Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) — An alleged leader of the New People’s Army was arrested in Malaysia earlier this month, authorities confirmed on Monday.
A statement from the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division said Eric Jun Casilao was apprehended in Langkawi in a joint operation by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Bureau of Immigration, and Department of Foreign Affairs, together with the Royal Malaysian Police and Malaysian Immigration.
He was apprehended at the Jeti Point International Clearance Gate, Langkawi on April 1, as he was boarding a ferry bound for Koh Lipe, Thailand.
“Eric Jun Casilao was put on the Malaysian Red Notice List for falsification of passport by assuming fake identity. Likewise, after his arrest, Eric Casilao was detained for violating Malaysian Immigration laws and deported to the Philippines on April 17, 2023,” the statement said.
Casilao has warrants of arrest for murder, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, and attempted murder, it added.
In a separate statement, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said Casilao’s arrest is proof of Philippine laws at work.
Meanwhile, former Anakpawis Party-list representative Ariel Casilao appealed for his brother’s safety, adding that his lawyers were “denied information regarding the details of his deportation to the Philippines.”
“I believe that Eric has the right to have access to his lawyers, at every stage of his being in the custody of authorities, and especially in the duration of his deportation and travel from Malaysia to the Philippines. I am very worried of his safety,” he said in a statement.
