Philippine Farmers Need Angelina

A leftist farmers' group in the Asian island nation of the Philippines has sent a request to the United Nations for them to send Oscar-winning actress and philanthropist Angelina Jolie to survey the number of displaced people by army offensives in the countryside.

The group, Movement of Farmers in the Philippines, has sent a letter to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, detailing the worsening refugee problem in the Philippines following violence between the Philippine army and communist insurgents and Muslim separatists. In all, about 160,000 people have been killed, over two million people are now refugees and economic growth has been stunted.

The movement's leader, Willy Marbella, said, "Since June 2005, we have been asking the chair of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, to look into this and send Angelina Jolie to see the real situation of internally displaced people in the country."

"Hundreds of people are being forced out of their homes and farms every month."

Angelina is an ambassador of goodwill at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. In her role, she has traveled the world, visiting displaced peoples in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, where she also visited American troops stationed in Iraq.