140 with cellphone numbers of his possible companions in the criminal syndicate.

Rigor admitted to his crimes as an active intel asset of the AFP and his participation in the counter-revolutionary and antipeople activities despite being warned several times. He was also active in a criminal syndicate and named several of his companions as assets of the AFP.

Besides being active as military assets the two are also involved in anti-people activities as hired goons. Their “intel asset” is just a cover-up of criminal activities like the ff:

1. Titing Pase- ex- CAFGU

a. Act as guide in combat operations of the military like the raid of the 61st IB on an NPA camp in Sityo Lamintaw, Brgy San Jose, Sipalay City last August 28, 2008 where three soldiers were KIA and four WIA when the NPA launch a counter-offensive.

b. Manhandling of a comrade the military caught in 2008

c. Involve in the killing of three innocent children that they buried in the Sinking Pit of the Maricalum Mining Corporation and other innocent people they claimed to be “scrappers.”

d. Murder of the President of Purok Mainuswagon, Brgy Camindangan, Sipalay City named PAran.

2. Ramil “Rigor” Escora- ex-RPA member (not ex-NPA) who was release on bail on an illegal Possession of Firearms case.

a. Active member of a criminal syndicate composed of goons for hire involved in the killing of Meroy Tan of Sityo Patol, Brgy Caliling and Lorit Robina of So Boclao, Brgy Tuyom all of Cauayan whose land was landgrabbed. He was also involved in other murders.

b. Involved in the hold-up in Cauayan and Dumaguete City ( he was wounded in an operation intercepted by the PNP but was able to escape.)

c. Create fear and panic among the people when he gets drunk, he points a gun to anyone, fire discriminately and beats people including his wife. On this successful operations, the NPA would like to thank the masses for their brave support to the NPA, allies who are working in the reactionary government who provided data regarding the targets.

For the likes of Rigor and Titing who are intel assets and criminal elements and their protectors in uniform in the AFP and PNP, we warn you to stop your anti-people activities. No doubt the NPA will implement the decision of the Revolutionary People’s Court to give justice to the victims and the people.

We are open to talk with disgruntled elements of the AFP, PNP and CAFGU who have manifested dismay against the reactionary government and are willing to cooperate with the revolutionary movement.

* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/npa-punishes-hardened-intel-assets-and.html

NPA meets newly deployed 78th IB with offensives; 21 soldiers killed

NPA meets newly deployed 78th IB with offensives; 21 soldiers killed*

Efren Martires Command
New People's Army-Eastern Visayas
June 22, 2011

The Efren Martires Command of the New People's Army in Eastern Visayas today said the 78th IB newly deployed to Leyte had been met with tactical offensives last March and lost 21 soldiers to the Mt. Amandewin Command. “The latest report by MAC belies the downplaying in the media by 802nd Infantry Brigade chief Col. John Bonafos that the 78th IB suffered only one casualty killed last March in an alleged encounter,” said Ka Karlos Manuel, EMC spokesperson. “The truth is the MAC reports that 18 soldiers were killed in three NPA tactical offensives last March. Three more soldiers were killed in a misencounter shortly after. Meanwhile, four Red fighters were slightly wounded by shrapnel from enemy return fire.”

Manuel said the fascist troops had launched military operations in terrain characterized by steep ravines favorable to NPA offensives. “The enemy operations commenced on Feb. 4, when about 140 troops from the 19th IB illegally encamped inside the barrios between Albuera and Baybay towns and conducted anti-communist propaganda under Oplan Bayanihan. On March 2, the new troops from the 78th IB took over and conducted offensive operations. The MAC decided to mount offensives against the enemy troops for causing hardships to civilians and because of favorable circumstances.

“On March 8 in Sityo Mati, Brgy. Antipolo, Albuera, Red fighters of the MAC ambushed a platoon of the 78th IB at 4:00 p.m. In the more than 40-minute battle, six soldiers were killed and the rest were pinned down. The Red fighters then temporarily withdrew. At 6:00 a.m. the next day, a smaller NPA unit returned and for 10 minutes harassed the enemy troops who were pinned down. Five more soldiers were killed.

“On March 13, in Sityo Buwak, Brgy. Tinag-an, Albuera, the Red fighters again ambushed another platoon of the 78th IB at about 10:00 a.m. Seven soldiers were killed in more than an hour of fighting. Furthermore, on March 18, three soldiers were killed in a misencounter between demoralized enemy units conducting continuous operations.”

The EMC spokesperson said the NPA victories were rejoiced by the people who were harassed by the military, as well as raised the morale and fighting spirit of the NPA. Manuel added the military was using its troops like cannon fodder and called on the soldiers to surrender when given the chance because they would be spared. “The intense military operations in Leyte expose the soft descriptions of Oplan Bayanihan as sweet nothings. The main objectives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines remain the defeat or crippling of the NPA by military means. But with the support of the people and with superior guerrilla tactics, the NPA is turning the tables on the AFP. The NPA is calling on the soldiers to stop throwing away their lives needlessly in fighting poor people like them. Surrender when given the chance because the NPA accords lenient treatment of prisoners of war in line with international humanitarian law. The continuing NPA victories in Leyte will doom Oplan Bayanihan and contribute to raising the people's war to a new and higher level.”

* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/npa-meets-newly-deployed-78th-ib-with.html

The 61st IB is haunted by ghosts of its own crimes against the people! -NPA (NDF)

The 61st IB is haunted by ghosts of its own crimes against the people!*

Jurie Guerrero
Jose Percival Estocada, Jr. Command,
NPA-Central Panay
June 16, 2011

Around 9 o’clock in the evening of June 12, 2011, angry civilians fired at the 61st IB troops staying at the covered gym of Barangay Roosevelt, Tapaz, Capiz. Cpl. Pagurayan was hit in the thigh with shotgun pellets. The terrified reactionary troops fired armalites and machine guns into the direction of houses in the barangay for almost 20 minutes.

Residents in several intermediate and upland barangays in Tapaz have long been complaining of the military’s occupation of their gyms or multipurpose halls in the center of the barangay and making use of civilians as human shields against the military’s enemies. But the 61st IB has turned a deaf ear to these complaints and insists on staying in the barangay centers as part of their program to control the

population under the US-Aquino regime’s Oplan Bayanihan.

The 61st IB keeps trying to deceive the people that they have changed for the better and are now different from the hated 47th IB. Under Oplan Bayanihan, they are purportedly focusing now on improving the people’s socio-economic situation against poverty. But what has Oplan Bayanihan, and the 61st IB that is carrying this out, actually done to alleviate the hardships the people are undergoing now?

1. Continued landgrabbing. Instead of returning the ancestral lands to the indigenous people of Capiz; the 3rd Infantry Division, Philippine Army, which commands both the 47th IB and the 61st IB, continues to arrogate the tumanduk’s ancestral lands for its army reservation. Already reeling from poverty because of their poor harvests and the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, the people face the added burden of losing their farmlands to the landgrabbing 3ID and government-endorsed projects like the Jalaur dam and Teresa Marble mines that bring

disaster, not development, to the lives and livelihood of the indigenous people in the mountains of Tapaz and Calinog.

2. Sowing terror, anxiety, and distrust among the people to destroy their peace of mind and unity. The presence of armed troops in the center of the village breeds anxiety among the people especially the women and children who fear they will be hit by bullets. Last month, drunken troops of the 61st IB fired shots indiscriminately in Brgy Roosevelt. Troops that stay in the villages continue their deception and psywar to make the people distrust each other and destroy their unity, thereby weakening their capacity to struggle for their rights.

3. Encouraging immorality. In Brgy Roosevelt this May 2011, the 61IB brought in prostitutes and pimped them to some men who incurred diseases afterwards. This is not far removed from Aglinab last year where the 47IB constantly showed pornographic movies to children even if the parents have told them not to.

4. Increasing crime. When the 47IB stayed in Brgy Aglinab last 2010, and the 61IB in Brgy. Roosevelt this May 2011, carabaos were stolen. These crimes do not happen during the times that the military troops are not in the barangay.

Anyhow, the people know that the butcher 61st IB is no different from the previous brutal 47IB. And this is why their patience is growing thin and though they have inferior firearms, they try to fight.

The 61st IB also knows that despite all their deception and pretense at being new, they are still the old, butcher 61st IB who executed Benjie Bayles, tortured to death Moreto Arcademia, and oppressed hundreds of people in Negros. The 61st IB knows that the people’s justice will follow them wherever they go. And so they are afraid of the people around them, and just the shot of a village resident makes them think they are being harassed by the NPA.

With their incessant deception, disruption of the peace, and threats to the people, it won’t be long till they come across real harassment from the NPA. If they continue to turn a deaf ear on the people’s legitimate demands, the NPA is there to uphold the people’s interests and drive them away by a real tactical offensive.

* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/61st-ib-is-haunted-by-ghosts-of-its-own.html

Oplan BAYANIHAN of the Aquino Regime will never be successful -NDF

Oplan BAYANIHAN of the Aquino Regime will never be successful*

Ka Frank Fernandez
NDF-Negros spokesperson
June 15, 2011

Just like the Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2 and other Oplans of the past regimes and the AFP, THE Oplan Bayanihan of the US-Aquino Regime will never be successful in it’s objective of destroying the revolutionary strength of the Party, NPA and the mass base and the organs of political power of the people in the countrysides. The defeat of the reactionary enemy is certain because they can no longer halt the historical march of the oppressed and the exploited people that continue to advance despite the difficult and complicated path of the armed struggle in order to complete the national democratic revolution and establish a socialist society for the Filipino people.

As an extension of the Oplan Bantay Laya and a copycat of the January 2009 Counterinsurgency Guide, Oplan Bayanihan will be more brutal and bloody military campaign of the Aquino regime but is only deodorized by the psywar packaging as a “new program” for “development, peace, and human rights” and the facelifting of the AFP using the “nice-to-hear” activities of the CMO and PR offensives. Their tall ambition is to destroy within three years the armed revolutionary movement that has been existing in the last 42 years, drive the AFP and the PNP to commit desperate and grave fascist crimes and violate people’s rights and destroy legitimate organizations struggling for nationalist and democratic interest of the people.

Not all the time, they can replace the rottenness, fascist and anti-people nature of the counter-revolutionary military campaign of any regime and its fascist instruments like the AFP and PNP with “beautiful words.” And like the past regimes, Pres Aquino, his peti-bourgeois and bourgeois propagandists cannot mask with empty rhetorics the puppetry of the reactionary government to US imperialism and as a political institution of the fascist reign of big bourgeois compradors and landlords in order to worsen the systematic exploitation and oppression of the Filipino people.

The militarist solution and grandiose psywar is but the natural means of a regime to maintain and defend the unjust semi-colonial and semi feudal social system of the country that is now confronted with a worsening economic crisis and widespread discontent and rage of the people and an advancing armed struggle in the countrysides as a result of the absence of real land reform and nationalist industrialization and from the impact of the crisis of the world capitalist system including the the US triggered along with it’s allies campaign of exploitation,oppression and war of aggression against nations and peoples in the Middle East and Africa.

Instead of implementing land reform and nationalist industrialization and scrapping the anti-people oil deregulation law, 12% EVAT on oil, the Visiting Forces Agreement, and the lowering of prices of basic commodities, Pres Aquino and his US imperialist master strengthened the armed capacity of the fascist AFP and PNP in order to launch an expansive, non-productive and unjust counter-revolutionary war that will surely be a failure.

* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/oplan-bayanihan-of-aquino-regime-will.html

Continuing human rights violations in North Cotabato -NPA (NDF)

Continuing human rights violations in North Cotabato*

Macario Dilaab
Mt. Alip Operations Command,
NPA FarSouth Mindanao Region
09 June 2011

The Mt. Alip Operations Command of the New People's Army condemns the continuing harassment and illegal detention of innocent civilians in the "Peace Zone" areas of Tulunan, North Cotabato by the 68th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (IB-AFP).

Most recent victim is Andres Amualla, 27 years old, a long-time surenderee who has been peacefully farming his lot in Sitio Alimodian, Brgy. Banayal, Tulunan, North Cotabato. Andres is the younger brother of Dodoy Amualla who was abducted by the 57th Infantry Battalion in 2009 and has never been heard of up to this day.

While it has almost been a decade since Andres Amualla resigned from the revolutionary movement and even “surrendered” to the mayor of Tulunan last year, the enemy’s harassment and persecution on the Amualla family continues.

The Mt. Alip Command categorically denies having any connection with farmer Andres Amualla. He is an innocent civilian trying to eke out an existence in the "peace zone". The military’s accusation that they found ammunition and other explosive material in his farm is patently absurd and is an obvious frame-up. Barrio folks affirm and insist that Andres is a peace-loving ordinary farmer and must be freed unconditionally.

* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/continuing-human-rights-violations-in.html

On the “wild stories” of Col Jonas Sumagaysay -NDF

On the “wild stories” of Col Jonas Sumagaysay*

Ka Frank Fernandez
NDF-Negros
June 14, 2011

Col Jonas Sumagaysay’s tongue seems to be growing longer everyday as he spread “wild stories” to entertain the mass media ang the public. His most favorite are the topics where he says “maybe, possibly and could be” that NPAs suffered defeats and casualties as a result of the successful military operations and the infighting between NPA units.

This pattern of spreading lies and dis-information by Col Sumagaysay and other officials of the Phil Army in Negros is based on the directive of the GHQ-AFP to all area commands of the AFP in the country to enhance their grandiose psywar offensives as an important component of Oplan Bayanihan.

As a fascist instrument of the ruling big compradors and landlords and their US imperialist master, the AFP and PNP has the mastery of psywar operations using lies, deceit, disinformation and intrigues to carry out their desperate objective of dividing, demoralize and weaken the unity and morale of the revolutionary forces and the people and for them to successfully deliver a decisive military engagement in destroying the NPA. Because the AFP and PNP serves the interest of the ruling exploitative and oppressive classes, it is impossible for them to uphold the truth to serve in enlightening, educate, organize and mobilize the people in resolving the social roots of the problem of poverty, hunger, unemployment, injustice and the absence of development in the Philippines.

It is not the lies and fabrications of such that the AFP with their CMO-related activities in the countrysides and the urban centers get the sympathy and support of the people. They cannot hide from the eyes of the public the intensification of militarization and terrorist atrocities of the state against the people and the worsening economic crisis of the country. What manifest these naked truths is the early decline of the popularity rating of their commander-in-chief Benigno Aquino III, the report of the Amnesty International on the continuing human rights violations and the advance of the protest movement in the whole country.

* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/on-wild-stories-of-col-jonas-sumagaysay.html

The Truth Behind the Encounters between the Philippine Army and the NPA

The Truth Behind the Encounters between the Philippine Army and the NPA*

Ka Frank Fernandez
NDF-Negros
June 13, 2011

Base on the reports received by the NDF-Negros office from the Roselyn Pelle Command and the Mt.Talines Command show that the 302nd and 303rd Bdes Phil Army reports and their psywar propagandists regarding accounts of the said incidents are tainted with lies.

The continous fabrications of lies by Lt Col Gubat and Col Jonas Sumagaysay and their psywar specialists like SSGT Batoy Imbang, state that the encounters of their troops against the NPA last April 14 in Dugma, Malatas, Calatrava resulted in the death of 5 NPA and the wounding of 9 others. The truth is while 15 elements of the 62nd IB PA were resting in a hut, a unit of the NPA nearby monitored the enemy’s presence. The NPA command after analyzing the military situation at hand decided to launch a tactical offensive by secretly approaching the target. Because the enemy unit was too tired after a clearing operation, it never notice the approaching NPA fighters. The soldiers were startled by the first volley of concentrated fire that resulted to four KIA and many WIAs. Some enemy soldiers were able to get out of the hut and scampered for safety. The NPA CO believing that military reinforcements were just nearby decided to withdraw immediately without taking the rifles of the dead soldiers and the wounded who could no longer fight.

With regards to the other encounter between the 2nd Scout Ranger and a unit of the NPA in Sitio Abocado, Talalac, Sta Catalina, Negros Oriental last May 3, military officials and psywar specialists reported that many NPAs were wounded. Because the incident was first leaked to the mass media, Phil Army officials wa forced to admit on the death of Capt Montenegro and the wounding of another soldier. However field reports gathered show that the Scout Ranger unit suffered more that two casualties. In order to cover-up and trim down news reports of the casualties of the SR units the military harped on the psy-war issue on the fantasized case of rape committed by a certain Ka Demlan against an under-aged amazon.

The two incidents above are just part of numerous cases of lies by the Phil Army based on it’s official policy of hiding their casualties in the mass media. However they negate this policy as they “reason” out that families of dead soldiers need to know the truth so they can get their pensions and benefits. But what the public didn’t know, the Phil Army transported its KIAs and WIAs aboard a helicopter and usually ferry these to funeral parlors in Cebu City to avoid the highly alert mass media in Bacolod City.

* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/truth-behind-encounters-between.html

South Korea accused on lobbying for anti-DPRK act

South Korea accused on lobbying for anti-DPRK act

Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- The DPRK condemned the south Korean group of traitors for their ongoing attempt to lobby "north Korean human rights act", extremely provocative to the DPRK, despite the strong protest of people at home and abroad.

The Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea made this criticism in its information bulletin No. 973 on Monday.

The act is an anti-reunification and confrontation law aimed at sinister political purposes to slander and defile the socialist system of the DPRK and the dignity of its leadership and undermine it from within, the bulletin said, adding:

The south Korean puppet group made several attempts so far to enact this law but failed with rejection by people at home and abroad.

Now it is again trying to railroad the law through the "National Assembly", which shows how far the group has gone in inciting confrontation.

The "north Korean human rights act" is an anti-reunification, treacherous and inhumane law much more vicious than the notorious "National Security Law" in terms of its character, purpose and contents.

Through this act, the group of traitors seeks to justify abduction of DPRK citizens, psychological warfare against it and other confrontation and smear campaigns and lay a legal foundation for such moves.

In this way it schemes to realize its pipedream about "contingency" and "unification under the liberal and democratic system."

Such attempt is just an official and total denial of the system, sovereignty and dignity of the DPRK and it is for legalizing confrontation in system with the DPRK. This is a reckless deed designed to totally break the north-south agreement on recognizing and respecting the system of each side and push the north-south relations deeper to deadlock and confrontation.

If the puppet group enacts the criminal act, the army and people of the DPRK who regard socialism as their life and soul will consider it as an official declaration of war against the system and people of the DPRK and the second "target case" and take decisive counteraction against it.

The group will be entirely to blame for unimaginable grave consequences to be entailed by its persistent moves to enact the anti-DPRK law despite the DPRK's warning, it said.

LET US PREVENT A NATIONAL PARTITION AND REUNIFY THE COUNTRY

LET US PREVENT A NATIONAL PARTITION AND REUNIFY THE COUNTRY

Speech at the Pyongyang Mass Rally to Welcome the Party and Government Delegation

of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

By KIM IL SUNG

June 23, 1973

(Excerpt)

Comrades and friends, Today the international situation is developing in favor of socialism and the revolutionary forces and to the disadvantage of imperialism and the reactionary forces.

In the face of the growing forces of socialism and the national-liberation, working-class and democratic movements, imperialism is on the decline and is finding itself in a more difficult situation with every passing day. To find a way out, the imperialists are resorting to more cunning double-dealing tactics.

The United States is carrying on aggressive and interventionist activities in many parts of the world under the pretence of “peace” and is trying to maintain its colonial domination by suppressing small nations by force while improving its relations with big ones.

This is fully proved by its aggressive actions and intervention against Korea, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Laos, a number of Arab countries, Cuba and many other nations of the world.

The United States wants to hold onto south Korea for ever as a major stronghold to save its colonial ruling system which is falling into total disarray in Asia.

Adopting two-faced tactics under the “Nixon doctrine”, the United States is not willing to desist from its plans to instigate south Korea’s bellicose elements to make Koreans fight Koreans, perpetuate the division of Korea and create two Koreas, even after the North-South Joint Statement was published and dialogue started between the two parts of Korea.

In step with these US machinations, the south Korean authorities are also employing double-dealing tactics. They are scheming to perpetuate the division of the nation and are exerting every effort to reinforce their military strength, claiming to practice “peaceful reunification” on the one hand and, on the other, openly clamoring for “confrontation with dialogue”, “competition with dialogue” and “coexistence with dialogue”.

Because of all this the dialogue between the north and south of Korea is not progressing as it should and a big obstacle still lies in the way to reunification, despite the consistent, sincere efforts of our Party and the Government of our Republic for the country’s independent, peaceful reunification. Consequently the bright prospect for national reunification which was opened before our nation when the historic North-South Joint Statement was published a year ago is being dam aged.

Because of our earnest desire to get over the difficult situation created today and bring about the people’s long-cherished aspiration for peaceful national reunification as soon as possible, we hereby reaffirm before the world the policy of our Party and the Government of our Republic for independent, peaceful reunification:

1. To improve the present relations between the north and south of Korea and accelerate the peaceful reunification of the country, it is necessary, first of all, to eliminate military confrontation and ease tension between the north and south.

To remove military confrontation and alleviate tension between north and south is a matter of pressing urgency and vital importance at present in dispelling the misunderstanding and mistrust and deepening mutual understanding and trust, creating an atmosphere of great national unity, ameliorating the relations between the north and south and bringing about the peaceful reunification of the country.

The military confrontation between north and south with huge armed forces in itself constitutes not only a major factor which threatens peace in our country but also a source of misunderstanding and mis trust.

Only when this fundamental question is solved can tension and mistrust between the north and south be removed, a climate of trust be created and all problems be settled successfully on the basis of mutual trust. It is unnatural to advocate peaceful reunification and hold a dialogue, with a dagger in one’s pocket. Unless the dagger is taken out and laid down, it is impossible to create an atmosphere of mutual trust or find satisfactory solutions to any problems, large or small, related to the country’s reunification, including that of achieving collaboration and interchange between the north and south.

Therefore, as the first step for the peaceful reunification of the country, we have more than once advanced to the south Korean authorities the five-point proposal: to cease the reinforcement of armies and the arms race, make all foreign troops withdraw, reduce armed forces and armaments, stop the introduction of weapons from abroad and to conclude a peace agreement.

However, the south Korean authorities are determined to postpone the solution of this urgent problem and gradually solve matters of secondary importance through different stages. Actually this is intended not to increase mutual trust and promote great national unity, but to maintain and freeze the territorial division, keeping the painful wound of national partition unhealed.

If they truly desire peaceful reunification and seek the practical solution of the reunification question, the south Korean authorities must renounce this position and take the course of removing military confrontation.

2. To improve north-south relations and expedite the country’s reunification, it is necessary to bring about multilateral collaboration and interchange between the north and south in the political, military, diplo matic, economic and cultural fields.

Multilateral collaboration and interchange between the north and south are of tremendous importance in reuniting the severed ties of the nation and providing preconditions for reunification. Only when such collaboration and interchange are brought about, will it be possible to consolidate the peace agreement to be concluded between north and south.

The south Korean authorities propose in words that both sides “completely open” their societies to each other, but in actual fact they are afraid of tearing down any of the barriers between the north and south and are dead set against interchange and collaboration between the two parts of the country.

The south Korean authorities are not collaborating with their fellow countrymen now; in collusion with outside forces, they are bringing in foreign monopoly capital without limit to reduce the south Korean economy completely to a dependent economy. They are even spoiling our beautiful land by introducing polluting industries which are rejected as “rubbish” in foreign countries.

We again emphasize that if the south Korean authorities have a spark of national conscience, they should obviously strive to develop the economy in the interests of our nation through the joint exploitation of our country’s natural resources and bring about national collaboration in all spheres.

3. In order to settle the question of the country’s reunification in conformity with the will and demand of our people, it is necessary to enable the masses of people of all levels in the north and south to participate in the nationwide patriotic work for national reunification.

We consider that the dialogue between the north and south for national reunification should not be confined to the authorities of the north and south but should be held on a nationwide scale.

To this end, we propose convening a Great National Congress composed of representatives of people of all walks of life—the workers, working peasants, working intellectuals, students and soldiers in the north, and the workers, peasants, students, intellectuals, military person nel, national capitalists and petty bourgeoisie in south Korea—and the representatives of political parties and social organizations in the north and south, and comprehensively discuss and solve the question of the country’s reunification at this congress.

4. In speeding up the country’s reunification it is very important, today, to institute a north-south Confederation under the name of a single country.

It goes without saying that there may be various ways to achieve the complete reunification of the country.

Under the prevailing conditions we think that the most reasonable way for reunification is to convene the Great National Congress and achieve national unity, and on this basis, institute the north-south Confederation, leaving the two existing social systems in north and south as they are for the time being.

If the north-south Confederation is instituted, it will be good to call this federal state the Federal Republic of Koryo after Koryo, a united state which once existed on our territory and was widely known to the world. This will be a good name for the state, and acceptable to both the north and south.

The founding of the Federal Republic of Koryo will open up a decisive phase in preventing national partition, bringing about all-round contact and collaboration between the north and south and in hastening complete reunification.

5. We consider that our country should be prevented from being partitioned into “two Koreas” permanently as a result of the freezing of national division and that the north and south should also work together in the field of external affairs.

Of course we are developing state relations with all countries friendly to our Republic on the principle of equality and mutual benefit; but we resolutely oppose all intrigues designed to make use of this to create “two Koreas”.

We maintain that the north and south should not enter the UN separately, and consider that if they want to enter the UN before the reunification of the country, they should enter it as a single state under the name of the Federal Republic of Koryo, at least after the Con federation is set up.

But apart from the question of admission to the UN, if the Korean question is placed on its agenda for discussion, the representative of our Republic should be entitled to take part in it and speak as the party concerned.

Our people are a single people who have lived with the same culture and the same language through many centuries, and they cannot live separated into two parts.

Our proposal is to remove military confrontation and ease tension between the north and south, bring about multilateral collaboration and interchange between the two parts, convene the Great National Congress composed of representatives of people of all levels and political parties and social organizations in the north and south, institute the north-south Confederation under the single name of the Federal Republic of Koryo and enter the UN under that name. When this proposal for the country’s reunification is put into effect, there will be a great improvement in accomplishing the historic cause of peaceful national reunification on the principle of the North-South Joint Statement, as commonly desired by our people and the world’s people.

We expect the south Korean authorities to approach this new fair proposal of ours for reunification sincerely.

At the same time we strongly demand that the United States must face up to the rapidly changing situation of today, withdraw its troops from south Korea as soon as practicable and discontinue its aggression and intervention against our country.

If the United States thinks that it can swallow small nations one by one, while improving its relations with big powers only, or maintain its colonial domination by propping up its minions, already forsaken by the people, under the slogan of “anti-communism”, it is seriously mistaken. This policy of the United States is more likely to arouse the resistance and hatred of the majority of the world’s people and hasten its ruin.

We think that the UN should now strike at the United States’ scheme to justify the occupation of south Korea by its troops under the pretext of the UN “resolution”.

The UN must take the “UN forces” helmets off the US troops in south Korea, make them withdraw and dissolve the “United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea” and thus remove all the obstacles it has raised to hamper the independent, peaceful reunification of Korea, in keeping with the trend of the present times towards independence and peace. This is demanded by the general world situation.

It is the Japanese militarists who are still working desperately in the international arena as the most active followers of the US imperialists in their ill-fated plots to meddle in our internal affairs. We again warn the Japanese militarists that they must also face facts squarely, give up their hostile policy against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and desist from their cunning attempts to seize an opportunity to give effect to their wild desire to invade south Korea again.

Immediate halt to U.S. Sabre Rattling in DPRK Demanded -KCNA

Immediate halt to U.S. Sabre Rattling in DPRK Demanded

Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- Some days ago the U.S. forces in south Korea conducted combined tactical exercises in Phaju City, Kyonggi Province with the puppet forces. Involved in the maneuvers were huge aggression troops including tanks, armored cars, artillery pieces and unmanned reconnaissance planes belonging to the 1st Brigade of the U.S. 2nd Division and the 2nd Armored Brigade of the 1st Corps of the puppet army.

Timed to coincide with these exercises, joint ground exercises were staged in Phaju and Koyang cities, Kyonggi Province, with civilians, administrative officials and police involved.

Rodong Sinmun Monday observes in a by-lined commentary in this regard:

The above-said saber-rattling is a blatant challenge to the DPRK and a revelation of a criminal scenario to escalate the military tension on the Korean Peninsula and ignite a war of aggression against it at any cost, the commentary notes, and continues:

The danger of the recent maneuvers lies in that they were just like an overture of a ground attack to be mounted on the DPRK from an area close to the Military Demarcation Line.

What should not be overlooked is the fact that the U.S. imperialists hurled into the war maneuvers the Bradley armored cars which they used in the land attack operations in Iraq in 2003.

It is by no means fortuitous that the above-said tactical maneuvers were staged by the U.S. warmongers who are contemplating conducting joint military maneuvers in the waters around Paekryong Island with south Korean puppet forces in July.

It is their scenario to finally round off their naval strike operation in the waters around Paekryong Island and ground attack operation in the areas along the MDL in an effort to create a phase favorable for provoking the second Korean War. The combined tactical exercise staged by them in the area close to the MDL was to serve that purpose.

The U.S. would be well advised to stop at once the above-said adventurous saber-rattling.

Rodong Sinmun on WPK's line of giving priority to ideological work -KCNA

Rodong Sinmun on WPK's line of giving priority to ideological work

Pyongyang, June 19 (KCNA) -- It is the consistent leadership principle of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) to give priority to ideology, says Rodong Sinmun on Sunday.

The daily dedicates a by-lined article to the anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il 's work "Giving Priority to Ideological Work Is Essential For Accomplishing Socialism."

The work, published on June 19, Juche 84 (1995), elaborates on theoretical and practical issues arising in ideological work.

They include the importance of the ideological work in accomplishing the socialist cause, its essence and main task as well as contents, principles and methods.

The article said:

Kim Jong Il made sure that the ideology and fighting spirit of the People's Army prevail throughout the country. This is a result of the wise leadership he provided to advance the socialist cause by dint of ideology.

He also has constantly improved the styles and methods of the party ideological work in line with the demand of the stirring reality.

The Songun leadership of Kim Jong Il made the solider spirit become prevalent in the country and encouraged the army and people to stage a vigorous drive to effect a great surge.

The DPRK is now making leaps forward by the concerted efforts of the army and people. Armed with the revolutionary soldier spirit, they are performing great feats in the drive for a surge making advance at the Huichon speed, a new Chollima speed. This is the true picture of the DPRK today.

Under the leadership of Kim Jong Il , brisk agitation activities of various styles and methods including agitation through visual aids and art performances have been positively conducted everywhere the drive for a great surge is staged.

STATEMENT CONGRATULATING KIM JONG IL'S 47TH ANNIVERSARY OF KOREAN WORKER'S PARTY LEADERSHIP

UK KOREAN FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION

STATEMENT CONGRATULATING KIM JONG IL'S 47TH ANNIVERSARY OF KOREAN WORKER'S PARTY LEADERSHIP

London June 18th Juche 100 (2011)

The UK Korean Friendship Association today issued a statement on the 47th anniversary of the start of the work of the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il at the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea on June 19th.

The great leader comrade Kim Jong Il 's leadership over the WPK for nearly five decades saw many great achievements. He continued with the cause of Juche party building initated by the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung and solidly built up the Workers' Party of Korea as a Juche party and the party of the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung. Comrade Kim Jong Il's guidance to the WPK has ensured that it has maintained independence its all it's activities. The WPK has weathered all sorts of storms and stresses.

Comrade Kim Jong Il has made sure that the Workers' Party of Korea achieved strong internal unity based on the Juche idea . Moreover society in the DPRK is a hamonious whole, one big family, the like of which is not seen anywhere else in the world.

UK KFA applaud this momentous anniversary. We believe that the DPRK under the guidance of the WPK and leader Kim Jong Il will march on to greater successes and achievements.

UK KFA