reported in the January 8 issue of the American weekly Newsweek. Two thousand guerrillas are said to be operating freely in the jungles around Sukarnopurna, the capital of West Irian (formerly, Netherlands New Guinea), and other population centers on
In a series of actions during the
first half of this month 11 Constabulary-
men and eight government informers were
killed. The Huk guerrillas lost seven
killed and two captured. One of the Huk
casualties was Avelino Bagsik, known as
Commander Zarogoza, killed in a three-
hour firefight. He was leader of the Huks
in Tarlac and there was a $10,000 reward
on his head.
The Defense Department in Manila
told Los Angeles Times roving correspon-
dent Arthur J. Dommen in mid-December
that they estimated the strength of the
Huks at 153 armed men, screened by "sym-
eeoee: Pathizers, informers
and suppliers of
everything from guns
to money."
What manner of
men are these that
they defy the armed
might of the Philip-
pine government? Cor-
respondent Dommen,
with the lack of bias
for which Times men
are noted, said they
are "a varied collec-
tion of ordinary
criminals, juvenile
delinquents, igno-
rant peasants and
protection racke-
teers who see in the
Huk label the chance
to double the psychological effect of the
terror by which they exist. He found this
out during a two-day stay in Manila.
SUMULONG
2000 GUERRILLAS REPORTED IN WEST IRTAN
that island. Indonesian gunboats have
reportedly shelled smaller towns and vil-
lages which have risen against the bloody
dictatorship of General Suharto. Newsweek
reports that amid spreading fighting, the
guerrillas have blocked the flow of food
supplies from the interior to government-
controlled settled areas.
PEDRO TARUC
SUMULONG