ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
By Roy Ramos
Activists in the Philippines called Tuesday for the prosecution under local law of a U.S. marine accused of killing a transgender Filipino woman.
Elmer Labog, chapter president of the International League of People's Struggle, said in a statement the U.S. serviceman suspected of killing Jeffrey Laude should be “in Philippine jail and not under U.S. custody on a U.S. warship. He should be prosecuted… and tried under Philippine laws."
“We even enjoin the LGBT community at home and abroad to boot out the bases and abrogate all foreign military agreements with the U.S."
The case threatens to reignite Philippine resentment at the perceived preferential treatment given to U.S. service personnel accused of crimes. According to the Visiting Forces Agreement, the U.S. can detain suspects in custody while Philippine criminal proceedings are ongoing, agreeing to produce them in court when necessary.
Laude, 26, was found dead in a hotel in Olongapo City, Zambales province, on Saturday. The suspect, from the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, has been detained aboard amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu, the American embassy in Manila confirmed Tuesday.
The embassy statement said the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is conducting a joint investigation with the Philippine National Police.
It added: "The United States will continue to fully cooperate with Philippine law enforcement authorities in every aspect of the investigation."
Olongapo City is a former U.S. military base that is still used by U.S. forces under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
In the past, the U.S. has pressured Philippine authorities to release U.S. forces personnel into American custody, Labog claimed. He cited Wikileaks revelations around the case of Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, convicted of rape by a Philippine court in 2006 but held at the U.S. embassy against a judicial order. Smith was acquitted by a higher court in 2009.
Philippine police have tightened security around the U.S. embassy following threats of protests against the killing of Laude.
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