"As of the month of April this year, there has been 68 women killed under the administration of Arroyo. All deaths are documented as poitical killings by national human rights organisations.  These women are part of the 500 human rights defenders - from community organisers, media people, church people and opposition politicians who have been killed. We are enraged by this, " said Titi Soentoro, Regional Coordinator of Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD).  Titi, from Indonesia , said that this is reminiscent of the Suharto regime, who has caused thousands of lives of activists in Indonesia during his regime from 1965-1998.


Other activists from Thailand , Burma, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Korea , India , Malaysia, Singapore , and  Philippines echoed the same call.  "We cannot just sit by and watch human rights situation in the Philippines deteriorate,"  according to Forum Asia staff.  The dying of democracy in the Philippines is a serious concern to the international peoples movement struggling for peace and democracy.

Some of the activists went to present their statement to the Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Antonio V. Rodriguez.  In response to the particular demand for the Arroyo government to drop the rebellion charges to GABRIELA Womens's Party list representative, Rodriguez said, "I and four of my family members voted for GABRIELA in the last elections.  So I am concerned as you are."  However, he said that investigations are now being done, and if the "Batasan 5" are found to be involved in the plot to topple the government, then justice has to be served.  "Batasan 5" refers to the 5 party-list representatives who are now under the protective custody of the House of Congress, as there are threats of arrest for rebellion charges against them.

On the political killings, when Forum Asia stated that these have spread even into the grassroots communities, victimizing community workers, peasants and fisherfolks, Rodriguez said, "I am not justifying these killings. But you must admit that insurgency has escalated in the Philippines.  The government has to protect itself."  APWLD then said that they will provide the Ambassador with documentations which will show that the main crime of the victims are being involved in defending human rights, and some of them are critical to the government. "The women and men who were killed are not from armed groups or involved in any illegal activities."

While the meeting ended cordially, Soentoro reiterated that the killings of human rights defenders in the