Soldier cleared of wrongdoing in Philippines

[unhappycamper]

Soldier cleared of wrongdoing in Philippines
By Jimmy Norris and T.D. Flack, Stars and Stripes

SEOUL — A U.S. Army master sergeant accused in several Filipino media reports of forcing the closure of a civilian hospital and threatening its personnel in December has been cleared of any wrongdoing by a Philippine military investigation.

The U.S. military, however, refuses to say whether it conducted its own investigation.

In an e-mail response to a query on Saturday, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Melissa Schuermann said the allegations were “really just the matter of a misunderstanding.” She didn’t answer any of a series of questions about the incident.

According to the media reports, U.S. Army Master Sgt. Ron Berg, a member of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, ordered the Panamao District Hospital to close one night last December. Hospital chief Dr. Silak Lakkian was quoted as saying Berg claimed hospital personnel would be shot if seen on the premises after 6 p.m.

In late January, Stars and Stripes obtained a copy of an investigation report, completed by Philippine Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 commander Lt. Col. Juselito Calimag, that cleared Berg of any wrongdoing. Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command spokesman Maj. Eugenio Batara Jr. confirmed the report was valid.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52192



uhc comment: Previous thread on the hospital closing --> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=9187