References: Daya Mortel
Anakbayan Honolulu
email: hawaii @ bayanusa.org
Honolulu–Filipinos and their allies in Honolulu participated in an internationally-coordinated global day of action today condemning the political killings in the Philippines under the current administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the Philippine Consulate.
A vigil hosted by members of the Filipino youth group, Anakbayan Honolulu, was held in remembrance of the near daily killings of those critical of President Arroyo. Included in those killings are journalists, church workers, students, trade unionists, human rights workers, and others. September 21 is also the 34th anniversary of the US-Marcos administration’s declaration of Martial Law in 1972.
“We remember the victims and the justice long past due to them and their families who are left to suffer. We thought the days of Martial Law were over, but here we are, once again, reliving a history that should never be repeated,” states Daya Mortel, chairperson of Anakbayan Honolulu and a student at the University of Hawaii. “We will stand in protest with the international community to call for an end to the killings.”
International human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Asian Human Rights Watch, and the World Council of Churches have given statements and reports condemning the killings. To date, over 750 Filipinos have been killed under Arroyo’s administration.
President Arroyo had visited Hawaii last Saturday to unveil a sakada statue and was met with protest as well.
Internationally-coordinated actions were organized by the US Chapter of BAYAN (BAYAN-USA) and the International League of People’s Struggle. Same-day actions also took place in 14 different countries, including Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Australia, Italy, England and the United States.