Protest at RP Singapore mission

Protest at RP Singapore mission

MANILA (AFP): Ten left-wing activists staged a 30-minute sit- down protest outside the Singapore embassy in the Philippines yesterday, hours ahead of the arrival of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, witnesses said.

The pickets distributed leaflets accusing Goh and President Fidel Ramos of having been the "ones who murdered Flor Contemplacion," the Filipina maid whose 1995 hanging soured bilateral ties.

"What we will try to do is to improve our handling of such cases," Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said yesterday. "We're neighbors, so as much as possible we must help each other in resolving these problems."

Goh's three-day official visit is seen here as the symbolic restoration of full diplomatic ties between the two countries.