Nine people were killed and 10 wounded when squatters fought off a government eviction and demolition team in the northern Philippines, a police report said Tuesday, according to dpa. The clash erupted Monday after armed squatters attacked a demolition crew sent to evict them in the upland town of Rizal in Kalinga province, 330 kilometres north of Manila. The fatalities were from the ranks of the squatters while the 10 wounded were police officers acting as reinforcements to the demolition crew, which was not able to evict the illegal settlers, the police report said. Police recovered three assault rifles, three shotguns, a hand grenade and bullets allegedly belonging to the squatters at the end of the fighting late Monday. The squatters had occupied farmland owned by a powerful politician in the province, had built thatched houses on the land and had farmed it. The attempted eviction was conducted after the politician had secured a court order to evict the settlers. No new date had been sent to attempt the evictions and demolition again.
