UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday condemned the brutal killing of at least 39 Filipinos in violence-related elections in a southern province of the Philippines, according to dpa. Ban said in a statement that he "condemns this heinous crime committed in the context of a local election campaign." "The secretary general extends heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and hopes that no effort will be spared to bring justice and to hold the perpetrators accountable," he said. The killing took place in a village in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province, 930 kilometres south of Manila. Police recovered many bodies in graves.
