Rebels attack biofuel plantation

A state-owned jatropha plantation used for biofuel production in Negros Island in the Philippines was raided by the New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels. The Communist rebels burned equipment and stopped the workers from hauling lumber, Colonel Cesar Yano, a brigade commander in the island said. They left leaflets denouncing the operation of a facility producing biofuels from cassava and jatropha. The biofuel plantation is a joint venture between the government and Tamlang Valley Agri Development Corp., a company formed by a local alcohol firm and a political clan. (September 11, 2008)