Philippines (2012 onwards, inc OEF)

**Dayuhan** · 10-13-2014

This hit the social media mill yesterday, in the news today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/wo...=pl-share&_r=0

OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines — The Philippine police and United States Navy officials are investigating whether a member of the United States military killed a 26-year-old Filipino cross-dresser in a hotel over the weekend, the police said Monday.

Superintendent Pedrito Delos Reyes of the Philippine police said Monday that the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service was questioning a member of the United States military in connection with the death on Saturday of the Filipino, Jeffrey Laude, a resident of Olongapo City.

Additional coverage:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10...sgender-murder

Apparently the US Navy has stopped the departure of the ships, suggesting that there is something to it all:

http://www.rappler.com/nation/71882-...longapo-murder

US Pacific Command Admiral Samuel Locklear III ordered to put on hold the scheduled departure of US ships pending the investigation on the murder of a transgender that tagged an American serviceman.

The incident, no matter how it plays out, will be gleefully received by the left and will be a substantial embarrassment to the Philippine government, which has just negotiated an expanded military access agreement.

These things happen every so often, and the publicity is always huge and damaging... in 2005 a Marine named Daniel Smith was convicted of raping a girl he picked up in a bar, to enormous attendant outcry. The conviction was reversed by a higher court, after the victim recanted her testimony... a few weeks later she got a shiny new US visa, so you can figure what happened. On the basis of evidence presented, if he'd done the same thing in the US he'd have unquestionably been convicted.

What completely baffles me is why they keep letting these guys to hit the town and hit the booze. Given the nature of the alcohol/testosterone mix, that's a guarantee that sooner or later someone is going to step in the scheisse . I know everyone remembers the bad old days in Subic and how much fun it all was, but those days are gone and mistakes now have consequences. All they have to do to prevent these incidents is keep the boys on the boat or at least under supervision, and keep them off the booze and the hookers. If they can do it in Afghanistan they can do it in the Philippines... but they don't, and this is the result.

To me the only available option is to turn the guy over to the local justice system, let the embassy monitor proceedings, sail away and dump him. There's going to be all kinds of commotion over having him detained and questioned by Americans, and that's understandable. I would also hope that there are some kind of consequences for whoever made the stupid-ass decision to let him off the leash in the first place, because these incidents are totally preventable.

/rant

**WGEwald** · 10-13-2014

Captain Cook would have had the sailor given 12 lashes and continued on.

Anyways

Philippines–United States Visiting Forces Agreement

**Dayuhan** · 10-14-2014

Captain Cook wouldn't have had the incident all over the global media.

Last April the US and the Philippines signed an "Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement" providing the US a substantially higher level of military access than the original VFA granted. The agreement was politically controversial and generated some hostility in the Philippines, partly from the left and partly from social conservatives and religious groups who retain distasteful memories of Angeles and Olongapo back in the day. There are organized groups eagerly waiting to make maximum political capital out of any possible incident, and they just got one that was beyond their wildest dreams.

Now you have an international incident, a huge embarrassment, two ships held up pending the outcome of an investigation, a Pacific Fleet Commander and a US Ambassador on the hot seat and (I'm sure) royally pissed off... all because nobody realized that a curfew and a no-alcohol order might have prevented a whole lot of trouble.