16 foreigners killed in first nine months

16 foreigners killed in first nine months

MANILA (AFP): At least 16 foreigners have been shot or stabbed to death in the Philippines in the first nine months of the year and the killings could dampen foreign investor interest in the country, a senator said yesterday.

Senator Ernesto Herrera said in a statement that the victims included nationals from Australia, Britain, India, Japan, France, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United States.

"To prospective foreign investors and tourists not acquainted with the situation here, these slayings could have a chilling effect," the two-term senator said.

He said 22 foreigners were killed in 1994 and 18 in 1993.

The country's top businessmen last month expressed concern over almost weekly reports of kidnappings and daring daylight bank robberies in Manila, prompting President Fidel Ramos to order a renewed crackdown against syndicates.