Press Statement                                                                             Reference: Marie Hilao-Enriquez
20 May 2004                                                                                                 Secretary-General

GMA told to rethink US support Height of hypocrisy

And they dared cast the first stone.

While KARAPATAN, the Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights
says that the US report on the 'problematic' human rights record of the
Arroyo regime only affirms KARAPATAN's findings, the progressive human
rights group also slams the US government's own record of gross human
rights violations not only in America but in other countries of the
world, including the Philippines.

"It is the height of hypocrisy that the US should be lecturing about
the human rights records of the country amidst the rights abuses its own
forces inflict on other citizens of the world, including the Filipinos"
Marie Hilao-Enriquez, KARAPATAN Secretary General said. "The
self-proclaimed policeman of the world who has blatantly invaded Iraq and
Afghanistan and other parts of the world; meddled into and dictated on the
affairs of other countries should refrain from putting its foot where its
mouth is."

Now comes the Arroyo government lambasting the US government for the
latter's own human rights record. "While the Arroyo government castigates
the US government for the US troops' inhumane treatment of Iraqi
prisoners, it is mum on the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) abuses
heaped on our brother and sister Muslims who were tortured, killed and
disappeared by the AFP at the height of the so-called state of lawlessness
in Basilan, Sulu and Zamboanga. Arroyo even supported the invasion of
Iraq and ordered the bombing of Muslim communities in North Cotabato
and Maguindanao," Enriquez said.

KARAPATAN also criticized Malacañang for defending its atrocious human
rights record and pointing its fingers to the US government saying that
both should stop accusing each other of rights abuses both have wrought
against its own citizens. "Pareho lang sila, both are authors of human
rights atrocities we have documented committed against our poor
citizens and progressive people's organizations." Enriquez said. "The US war
on terrorism was even supported by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
which has resulted to 3,044 cases of human rights violations in her three
years of governance." Enriquez continued.

The human rights group cited cases gathered from provinces of Basilan,
Sulu, North Cotabato, Davao, Mindoro and the Southern Tagalog
provinces, the Bicol region, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Negros island,
Northern and Central Luzon and the provinces of Mindanao.

"Several towns of Sulu became virtual ghost towns and together with
Maguindanao, North Cotabato and other parts of Mindanao, people's lives
have been shattered by the government's all-out-war policy, bombings have
become a way of life. In Basilan and Davao, not only did the bombings
devastated peoples' homes and livelihood, lives were wasted to killings,
warrantless arrests and enforced disappearances," the human rights
leader related. "Mindoro is no longer the island paradise we all long to go
to during summer, it has become a cemetery to citizens critical of
widespread militarization and state terrorism."

KARAPATAN also cited that under Arroyo's US-supported administration,
13 human rights workers have already been killed.

"It is high time that the Arroyo government look into the human rights
situation of the country, stop the continuing abuses against its people
by its own state security forces and at the same time rethink about
continuing its support to the US government's so-called 'war on terror'
where hapless citizens are its primary victims." Enriquez concluded. ###