Philippines leads Asia in the number of people it executes.

[Judi Lynn]

Philippines leads Asia in the number of people it executes.
Last Updated 17/02/2007, 19:44:56


A fact-finding mission sent to the Philippines by an international group of trade unions has concluded that the Philippines has the biggest number of summary executions among Asian countries.

The government of President Gloria Arroyo has been criticized by local sectors and foreign governments for the rising number of political killings in the past year.

The trade union group, Public Services International, says the Philippine government is slow in bringing justice to the spate of political killings.

The group warned that it would ask governments and foreign lending institutions to pressure the Philippines to stop the murders.
(snip/...)

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1850392.htm



Philippine President and her friend.

[Kagemusha]

1. Uh, exceeding China?

Or perhaps I'm not understanding the "summary" part here as some kind of distinction?

Just curious. China always comes out on top on these lists I thought.

[Cronquist]

3. All i see is a press release

No data at all

[Vidar]

2. Probably part of the pernicious American influence.

[Judi Lynn]

4. A clearer look: PHILIPPINES: SPECIAL COURTS TO TRY EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS SUSPECTS

PHILIPPINES: SPECIAL COURTS TO TRY EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS SUSPECTS

Manila, 15 Feb. (AKI) - The Philippine government will create special courts that will handle the case of extrajudicial killings in the country. The news arrives as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo continues to keep the Melo Commission report on the issue secret. Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno said the High Court will establish the special courts that will have to rule on the political killings as well as those of members of the press.

The chief magistrate said he had already directed the Office of the Court Administrator to submit a complete inventory of all extrajudicial killings which will include ideologically-motivated crimes and media killings.

The militant group Karapatan has claimed that at least 800 politically-motivated killings took place since 2001 when Arroyo assumed the presidency and these were allegedly perpetrated by the military and the police.

Puno said the inventory of the victims of extrajudicial killings will help the High Court to pave the way for a fast resolution of these cases.
(snip/...)

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.386576675&par=0

Political executions were indicated in the original article.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Leftists expect UN to blacklist RP

Saturday, February 17, 2007
Leftists expect UN to blacklist RP
By Carlo P. Mallo and Jeffrey M. Tupas

HUMAN rights groups in Mindanao said the Philippines could possibly be blacklisted or be tried in an international tribunal for all of its human rights abuses.

Kelly Delgado, secretary general of Karapatan-Southern Mindanao, said they are expecting Professor Philip Alston, the United Nations special rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, to recognize the bad record of the government for the alleged hundreds of victims of extrajudicial killings of militants, student activists, farmers, and journalists, among others.

He said they have prepared voluminous documents on human rights abuses perpetrated by the government, particularly the military in many parts of Mindanao, which they will present to Alston during the UN official's scheduled meeting with victims of human rights abuses and their families this Sunday.

Bad record

"The visit of Alston is already a good signal that the country has a bad record. If Alston will see that the government is not following human rights laws, we can expect that the government of Ms. Arroyo will be blacklisted. The visit already reflects the alarming human rights condition in the country," Delgado said in a press conference Friday.
(snip/...)

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2007/02/17/news/leftists.expect.un.to.blacklist.rp.html

[Turbineguy]

6. This has been

going on for years. Every time Marcos went anywhere some poor guy would end up dead. But there's also a cultural problem. I have found Filipinos can not admit to being wrong. They simply cannot back down in the face of overwhelming force or reason. That's how some end up bringing a knife to a gunfight. My friend was at one instance where a guy was up against an armed cop. People around him pleaded with him to drop the knife. He could not and got shot in the chest.

The prisons are awful and getting shot dead is not such a bad alternative.

In this case it may not be entirely the Bush Magic.