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MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Some 20 leftwing activists nearly clashed with Manila police as they tried to get near the US Embassy on Roxas Boulevard Tuesday demanding justice for a Filipino woman allegedly raped by an American soldier in Japan.
Chanting "US imperialists, No. 1 terrorists," members of women group Gabriela and leftwing alliance Bayan burned a cardboard US flag and scuffled briefly with riot police.
Last month, American and Japanese officials said a US serviceman was under investigation for alleged sexual assault of a Filipino woman on the southern island of Okinawa, where a US Marine also was arrested on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old Japanese girl.
The cases added to a string of accusations that have fueled anger against the heavy US military presence in Okinawa.
Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said the case was still under investigation by Okinawa police, who have taken the Filipino woman into protective custody.
"We are appalled and indignant that US troops in the Philippines, in Okinawa, Japan, and elsewhere commit these acts with impunity," said Rita Baua, a spokeswoman for Bayan, which spearheaded the rally.
"She and her family, along with the Filipino people, deserve an immediate apology from the US government over this latest atrocity committed against our nation's dignity," said Maita Santiago, an officer of the migrant workers' group Migrante International.
She pointed out that US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has expressed regret for the alleged rape of the Japanese girl, and should do the same for the Filipino woman.
The activists also protested against officials' alleged slow action on the case, recalling what they said was the Philippine government's failure to defend the nation's sovereignty in the case of a US Marine convicted in 2006 of raping a Filipino woman at the sprawling Subic Bay Freeport but detained at the US Embassy instead of a local jail.
On Monday, a group of 52 women legislators from the House of Representatives urged the government to push for prosecution in the Okinawa case. Some asked the government to file a diplomatic protest with the US. With Tina G. Santos, Philippine Daily Inquirer
