philippines journalists massacre
Posted in Philippines General Information on 04/22/2008 09:13 am by admin
21 die in Philippines election attack
P HILIPPINES troops have found 21 bodies stubborn south of the country after dozens the Gunmen hijacked a convoy of politicians and supporters to file their nominations for elections next year.
Regional military commander, Maj. Gen. Alfredo Cayton, said the victims, 13 women and eight men, were found south Ampatuan village, five kilometers (three miles) from where they took hostage as they traveled in three vans earlier yesterday.
The identities of the Gunmen is unclear, but victims' relatives blamed political rivals.
Philippine elections are especially violent in the south because the presence of armed groups, including Muslim rebels fighting for self rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic country, and political warlords who maintain private armies.
The decades-long Muslim insurgency has killed about 120,000 people since the 1970s.
But The president of an adviser, Jesus Dureza, according to Associated Press (AP), said the slaughter was "no such recent history."
"Should has a total halt to the senseless violence, "he said, recommending that a state of emergency imposed in the area to disarm all the Gunmen." What still will not work. "
National elections are scheduled for May 2010.
About 100 Gunmen have stopped the convoy, a military spokesman, Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, said.
The group consists of spouses of Buluan town Mayor Ismael Mangudadatu, with his two sisters, followers and some local journalists. They are traveling near the village Shariff Aguak to file papers Mangudadatu's nomination for the position of governor of Maguindanao province, Brawner said.
Mangudadatu, who is not in convoy, said his wife and relatives were among the dead. He accused his political rival property in a known for tribal massacre. Representatives of families not comment on the allegations.
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