PHILIPPINES

PHILIPPINES
The Manila Times, Dec. 5: A triumph for justice, Filipino women and the rape victim, "Nicole," was the verdict yesterday of Judge Benjamin Pozon of the Makati Regional Trial Court sentencing the principal accused Lance Corporal Daniel Smith to 40 years in jail.
The sentence pleased citizens who have been following the case since it was first reported on Nov. 1, 2005. Nicole, 22, told the police she was raped in a moving van by Corporal Smith while three friends looked on and cheered.
Judge Pozon, weighing the claims of the victim and the accused, said he was morally convinced that Smith committed "bestial acts" and "chilling, naked sadism." The case uncaged a flood of anti-American sentiments and angry demonstrations.
The judge ordered Smiths immediate incarceration at the Makati City jail and this set off a scuffle between police escorts and U.S. Embassy representatives.
American custody
The Americans have maintained that under the Philippine-United States Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) custody of an American accused shall be with the U.S. authorities until the conclusion of judicial proceedings is completed.
The U.S. representatives said this meant that Smith should remain in embassy custody since an appeal has been forwarded to the Court of Appeals. Failing to get a favorable verdict from the appeals court, the defense could send the case up to the Supreme Court.
From the days when two U.S. military bases operated at Clark and Olongapo, there had been many complaints against American servicemen for unruliness or antiwomen behavior. The November 1 rape created a wave of acrimony and anti-Americanism unprecedented in RP-U.S. relations.
Should the Visiting Forces Agreement be revised in whole or in part, particularly the provision on the custody and detention of a US serviceman? Should it be abrogated totally?
INDIA
Hindustan Times, Dec. 5: Hugo Chavez being re-elected as Venezuelas Leftist President was never in doubt. Even the scale of Mr. Chavezs victory over challenger Manuel Rosales was probably just a matter of detail considering that most Venezuelans evidently believe his socialist revolution and oil-funded social programmes are their best bet for a better future. The fortuitous rise of oil prices in the past six years has given Mr. Chavez a powerful tool to keep the Venezuelan masses happy. He has used the countrys huge oil revenues to fund a range of programmes -- from free clinics and adult literacy to subsidised state-run shops called mercals and cash benefits for single mothers.
The fresh mandate gives Mr. Chavez a free hand to deliver on many of his electoral promises, like expanding free health care services and cracking down on corruption in the government.
Crime, corruption
However, this could be easier said than done. Venezuelan society is deeply divided and is plagued by crime, corruption, unemployment and an acute lack of housing. This suggests that the lot of the poor may have actually only changed superficially since Mr. Chavez first swept into office in 1998, riding on the bitterness of an electorate disillusioned by a corrupt political elite. Although his supporters claim they have benefited from these programmes, the fact remains that Mr. Chavezs government has not been able to significantly raise living standards. Could it then be that, as his critics argue, the support he enjoys from Venezuelas poor is paradoxical? Many economists have pointed out that his Bolivarian Revolution may not actually be a sustainable model and it serves only to keep the poor that way.