Posted on 01/18/2006 10:19:09 PM PST by A.A. Cunningham
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Last modified Tuesday, January 17, 2006 6:24 PM PST
U.S. rejection of request for custody of Marines charged with rape sparks protests
By: TERESA CEROJANO - Associated Press
CARMEN, Philippines -- The United States on Tuesday refused a Philippine request to hand over four Marines charged with rape, provoking anti-American protests in the capital and the Muslim south, where U.S. troops began annual counterterrorism training of Filipino soldiers.
In a letter to the Philippine government, the U.S. Embassy invoked the bilateral Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows large-scale U.S. training in the country, and vowed to keep the Marines in its custody during an upcoming trial.
Prosecutor Prudencio Jalandoni said he was disappointed but would ask the court handling the rape case to abide by the U.S. decision and set a trial date.
Custody of the Americans "is important for the purpose of showing that we are a sovereign and independent state, but ... what is important to us is that justice be done," Jalandoni said.
A Philippine judge last week issued arrest warrants for the Marines, who were charged with rape late last year while on liberty following counterterrorism maneuvers with Filipino troops.
Prosecutors allege that Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith raped a 22-year-old woman Nov. 1 inside a van at Subic Bay, a former U.S. Naval base northwest of Manila, as fellow Marines cheered him on. Smith claims he only had consensual sex.
Also charged were Lance Cpl. Keith Silkwood, Lance Cpl. Dominic Duplantis and Staff Sgt. Chad Carpentier, part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Force stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
The embassy hasn't released their hometowns.
The case has stirred emotions in the former American colony and is seen as a black mark on U.S. military exercises, which have been credited with helping weaken al-Qaida-linked militants in the country's restive south.
About 30 left-wing students with mock arrest warrants lay on a scorching road near the U.S. Embassy, raising their fists and yelling: "Arrest the American troops and let them pay!"
Left-wing Rep. Satur Ocampo called for the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement and said the U.S. rejection of the custody request was "an insult to Philippine sovereignty."
Renato Reyes, head of the left-wing umbrella Bayan, called for a boycott of American products -- an unlikely development in the country awash in U.S. goods.
Sen. Joker Arroyo said the U.S. decision "will only provoke ... a re-examination of the VPA and if need be, its abrogation to correct an inequality and settle once for all ... the question of custody over U.S. servicemen who commit criminal offenses in the Philippines."
About 2,000 protesters also greeted American troops in the southern town of Carmen, about 560 miles southeast of Manila, where they started monthlong exercises with Filipino troops.
Zaynab Ampatuan, deputy head of the left-wing Muslim group Suara Bangsamoro, said the local Muslim community "should not allow U.S. troops to train Filipino troops to run after suspected terrorists. No other suspects are being arrested except (Muslims)."
The protesters carried streamers "Never again to gang rape," and "U.S. troops out now."
Maj. William Nagel, commander of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group Airborne, based in Fort Louis, Wash., and his Philippine counterpart said U.S. troops will mostly be restricted to the camp.
"I am confident that we will not have problems that may have happened in the past," Nagel said, adding: "I will make sure that my soldiers behave in a manner and in keeping with our standards."
The Philippines relies on U.S. military training and equipment to fight the Abu Sayyaf, an al-Qaida-linked group blamed for high-profile kidnappings and deadly bombings.
Associated Press reporter Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.
Those who do not want the USA anywhere near the PI because the USA would likely interfere with their plans.
imo
The MSM (military press too) release that info all the time. Loose lips...
Hey, dipshit... the Philippines is a Catholic country which used to be a territory of the US. Normally they are pretty friendly to the West. I don't blame them for being pissed off.
Muslims wanting to decapitate Marines?
I'm shocked!
The reason the driver testified was that after the Marines were done with the girl they simply carried her out of the van and dumped her on a grassy median by the side of the road in the early morning hours. They left her there, distraught, ripped clothing, like a sack of worthless guts
When the girl got home in disarray, and emotionally distraught, there was no hiding her shame from her parents, who are powerfully connected to the government.
I do not believe that our Marines were "set up." I believe they treated the girl like a Manilla slut when she was not used to such treatment. A friendly sexual encounter might have worked out, but this was not that. They screwed up, and now they will eventually pay for it, one way or the other if they are found guilty.
Where'd you get your gouge?
What's your source for all this?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1528256/posts
and a couple of others.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1528256/posts
and others , just do a freep search "marines rape manilla".
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