Manila  - Switzerland's President Pascal Couchepin on Monday expressed hope that the Philippine Congress would soon pass a law compensating nearly 10,000 victims of human rights abuses under the dictatorship of late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

Couchepin, who was in Manila for a two-day state visit, conveyed to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo "the firm expectation of the Swiss government that the Philippine Congress may soon enact the Human Rights Compensation bill," a government statement said.

The statement noted that Arroyo "assured Couchepin that her administration attaches great importance to the speedy passage of the law so that human rights victims may be justly compensated."

Phnom Penh  - Cambodian border officials Monday accused Thailand of disregarding agreements to move back from three border temples in northern Oddar Meanchey province, but said they would not act until after bilateral ministerial talks in a week.

After negotiations Tuesday, Thai troops agreed to pull back from the Ta Moan group of temples, but moved back into the area Saturday, said a senior border official who asked not to be named.

Manila  - Communist rebels Monday ransacked a police station in an eastern Philippine town and seized several firearms, an army brigade commander said.

No casualties were reported in the raid on the police station, which was located inside the municipal hall compound of the town Panukulan in Quezon province, 105 kilometres east of Manila.

Colonel Tristan Kison said about 30 to 40 heavily armed rebels, wearing army uniforms, swooped down on the police station and disarmed the officers who were not able to fight back.

Manila  - Philippine share prices soared 2.81 per cent on Monday on optimism over easing world oil prices and Wall Street's strong performance last week.

The 30-share composite index gained 75.71 points to close at 2,768.52 from Friday's finish of 2,692.81.

A total of 3.774 billion shares worth 3.073 billion pesos (69.840 million dollars) were traded.

Gainers led losers 83 to 34, while 46 issues were unchanged.

Cotabato City, Philippines  - Three people were killed as fighting between government troops and Muslim secessionist rebels intensified in the southern Philippines, a senior military official said Monday.

Lieutenant General Rodrigo Maclang, armed forces deputy chief of staff, said one army soldier and two Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels were killed in the fighting that flared Sunday in North Cotabato province, 930 kilometres south of Manila.

Cotabato City, Philippines - Muslims in an autonomous region in the southern Philippine voted on Monday for their leaders as government troops and Islamic secessionist rebels clashed in a nearby province.

Jose Melo, chairman of the Commissions on Elections, said polling precincts opened on time with little violence and disruptions in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and voter turnout appears to be very good.

The region is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Sharif Kabunsuan, Lanao del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu and Basilan. It has a total population of more than 4.1 million and some 1.6 million registered voters.