Roxas to DFA: Beware of 'sanitized' version of rape of Pinay in Japan

Senator Manuel Roxas II called on the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday to make sure that information provided by the US government on the reported rape incident involving a US serviceman and a Filipina in Okinawa, Japan are not “sanitized."

Information obtained from the US government, which may be overzealously shielding one of its soldiers from the reach of justice, must be double checked, the senator said.

“We have seen that happen here, and our DFA should be able to discern whether we’re being offered a sanitized version of events," said Roxas, pertaining to the case involving Lance Corporal Daniel Smith and a woman named “Nicole" who complained of having been raped on Nov. 1, 2005 in Olongapo City.

Japanese Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday that a "US Army member (had been) held for allegedly assaulting a Philippine woman." The soldier was not identified.

DFA spokesman Claro Cristobal said the Philippine embassy in Tokyo has confirmed that a Filipino woman has complained of having been raped by a US serviceman in Okinawa.
"Ensure protection of and assistance to the reported Filipina victim, and see that speedy justice is served," Roxas urged.

Cristobal said Consul General to Tokyo Sulpicio Confiado informed the DFA that an official will be dispatched to Okinawa to assist the Philippine honorary consulate in Naha extend full consular assistance and other needed support to the Filipina.

He noted that the Philippine government encountered serious controversy over the custody of Smith, who was eventually convicted of the rape case by the Makati regional trial court.

"If legal difficulties arose in a rape committed in Philippine soil, we should learn our lesson and be better prepared in protecting our own national in a foreign country, in a foreign court, under foreign laws," Roxas stressed.

Reports from Japan said the latest rape incident was committed in Okinawa sometime in the middle of February, and that the city's police were seeking an arrest warrant for the US soldier who allegedly committed the crime.

Reports said the Filipina was assaulted around middle of February in a hotel in Japan’s southern prefecture where about 20,000 US troops are stationed.

The alleged sexual assault is the latest incident in Okinawa involving US troops after a 38-year-old Marine staff sergeant Tyrone Luther Hadnott was arrested last week for allegedly raping a 14-year-old Japanese schoolgirl.

Following the recent string of complaints and protests from Japan, the US military imposed a curfew on all US troops including their families based in Okinawa.

“We take such incidents and allegations very seriously. To prevent further occurrences, I have ordered additional training for all Marines regarding expectations of behavior and conduct," said Marine Lt. Gen. Richard Zilmer in a statement last week.

Zilmer, the top US commander in Okinawa, ordered all members of the military and their families to stay in their bases or off-base residences until further notice.

“It is my sincere hope that the Japanese people understand this alleged behavior is counter to the core values that Marines live by and I truly hope this incident does not overshadow the US-Japan relationship that we value so much," he added. – GMANews.TV

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