KMU alarmed over first Fil-am victim of Arroyo’s abductions; demands immediate release of Fil-Am activist, companions

KMU demands for the immediate release of Melissa Roxas, an American citizen of Filipino descent, member of BAYAN-USA and the cultural group Habi Arts based in California, and her companions who were abducted by armed, bonet-clad men in La Paz Tarlac on May 19.

According reports by Karapatan and the La Paz police, Roxas and her companions were were taken by at least eight fully-armed, bonnet-clad men on board two motorcycles and a Besta van without any plate numbers. Since the abduction, there has been no word on the whereabouts and condition of Roxas and her companions, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc.

Such abduction style is very consistent with the past abductions carried out by the Arroyo government and its military with our fellow Filipino activists.

KMU vows to exert utmost pressure to ensure the surfacing and safety of Roxas, Carabeo and Handoc, and seeks for the support of fellow Filipinos and the international community. ###