Report: Philippine Troops Killed Activists

Jan 30, 2:19 AM EST
Report: Philippine Troops Killed Activists
By OLIVER TEVES
Associated Press Writer

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Philippine soldiers are responsible for killing many of the left-wing activists gunned down since 2001, a newspaper reported Tuesday, citing the head of a fact-finding commission.

However, a retired army general named in the news report called the allegations "communist propaganda" and denied any responsibility.

"Some of the killings were attributed to politicians, some to the security guards of landlords, but (the) majority of the killings pointed to these military elements," former Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
(snip)

Human rights groups, foreign chambers of commerce and the European Union have questioned the government's resolve to prosecute the perpetrators.
(snip/...)

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PHILIPPINES_POLITICAL_KILLINGS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-01-30-02-19-36

Reuters
...The military and government has previously blamed communist rebels for the recent surge in killings, saying the New People's Army was purging its ranks, as it had done in the 1980s.

The shootings - often carried out in daylight by masked gunmen on motorbikes - have continued into 2007. Many of the victims were members of organisations the military views as fronts for the group.

The Philippines, also fighting Muslim insurgencies, has been battling the New People's Army since 1969 in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people. Dr Arroyo declared an "all out war" on the communist insurgents last year.

Local human rights group Karapatan has said more than 700 leftist activists, farmers, community organisers and journalists have been killed since Dr Arroyo came to power in 2001.

Asked how many of the murders were carried out by soldiers, Mr Melo said: "Most of them".

He told a local newspaper that some of the killings were attributed to politicians and some to the security guards of landlords.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/army-blamed-for-hundreds-of-murders/2007/01/30/1169919338579.html

AP
January 30th, 2007
Philippine killings blamed on army
Manila, Philippines (AP) --

...The army said it was aware that some soldiers were involved and said it would deal with those responsible. General Hermogenes Esperon, head of the Philippines army, said: "We acknowledge that some members of the armed forces of the Philippines have been involved in the deaths of some members of militant organisations, but we definitely do not condone these.

"In fact, more than condemning these acts, we have taken action to investigate them in order to prosecute those who are responsible.

"We will leave no stone unturned in our investigation and we will spare no one, regardless of rank or position. The armed forces of the Philippines assures the public that it does not tolerate nor condone human rights violations."

...

Whitewash
...Some groups have called the report a whitewash. Renato Reyes, general secretary of Bayan, an alliance of worker and peasant organisations, said: "It has been established by documentary evidence that there is a national policy sanctioning the killing of activists.

"We have seen cabinet-level documents that show how these killings were sanctioned at the highest levels of office. The Melo commission had it wrong when it says the killings were perpetrated by soldiers who are merely unchecked by their superiors."

The military and government have previously blamed communist fighters for the recent surge in killings, saying the communist New People's Army was purging its ranks as it did in the 1980s.
http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=186&a=17908