MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has ruled out peace talks with the communist rebels, saying they have “no respect” following the recent attacks on troops doing relief work during the COVID-19 pandemic. ADVERTISEMENT“Again, this is a sad thing to know that yung mga sundalo ko pinagpapatay while doing the most honorable task of accompanying the government workers delivering money and the food,” Duterte said in an address aired Monday. There [are] no more peace talks to talk about. I am not, I will never be ready for any round of talks,” he added. The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) condemned Duterte’s threat, saying he should stop using the communist rebels to justify his penchant for a martial law rule.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer April 27, 2020 14:26 UTC