Filipinos pelt Clinton car with paintballs

Press TV – November 16, 2011

Filipino demonstrators attacked US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s convoy with paint bombs to show their opposition to her visit to the Philippines.

About 50 protesters hurled red paint at Clinton’s security detail near the presidential palace in Manila on Wednesday, forcing her convoy to detour. The demonstrators also threw their placards at the vehicles, AFP reported.

Filipino security officers and at least one American jumped out with automatic rifles drawn. However, no shots were fired.

Protesters in the Philippines urge the annulment of the Visiting Forces Agreement. Under the military pact, US troops are given legal safeguards when they visit the Philippines.

The pact has been contentious in the Philippines. There have been cases of crimes committed by US troops in the Southeast Asian country, and some Filipino groups are opposed to the presence of any US troops in their country.

Filipino anti-US protesters also marched towards the US Embassy on Wednesday to protest the visit.

The US military presence is a sensitive topic in the Philippines due to colonial legacy.

Clinton arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday to shore up military cooperation with the Filipino defense officials.

Last week, the US Secretary of State said that the United States was “updating” relationships with its five treaty-bound regional allies – Australia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand.