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| Southeast Asia |
| Philippine massacre trial moved |
| 2010-04-14 |
| [Straits Times] THE Philippines' Supreme Court on Tuesday transferred the main suspect in the massacre of 57 people to a police base in Manila from the headquarters of the national law enforcement agency for security reasons. The trial of Andal 'Unsay' Ampatuan Jr would also be moved to a new location, Camp Bagong Diwa, from another police compound, although the appointed judge would be retained to avoid delays, Supreme Court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez told reporters. Mr Marquez said the decision took into consideration the potential danger to civilians and institutions in and around Camp Crame, the main police camp in Manila, and the inconvenience of moving Ampatuan from his detention cell to the court. Ampatuan Jr has been held at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Manila since his arrest in late November, about a 30-minute drive to the main police camp where the court was hearing his multiple murder cases. Last November, seven members of a rival clan, 30 journalists and 20 civilians were killed by about 100 armed men in southern Maguindanao province. Those killed had been on their way to witness the filing of nomination papers of a candidate preparing to stand against Ampatuan Jr for a local position in national elections on May 10. The deaths heightened the Philippines' profile as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, and stoked tensions ahead of the elections. |
| Posted by:Fred |