Text fwd: Filipinos protest US military pact

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Same as the article below
'An anti-riot policeman (L) tries to disperse a group of students who gather in front of the US embassy in Manila to protest the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).'

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=89518&sectionid=351020406
Press TV, March 24, 2009
Filipinos protest US military pact

Filipino anti-riot police have clashed with a group of students who were
demanding the withdrawal of US troops from the Philippines.

Dozens of protesters, who gathered outside the US embassy in Manila on Tuesday
to protest a military treaty between the two countries, were injured in the
clash.

The Visiting Forces Agreement, known in the Philippines as VFA, covers the
conduct of troops in annual exercises between the US and the Philippines.

The protesters say the treaty does not grant equal rights to Filipino and
American citizens and treats Filipinos as "second-class citizens of the United
States."

The demonstrators pointed to the case of the US soldier, Lance Corporal Daniel
Smith, who was detained in 2006 after convicted of raping a Filipino woman.

The case strained military ties between Washington and Manila and fueled
anti-American sentiment in the Philippines.

The pact, regarding the treatment of US armed forces visiting the Philippines,
was ratified by the Philippines Senate in 1999.

The US is yet to approve the pact.
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