U.S. troops given time in rape case<\/p>\n
Roli Ng, Reuters\/Olongapo City, Philippines<\/p>\n
Philippine prosecutors give lawyers for six U.S. Marines until
\nNov. 29 to answer a rape complaint filed by a Filipino woman, a
\ncase testing the strength of relations with the United States.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors are investigating the allegations that the
\nsoldiers, who had participated in two weeks of joint military
\nexercises, gang-raped a 22-year-old woman in a van on Nov. 1 at
\nthe former American navy base at Subic Bay northwest of Manila.<\/p>\n
The Philippines, battling Muslim and communist insurgencies,
\nis a former U.S. colony and a major ally to Washington in the
\nregion. While both sides say the alleged rape will do nothing to
\nhurt close ties, the case has churned up anti-U.S. sentiment.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of members of a leftist women's group and a smaller
\nnumber of pro-American demonstrators held separate rallies
\noutside Olongapo City hall of justice, where prosecutors received
\ncopies of the complaint and affidavits from several witnesses.<\/p>\n
\"We would give them up to Nov. 29 to file counter-affidavits
\non the rape complaint,\" Prudencio Jalandoni, head of the city
\nprosecutor's office, said on Wednesday. He added that his team
\nwas rushing to resolve the case within a prescribed 60-day
\ndeadline.<\/p>\n
The woman who filed the complaint did not attend the
\npreliminary hearing. Her five lawyers, all women, submitted a
\nfresh affidavit from a witness who gave a more detailed account
\nof what she saw on the night of the alleged crime.<\/p>\n
The soldiers, who have not been charged and are being held
\nunder the custody of the U.S. embassy, did not appear.<\/p>\n
An embassy spokesman, Matthew Lussenhop, said the six Marines
\nhad filed sworn statements at the prosecutor's office on
\nWednesday. But their lawyers did not submit the affidavits due to
\nthe additional testimony given by the woman's lawyers.<\/p>\n
\"The physical presence of the Marines today was not required
\nby the office of the city prosecutor,\" Lussenhop told reporters.
\nHe said the embassy had yet to respond to a request from the
\nPhilippine foreign affairs department to take custody of the six
\nsoldiers.<\/p>\n
In a statement read out by Lussenhop, the U.S. embassy said it
\nwould cooperate closely with Philippine authorities \"to ensure
\nthe case is handled fairly and that justice is done\".<\/p>\n
Outside the hall of justice, protesters waved banners and
\nplacards demanding an end to a treaty -- the Visiting Forces
\nAgreement -- that allows U.S. soldiers to train, advise and
\nconduct exercises with Philippine troops.<\/p>\n
\"We're here to keep a tight watch on the legal proceedings,\"
\nsaid Lotlot Requiso, a spokeswoman for Kaisa (Oneness), a women's
\nrights group. \"We believe that justice would not be served well
\nif we were not here monitoring the hearing.\"<\/p>\n
Relations soured in the early 1990s when Philippine senators
\nterminated a treaty allowing U.S. forces to keep huge naval and
\nair bases in the country, and Washington cut military aid to the
\npoor Southeast Asian state.<\/p>\n
The links were repaired when the Philippine Senate ratified
\nthe Visiting Forces Agreement in 1999.<\/p>\n
\"This is a test case for our two countries' relations,\" said
\nRaymond Viray, an assistant prosecutor. \"This is the first time
\nwe are investigating U.S. soldiers under the Visiting Forces
\nAgreement treaty.\"<\/p>",
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