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.

Manila - More than 80,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in a southern Philippine province due to fighting between government troops and Muslim separatist rebels who occupied several villages, a disaster relief agency said Sunday.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council said it has launched relief efforts for 16,057 families or more than 80,000 individuals displaced by the hostilities in North Cotabato province, 930 kilometres south of Manila.

General Santos City, Philippines - A 38-year-old Filipino broadcast journalist died Saturday after being in a coma for five days following his shooting in the southern Philippines.

Colleagues and family members said Dennis Cuesta, a radio commentator, died at the intensive care unit of a private hospital in General Santos city, 1,065 kilometres south of Manila.

Cuesta was shot five days ago while on his way to a mall in General Santos. He suffered three gunshot wounds, including one to the head. His companion was unhurt.

He was the fourth journalist to be killed in the Philippines this year.

Cotabato City, Philippines - Sporadic fighting between Philippine troops and Muslim separatist rebels delayed the planned withdrawal of guerrillas who occupied several villages in a southern province, a military officer said Saturday.

Brigadier General Reynaldo Sealana said the rebels were preparing to leave North Cotabato when they clashed with government militiamen in Dunguan village, which was designated as the guerrillas' point of exit to nearby Maguindanao province.

Manila - Dozens of Filipino democracy activists marched with cardboard Olympic torches in the Philippine capital Friday to protest China's continued support for the military junta in Myanmar.

The protesters, wearing sports uniforms, gathered in front of the Chinese and Myanmar embassies in Manila to demand democracy and freedom for the South-East Asian country formerly called Burma.

The protest also commemorated the bloody uprising in Myanmar 20 years ago. The anniversary of the August 8, 1988 uprising coincides with the opening of the Olympics in Beijing.

"Light up the torch of freedom and democracy for Burma," the activists said as they urged the Chinese government to revise its policy towards Myanmar.