US: Reds behind killings

THE United States government has criticized the communist New People’s Army for killing local government officials and ordinary civilians and for using land mines, which are banned by the United Nations.

“The NPA was also suspected in many of the killings of left-wing activists and has also used underage soldiers in combat roles,” the US says in its Country Report on Human Rights Practices of 2006, which it released yesterday.

“During the year, the NPA and [the terrorist Muslim group] Abu Sayyaf targeted children for recruitment as combatants and non-combatants,” the report says in its chapter on the Philippines.

“There were an estimated 2,000 child soldiers in the country. By mid-year, an International Labor Organization-led program demobilized and reintegrated into society 300 children. The [Abu Sayyaf] also recruited teenagers to fight and participate in its activities,” the report says.

It says a climate of impunity continues to encourage summary killings and other human rights abuses despite the Philippine government’s announcement that it would investigate and prosecute such cases.

“Many of these killings went unsolved and unpunished, contributing to a climate of impunity, despite intensified government efforts during the year to investigate and prosecute these cases,” the report says.

“Members of the security services committed acts of physical and psychological abuse on suspects and detainees, and there were instances of torture. Arbitrary or warrantless arrests and detentions were common. Trials were delayed and procedures were prolonged.”

Even journalists have not been spared from the killings, and somepress unions and student groups had been classified as “enemies of the state.”

“Journalists continued to be murdered. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines recorded 12 journalists killed during the year,” the report says.

It says prisoners awaiting trial and those already convicted were often held under primitive conditions. Corruption pervaded the criminal justice system, “including police, prosecutorial [and] judicial organs.”

“In addition to the killings mentioned above, left-wing and human rights activists were often subject to harassment by local security forces. Problems such as violence against women and abuse of children, child prostitution, trafficking in persons, child labor, and ineffective enforcement of worker rights were common,” the report says.

“Civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces; however, some elements of these security forces committed human rights abuses,” it says.

“Violence against women, both in and out of the home, remained a serious problem. Rape continued to be a problem, with most cases going unreported. During the year, the [police] reported 685 rape cases. There were reports of rape and sexual abuse of women in police or protective custody. Spousal rape and abuse are also illegal, but enforcement was ineffective.

“Prostitution was a widespread problem. Many women suffered exposure to violence through their recruitment, often through deception, into prostitution. Sex tourism and trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation and forced labor were serious problems.

“Child abuse remained a problem. The problem of foreign pedophiles continued, and the government continued to prosecute accused pedophiles vigorously. Some children also were victims of police abuse while in detention for committing minor crimes.

“Child prostitution continued to be a serious problem. During the year, the Department of Labor and Employment ordered the closure of three establishments for allegedly prostituting minors. The trials for these cases were ongoing at year’s end.” -Michael Caber, Manila Standard