NPA - PhilippinesSyniah & Marvin

What is Terrorism?Definition: the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.

Own definition: Terrorism is when one person believes in their religion or country so much that they are willing to hurt infinite amounts of people just to destroy that country.

General Info• Formed on March 29th, 1969

• Members: 5,700

• The NPA is most active in rural Luzon, Visayas, and parts of Mindanao. It has a few operating cells in Manila, and its headquarters are in Luzon, Philippines• Maoist organization formed to overthrow the government; uses

hit squads called Sparrow Units; opposes United States military presence in the Philippines

• a terrorist organization that is the militant wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines

• Weapons: M-16, M-14, Springfield rifles, various handguns, C4, and homemade hand grenades.

Purpose?• Maoist organization formed to overthrow the government;

uses hit squads called Sparrow Units; opposes United States military presence in the Philippines

• a terrorist organization that is the militant wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines

Terror Attacks• First Attack: August 21, 1971 – NPA members

tossed two hand grenades on stage at a Liberal Party rally in Manila (9 Killed, 95 wounded).

• Major Attacks: ~ April 21, 1989: NPA rebels repeatedly shot a

vehicle carrying U.S. Colonel James N. Rowe. One shot struck Colonel Rowe in the head and killed him instantly. The murder was a defining event to shape NPA relations with the U.S.

~ October 25, 2008: NPA rebels raid a prison in Lucena, Quezon Province. Freed 7 rebel prisoners they deemed to be “political prisoners”.

World’s Response• When NPA rebels repeatedly shot a vehicle

carrying U.S. Colonel James N. Rowe, the The United States Ambassador, Nicholas Platt, said Colonel Rowe's killing was a ''heinous act'' by ''cowardly assassins.''

Goals/Targets• The NPA targets Philippine security forces, mainly

for weapons, politicians, judges, government informers, former rebels who wish to leave the NPA, rival splinter groups, and alleged criminals.

• The NPA seems to have two major goals: to drive out foreign investment and businesses through intimidation and violence—a goal which is in part achieved by the exorbitant taxes the NPA extorts from these businesses. Secondly, the NPA assassinates both officials and citizens who are critical of the NPA ideology and tactics in order to root out public opposition.

Future Of Group• Intelligence estimates provided by the Armed

Forces of the Philippines (AFP) indicate that the CPP-NPA is steadily losing its military strength. Recent estimates reveal that the organization still mobilizes around 5,000 cadres, a drastic decrease from its peak of 28,000 cadres in the mid-1980s. The AFP still considers the CPP-NPA as the primary security threat against in the Philippines due to its capacity to operate nationally and its ability to infiltrate various state and private institutions. However, despite of all the activities the organization undertakes, it cannot deny that it is struggling for survival.

Citations"New People's Army." Stanford University. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2014.

"New People's Army (NPA) (political Organization, Philippines)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2014.

"New Peoples Army Raids Police Station in The Philippines - CNN IReport." CNN IReport. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2014.