GRP FORMS TASK FORCE TO INVESTIGATE KILLINGS OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 002096 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PTER PINS PREL RP SUBJECT: GRP FORMS TASK FORCE TO INVESTIGATE KILLINGS OF LEFTIST ACTIVISTS REF: MANILA 1452 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please handle accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) Summary: Eleven more leftist activists have been killed in attacks since late March. President Arroyo has formed a police task force to investigate the killings. Some GRP officials are suggesting that the continued killings are the result of an internal "purge" being conducted by the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA). They have also claimed that "mass graves" of victims have been found, though they have not provided evidence of that. The creation of the task force is good news, but it needs to show results. Mission, at all levels, continues to underscore the need for respect of the rule of law and an end to the culture of impunity. End Summary. -------------- More Killings -------------- ¶3. (U) Since late March, 11 more leftist/labor activists have been killed in attacks that have taken place throughout the Philippines. Of these, eight were members of Bayan Muna, a front group for the CPP/NPA. The most recent killing took place on May 16 when the secretary-general of Bayan Muna's Pangasinan (a province northwest of Manila) chapter was shot and killed in an ambush while riding a motorcycle. On May 9, Reverend Jeremias Tinambacan, a United Church of Christ pastor and a provincial chairperson of Bayan Muna, was gunned down in Misamis Occidental in northwest Mindanao. His wife, who was wounded in the incident, claimed to recognize one of the assailants as a military informer. These latest slayings have occurred against a backdrop of escalating violence -- so far this year, 28 leftist/labor activists have been killed nationwide, compared to around 40 for the whole year of 2005 (see reftel for further details). Bayan Muna claims that the most recent killings have pushed to 93 the number of its members slain since 2001. -------------- Presidential Task Force -------------- ¶4. (U) Responding quickly to the recent rash of killings, President Arroyo denounced the attacks and announced that she had ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to create a task force to investigate. Task Force "Usig" (meaning "to prosecute"),headed by PNP Deputy Director General Avelino Razon, Jr., is charged with creating a detailed database containing profiles of suspects, victims, incidents, intelligence summaries, forensic investigations, and an assessment of the progress of each case. Razon told the press that witnesses will be afforded protection under the Justice Department's Witness Protection Program. He indicated that reward money might be offered to those providing information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators. Razon, who is well-respected, urged relatives and friends of the victims to come forward with evidence related to the killings, adding that police investigations had been hampered by a lack of interaction with those close to the victims. ¶5. (U) The setting up of the task force met with widespread press and public approval. Leftist groups, however, dismissed the GRP's action as "a whitewash," claiming that the government had chosen not to really investigate the crimes because elements of the military are responsible. -------------- Claims of Purges and Mass Graves -------------- ¶6. (SBU) In a new twist, some Philippine government officials are suggesting publicly that the continued killings of activists is the result of an internal "purge" being conducted by the CPP/NPA. National Security Advisor (NSA) Norberto Gonzales and Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno both recently made this claim, averring that the purge is recent and similar to the well-documented CPP/NPA purges that occurred in the 1980s. On May 14, Gonzales went on to claim that the military and police had uncovered "mass graves" that contain the bodies of recent purge victims. According to Gonzales, three separate sites -- two in Mindanao and one in Tarlac, an area north of Manila -- have been discovered, one containing 20 dead bodies. Despite Gonzales' assertions, no other sources have MANILA 00002096 002 OF 002 verified the existence of the alleged graves. Mission contacts at the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and other organizations said they were completely unaware of any evidence supporting the claims. CHR said it would continue to look into the matter. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The creation of the task force is good news, but it needs to show results. The slayings are netting an increasing amount of public attention and human rights NGOs are clamoring for action. In addition to the killings of leftist activists, there continue to be killings of journalists, judges and criminal suspects, most of which are unresolved. Mission, at all levels, continues to underscore the need for respect of the rule of law and an end to the culture of impunity. Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/ Kenney