<<Print>>

The main suspect in the mass killing of 57 people in the southern Philippines, Andal Ampatuan Junior, has pleaded not guilty to 41 counts of murder. Mr Ampatuan is part of a politically influential clan which has close ties to President Gloria Arroyo.The massacre, in November, of members of another important political family, and journalists travelling with them, shocked the nation. They were on their way to register a candidate for local elections. Prosecutors say Mr Ampatuan led more than 100 armed men who stopped the convoy in which the group was travelling, then killed them and buried them in mass graves. His father and several other clan members have been charged with rebellion.'Test for judiciary' Mr Ampatuan was guarded by more than 30 heavily armed police as he attended court in the capital, Manila, on Tuesday.