Communist Revolt Is Alive, and Active, in the Philippines - "tactical alliance" with the Muslim insurgents ***A nationwide movement that feeds on the country's widespread poverty and government abuses, the Communist rebels - the New People's Army - pose a greater potential long-term challenge, according to analysts, than does the Muslim insurgency in the south that today preoccupies the military, as well as the United States. Active in a number of areas around the country, the insurgents generally operate in small units, although they sometimes carry out attacks with as many as 100 or 200 fighters.
Here in the shadow of Mount Arayat, a rebel stronghold, villagers say the Communists are more active than ever. "Do I feel safe?" said Father Sahagun. "Who feels safe in a place like this? Nobody feels safe." Adding to the danger, the Communists have threatened to form a "tactical alliance" with the Muslim insurgents, who are fighting a separatist war on the southern island of Mindanao and on smaller neighboring islands. Some of the Muslims are believed to have links with terrorist groups associated with Al Qaeda.
The United States has placed one small, violent band, Abu Sayyaf, on its list of terrorist organizations and earlier this year offered to send some 2,000 troops to help fight it. It is the much larger group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, with which the Communists have been in contact. Last August, at the request of the Philippine government, Washington also added the Communist insurgency and its front organization, the National Democratic Front, to the list.***
Venezuela's Chavez: U.S. doesn't have right to decide "what is good and bad" *** CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez condemned the United States on Wednesday for "deciding what is good and bad in the world." "No country, no matter what its name - in this case it's called the United States of America - has the right to decide what is good and bad in the world," Chavez said in a speech to business owners. "No country has the right to do that or to invade a people or bomb a city where there are children, women. For God's sake! Innocent human beings." His words were met with loud applause and cries of "Peace! Peace!" Washington has sour relations with the leftist Chavez, who frequently accuses global powers of exploiting poor countries for their own economic interests. ***