Amnesty Urges Quick End to Philippine Martial Law

[Coventina]

Source: New York TImes

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Amnesty International called on the Philippine government Tuesday to end martial law soon in a southern province, where troops cracked down on a powerful clan and its armed supporters blamed for the massacre of 57 people.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last week declared military rule in Maguindanao province, allowing government forces to arrest members of the Ampatuan clan without court warrants and order some 2,400 loyalists to surrender their weapons.

Air force helicopters dropped thousands of leaflets Tuesday urging the Ampatuan clan followers to surrender and give up their firearms. Two government OV-10 bomber planes zoomed across Maguindanao to remind the outlaws what they face if they don't surrender, army Col. Leo Ferrer said.

''It's what we call a persuasion flight,'' Ferrer said. ''We want to show the groups which will refuse to disarm what they will face.''



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/08/world/AP-AS-Philippines-Massacre.html

[Rebubula]

1. Maybe...

...Amnesty could call for the people that are rounding up and murdering civilians to stop doing that as well....

[naaman fletcher]

2. my thoughts too

.. but good luck with that.