by MindaNews
Tuesday, 16 March 2010 11:01
JAKARTA, Indonesia (MindaNews/15 March) – Journalists attending a regional conference here have written President Arroyo an open letter to express their “deep concern” over the November 23 massacre in Ampatuan, Maguindanao that left at least 58 persons dead, 32 of them from the media, and to urge her administration and institutions of the state “to take the appropriate action to ensure justice is done and to create a better, safer environment for journalists in your country.”
The letter was signed by 29 journalists from 14 countries in East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
“Their murder, and the death of countless other media workers in your country in recent years, will not be forgotten by us,” the journalists wrote.
The Ampatuan Massacre is the worst pre-election violence in Philippine history and, worldwide, is the greatest loss of life by news media in a single day.
The journalists were in a convoy from Buluan, Maguindanao, with one of the wives and relatives of Vice Mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, and two female human rights lawyers, en route to the provincial office of the Commission on Elections in the capital town of Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao to file Mangudadatu’s certificate of candidacy for governor when stopped at the national highway in Ampatuan town by around a hundred men reportedly led by Datu Unsay mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan, Jr., who wanted to run for governor, unopposed, like his father did in 2007.
Six other occupants on board two vehicles who passed at the wrong time were taken in and herded along with the rest to Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, some 3.5 kilometers at the foothills of Daguma Range, where they were mowed down.
Ampatuan Jr. has been charged with multiple murder while several key personalities from the clan like his father and brothers - were arrested for rebellion hours after martial law was declared over portions of Maguindanao on December 4.
In early February, a total of 197, among them the Ampatuans, were charged for conspiracy to commit the massacre.
“We are a group of journalists from around the Asia Pacific region who have gathered in Jakarta over the past few days to share our experiences of reporting in the region. Our goal is to produce better quality journalism, safely and in an unhindered manner. With this in mind, we call on you to mark this tragedy by taking concrete and positive steps to address the plight of journalists in the Philippines,” the letter-writers said.
The signatories are Carolyn Jones of Australia; Rohani hj Abd Hamid of Brunei; Colum Murphy, Hongkong, Rachna Bisht-Rawat of India; Ismira Luftia, Abu Hanifah and Warief Djajanto Basorie of Indonesia; Dong Won Kim of Korea; Faezah Ismail and Harlina Samson of Malaysia; Zaw Win Than of Myanmar; David Robie, Alan Samson, Graeme Rolf Acton, . Edward Gay and Julie Middleton of New Zealand; Rahim Ullah Yusufzai and Zahid Hussein of Pakistan; Carolyn Arguillas, Amy Pamintuan, Cynthia D. Balana, Charissa Matutina Luci, Edmund K. Usman, and Julmunir I. Jannaral of the Philippines; Tay Hwee Peng of Singapore; . Supara Janchitfah, Don Pathan and Somsack Pongkhao of Thailand and Pham Trung Bac, of Vietnam. (MindaNews)
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