Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 37 views

    Escalante Massacre - Nytimes - Philippine Soldiers Fire On Protest

    Uploaded by

    Jack Silva
    14 people were killed and nearly 200 arrested after Philippine soldiers opened fire on protesters in Escalante during demonstrations marking the 13th anniversary of martial law. The military said the troops fired in self-defense after demonstrators fought efforts to disperse them, while witnesses said the crowd was unarmed. The shootings were the worst violence under President Ferdinand Marcos's rule and came amid other protests over economic issues and human rights abuses.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Escalante Massacre - Nytimes - Philippine Soldiers Fire On Protest

    Uploaded by

    Jack Silva
    37 views3 pages
    14 people were killed and nearly 200 arrested after Philippine soldiers opened fire on protesters in Escalante during demonstrations marking the 13th anniversary of martial law. The military said the troops fired in self-defense after demonstrators fought efforts to disperse them, while witnesses said the crowd was unarmed. The shootings were the worst violence under President Ferdinand Marcos's rule and came amid other protests over economic issues and human rights abuses.

    Original Title

    Escalante Massacre_nytimes_philippine Soldiers Fire on Protest

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    14 people were killed and nearly 200 arrested after Philippine soldiers opened fire on protesters in Escalante during demonstrations marking the 13th anniversary of martial law. The military said the troops fired in self-defense after demonstrators fought efforts to disperse them, while witnesses said the crowd was unarmed. The shootings were the worst violence under President Ferdinand Marcos's rule and came amid other protests over economic issues and human rights abuses.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    37 views3 pages

    Escalante Massacre - Nytimes - Philippine Soldiers Fire On Protest

    Uploaded by

    Jack Silva
    14 people were killed and nearly 200 arrested after Philippine soldiers opened fire on protesters in Escalante during demonstrations marking the 13th anniversary of martial law. The military said the troops fired in self-defense after demonstrators fought efforts to disperse them, while witnesses said the crowd was unarmed. The shootings were the worst violence under President Ferdinand Marcos's rule and came amid other protests over economic issues and human rights abuses.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    PHILIPPINE SOLDIERS FIRE ON

    PORTEST,KILLING 14
    •
    •
    •
    •
    •
    •
    •
    •
    AP
    • Sept. 21, 1985
    https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/21/world/philippine-soldiers-fire-on-portestkilling-14.html

    Credit...The New York Times Archives


    See the article in its original context from
    September 21, 1985, Section 1, Page 28Buy Reprints
    VIEW ON TIMESMACHINE
    TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.
    About the Archive
    This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start
    of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared,
    The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
    Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other
    problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions.

    Fourteen people were shot and killed by soldiers today in a town 300 miles south of here
    during protests marking the anniversary of martial law. Officials said the troops had
    opened fire in self-defense.

    It was the worst such violence in the 20 years of President Ferdinand E. Marcos's rule
    since the opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino Jr. was killed in Manila in 1983,
    witnesses and authorities said.

    The incident, in Escalante on the sugar-growing island of Negros, occurred during one
    of many demonstrations by thousands of people on the eve of the 13th anniversary of
    martial law. Nearly 200 people were reported to have been arrested. The Marcos
    Government imposed martial law Sept. 21, 1972. It was lifted in 1981, but critics say the
    President has retained the powers of a dictator.

    Military authorities in Escalante said soldiers fired on 15,000 protesters after the
    demonstrators fought off efforts to disperse them with fire hoses and tear gas.
    'Unfortunate Incident'

    Two-way radio reports monitored in Bacolod, a provincial capital on Negros, said that as
    many as 23 people might have died. Military authorities said 12 men and 2 women were
    killed, all by gunshots.

    ''The unfortunate incident happened because our men had to protect themselves,'' Brig.
    Gen. Isidro de Guzman, the regional military commander, said in a television interview.

    General de Guzman said the demonstrators had tried to grab weapons from policemen
    and soldiers. Witnesses interviewed by radio confirmed that the crowd had fought the
    police. They said many in the crowd had applauded and mocked soldiers when they
    fired guns into the air.

    An army unit spokesman, Capt. Fortunato Serafin, said soldiers fired when they saw a
    man who appeared ready to hurl a grenade. The captain said weapons had been
    confiscated from the protesters.

    Protest in Capital

    In Manila, about 2,000 students blocked streets near President Marcos's palace and
    burned effigies of President Reagan and President Marcos. The students were protesting
    what they said was repression by the Government and plans for a law that would require
    students to take courses on patriotism.

    Elsewhere in the Philippines, thousands protested what they said have been the growing
    power of the military and human rights abuses under Mr. Marcos.

    In Cebu, the second largest city, soldiers with fire hoses dispersed demonstrators who
    had formed human barricades and tried to force a citywide strike. The police said 172
    people had been arrested and hauled off to an army camp in a dump truck.

    Their fate was not immediately known.

    Captain Serafin said only about 10 soldiers had been at the scene of the shootings in
    Escalante, but witnesses said there had been more. The estimate of 15,000
    demonstrators was given by the Government press agency.

    High Unemployment

    Negros has been hit hard by the near collapse of the Philippine sugar industry, and the
    economic hardship has created increasing unrest among 250,000 unemployed sugar
    workers.

    The Philippines' previous most violent demonstration was Sept. 21, 1983, when 11
    people were killed as the police chased demonstrators away from President Marcos's
    palace a month after Mr. Aquino was assassinated.
    More rallies, strikes and marches are scheduled in Bacolod and other cities on Saturday,
    which is celebrated as ''Thanksgiving Day'' by the Government. It is called a ''day of
    sorrow'' by members of the activist group Bayan, which organized most of the protests.

    The acting armed forces chief, Lieut. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, placed the country's 200,000
    military personnel on nationwide alert. A military spokesman said the action was
    routine on national holidays.

    You might also like