Manila seeks removal of S'pore envoy<\/p>\n
MANILA (Reuter): The Philippines sought the removal of
\nSingapore's ambassador to Manila because he was pushy,
\ninsensitive and underestimated the national anger at the hanging
\nof a Filipina maid, officials said yesterday.<\/p>\n
President Fidel Ramos said he personally asked Singaporean
\nPrime Minister Goh Chok Tong to remove ambassador Tan Sheng Chye
\nfor failing to accurately inform his government of the depth of
\nFilipino anguish over the execution of Flor Contemplacion.<\/p>\n
He said he also sent Goh a pile of Manila newspaper clippings
\nand video tapes \"which provide the flavor. . . of the emotion,
\nthe passion, the excitement and even the outrage of Filipinos
\nfrom all walks of life\".<\/p>\n
Tan left Manila for Singapore on Tuesday evening. Singapore
\nagreed earlier Tuesday to a Philippine government request to
\nwithdraw its ambassador from Manila.<\/p>\n
Goh gave his agreement in a telephone conversation with Ramos.<\/p>\n
\"Singapore, in deference to the wish of President Ramos, has
\naccordingly asked Ambassador Tan Seng Chye to return to
\nSingapore. Ambassador Tan Seng Chye arrived in Singapore this
\nevening,\" a statement from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign
\nAffairs said.<\/p>\n
\"President Ramos and Prime Minister Goh agreed that the
\nPhilippines and Singapore should try to maintain their bilateral
\nrelations on an even keel,\" the statement said.<\/p>\n
The statement also said the two countries agreed that their
\nforeign ministers would work out arrangements for medical experts
\nfrom both countries to re-examine the remains of Filipina maid
\nDelia Maga, who was murdered in Singapore in 1991.<\/p>\n
Contemplacion's execution last month plunged relations between
\nthe two countries into a crisis and prompted a threat by Manila
\nto severe diplomatic ties.<\/p>\n
Filipino protesters burned thousands of Singaporean flags in
\nstreet demonstrations, Manila newspapers slammed Singapore's
\njudicial system accusing it of being ruthless and brutal, and
\ncommunist rebels threatened attacks on Singaporean offices and
\nnationals.<\/p>\n
Singapore rejected Philippine appeals and hanged
\nContemplacion, a mother of four, for the murder of another
\nFilipina maid and a three-year-old Singaporean boy in 1991.
\nShe had confessed to the killings but Filipinos believe she was
\ninnocent and was tortured into admitting the crime.<\/p>\n
\"Many in the government believe that if there had been an
\nambassador before, other than him, who had been properly
\nreporting on the sentiments and emotions here, it wouldn't have
\ncome to this,\" a senior Foreign Office official said.<\/p>\n
\"He (Tan) tended to be very arrogant and pushy, and he
\ncompletely misinterpreted the feelings of the people.<\/p>\n
\"We are trying to find a way to get out of this rough patch,\"
\nForeign Secretary Roberto Romulo told reporters, referring to the
\nstrained relations between the two countries.<\/p>\n
\"At this point, they are beginning to get slightly sensitive
\nto the feelings here.\"<\/p>\n
A Philippine inquiry panel which exhumed Maga's remains said
\nshe might have been killed by a man and Contemplacion could be
\ninnocent. Singapore rejected the findings.<\/p>\n
Ramos told his weekly news conference he was still studying
\ndemands by political and citizens' groups that he fire Romulo and
\nLabor Secretary Nieves Confesor for allegedly not doing enough to
\nsave Contemplacion from the gallows.<\/p>\n
\"Let me just say I shall pray and meditate over all of these
\nduring the Holy Week,\" he said, referring to the Easter holidays
\nin this Roman Catholic country beginning today.<\/p>\n
\"Let's just wait.\"<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/manila-seeks-removal-of-spore-envoy-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }