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EU urges end to killing of activists in Philippines

23 Jan 2007 11:28:37 GMT
Source: Reuters

MANILA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The European Union called on the Philippine government on Tuesday to act against the murder of hundreds of political activists and journalists and said it hoped a probe into the killings would have a "satisfying conclusion."

"We just hope that it will stop one day," Axel Weishaupt, Germany's ambassador to the Philippines, told a news conference.

"It's bad to the reputation of this country. We really hope that measures are taken to bring it to an end."

Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo created a commission last year to probe the shootings which Amnesty International has said could be linked to some members of the security forces.

Arroyo has denied any official involvement in the killings across the country -- often carried out in daylight by masked men on motorbikes. But victims' families have largely boycotted the inquiry saying it was designed to clear the military and police of any blame.

The five-member commission, headed by a retired Supreme Court justice, submitted its report to Arroyo earlier this month. The panel declined to give details, saying it was up the president to make the report public.

"I really hope that they will come to a satisfying conclusion," Weishaupt said, adding the European Union had raised the issue of human rights with its Philippine counterpart during dialogues and consultations.

Weishaupt also said the human rights situation in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was slowing down the integration of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), whose members disagree over how to pressure Myanmar to democratise.

He criticised as a "slow gesture", Myanmar's release of five political activists in January ahead of ASEAN's annual summit in the central Philippines on Jan. 13-15.

"As far as Burma is concerned, we see clearly that it's not very helpful what the government is doing," he said.

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Last updated:Tue Jan 23 11:30:27 2007