S'pore pledges to reopen Flor Contemplacion case<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (AFP): The Singapore government has pledged to
\nreopen the case of hanged Filipina maid Flor Contemplacion if she
\nis proved innocent of killing a compatriot.<\/p>\n
A foreign ministry statement issued late Sunday said that if
\nSingapore and Filipino pathologists are unable to reconcile
\ndifferences over the 1991 killing of Della Maga, the dispute
\ncould be referred to a panel of neutral experts.<\/p>\n
If the third-party panel confirms Filipino findings that
\nContemplacion could not possibly have killed Maga, \"the Singapore
\ngovernment will re-open the case of Flor Contemplacion,\" the
\nstatement said.<\/p>\n
Contemplacion, a 42-year-old mother of four, was executed here
\nMarch 17 after being convicted of killing fellow maid Maga and
\nher four-year-old Singapore charge, sparking a diplomatic row
\nbetween Singapore and the Philippines.<\/p>\n
The hanging led to massive anti-Singapore protests in the
\nPhilippines, where many believe Contemplacion was innocent,
\nprompting President Fidel Ramos to downgrade relations with this
\ncity-state.<\/p>\n
Filipino experts who studied Maga's exhumed remains said she
\ncould not possibly have been killed by Contemplacion, and that
\nshe was bludgeoned by someone stronger, probably a man and a
\nmartial arts expert.<\/p>\n
Singapore has dismissed their findings, saying the original
\nautopsy conducted by its own experts found no physical injuries
\non Maga of the kind reported by the Filipino pathologists.<\/p>\n
The foreign ministry statement said Prime Minister Goh Chok
\nTong had written to Ramos on April 12 that two Singapore forensic
\nexperts will go to Manila to join Philippine counterparts in an
\nexamination of Maga's remains.<\/p>\n
The Singapore pathologists, Chao Tzee Cheng and Wee Keng Poh
\nof the Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine here, performed
\nthe original autopsy on Maga.<\/p>\n
They will be accompanied by three U.S. forensic experts when
\nthey reach Manila tomorrow.<\/p>\n
The case files of the U.S. experts -- Cyril Wecht, Michael
\nBaden and William Maples -- include such famous people as U.S.
\npresident John F. Kennedy, black civil rights leader Martin
\nLuther King and rock and roll star Elvis Presley.<\/p>\n
The all-American panel was chosen after Ramos said he
\npreferred non-Commonwealth experts, the foreign ministry said.
\nSingapore is a part of the British Commonwealth.<\/p>\n
Goh wrote to Ramos that Singapore would have preferred that
\nthe joint examination be held in a neutral venue such as
\nPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the foreign ministry said. Wecht works
\nat the St. Francis Central Hospital in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
Goh cited concerns for the Singapore pathologists' safety in
\nthe Philippines and worries that the emotionally-charged
\natmosphere in Manila could not be conducive to a \"cool, calm and
\ndispassionate analysis of the remains.\"<\/p>\n
\"Also, they might need access to highly specialized equipment
\nwhich might not be available in Manila,\" the statement said.<\/p>\n
But Goh accepted Manila as the venue after Ramos assured
\nprotection for the Singapore pathologists and promised the full
\ncooperation of the Philippine authorities, it said.<\/p>\n
\"The experts from both countries will endeavor through their
\nbest efforts to reconcile the different findings of the
\nPhilippines NBI (National Bureau of Investigations) and those of
\nthe Singapore pathologists during this visit,\" it said.<\/p>\n
\"Should they be unable to reconcile their different findings,
\nthe Philippine and Singapore governments will consult again on
\nthe subsequent steps that need to be taken, namely implementation
\nof the agreement on a neutral third party panel of forensic
\nexperts ... ,\" the statement added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/spore-pledges-to-reopen-flor-contemplacion-case-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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