Communist Party Chief Held in Philippines - NYTimes.comCommunist Party Chief Held in Philippines - NYTimes.comMain MenuMain MenuType Size:AAANight Mode:DisableEnableAccount:SubscribeLog inThe New York TimesInternational New York TimesSearchGoShareTweetMoreSubscribeSubscribeMy accountLog inWorldCommunist Party Chief Held in PhilippinesShareBy THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMarch 22, 2014MANILA —  Philippine security forces arrested the chairman of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines and his wife on Saturday, the military said, dealing the biggest blow in years to the decades-old rebel group.The party chairman, Benito Tiamzon, and his wife, Wilma, also a senior party officer, were arrested in Aloguinsan Township in central Cebu Province, said Gen. Emmanuel T. Bautista, the military chief of staff.The arrests came a week before the party’s armed wing, the New People’s Army, is to commemorate its 45th anniversary.The couple face charges of crimes against humanity, including multiple murders, General Bautista said in a statement. The statement provided no other details about the arrests. Local news media reports said five other people were also arrested.General Bautista said the arrests were “another victory for the combined efforts” of the military and the police and called on other members of the Communist Party and the New People’s Army to “lay down their arms, abandon the armed struggle and return to the comfort of their families and join us in bringing peace and development to our nation.” Ms. Tiamzon, the party’s secretary general, was arrested in the early 1990s but escaped from custody. Many other senior Communist Party leaders have also been killed or captured over the years, including some who the rebels said were consultants in peace negotiations who were supposed to be immune from arrest while talks were continuing.Talks to end the Marxist insurgency in the Philippines, one of Asia’s longest-running, collapsed in 2011 because of disagreements over releasing several jailed rebel leaders. In a statement from the Dutch city of Utrecht where he lives in exile, Luis Jalandoni, chief negotiator for the rebels, condemned the arrests, saying the Tiamzons carry government safe-conduct passes as “consultants” in the peace talks.ShareSaveShow Full Article                            xSharexEmailTwitterRedditGooglePermalinkhttp://nyti.ms/1iqadPbToolsSaveMore In WorldArgentine President Now Says Prosecutor’s Death Was Not a SuicidePresident Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said she believed that the lead investigator of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center did not commit suicide.U.S. and Cuba Set to Discuss Diplomatic TiesThe nations on Wednesday discussed migration, and a meeting on Thursday will cover matters like reopening embassies.Citing Falling Oil Prices, Iraq Seeks Arms on Credit to Fight ISIS4:36 PM ETPrime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the precipitous drop in prices posed a fresh challenge to his military’s efforts to push back Islamic State militants.Back to topMain MenuHomeHomeWorldU.S.U.S. NewsPoliticsU.S. PoliticsThe UpshotNew YorkBusinessBusinessBusiness DayTechnologySportsSportsOpinionOpinionScienceHealthArtsArtsStyleStylePhotosVideoMost EmailedTimes PremierMore SectionsAutomobilesBlogsBooksFoodFoodFoodEducationHome & GardenMagazineMoviesMusicMedia & AdvertisingObituariesPublic EditorGreat Homes and DestinationsReal EstateSunday ReviewT MagazineTelevisionTheaterTimes WireTravelWeddingsCorrectionsRecommendationsSavedSettingsEdition:Type Size:AAANight Mode:DisableEnableAccount:SubscribeLog inDownload Our AppsNYTimesNYT NowDownload the NYTimes appHelpSubscribeFeedbackTerms of ServicePrivacy© 2015 The New York Times Company