Foreign forensics to join investigation

by Babel-Fish | November 29, 2009 at 01:40 pm

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This reporter is mistaken on the numbers recorded dead, the actual figure is 57 but the rest of the report seemly is correct. Forensic's are never that good in the Philippines as the sites get contaminated. Because bodies have all ready been buried it shows that forensic's have not been the top requirement of the investigation so far. Its a good bet the site was contaminated but perhaps these foreign experts will find some clues, but such thinks as DNA on cigarette butts will have to be ruled out.

The foreign forensic experts are British Chris Cobb Smith and Peruvian John Paul Baraybar, said Rommel R. Bagares, executive director of Center Law Philippines (CLP).

Baraybar is a forensic anthropologist and the former head of the United Nations Interim Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Forensics and Missing Persons Office who has exhumed mass graves in Rwanda, Bosnia and Kosovo.

On the other hand, Smith is a ballistic expert.

Bagares said Human Rights chairperson Leila de Lima will join the foreign forensics team.

"The foreign experts will determine if proper procedure was conducted in the identification or retrieval of the victims. Essentially, they'll perform an independent forensics investigation of the massacre," Bagares said in a phone interview, Sunday.