Philippine govt denies allowing US marines accused of rape to leave

The Philippine government denied on Saturday reports that it has agreed to let the six US marines accused of raping a Filipino woman to be transferred out of the country.

In a statement, presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said he wanted to correct the reports and that the government's stand on this case has not changed.

"The transfer of trial is out of the question," he said.

The local newspaper "Manila Times" reported on Saturday that Bunye has told the media that the government will not stop the US government from transferring out of the country the six US marines.

"The reports that the (presidential) palace has cleared the transfer of the accused US marines to Okinawa are erroneous and I ask that they be corrected in the interest of fairness," said Bunye.

The US marines were accused by a 22-year-old Filipino woman of raping in a van in the Subic former US navy base early this month.

They are reportedly staying in the US embassy in Manila.

"The stand of the government is consistent and has not changed we will pursue justice for the victim to the fullest extent under our sovereign prerogatives," said Bunye.

Philippine officials said preliminary investigation of the case by Philippine judicial authorities will begin on Nov. 23, the day when the accused are asked to appear before a prosecutor's office in Subic Bay, some 80 kilometers north of Manila.

Source: Xinhua