Manila  - Thailand's armed forces chief on Tuesday invited the Philippine military to join annual multinational war exercises in Thailand with four other countries, including the United States.

General Songgitti Jaggabatara, chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, made the invitation during a meeting with his Philippine courterpat, General Alexader Yano.

Jaggabatara, who was in Manila for an introductory visit, said he was looking forward to the active participation of the Philippine armed forces in the annual Cobra Gold training.

The Philippines is currently a mere observer in the exercises, which are participated in by troops from Thailand, the US, Indonesia, Singapore and Japan.

Manila  - The Philippine military is open to allowing homosexuals join the service as long as they pass its rigid physical and mental requirements, armed forces officials said Tuesday.

Brigadier General Gaudencio Pangilinan, civil relations service chief, said the armed forces do not discriminate against homosexuals.

"If you are qualified, I guess we are not biased against the third sex," he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres, armed forces public affairs chief, said anybody who fulfills the basic requirements will be accepted in the military.

Cotabato City, Philippines - Eight Muslim separatist rebels were killed in a clash with government troops in the southern Philippines, an army spokesman said Tuesday.

The fighting occurred in the town of Kabuntalan in Maguindanao province, 930 kilometres south of Manila, on Monday, according to Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce.

"At least eight MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) rebels were confirmed dead by our advance troops," he said.

Ponce said the guerrillas were the same group that clashed with troops in nearby Datu Piang town on Sunday, killing two soldiers.

Manila  - Two soldiers were killed in a clash with Muslim separatist rebels in the strife-torn southern Philippines, a military spokesman said Monday.

Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres said the fighting erupted Sunday when government troops encountered an undetermined number of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Datu Piang town in Maguindanao province, 930 kilometres south of Manila.

Zamboanga City, Philippines  - A suspended provincial jail warden was shot dead Monday in a southern Philippine island, where Muslim militants are holding captive three staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), police said.

Jajulie Jupakkal was attacked in Jolo town on Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila, according to Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, a provincial police chief.

Kasim said Jupakkal suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died on the spot.

Manila  - US tourist Claudia was all agog as she went through boxes and boxes of pirated DVDs of top Hollywood movies and music for sale at a stall in a Manila shopping mall.

Armed with a long list of movies and music DVDs requested by friends back in Los Angeles, Claudia scanned the selection and quickly picked her choices that included Oscar-winning movies Slumdog Millionaire and The Reader.