Main suspect in massacre surrenders

MANILA: The main suspect in the massacre of 57 people in an election-related feud in the southern Philippines surrendered yesterday to face murder charges as authorities moved to dismantle his clan's control over the region.

Andal Ampatuan Jr, a local mayor in Maguindanao province, was flown out by an army helicopter from the provincial capital, where he was handed over by his brother to a senior government official and the top military general in the region.

"The charges are baseless," Ampatuan later told reporters at an airport in General Santos City. "They are not true. My conscience is clear."