Date: Sat, 9 Nov 1996 16:33:24 +0100 (MET)
From: rolf.martens-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se (Rolf Martens)
Subject: M-G: Letter on Sison case from Dutch Justice Dpt.


Letter on Sison case from Dutch Justice Dpt. [Posted: 09.11.96]

Hello comrades and friends,

I received on Wednesday 06.11 (by ordinary mail) a letter from
the Ministry of Justice, The Netherlands, a somewhat surprising
"honour". The letter, of 29.10.96, is reproduced below. I haven't
replied to it yet, but perhaps it would be of some use if I do. I
think I *should* respond to this quite nasty  and mendacious
communication.

I'm sending this to the Marxism-General mailing list managed
by the Spoons Collective and to some other addresses, in
order to inform others of it and to ask for suggestions on how
suitably to reply. Others perhaps might reply (too). It seems
likely they've received similar letters.

I think I'm well-informed enough on the principles of the matter,
that of the reactionary attempt at expelling José Maria Sison,
Founding Chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, and
his wife and son from the Netherlands where they since long have
been seeking asylum. But on some concrete questions concerning
this case I don't know very much.

I'd also like to know how this case now stands. (I do get the
paper published in the Netherlands, Balitang Bayan, but
I haven't seen in it what have been the latest developments.)

I was involved in a small way in the international campaign
starting last July/August against the expulsion of the Sison
family. I got to know about the expulsion threat from Michael
Forschner,
<M.FORSCHNER-AT-NADESHA.gun.de>,
who sent me a call in English and German which I forwarded
to several newsgroups, adding also some information of my own
i.a. on the role of comrade Sison and the CPPh in the then
efforts at creating a WMC. That call was also forwarded in the
USA by the Detcom (Detroit Peru Support Committee,
<detcom-AT-sprynet.com>), for instance. I understand one
important centre for that campaign has the address:
<ndf-AT-antenna.nl>.
There  eventually were demonstrations in several countries -
unfortunately none here in Malmoe, Sweden, because of the lack
of sufficient forces here.

To the M-G list I'll post again two things I posted respectively
forwarded in late July on this case.

Here's how the recent letter reads:

Ministerie van Justitie
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst

Postadres Postbus 30125, 2500 GC Den Haag
Besoeksadres [.......]

Onderdeel		Internal and External Affairs
Contactperson	I.Sloof/R. Kupers/J.Coelewij-Kolk
Doorkiesnummer(s) 0031-70-370 3124/44
Datum			29 oktober 1996
Ons kenmerk		962901/96/IND [sic: not 962910?]


Dear mr Martens,

I would like to respond to your letter of september 1996 in
which you suggest that Mr. Sison be offered asylum in the
Netherlands.

In processing Mr. Sison's application for asylum, it became
apparent that, as the leader of the communist party in the
Philippines, he at least attempted to head the armed
section of the Philippine communist party, the New People's
Army (NPA). The Council of State has acknowledged both
this and the fact that the NPA is responsible for a great
number of acts of terrorism against the citizens of the
Philippines, in accordance with the findings of Amnesty
International. These facts are of such gravity that, in my
opinion; the admission of Mr. Sison to this country would
encroach upon the integrity and credibility of the
Netherlands as a sovereign state.

Further, in your letter you refer to the judgement of 21
February 1995 made by the Judicial Division of the Council
of State which declared that Mr Sison may not be sent
back to the Philippines. I will also not advise this. But
this does not mean that Mr Sison will be able to remain in
the Netherlands as a matter of course.

I would also like to emphasise that economic relations
with the land of origin play no role whatsoever in the
evaluation of applications for asylum, thus also not in
the case of Mr Sison. Nor have involvements with the
United States played any part in the decision taken. The
Netherlands can and shall judge, independenly and in all
freedom, whether or not an alien should be admitted.

I hope herewith to have informed you sufficiently.

Yours sincerely,

E.M.J. Moeksis
Head of Internal and External Affairs Division
p.p. Head of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service
for the State Secretary of Justice

[So far the 29.10.96 letter to me from the Dutch Justice dept.]



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