Manila to probe Malaysia shooting

Representatives of the Philippine government called for the return of the body of a Filipino who was shot dead by Malaysian authorities after he had run amok and injured five people with a machete in a detention centre in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, said a TV report.

The identity of the Filipino was not released, said the report, adding that the Philippine government will find out if there was any foul play in his death.

The man injured two children, one of them aged two, and a 48-year-old man.

The man's two-hour rampage occurred at the Menggatal town in Sabah, Borneo. The man was found to have travel documents with two different names, said the report.

Foreign Secretary Blas Ople asked Malaysian authorities to allow the Philippine government to send a statement of the 13-year-old Filipina who was reportedly abused by policemen at the detention centre in Kota Kinabalu.

"We will avoid bringing her to Malaysia, where she was asked to give a statement," said Ople, adding, "She can make her deposition through a video camera."

The Philippine government expressed appreciation to Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Mahathir who said he wanted the abusers of the 13-year-old Filipina girl to be punished. It was made in response to President Gloria Arroyo's letter to Mahathir urging him to punish those who abused the girl.

The Philippine government is trying to prove that the 13-year old girl is not a prostitute, as claimed by many Malaysian sources.

Meanwhile, a TV report said the girl, identified only as Tsina, had been wandering around the streets of Kota Kinabalu for seven months, and has no family of her own. "It was the reason why she was easily molested," the TV report said.

The Philippine government has concealed her identity for her privacy and dignity. She is now under the care of the social welfare department. The same government agency will handle the deposition of the girl, with the help of a video camera.

Thousands of Filipinos have been deported from Sabah in recent months in a crackdown on illegal immigrants.

The Human Rights Commission, the labour department, and the foreign affairs office have jointly documented reports of alleged harsh treatments received by Filipinos.

They were detained for several months at three detention centres located in Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu, and Tauao. In a partial report, which was televised, many Filipinos complained of being caned and mauled "for small mistakes and sometimes for no reason at all".

"I was asked to sell shabu inside the detention centre," said one detainee. "When I refused to obey that order, I was mauled," he related.

"We did not have anything to eat," said a woman detainee, adding that her children were malnourished at the detention centre.