Dutch writer assails Dutch government servility to the US in Sison case

By D.L. Mondelo
Bulatlat.com

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – Writing in his blog “Geen Commentaar” entitled “The Netherlands in the service of the US”, Jos van Dijk, a Dutch writer/blogger assailed his government’s servility to the US government in its effort to persecute Prof. Jose Ma Sison.

“How servilely can you put yourself to one’s disposal?”, said van Dijk to the Dutch government, after Wikileaks in a recent release of confidential cables revealed that the Dutch government has asked the US State Department for more information and assistance regarding Professor Sison to retain him on the European Union terrorist list.

“Newly leaked diplomatic dispatches from the Hague and Manila show how the Netherlands has positioned itself to serve the interests of the US and the Philippine regimes,” van Dijk wrote.

“In 2009, legal procedures for the removal of the Netherlands-based Filipino communist from the European terrorist list became successful. The European court rejected the grounds by which Sison was placed on the list, as a result of which he could not make use of his bank credit balance since 2002. Panic in The Hague. What now? The Netherlands has put Sison on the list at the request of the US. Through a diplomatic dispatch, additional information was urgently asked to persuade the court not to take Sison off the list. It feverishly sought the Dutch police force, the AIVD and the embassy in Manila for more information for building a better case,” wrote van Dijk.

“Then a dispatch from Manila – from Kenney, the US ambassador – follows. She also could not offer much than just to say that the NPA (New People Army) gives the Philippine government a lot of concern and that Sison as former leader of the communist party should also have the control of this group of rebels. But she leaves no doubt on what the US and the Philippines wanted to do: blackmail Sison to get the rebels on their knees.”

“If Sison and the NPA were to reject their past actions and pledge not to engage in such activity again, there might be some grounds for revisiting their designations, but on the contrary they refuse to agree to a ceasefire and continue to carry out kidnappings and killings. Under the circumstances, removal of Sison’s terrorist designation is inadvisable. KENNEY”, van Dijk quoting cable 09Manila1219 from the US Embassy in Manila.

Van Dijk said the Dutch government cannot prevail over the procedure of the European court, which on 30 September 2010 ruled that Sison had been wrongfully put on the list. Should the Dutch government appeal the decision, it must acquire support of other EU countries, but that does not seem likely, van Dijk stressed.

Further commenting on the secret cables recently released by Wikileaks, Committee Defend said the cables from the Dutch government to the US State Department on Professor Sison can be likened to a loyal subject asking further instructions from his master.

“Shameless, to say the least, for a refugee-receiving country like the Netherlands to participate in plotting the persecution of someone who has asked protection precisely because he is being persecuted in his country of origin,” said Ruth de Leon of Committee Defend.

“The European Court has already ruled on Professor Sison. The least that the Dutch government could do now, to rectify the shamelessness of its servility to the US, is to give Professor Sison a residence permit,” De Leon stressed.