East Timor to deport an ex-Filipino congressman accused of masterminding a governor's murder
DILI, East Timor (AP) — East Timor said Thursday it would deport a former Filipino congressman charged with multiple murders in the Philippines and added that he was a national security threat whose presence could damage the country's image ahead of its entry to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Ex-Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. was arrested in East Timor's capital of Dili on Wednesday by immigration authorities and would immediately be deported to the Philippines for staying without a visa and after his passport was cancelled by Manila's Department of Foreign Affairs, the East Timor government said in a statement.
East Timor did not immediately specify a date for the deportation of Teves, who has been staying in Dili for more than two years as he tried to seek asylum, straining relations between the two Southeast Asian democracies. The Philippines has been calling on East Timor to repatriate Teves to face trial.
The Department of Justice in Manila on Thursday welcomed East Timor's decision and said it has designated a team of justice and immigration officials to help repatriate Teves.
East Timor said in a statement that Teves' presence in the country was 'unacceptable' and his stay for more than two years 'poses a disruptive factor in bilateral relations between the two states and establishes a serious precedent with potential implications for internal security.'
'The perception that Timor-Leste might be viewed as a refuge for individuals fleeing international justice undermines the integrity of our borders and our shared efforts to combat transnational crime,' East Timor said, using the country's formal name.
'The imminent full accession of Timor-Leste to ASEAN, scheduled for October this year, further reinforces the responsibility of the Timorese state to actively collaborate with its regional partners in upholding justice, legality, and stability in the region,' according to East Timor.
East Timor President José Ramos-Horta told The Associated Press in an interview in Dili in September that there was 'no possibility, under the law' that Teves would be able to remain in East Timor and that he would likely be sent back to the Philippines after his appeal to gain asylum had been exhausted.
Teves has been sought by the Philippine government in connection with the March 2023 killings of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and several other people, including impoverished villagers seeking medical aid from him, by men in military camouflage and body armor who barged into his central Philippine home with assault rifles. At least 17 others were wounded in the brazen attack, which was captured on security cameras.
Teves has denied involvement in the killings, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who was backed by Degamo, then called 'purely political.'
East Timor, Asia's youngest country, is in the process of joining the Philippines and nine other countries in the ASEAN, a regional grouping which espouses the rule of law and good governance. It currently has observer status in the regional bloc.
Teves' initial request to seek asylum in East Timor was rejected, a decision which he appealed. In March 2024, police arrested Teves while he was playing at a golf driving range in Dili and it's not immediately clear how he managed to regain liberty before bring put into custody by immigration authorities on Wednesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
States are rolling out red carpets for data centers. But some lawmakers are pushing back
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The explosive growth of the data centers needed to power America's fast-rising demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing platforms has spurred states to dangle incentives in hopes of landing an economic bonanza, but it's also eliciting pushback from lawmakers and communities. Activity in state legislatures — and competition for data centers — has been brisk in recent months, amid an intensifying buildout of the energy-hungry data centers and a search for new sites that was ignited by the late 2022 debut of OpenAI's ChatGPT. Many states are offering financial incentives worth tens of millions of dollars. In some cases, those incentives are winning approval, but only after a fight or efforts to require data centers to pay for their own electricity or meet energy efficiency standards. Some state lawmakers have contested the incentives in places where a heavy influx of massive data centers has caused friction with neighboring communities. In large part, the fights revolve around the things that tech companies and data center developers seem to most want: large tracts of land, tax breaks and huge volumes of electricity and water. And their needs are exploding in size: from dozens of megawatts to hundreds of megawatts and from dozens of acres up to hundreds of acres for large-scale data centers sometimes called a hyperscaler. While critics say data centers employ relatively few people and pack little long-term job-creation punch, their advocates say they require a huge number of construction jobs to build, spend enormous sums on goods and local vendors and generate strong tax revenues for local governments. In Pennsylvania, lawmakers are writing legislation to fast-track permitting for data centers. The state is viewed as an up-and-coming data center destination, but there is also a sense that Pennsylvania is missing out on billions of dollars in investment that's landing in other states. 'Pennsylvania has companies that are interested, we have a labor force that is capable and we have a lot of water and natural gas,' said state Rep. Eric Nelson. 'That's the winning combination. We just have a bureaucratic process that won't open its doors.' Kansas approved a new sales tax exemption on goods to build and equip data centers, while Kentucky and Arkansas expanded pre-existing exemptions so that more projects will qualify. Michigan approved one that carries some protections, including requirements to use municipal utility water and clean energy, meet energy-efficiency measures and ensure that it pays for its own electricity. Such tax exemptions are now so widespread — about three dozen states have some version of it — that it is viewed as a must-have for a state to compete. 'It's often a nonstarter if you don't have them, for at least the hyperscalers,' said Andy Cvengros, who helps lead the data center practice at commercial real estate giant JLL. 'It's just such a massive impact on the overall spend of the data center.' In West Virginia, lawmakers approved a bill to create 'microgrid' districts free from local zoning and electric rate regulations where data centers can procure power from standalone power plants. Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, called the bill his 'landmark policy proposal' for 2025 to put West Virginia 'in a class of its own to attract new data centers and information technology companies.' Utah and Oklahoma passed laws to make it easier for data center developers to procure their own power supply without going through the grid while Mississippi rolled out tens of millions of dollars in incentives last year to land a pair of Amazon data centers. In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster signed legislation earlier this month that eased regulations to speed up power plant construction to meet demand from data centers, including a massive Facebook facility. The final bill was fought by some lawmakers who say they worried about data centers using disproportionate amounts of water, taking up large tracts of land and forcing regular ratepayers to finance the cost of new power plants. 'I do not like that we're making customers pay for two power plants when they only need one,' Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey told colleagues during floor debate. Still, state Sen. Russell Ott suggested that data centers should be viewed like any other electricity customer because they reflect a society that is 'addicted' to electricity and are 'filling that need and that desire of what we all want. And we're all guilty of it. We're all responsible for it.' In data center hotspots, some lawmakers are pushing back. Lawmakers in Oregon are advancing legislation to order utility regulators to ensure data centers pay the cost of power plants and power lines necessary to serve them. Georgia lawmakers are debating a similar bill. In Virginia, the most heavily developed data center zone in the U.S., Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have forced more disclosures from data center developers about their site's noise pollution and water use. In Texas, which endured a deadly winter blackout in 2021, lawmakers are wrestling with how to protect the state's electric grid from fast-growing data center demand. Lawmakers still want to attract data centers, but a bill that would speed up direct hookups between data centers and power plants has provisions that are drawing protests from business groups. Those provisions would give utility regulators new authority to approve those agreements and order big electric users such as data centers to switch to backup generators in a power emergency. Walt Baum, the CEO of Powering Texans, which represents competitive power plant owners, warned lawmakers that those provisions might be making data center developers hesitant to do business in Texas. 'You've seen a lot of new announcements in other states and over the last several months and not as much here in Texas,' Baum told House members during a May 7 committee hearing. 'I think everybody right now is in a waiting pattern and I worry that we could be losing to other states while that waiting pattern is happening.' ___ Follow Marc Levy on X at
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
A growing number of New Orleans fugitives' friends and family arrested for aiding in jail escape
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The 10 men who escaped from a New Orleans jail more than two weeks ago by cutting out a hole behind a toilet received help from at least 14 people, many of them friends and family who provided food, cash, transport and shelter according to court documents. Records reviewed by The Associated Press show how some of the fugitives received aid before and after their escape — including from a number of people named in police reports but not yet facing charges. A former jail employee is accused of driving escapee Lenton Vanburen to a relative's home and helping him FaceTime family the day of the escape, while another friend later offered him a hiding place in a vacant apartment he had been hired to repaint. Others sent money via apps, lied to authorities during interrogation and messaged or called the fugitives, police say. Some are now held on bonds $1 million or higher and most face the felony charge of accessory after the fact. In a city with an entrenched mistrust of the criminal justice system, authorities on Thursday raised the reward to $50,000 per fugitive. They stressed that friends and family are key to capturing the two remaining escapees, convicted murderer Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey, who faces kidnapping and rape charges. 'We understand that some of you might be reporting a friend, a loved one, a relative and albeit not easy, it is critical to your safety and the safety of the public that you report them,' Jonathan Tapp, special agent in charge of FBI New Orleans, said Thursday. Former jail employee appears linked to escape After the audacious escape in the early hours of May 16, a woman who police described as 'associated' with Groves 'picked up' and transported escapee Vanburen to a relative's residence, the documents show. She then video-called Vanburen's sisters, who came to meet him. This woman — who has not been charged with aiding in the escape — shares the same name as a former Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office employee, according to court records. In 2023, that employee was arrested for bringing a folding knife and a bag of Cheetos containing tobacco and marijuana into the jail. The charges were dropped in part due to the woman's lack of criminal history and she 'successfully completed' a pretrial diversion program, the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office told The Associated Press. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office did not respond to request for comment. In a text message to an AP reporter, the woman denied bringing in contraband or aiding fugitives. Separately, authorities arrested a jail plumber they say helped the men escape, but his attorney maintains he was just trying to unclog a toilet . Phone records aid in arrests Several escapees, including Massey, relied on internet phone services to communicate with accomplices and 'avoid detection' by not leaving a trail of cellular signals, police reports say. Escapee Corey Boyd used an internet phone service to message several contacts seeking money and access to their iCloud accounts, threatening to kill one person if they did not comply, court records show. The FBI reviewed months of calls from Boyd's 'top caller' while incarcerated. They then found a brief call from a new phone number the night after the escape and used that to help track down Boyd. They discovered that Boyd's aunt was messaging him on Instagram to help him get food as hid in the apartment where a SWAT team captured him May 20. A victim of abuse arrested as accomplice One of the women accused of helping Massey suffered from years of physical abuse from him, court records show. The woman, who had previously filed a protective order against Massey after he attempted to strangle her, was aware of his planned escape and later misled authorities, police say. She exchanged messages with Massey's 31-year-old sister saying they hoped he 'never gets caught.' Authorities staked out the New Orleans home of Massey's sister but a search six days after the escape turned up empty-handed. Police learned Massey had been inside the home before the raid and altered and deleted evidence on his sister's phone. Court records show police accuse Massey's sister of lying to them, slowing down the manhunt and forcing them to lose 'critical days and hours' in the search. Authorities appeal to public for help At least seven of the people facing felony charges for aiding the fugitives have ties to Lenton Vanburen, Jr. according to authorities. After alerting two of his sisters by prison phone in the hours before his escape, he instructed they contact 'my girl' and provide her with a 'clean phone' so the two could communicate. The woman identified by police as Vanburen's love interest told The Associated Press she never received the phone and denied involvement in the escape plans. Vanburen's sisters met up with him the night of his escape at a family member's residence where he was able to shower, change clothes and was given toiletries. Another family member later reportedly took him to a relative's home in Mississippi. Vanburen was ultimately captured in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Monday and two men arrested this week were accused of helping him find shelter in a hotel — paid for in cash — and an apartment undergoing renovation. The Baton Rouge court system had no record of their legal representation. In another case, a 59-year-old Louisiana woman is accused of sending cash to fugitive Jermaine Donald, a family friend, according to her attorney. Lindsey Hortenstine, communications director for the Orleans Parish Public Defenders' office, said that most of the people arrested in connection with helping the fugitives have not yet secured attorneys. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Robert Hodges said tips from friends and family remain essential to locating the remaining fugitives. 'They're tired, they're looking over their shoulder, looking for resources,' Hodges said. 'I think the advantage goes to law enforcement and we need the public's help to ensure that we keep that advantage.' ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Louisiana police arrest third suspect in Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano's hotel death
Louisiana police have arrested a third suspect in connection with Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano's hotel room murder. Manzano, a 27-year-old Kansas City, Missouri-based Telemundo sports reporter, was in New Orleans on assignment to cover Super Bowl LIX. Advertisement He was found dead with Xanax in his system in his room at the Comfort Suites hotel in Kenner, Louisiana, on the morning of Feb. 5. Officials said his death was caused by the combined toxic effects of Xanax and alcohol, noting that he had been found 'face-down in a pillow with no lividity around his nose and mouth.' Since then, Kenner police have arrested so-called 'Bourbon Street Hustler' Danette Colbert, 48, and her accused accomplice, Ricky White, in connection with Manzano's death, On Friday, Kenner police also announced the arrest of Christian Anderson, 33, a New Orleans resident, for his alleged involvement in the plot that led to Manzano's death. Advertisement Colbert was nicknamed the 'Bourbon Street Hustler' on social media due to her lengthy past targeting men in the French Quarter and stealing their money. 5 Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano was found dead in his hotel room on Feb. 5. AP She is accused of similar crimes in Las Vegas. Authorities believe she, White and Anderson conspired to drug Manzano and then steal his credit cards before authorities found him dead. Advertisement Colbert and Manzano 'met in the French Quarter, probably in the wee hours of the morning,' Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley previously told Fox News Digital. 'They came back to the hotel that was in the city of Kenner about 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 5, at which time we do have surveillance video from the lobby of the hotel showing them going into [Manzano's] room around that time,' Conley said. 'Then [Colbert] came out, ran to the store, came back about 30 minutes later, and within 10 or 15 minutes, she left the room. And he was never seen again on any video other than when he went into the room. So, she was the last one to be with him.' 5 'Bourbon Street Hustler' Danette Colbert is accused of the reporter's murder. Kenner PD Detectives found that one of Manzano's credit cards was missing while processing his hotel room, Conley told reporters during a news conference on Feb. 8. Advertisement Authorities then obtained a search warrant allowing them to track the locations where the credit card was used after Manzano was found, which led them to Colbert. White is facing various charges, including simple robbery and multiple counts of fraud. 5 Police arrested Ricky White in connection with Manzano's death. Broward County Sheriff's Office He was later charged with murder in connection with Manzano's death. Authorities have also obtained an arrest warrant for Anderson for principal to simple robbery, purse snatching, access device fraud, illegal transmission of monetary funds, bank fraud and computer fraud. He is currently detained at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center alongside Colbert and White, Kenner police said. 'Evidence gathered through search warrants, text message records, and digital communications revealed that Anderson, along with previously arrested suspects Danette Colbert and Rickey White, played an active role in a coordinated pattern of targeting victims, drugging them, and stealing personal property, including phones and financial account access,' Kenner police said in a Friday press release. 5 Kenner police announced the arrest of Christian Anderson (right) for his alleged involvement in the murder plot. Kenner PD Advertisement 'Detectives discovered that the vehicle used by Danette Colbert on the day of Manzano's death had been rented by Christian Anderson, and further evidence showed that Anderson provided logistical support, engaged in post-crime communication, and assisted in attempts to financially benefit from the victim's stolen assets.' Records also allegedly show that 'Anderson and Colbert communicated extensively following the incident, and that he played a role in the group's recurring criminal behavior,' Kenner police said. Colbert was recently sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for crimes unrelated to Manzano's death, including theft, computer fraud and illegal transmission of monetary funds stemming from a 2024 case. 5 Kenner PD released a picture that showed Manzano and Colbert at the Kenner Comfort Inn the morning the reporter died. Kenner Police department Advertisement Police are asking anyone with information about Colbert to come forward. Some victims, Conley said, do not speak up, due to the sensitive nature of the suspect's alleged crimes. Authorities executed a search warrant at Colbert's address after identifying her as a potential suspect in connection with Manzano's death and said they had located a stolen gun that did not appear to be related to Manzano's death and narcotics.
