World : Aquino Bars Marcos, Alive or Dead

Deposed Philippine leader Ferdinand E. Marcos will not be allowed back to his homeland dead or alive, President Corazon Aquino said today.

Aquino said she was opposed to the return of Marcos, 71, because of the potential trouble his supporters could cause. The former president is near death in a Honolulu hospital.

Asked why she was opposed to the return of Marcos when he died, the president said:

“We realize that Mr. Marcos is a Filipino citizen and should be allowed to come back. However, I also have to think about the lives of the millions of Filipinos whose lives could be affected by the return of Mr. Marcos, because his supporters, and especially his family and his associates, could be thinking of ways and means to destabilize this government.”