Philippine police rearrest rebel leader

MANILA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Philippine police have rearrested a leftist rebel leader who was freed in 2016 to participate in the peace talks launched by the government to solve the decades-old communist insurgency, authorities said on Thursday.

Rafael Baylosis, who was arrested Wednesday by police operatives along Katipunan road in Quezon City along with a male companion, is now detained at the main Philippine National Police headquarters in Quezon City.

The police reportedly recovered two pistols and 14 ammunition.

Baylosis is the first among the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultants to be rearrested since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte scrapped the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines, and its armed wing the New People's Army (NPA) in February last year.

Luis Jalandoni of the NDFP said Baylosis is a member of the NDFP Reciprocal Working Group on Political and Constitutional Reforms.

Jalandoni condemned what he called "the illegal arrest and detention" of Baylosis, saying it is "a flagrant violation of the 1995 GRP-NDFP Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees."

"The NDFP demands the immediate and unconditional release of NDFP Consultant Rafael Baylosis and his companion," Jalandoni said. Enditem