Philippines rape trial of US marines next week

MANILA, Mar 15 (Reuters) A Philippine judge ordered four US marines, accused of raping a 22 year-old Filipino woman, to appear in court next week to submit their pleas, marking the start of their trial.

In an order today, Judge Renato Dilag also summoned the alleged rape victim to court on March 24 to hear the formal charges, bringing both sides face-to-face nearly five months after the alleged rape in a van at a former US Navy base in Subic Bay, north of Manila.

The marines, stationed in Okinawa, Japan, had just ended two weeks of military exercises with Philippine troops in October and were on rest-and-recreation leave when the alleged incident happened.

''I'm requiring their presence on March 24, including their legal counsels,'' said Dilag, warning he would order the arrest of the four marines if they did not show up for the arraignment.

The Olongapo City court had postponed the arraignment for 60 days to allow the justice department review the rape case based on requests from lawyers for the accused. The review ends on March 18.

Dilag said the court has only one year to complete the rape trial or the four members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit would walk free based on a status of forces agreement between Manila and Washington in 1998.

The four US marines remained under the custody of the US embassy after Washington turned down a request by Manila to hand over the accused servicemen, ignoring an arrest warrant issued by a local court in January.

In a January. 16 diplomatic note, the embassy invoked the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement, saying ''the US government shall continue to exercise custody until completion of all judicial proceedings''.

Opposition politicians and leftist activists have protested over Washington's refusal to hand over the Marines, describing it as a vote of no confidence in the country's justice system.

Despite weeks of small demonstrations, the rape case has not inflamed any serious anti-American sentiment among the public in the Philippines, a former US colony and Washington's closest security partner in Southeast Asia.

REUTERS HS PM1628