<i>US envoy regrets remarks</i>

The US ambassador to the Philippines has apologized for his recent statement that 40 percent of male tourists visit the country for sex, a government spokesman said yesterday.
Ambassador Harry Thomas sent a cellphone text message Friday to Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who was on a visit to Vietnam, expressing regret for his comments, foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said.
"I should not have used the 40 percent statistic without the ability to back it up. I regret any harm that I may have caused," Thomas said in the text message, which Hernandez forwarded to journalists.
US Embassy spokeswoman Tina Malone said yesterday that Thomas "offered his deep regret" for his comment. She said the United States would continue to be a "strong and dedicated partner of the Filipino people in combating the global scourges of human trafficking and sexual tourism."
Thomas' remark last month angered some officials who questioned its basis and said it tarnished the country's image.
After addressing a discussion on human trafficking in the Philippines on Sept 22, Thomas also told journalists that the sex tourists included Americans and that it was "something I'm not proud of." He urged Philippine authorities to prosecute all foreign sex tourists, including Americans.
The Philippines is trying to revive its tourism industry and erase its 1980s reputation as a major destination for sex tourists.