Philippine marines ‘murder 29’

Press, 18 April 1980, Page 6

Philippine marines ‘murder 29’

NZPA-Reuter Manila Philippine marines massacred 29 of 32 Filipinos they had herded on to a remote island in the southern Philippines, a confidential police teport claims. The report, obtained by the Associated Press _ in Manila, does not specify any motive for the alleged killfog. It says an undetermined number of marines machinegunned the civilians after fomeohe fired a shot. Military officials refused to give their own version of the incident, saying that an Investigation was being conflucted “to find out what really happened” on Bongao Island, ,1000 km south of Ma-

nila, early this month. The report, dated April 6, with a note that it was “belated” says that while the 32 people, who had been intercepted earlier aboard a fishing boat and a small motorised sea craft, were being interrogated at a place called Tarawakan in Bongao, a shot rang out, “followed by automatic gunbursts, killing all the civilians.” The report was addressed to regional police and Philippine Constabulary officials in Zamboanga City, headquarters of the Armed Forces Southern Command. The report appears to be based on the accounts of three survivors, who are

identified as a policeman) and two members of a paramilitary force made up mostly of former Muslim rebels. It says the three were spared only because “they were able to escape.” The police yesterday arrested five men suspected of involvement in the killing last, month of 10 Filipino refugees living in the east Malaysia state of Sabah, according to a police spokesman. He said the men, who claimed to be Filipino barter traders,' were arrested last Monday on Labuan Island When they arrived by boat and deposited their machineguns with the police.

I It is normal practice for Filipino barter traders .to carry weapons as protection against pirates and hand them over to the police on Labuan for safekeeping during their stay. The police recognised the men from photographs of suspects wanted for the killing of 10 people among the gee families living on Hanwan Island on March 29, according to the spokesman. The police earlier arrested three other Filipinos also suspected of involvement in the mass killing, which was believed to have been caused by a feud between two refugee families living on Hanawan.